Is a 720p HDTV too low a rez for a pc monitor?

[Matt2]

Westinghouse has a 37" 1080p LCD TV for $999.

I think that would be perfect for you.

 

[ArchAngel777]

Back on topic...

OP, there are more things to consider than simply 1080p versus 720p, though. For instance is takes about double the power to to render a 1920 X 1080 display than it does 1280 X 720. So, for me, the decision to opt for a lower resolution device was due to future upgrades. I can always enable AA and AF and if I don't have the money to upgrade my card, then I can keep playing current games, I just need to lower the AA or AF, or both, rather.

A good real world example of this was when Oblivion came out. When I purchased my LCD display (shortly after my 7800GTX) a lot of people (even knowledgable ones) right away mentioned that my 7800GTX was going to waste. A few months later Oblivion was released - guess what? Oblivion pushed my video card to the limits at 1280 X 768, it brought it to its knees. Evening enabling 2X AA brought the framerate below acceptable levels. So, I had to run it without any AA. The point is, the whole 1600+ resolution arguement is BS. You can always enable much higher AA or AF if you do happen to be CPU limited (which is rare and overhyped in the first place). Same thing with FEAR. Once FEAR came out, I could no longer run 4X AA and 16X AF. If I had a high, very high resolution display, I would have to have purchased an upgrade of a video card just months after my top of the line purchase in the first place.

Just make sure you make an informed decision before you buy. 1080p and 720p you cannot go wrong... However, in your situation, I would probably opt for a 1080p as that is becoming the new standard natively.

 

[ArchAngel777]

Originally posted by: Matt2
Westinghouse has a 37" 1080p LCD TV for $999.

I think that would be perfect for you.

I agree... That display is about the best bang for the buck... I wish I would have known about the westy back then. But then again, it was like $1,800 at that time and hardly anyone used it for a monitor, so I had limited data.

I am seriously considering picking one up, but again, the reason I have held back is because I am not prepared to upgrade my video card.

Good luck OP and welcome to LARGE SCREEN GAMING! 😀


Edit ** Does anyone know if the 37" Westy has any overscan when connecting through the DVI port? That was one reason I stayed away from the earlier models, because they had about 5 - 10% overscan.

 

[Matt2]

Originally posted by: ArchAngel777

Originally posted by: Matt2
Westinghouse has a 37" 1080p LCD TV for $999.

I think that would be perfect for you.

I agree... That display is about the best bang for the buck... I wish I would have known about the westy back then. But then again, it was like $1,800 at that time and hardly anyone used it for a monitor, so I had limited data.

I am seriously considering picking one up, but again, the reason I have held back is because I am not prepared to upgrade my video card.

Good luck OP and welcome to LARGE SCREEN GAMING! 😀


Edit ** Does anyone know if the 37" Westy has any overscan when connecting through the DVI port? That was one reason I stayed away from the earlier models, because they had about 5 - 10% overscan.

I want one of these really bad but my girlfriend would kill me if I spent another $1000 on a TV after we just spent $1800 on a 50" DLP TV.

I'm currently looking at 24" monitors because my tax return would cover that entire cost.

 

[ArchAngel777]

Originally posted by: Matt2

Originally posted by: ArchAngel777

Originally posted by: Matt2
Westinghouse has a 37" 1080p LCD TV for $999.

I think that would be perfect for you.

I agree... That display is about the best bang for the buck... I wish I would have known about the westy back then. But then again, it was like $1,800 at that time and hardly anyone used it for a monitor, so I had limited data.

I am seriously considering picking one up, but again, the reason I have held back is because I am not prepared to upgrade my video card.

Good luck OP and welcome to LARGE SCREEN GAMING! 😀


Edit ** Does anyone know if the 37" Westy has any overscan when connecting through the DVI port? That was one reason I stayed away from the earlier models, because they had about 5 - 10% overscan.

I want one of these really bad but my girlfriend would kill me if I spent another $1000 on a TV after we just spent $1800 on a 50" DLP TV.

I'm currently looking at 24" monitors because my tax return would cover that entire cost.

Good luck! 😀

Before I bought my 30", I compared it to the 24" Dell 2405. Both were beautiful monitors, but I opted for size matters 😛 Can't go wrong with either, to be honest. The 2405 and monitors like it are beautiful.

 

[MTDEW]

Well i'm glad this thread turned into people running a pc on an LCD tv discussing facts instead of just speculating.

i can see how if you havent tried it , that people would think that 1366x768 is just too low of a rez to use as a display.

