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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Our HDR benchmarking uses Portrait Displays’ Calman software. To learn about our HDR testing, see our breakdown of how we test PC monitors.

The GM2711S supports HDR10 content with an automatic switchover and accurate tone-mapping. There are no picture controls, but as you’ll soon see, none are needed.

HDR Brightness and Contrast

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

I was disappointed that the GM2711S has no provision for dynamic contrast in HDR mode. It’s available for SDR content, so that is an eyebrow-raiser. There’s plenty of light output, but elevated black levels mean that HDR and SDR look about the same. Yes, there is greater color saturation, but without deep blacks, HDR doesn’t have the full impact it’s capable of.

Grayscale, EOTF and Color

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Cooler Master GM2711S
(Image credit: Portrait Displays Calman)

The GM2711S’s HDR grayscale chart isn’t quite perfect, but it’s close enough to the mark that most content won’t show a problem. Levels above 60% are a tad warm, but as I said earlier, too warm is better than too cool. Picture depth and dimension hold up better when things are too red versus too blue. The EOTF sticks close to the reference except in the 5-10% levels where it is too light. This means shadow detail, while clearly visible, will be more gray than black. It could be seen as an advantage for gamers since enemies hiding in the dark will be easier to spot. But the user should be given a choice.

HDR color rendering is bright and vivid with a little over-saturation. That helps distract from the low contrast and the HDR image is certainly very colorful. It is more saturated than SDR, so that’s a plus. The wide gamut bodes well for Rec.2020 content as it can cover more of that space than most $300 monitors.

Test Takeaway: The GM2711S has lots of accurate and saturated color for HDR content which is a good thing. But black levels are too high, which takes away from the impact. The addition of dynamic contrast would certainly help. It would at least give users an option.

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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.