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The original was posted on /r/monitors by /u/KaptenTeo on 2023-08-07 19:42:42+00:00.

Hi!

After much trepidation, I finally managed to get a hold of a 4K HDR monitor that fits my workspace, namely the Tempest GP27U. I even got it at a reduced price! The problem is, I have no experience using HDR monitors, so I don’t really know what to consider when setting one up. I feel foolish thinking that it would just be a simple plug-and-play upgrade.

The monitor came with a printout showing how they had configured things, with color gamuts and what have you, which makes me assume everything should already be perfectly optimized, out of the box, but the Internet seems to be of a different mind, judging by some articles and posts. So what do I actually need to do?

The guides and reviews I’ve found online are difficult to follow and offer no clear instructions for an amateur like me. Currently it feels like there’s way too much to think about when you have an HDR monitor, but I’m hoping someone here can help me out. So excuse me while I simply pile on the many questions I have so far. My focus is to get the best possible gaming experience, both old and new games.

  1. Should I enable HDR in Windows 10? If so, what should I set the HDR/SDR balance to?
  2. Should I always disable HDR when running SDR content, such as old games? If so, is there an easier way to toggle this setting, other than going through the OSD each time?
  3. What HDR Picture Mode should I use? Do I need to configure one myself?
  4. What should I set the Color Temperature to? Do I need to configure one myself?
  5. What should I set Local Dimming to? It looks really washed out when set to off.
  6. What is Overdrive and what should I set it to?
  7. I’ve noticed something I just learned is called “blooming”, when bright objects move over dark backgrounds. Sometimes there’s a lot of it in a game like Thief (screenshot), but other times I barely notice it, and other times I even notice it with the mouse cursor in Windows. Is there anything to be done about this?
  8. The monitor is often slow when switching between applications, and sometimes displays the “no signal” message for a couple of seconds when I do. Is there anything I can do about this? My OSD says I have Firmware 1.3.1 and I’m using the DP cable that came with the monitor.

Again, thank you very much in advance for helping me out here.