But in actual testing, it looks just fine.
SERIOUSLY, i know it doesnt makes sense "on paper" so to speak.
But im sitting here looking at it and im telling those who havent seen it that 1366x768 looks just fine in games and works just fine for web browsing.

And i 100% agree with the last few posts,
Buy a 720p LCD if...
1:if you are on a budget
2:If you dont want to constantly upgrade for video card to play the latest games at 1080p, just be aware you'll most likely need AA and aniso turned on.

Buy a 1080p LCD if...
1:You want to spend the extra $$$ for the latest tech
2: Dont mind always purchasing the latest "high end" video card to keep playable FPS in the latest games @ 1080p.

And ive been researching this for about two weeks every day.
And the four best choices ive seen in a reasonable price range for 1080p displays to use as a monitor are....
Westinghouse 37inch
SCEPTRE 37inch
Westinghouse 42inch
SCEPTRE 42inch

Well, these are the ones that most people are using as pc monitors anyway, so info is easy to find.
Im sure there are others that work just as well for a pc monitor, theres just not enough people using them to find enough feedback.


According to the guys on the AVS forums, the Westy 42inch and the Sceptre 42inch use the same panel, and should look the same at native 1080p rez, but the Westy's scaler is better than the Sceptres if you plan to use it as a tv also and wont always be in 1080p.

I'm going with a Sceptre due to a personal preference for black to match the rest of my pc.

 

[MTDEW]

Matt2,
I have a Dell 2405 and i'll tell you its a GREAT monitor.
It even scales non-native resolutions really well.

I may be looking for an HDTV LCD, but that doesnt mean im getting rid of my 2405, i love that LCD and its staying hooked up and in use on my other pc. 😉

 

[TheRyuu]

Well, for a 37in PC monitor you really can't go wrong with the Westinghouse.

Native 1080p support, and one hell of a good monitor.

 

[fastman]

I have a 32" Sony that I do PC games, XBox 360 and web browsing on at 720p and it looks awesome. No ghosting or anything, otherwise it would have gone back.

 

[VooDooAddict]

I've got a 27" Viewsonic that has a native 1366x768 that I've been using as a primary display for over a year. I've used it extensively with a "6800GT", an X850Pro, and a 7900GS.
I use DVI to get native 1:1 pixel ratios on 1280x720 and 1024x768 with black bars. (When connecting a gaming console via component cables I let the TV scale it fully.)

General comments about Gaming:
For FPS it doesn't get much better then this. With low to mid end Video cards you can run just about anything @ 1280x720 or 1024x768. When you've got more power available you can kick up the AA and AF levels. I've found I much prefer 27" 1280x720 with 4xAA 16xAF over a 20" 1680x1050 on lower or no AA. I find 4xAA or greater really adds to the illusion of being in the game world.
For RTS ... many time I found myself wanting more pixels... feeling like i might be able to see more of the battle. (not that you could actually see more in all games ... just a desire)

General comments about windows usage:
I'm probably not the best comparison on this ... I've been using dual monitors for MANY years and continued to do so with this 27" monitor.

Here's my list of applications/games that I've used heavily on it:
- World of Warcraft @ 1280x720 with Lots of AA/AF - Beautiful Occasionaly I'd want more pixels for button bars ... but keeping the UI sparse keeps it more "fun" and immersive.
- Vongo.com - Subscription based legal downloadable movies. Movies on 27" instead of 17" or 19" LCD ... need I say more?
- CounterStrike:CS (And other source based games) @ 1280x720 - Imersive and FAST
- Battlefield 1942/2/2142 @ 1024x768
- Quake 4 @ 1280x720 - Really enjoyed playing through it on the 27" with nice AA and AF settings (was using a 7900GS for this)
- Warhammer 40k Dawn of War + Expansions. I'd rather higher rez for RTS.
- Good Ol' Warcraft 3 @ 1024x768 + as much AA/AF as your card can handle. Pretty but I'd rather more pixels for RTS.
- Company of Heroes @ 1280x720 working with the widescreen rez .. and the ability to hide the button bar made this my favorite RTS on the monitor .. I'm not begging for more pixels.
- XLS Docs (With OpenOffice "Calc")
- Visual Studio 2005 The only reason I could survive using VS2005 is because I've got a second 17" 1280x1024 display...

Conclusion ...
I think if gaming and casual web use is the primary use ... then I say go for it. If you can get your hands on a cheap 17" or 19" display to run dual displays then I think it's pretty close to the perfect setup. Especially if you also want to run an XBOX360 on the same screen.

