TV or Monitor?

[SyntaxSocialist]

Hey all! Building my first rig (for relatively high-end gaming). Wondering if I should be opting for a TV or a computer monitor as my display. I'm looking to play at 1080p, maybe even a little higher. I've got a Radeon HD 7950.

Obviously, TVs are better for screen real estate per dollar, but what about performance? I'm just looking at buyers' guides now, and am about to delve into my own research on individual products, but before I do, what are Tom's preliminary thoughts?

Also, I'm assuming that monitors' and TVs' specs are based around the same measures (panel technology, response time, contrast ratio, etc.). Am I mistaken in that?

 

[kenrivers]

You might find this thread useful: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/61133-3-monitor-hdtv-gaming

 

[ssddx]

what you call "screen real estate" often refers to how many pixels of space you actually have more so than "physical size of the screen".

a 1080p 40"tv and a 1080p 20" monitor i would say have the same real estate. one will be sharper and the other one would be larger. both properties have their pros/cons.

what you need to figure out is what you plan to do with your system and what other perepherals you are connecting.

for example if you want to watch tv, play some games and also use your dvd player, xbox and other devices in one area a tv is your best choice. you can also edit documents and surf the web on a tv but unless you couch surf its probably better to do this on a monitor.

if you only want to use a pc and do mostly work tasks a monitor is best. you can also game on monitors but television looks better on a larger screen and so do console games.

is refresh rate and ultra low response time important to you? if so only 120hz tn panels can do this which are monitor only. even 120hz tvs only accept a 60hz input and fake in the other frames. this is why i always suggest a 60hz only tv as the processing can cause a slight delay in games (looks like lag).

personally i use a 40" sony bravia hooked up to my avr. i then have my ps3 and pc hooked up to that. since i dont do a whole lot of work on it and its mostly console games and movies (i did play alot of rpg and fps games on it in the past though) it works out great. i still have a 20" panel around which works great for office tasks but quite frankly i dont have the room for it on the system and its 1600x1200 resolution doesnt mesh up nice with my 1080p tv.

if you want a tv, buy a sony, samsung or possibly lg. 60hz, led, non smarttv. staying 60hz will avoid any complications. if you do pick 120hz make sure the 60hz mode works (some do not work right). since you will be using a computer smarttv is redundant unless of course you like the option to surf with the pc off.

if you want a monitor i personally suggest 8bit ips panels or at a minimum 6bit e-ips panels but if you want 120hz you need a tn panel rated for this. keep in mind tn panels have poor viewing angles and ips panels have slower response times. 8bit panels (and 10bit) have better color accuracy then tn, va and e-ips. go with a major brand such as acer, asus, dell, etc.

 

[jamestaylor84]

The fight between a monitor and a television will go on until one of the devices get obselete. And this is no possible in the current scenario. My point is that, whichever device you use to watch your favourite shows use it with a digital TV aerial. You will see the difference once you use it.