Cooler Master GM2711S Gaming Monitor Review: Premium Video Processing and Color Accuracy

27-inch IPS QHD display with 180 Hz, Adaptive-Sync, HDR400, and wide gamut color.

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Cooler Master GM2711S
(Image: © Tom's Hardware)

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Uncalibrated – Maximum Backlight Level

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Cooler Master GM2711S
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

The GM2711S is very bright, with over 450 nits of SDR light output. Coupled with its fancy anti-glare layer, you have a monitor well suited for outdoor use, say, in the video tent at a location shoot. Black levels are a bit high, though, so contrast is below average. Most of today’s IPS panels can hit 1,000:1, and that is my benchmark. The GM2711S is slightly below that. SDR content can benefit from the Enhanced Contrast option, which bumps it up to around 2,000:1 before clipping occurs.

After Calibration to 200 nits

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Cooler Master GM2711S
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

Calibration doesn’t buy the GM2711S any more contrast; it stays consistent, which is good. Note that the other Cooler Master screen, the GP27Q, has a similarly low dynamic range. Fortunately, the color gamut is a bit larger than most. This helps inject some verve into the image, which in practice is of good quality.

ANSI contrast is also consistent, and that is also a good thing. I’d like to see at least 1,000:1 because other aspects of the GM2711S are so good. But its higher-than-average black levels are what make the difference.

Test Takeaway: The GM2711S has no shortage of light output, and its premium anti-glare layer makes it uniquely qualified for brightly lit environments. But elevated black levels set it back from the competition a little. I recommend using the Enhanced Contrast on Level 1 for a little more punch.

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Christian Eberle
Christian Eberle
Contributing Editor

Christian Eberle is a Contributing Editor for Tom's Hardware US. He's a veteran reviewer of A/V equipment, specializing in monitors. Christian began his obsession with tech when he built his first PC in 1991, a 286 running DOS 3.0 at a blazing 12MHz. In 2006, he undertook training from the Imaging Science Foundation in video calibration and testing and thus started a passion for precise imaging that persists to this day. He is also a professional musician with a degree from the New England Conservatory as a classical bassoonist which he used to good effect as a performer with the West Point Army Band from 1987 to 2013. He enjoys watching movies and listening to high-end audio in his custom-built home theater and can be seen riding trails near his home on a race-ready ICE VTX recumbent trike. Christian enjoys the endless summer in Florida where he lives with his wife and Chihuahua and plays with orchestras around the state.