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General discussion

Which LCD for playing vid games?

Nov 20, 2009 1:53AM PST

I'm looking for a 32" LCD for my teanage son who will play action video games. I don't want the action to be blurry. I've read that 8 ms response time & 120hz are important factors. I'm looking to spend no more than $600. Can you recommend specific models? Do I need to increase my budget? I appreciate your advice.

Discussion is locked

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It's not
Nov 20, 2009 3:01AM PST

It's not, seriously. I have a pretty basic 32" S-Series Sony Bravia TV, and it's only 60Hz. Works just fine for fast and furious games. I have an old LCD monitor from around 2001-2002 with a 16ms response rate, and I used that for gaming for a number of years with no problems.

What you tend to find, are a lot of people who have to have the latest and greatest thing, and in an effort to justify the huge premium they pay for this privilege, they tend to overstate the gains. It's the same overcompensation issue you see with kids who have to have a fast and/or loud flashy car, or jacking it up like 5ft off the ground with monster truck like wheels. It's just a manifestation of overcompensation for masculine insecurity. It does NOT accurately reflect the experience 99% of the rest of us will have.

Now, there is one thing to consider here, in that TVs and computer monitors are going to be very different beasts, and you didn't really specify which one you were talking about. For 30" and above LCD computer monitors, you generally need what's known as a "dual link" capable video card. Basically the monitor will require two outputs on the video card to drive the display. If you're talking a 32" LCD TV, then don't worry about it. You're also very unlikely to find a 32" LCD monitor for under $600.

I will offer one suggestion, in that if you're going to go 32" or higher with a TV, make sure it's 1080p. The Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 are both capable of 1080p output, and that will do a lot more to make the image look better than 120Hz refresh rates and 8ms or lower response rates.

Other than 1080p, just stick to some of the major brand names. If you stick to Sony, Samsung, or LG it should make it pretty hard for you to go too wrong.

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My kid loved this one.
Nov 20, 2009 4:42AM PST
http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=TS-24W8H-R&cat=MON was only 199 and hooked up with a 5 buck HDMI cable to the 360 it's quite the bargain. I can't see where 120 to 600 Hz is needed today but to those that are ready to be sold any new do-dad with gold plating.

It's a game machine. Works fine.
Bob
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$600 dollars is more than enough
Nov 20, 2009 4:55AM PST

hiya,

Im a hardcore gamer and I honestly think that you shouldn't splash out too much for a Tv dedicated to gaming. The maximum size i recommend is 32".

When buying an LCD tv for gaming purpose, you should meet the following criteria:

1- Have an HDMI connection treu HD TV
2- have a resolution of 1080p

with the above, you will be able to run the latest console without any problem. I have a PS3 and use the HDMi cable and as a results, the graphics are a lot sharper (HD quality) than using a normal connection.

Hope that helps,