HDTV Monitor and Custom System Help

Hey all,

I will be building a computer in the near future (specs tentatively posted below) and I want to use an HDTV as a giant monitor in my living room as opposed to a standard monitor. It is my understanding that many of these HDTVS can be connected to your computer as you would a normal monitor through the VGA. Is that correct or is there more to it than that? Does anyone here have any experience doing this and if so, how has it worked for you? Would you recommend it for others? And if so, what specific equipment would you recommend? How flexible are the resolutions settings for the TV itself?

My price limit is $800-1000 for the TV (ideally I want to get a 37" LCD TV and keep it as cheap as possible) and about $1300 for my PC. I want this set up so i can play Warcraft, Madden and numerous other games, search the internet, type papers and watch movies all from the same work station (my living room).

Here is my (current, but certainly not set in stone) future Computer Configuration (I will buy buying the actual equipment in early August):

Computer parts list

CASE
Antec P182 Gun Metal Black

MOBO
MSI 975X PLATINUM V.2 INTEL 975X

CPU/Fan/Heat sync
Intel Core 2 Duo E6600/COOLER MASTER HYPER TX-INTEL (RR-PCH-S9U1-GP)

PSU
Xion PowerReal Series 600W Ver. 2.0 ATX Power Supply

Video Card
BFG Technologies GeForce 8800GTS OC

Hard Drive
HITACHI 500GB 0A33437 SATA300 7200RPM 16MB

Ram
Corsair 2GB PC26400 800MHZ

Optical Drive
LITE ON LH-20A1H-186C 20X LIGHTSCRIBE DUAL DVD REWRITABLE DRIVE


HDTV’s
37” LCD TV (Visio)

Surround Sound System
Philips 1000W 5.1-Ch. Home Theater System with DVD/CD/MP3/DivX Model: HTS3555/37


If you have any thoughts, ideas, or tweaks that you think may help improve my system or my experience, please post them here or e-mail me: Giblien@hotmail.com

Thanks all!

Likewise, the CPU and GPU landscape may have changed a great deal by then.

Intel is, suposedly, slated to release new chips and cut prices in July. And who knows what will become of the ATI/AMD R6XX line or the 8x50s that might be out by then.