$150 monitor vs. 42inch LG HDTV

[DeusAres]

Which would be better for gaming?

I plan on building a pc soon and I'm on a tight budget. I thought about just using my 42inch tv as a monitor rather than shell out extra cash for a gaming monitor. Which would be better for me? If I have to, I may be able to afford a $150 monitor. My preferred resolution is 1920x1080p

How would the 42 inch hdtv handle games such as skyrim and/or battlefield 3?

 

[MauveCloud]

Game performance is dependent on the resolution and the video card rather than the physical size of the monitor or tv. If the TV is 1920x1080 native (as opposed to 1366x768), it should be usable as a monitor, you'll just want to sit further from it than you would a small $150 monitor. Do you know the exact model number of the HDTV? It might be printed somewhere on the back.

 

[ssddx]

a 42" lcdtv should be fine. i use a 40" television at home for mostly movies and gaming with no issue. you might want to check if your tv is 60hz, 120hz or 240hz though. if its not 60hz then check to see if it has a game mode or 60hz mode as this is what you want to use when you hook it up to a pc.

no use spending $150 if you already have something which works.

 

[DeusAres]

Here's a link to the TV I have...
http://www.amazon.com/LG-42LK450-42-Inch-1080p-HDTV/dp/B004OOQ8CW

The model number is 42LK450.

Here's a newegg link...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16889005192

They both state it's a full HD 1920x1080p HDTV @ 60Hz. I'm just afraid that it will be difficult to play competitively on games such as BF3 on a 42 inch TV. I feel as though I'll be shooting at people and get upset because I think I'm getting headshots when I'm not.

 

[ssddx]

are you concerned that the image quality will be so poor as to make gameplay horrible? while true that the screen will be much less sharp than a panel of half the size the reduction in quality is not that bad. fps games can feel larger than life until you get used to them on a big screen but other than that, headshots might actually be easier due to the larger image. i've tons of genres of games on my 40" without problems.

1920x1080 @ 60hz is good. it sounds like you shouldnt have any problem hooking it up.

 

[DeusAres]

Awesome! Glad to hear that. I'll just try it out first. Then if there's a problem, I'll look into getting an actual monitor. Thanks for the input guys!

 

[DeusAres]

Best answer selected by DeusAres.