Cooler Master GM27-CF 165Hz Monitor Review: High Performance, High Value

High refresh and great contrast for only $300

Reviews
By Christian Eberle
last updated
Cooler Master GM27-CF
(Image: © Cooler Master)

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Viewing Angles

(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

The GM27-CF has viewing angles like most VA monitors. Since it’s relatively small, it’s not well-suited for sharing. To the sides, you can see a red/green shift and a 50% reduction in light output. The top down view is much the same with a reduction in detail. 

Screen Uniformity

To learn how we measure screen uniformity, click here.

(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

There were no visible uniformity flaws with our GM27-CF sample. All screen zones were within .012 nit of the center with no apparent bleed or glow when viewing the screen in a darkened room. Field patterns of all brightness levels showed no color variation or luminance artifacts. 

Pixel Response and Input Lag

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Cooler Master GM27-CF
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

Gaming is the GM27-CF’s design intent and for that it is ideally suited. We tested at 165 Hz as that was the most reliable speed our sample could achieve. It is possible to overclock to 200 Hz and that will probably reduce input lag a little. With a 6ms draw time, there is no visible motion blur at the highest frame rates. Control lag is also very low at just 26ms. This puts the Cooler Master in the competition-ready category. Only a 240 or 265Hz monitor can offer a significant speed increase. The GM27-CF is high on the price/performance ratio scale. 

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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.