After a year of using this display I'm saving for a Dell 30" LCD. Here's why... I feel that gaming at 1280x720 is perfect 90% of the time. The Dell 30" can do 1280x768 with slight black bars and perfect 2:1 pixel precision. It can also do that crazy 2560x1600 in windows for things like Visual studio. If need be I'll sell my current 27" ... I'd like to keep it around as a console gaming monitor / guest LAN party monitor.

For people saying that you will be wasting the 8800 on a 1280x720 ... they can start bitching at me too. I'll be picking up an 8800 in my system upgrade next month to power the 27" 1280x720. I can hardly wait to run everything smooth with 4x-8xAA and 16xAF.

Edit: I'm sill on the fence about 8800GTX or 8800GTS 320MB. Before the 8800GTS 320 came out I was set on the GTX since at some point this year I'd like to move to the 30" Dell. Now though, with such a huge cost difference I'll probably stay with the 8800GTS.

 

[ArchAngel777]

Originally posted by: VooDooAddict
I've got a 27" Viewsonic that has a native 1366x768 that I've been using as a primary display for over a year. I've used it extensively with a "6800GT", an X850Pro, and a 7900GS.
I use DVI to get native 1:1 pixel ratios on 1280x720 and 1024x768 with black bars. (When connecting a gaming console via component cables I let the TV scale it fully.)

General comments about Gaming:
For FPS it doesn't get much better then this. With low to mid end Video cards you can run just about anything @ 1280x720 or 1024x768. When you've got more power available you can kick up the AA and AF levels. I've found I much prefer 27" 1280x720 with 4xAA 16xAF over a 20" 1680x1050 on lower or no AA. I find 4xAA or greater really adds to the illusion of being in the game world.
For RTS ... many time I found myself wanting more pixels... feeling like i might be able to see more of the battle. (not that you could actually see more in all games ... just a desire)

General comments about windows usage:
I'm probably not the best comparison on this ... I've been using dual monitors for MANY years and continued to do so with this 27" monitor.

Here's my list of applications/games that I've used heavily on it:
- World of Warcraft @ 1280x720 with Lots of AA/AF - Beautiful Occasionaly I'd want more pixels for button bars ... but keeping the UI sparse keeps it more "fun" and immersive.
- Vongo.com - Subscription based legal downloadable movies. Movies on 27" instead of 17" or 19" LCD ... need I say more?
- CounterStrike:CS (And other source based games) @ 1280x720 - Imersive and FAST
- Battlefield 1942/2/2142 @ 1024x768
- Quake 4 @ 1280x720 - Really enjoyed playing through it on the 27" with nice AA and AF settings (was using a 7900GS for this)
- Warhammer 40k Dawn of War + Expansions. I'd rather higher rez for RTS.
- Good Ol' Warcraft 3 @ 1024x768 + as much AA/AF as your card can handle. Pretty but I'd rather more pixels for RTS.
- Company of Heroes @ 1280x720 working with the widescreen rez .. and the ability to hide the button bar made this my favorite RTS on the monitor .. I'm not begging for more pixels.
- XLS Docs (With OpenOffice "Calc")
- Visual Studio 2005 The only reason I could survive using VS2005 is because I've got a second 17" 1280x1024 display...

Conclusion ...
I think if gaming and casual web use is the primary use ... then I say go for it. If you can get your hands on a cheap 17" or 19" display to run dual displays then I think it's pretty close to the perfect setup. Especially if you also want to run an XBOX360 on the same screen.

After a year of using this display I'm saving for a Dell 30" LCD. Here's why... I feel that gaming at 1280x720 is perfect 90% of the time. The Dell 30" can do 1280x768 with slight black bars and perfect 2:1 pixel precision. It can also do that crazy 2560x1600 in windows for things like Visual studio. If need be I'll sell my current 27" ... I'd like to keep it around as a console gaming monitor / guest LAN party monitor.

For people saying that you will be wasting the 8800 on a 1280x720 ... they can start bitching at me too. I'll be picking up an 8800 in my system upgrade next month to power the 27" 1280x720. I can hardly wait to run everything smooth with 4x-8xAA and 16xAF.

Edit: I'm sill on the fence about 8800GTX or 8800GTS 320MB. Before the 8800GTS 320 came out I was set on the GTX since at some point this year I'd like to move to the 30" Dell. Now though, with such a huge cost difference I'll probably stay with the 8800GTS.

Great Post :thumbsup: