Overlord Tempest X270OC, 27" 120 Hz IPS Gaming Monitor Review

[ajlong12]

I built a 4770k, crossfire R9 290 rig specifically for this monitor. Got in on the December 2013 order and I haven't regretted it for one second. Pure gaming bliss!

 

[footman]

The AG version has an anti-glare film, the glossy version does not!!! Got to order from Overlord Computers directly (Google)....

 

[footman]

I just wanted to update my earlier comments about this monitor. I actually purchased one and have been playing with it for the last few days. All I can say is 'wow'. I have a pair of R9-290's and was considering the ROG Swift as well as the 4K Asus monitor. I think that I made the right choice here.
The Overlord Tempest came pixel perfect, a glossy AH-IPS screen and even uncalibrated looked great, now that it is calibrated the image is unbelievable compared to my older Dell U2711. I am glad that I did not bother with 4K as frame rates would be well below 60 even with a pair of R9-290's. Gaming and working on a 27in screen with 2560x1440 resolution is my sweet spot and with Ultra settings I can still pump out 90-110fps in BF4, which coincidentally brings me up to the fact that this monitor can be overclocked (albeit with a little work), download the ati patcher and custom resolution utility (google ToastyX), install then create some custom resolutions. I was able to run 96hz, 110hz and even 120hz (although my settings are not yet completely stable at 120hz), at 96hz and 110hz BF4 looks smoother than ever, my mouse responds faster than ever and I am more accurate gaming. Now I need to find a more sensitive mouse, lol... I did experience some coil buzz from the monitor at anything above 96hz, however once I opened up the monitor and dabbed some epoxy on the two capacitors making the noise all is quiet....
What a monitor, AH-IPS, 120hz, pixel perfect and great support from Overlord Computers. The icing on the cake is the price. I could almost get 2 for the price of 1 Asus ROG Swift
Thanks Overlord....

 

[trogdor796]

Yeah but it sounds like you had to do some extra work to get it perform right. Open it up and put some epoxy on the capacitors? Sorry, but that's not something that I, or a lot of other will want to do after they have just payed a lot for a monitor.

I don't know, personally I would rather have the ROG Swift. I mainly play shooters and competitive games, so response time is more important to me than color. With the Swift I get a guaranteed 144hz refresh rate, and I also get G-Sync, which is more beneficial than IPS for me.

But, that's how I look at it. The overlord is a lot cheaper like you said, and is probably a great monitor for the price. It's awesome that there is now an affordable IPS that can go beyond 60hz while still looking great.

 

[ajlong12]

Yeah but it sounds like you had to do some extra work to get it perform right. Open it up and put some epoxy on the capacitors? Sorry, but that's not something that I, or a lot of other will want to do after they have just payed a lot for a monitor.

I don't know, personally I would rather have the ROG Swift. I mainly play shooters and competitive games, so response time is more important to me than color. With the Swift I get a guaranteed 144hz refresh rate, and I also get G-Sync, which is more beneficial than IPS for me.

But, that's how I look at it. The overlord is a lot cheaper like you said, and is probably a great monitor for the price. It's awesome that there is now an affordable IPS that can go beyond 60hz while still looking great.

Not really... I haven't had ANY coil whine with mine. No need to open it up. Guess the capacitor whine is only a problem for some... And it's hard to compare a $450 IPS to a $800 TN. I really want to hear from people who have gamed on both. And many of us have AMD cards, so spending $200 alone for GSYNC seems like a waste.

 

[dkojof]

really?there is nothing that compares to this monitor on this price range nor even close to it. 96hz to 144hz wont make a better experience for anyone, no matter how "fluid" you think you are gaming. play a fast paced fps like unreal tournament on 60hz and 144hz, its the same game! 30fps to 60fps... huge improvement, necessary for accuracy. 60fps to 90fps... minor improvement, its allread reaching the eye's natural perceived "refresh rate" and your mouse wont become faster as it was, still cool nonenthless. 90fps to 120fps? gimmick.. its something people want just to talk about. I bet with anyone here, 1x1, me on my 60fps monitor vs you at 144fos on a swift, you wouldnt beat me on a fps im good at. lets play star craft on a swift against a korean capped at 30fps, we wouldnt beat him. play any other title, the game wont become richer, more interesting nor the time will pass by slower than it allways did. you know what? some people can enjoy gaming VASTLY more on a crt panel with a capped 30fps than others with a titan super ultra 4k or tri-monitor. lets get real, the only thing better than this monitor is something designed specifically to meet color gammut and accuracy, it does make a difference just as much as 60fps does to 30fps, but only to media profissionals. $400 bucks for a monitor better than a $1000 dell to play games designed to run at 60hz and some here are talking like those silly people discussing digital cams and lens instead of taking pictures god damn. no one would ever tell which picture was taken with what cam whatsoever and they still think there is reality on the arguing... theres a name for this behaviour, children

 

[footman]

Yeah but it sounds like you had to do some extra work to get it perform right. Open it up and put some epoxy on the capacitors? Sorry, but that's not something that I, or a lot of other will want to do after they have just payed a lot for a monitor.

I don't know, personally I would rather have the ROG Swift. I mainly play shooters and competitive games, so response time is more important to me than color. With the Swift I get a guaranteed 144hz refresh rate, and I also get G-Sync, which is more beneficial than IPS for me.

But, that's how I look at it. The overlord is a lot cheaper like you said, and is probably a great monitor for the price. It's awesome that there is now an affordable IPS that can go beyond 60hz while still looking great.

The buzz is not that noticeable and only appears over 96hz. I game with headphones so it is a moot point for me. I am a bit of a geek, so any opportunity to 'open' up a toy for a look see is a go..... It took all of 15mins to pop open the monitor and dab a little glue to a couple of coils... It is not required though and some owners on the forums are getting no buzz even at 120hz plus...

Regarding refresh rate, take a look at the overall lag (refresh rate and input lag) and you will see that this monitor and the ROG Swift that Christian also reviewed are the same, even though the ROG has a faster refresh rate it also has a more significant input lag (due to the OSD and input options).....

The only reason to buy the ROG is if you want Gsync and have an Nvidia card (IMO of course)...

I am thoroughly impressed with this monitor and notice a huge difference between this and my Dell U2711 when gaming...

 

[footman]

really?there is nothing that compares to this monitor on this price range nor even close to it. 96hz to 144hz wont make a better experience for anyone, no matter how "fluid" you think you are gaming. play a fast paced fps like unreal tournament on 60hz and 144hz, its the same game! 30fps to 60fps... huge improvement, necessary for accuracy. 60fps to 90fps... minor improvement, its allread reaching the eye's natural perceived "refresh rate" and your mouse wont become faster as it was, still cool nonenthless. 90fps to 120fps? gimmick.. its something people want just to talk about. I bet with anyone here, 1x1, me on my 60fps monitor vs you at 144fos on a swift, you wouldnt beat me on a fps im good at. lets play star craft on a swift against a korean capped at 30fps, we wouldnt beat him. play any other title, the game wont become richer, more interesting nor the time will pass by slower than it allways did. you know what? some people can enjoy gaming VASTLY more on a crt panel with a capped 30fps than others with a titan super ultra 4k or tri-monitor. lets get real, the only thing better than this monitor is something designed specifically to meet color gammut and accuracy, it does make a difference just as much as 60fps does to 30fps, but only to media profissionals. $400 bucks for a monitor better than a $1000 dell to play games designed to run at 60hz and some here are talking like those silly people discussing digital cams and lens instead of taking pictures god damn. no one would ever tell which picture was taken with what cam whatsoever and they still think there is reality on the arguing... theres a name for this behaviour, children

Try simply moving a mouse around on the screen at 60hz and then at 120hz. The experience is different like chalk and cheese. While I agree that the difference between 30 and 60hz is more apparent than the difference between 60hz and 96hz this is relative and more down to the fact that gaming at 30hz is like viewing a fast slideshow. These monitors are more than just refresh rate, they are about reducing the input lag as well which again makes gaming smoother and more enjoyable. Perhaps you have tried being accurate with vsync enabled as the added input delay makes mouse movement laggy.... Pushing a monitor to a higher refresh rate along with a reduction in input lag makes mouse movement smoother and more responsive...
I don't believe that this type of monitor is a gimmick, after owning a Dell U2711 for 3 years with a 60hz refresh rate and swapping it out for this monitor at 96hz I can definitely state that FOR ME playing BF4 has been smoother and more responsive. Maybe it's psychological, but I don't believe so....