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Would a 40-42 in LCD TV be good for a computer monitor?

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The ones I'm looking at support 1920x1080 and thats what I plan running games on. Would it look better on a 42 in TV or a 24 in monitor? For the same price a TV just sounds like it would be better as your getting an extremely large display. Plus I can use it as a TV when I'm not on the computer. A 42 in monitor costs twice as much as a TV. I looked on the bestbuy website and people are buying those TV's for computer monitor/TV's.

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It depends on how close you're going to be sitting from your display.. If you sit at a very close distance when you're on your computer, getting a 42 inch TV might not be a good idea regarding your health.

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TV Expert
Monitor Master

i sit about 4-5 feet away from a 40" sony bravia 1080p television ...... its fine.

remember that when you take a static resolution, in this case 1920x1080p and scale it to a screen twice as big the image will not be as crisp and sharp as the smaller monitor. gaming and movies are perfect and you can still do some office work or web browsing on the television although using a smaller screen with crisper text and graphics is ideal for long term office/web use.

i had to bump my windows text size up one notch but that was it.

the most important thing to remember... i would HIGHLY suggest getting a 60hz panel and not a 120 or 240hz panel.
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Yeah mostly the idea for getting the large display is gaming. I think I'll live with the setbacks. Actually I do have a 24in monitor I can switch back to if I dont like it and just use it as a TV.

Why 60hz over 120?
TV Expert
Monitor Master

120hz and 240hz televisions post process in (they fake in) the extra frames which results in a bit of noticible lag in games and pc use in general. it is not noticible and actually looks a bit better for movies. the reason why it is post processed in is because they only take a 60hz signal.

some models do offer a game mode or 60hz mode but i have seen various reports of this not working propperly and people posting about the matter. there may be a workaround in some cases.

if you buy a 60hz panel then you do not have to worry about game mode and since you plan on using it almost exclusively for pc use it would be smart to at least give this thought. as for what you are missing out on for movies is 3d (which is gimmicky at best) and a smoother framerate (negligible in my opinion). since the framerate is locked at 60hz input on ANY model (60, 120 or 240hz) and hdmi output on video cards is 60hz you really have nothing to gain from buying a non 60hz screen.

60hz screens are also cheaper. i know for a fact that you can get a 46" sony bravia led backlit 1080p television for $750 on sale. you should be able to pick up a 40" for a little less. no smart tv, no special features, just barebones tv which is what should connect up best without issues.

of course the decision is completely up to you. dont believe me on the lag? search the forums here and you will see what i am talking about.
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