Monitor vs TV For Gaming – Which Should I Choose? [Simple Answer] 

Quick Answer

There are some who only want the game to play and there are others that really want to play the game. It is based on these classes of gamers that performance and expectations of gaming components and peripherals can be graded. Essentially, whatever you decide to buy for gaming depends on the type of gamer that you are, and so it is not out of place to find people wondering what to go for, a monitor or TV no matter what the hardcore gamer may say.

It even gets more interesting to know that both PC games and console games can be played with a TV display. But then, the question is on whether or not it is a viable option and if it is something that one should settle for. Let’s find out.

Monitor vs TV For Gaming

Size

The most obvious difference between a monitor and a TV is the screen size. TV has the advantage in this regards; while monitors are only sized between 19 inches and 27 inches, TVs are mostly between 30 and 60 inches. That said, you can even get to have TVs that go beyond 100 inches and in some cases monitors that are up to 35 inches.

There is something that happens with size which is the fact that when you are using a monitor that is larger than 27 inches, you begin to have a problem with viewing it properly since monitors are designed to have you up close. This means that getting a monitor that is higher than 27″ may not be very enjoyable.

Some gamers still love the size advantage the TV offers because it makes gaming both easy to enjoy and easier to play. But the other side of the coin is that first-person shooter game players may prefer smaller screen than what TV offers.

Resolution

Now to the resolution which is something that can enhance or completely destroy your gaming experience, TV is not able to give the monitor any serious challenge here. The resolution is decided by the pixels your display has. The higher the pixels, the better the resolution and the sharper and more detailed it becomes.

Sure, you can also have 4k resolution on TV, but it drops straight to 1080p (Full HD) and then 720p (HD Ready). Essentially, you do not get anything between Full HD and 4k.

Monitors, on the other hand, come with the 1080p resolution, 1140 which is known as the 2k, and then you have the 4K resolution. 8K resolution monitors are also coming, but they are still away from the mainstream.

Lag Time

This may just be the deciding factor for a lot of people because it could just be your death and survival while gaming. The lag time is the time that it takes for your display to receive the signal from your control and execute it. For example, the time between when you shoot an enemy and the time that he gets shot.

With a monitor, you can have that super fast as the moment you give a command, you will see it executed. But with a TV, the reaction to your control can be delayed a little and before you know it, you are dead. Adieu.

Looking at the LG UJ7700 4K HDR TV, for example, it gives 12-millisecond input lag which for TV is ultra-low. Nevertheless, a very good competitive gamer who is used to 1ms input lag will tell that something isn’t completely right.

Response Time

Contrary to what you may believe, Lag input time and response time are two different things, although they are both important for a gamer.  Response time simply has to do with how fast your TV or Monitor is able to change its pixels colors form either black-to-white or gray-to-gray.

The response time of the TV is much higher than what you get with the monitor and this can affect the smoothness of your game.

Built-in Features and connectors

There are some TVs that come with the gaming mode even though that still leaves a lot to be yearned for. But then, when you want built-in gaming features such as the built-in fps counter and adaptive synchronization technology, you don’t get that with TV.

More so, TV has again found itself behind in connectors as it only has the HDMI but with no DisplayPort. On its part, the monitor comes with both of these connectors for videos.

Price

There is no arguing the fact that gaming monitors are way more expensive than a TV. Let’s keep aside the fact that a TV will also work as a TV after you are done gaming, it is significantly cheaper than what you will pay to get a Monitor.

Comparing them side by side based on the refresh rate and resolution that you get as well as size, you will realize that the TV is much cheaper. Nonetheless, there are TVs that are high-end in the same way that there are monitors.

Which Should I Choose?

With all that has been said, we may as well end the monitor vs TV for gaming debate where we began by stating that it all depends on what you want as well as the type of gamer that you are. For a casual gamer who is only interested in having the game play, there is nothing wrong with going for a TV because it is cheap and offers a much wider display.

See Also: Xbox One X vs PS4 Pro: Which One is Better and More Powerful?

On the other hand, it will simply be out of the question for a competitive or FPS gamer to go for a TV over a monitor. This is because as shown, winning or losing for you depends on those milliseconds that you can lose as a result of a low response time which is what you get with a TV. This also combines with other advantages such as good resolution and DisplayPort support to make a gaming monitor the better of the two for a gamer who is more than just a casual one.

Conclusion

At the end of it all, for many that have always found themselves using the TV for gaming, most of the things pointed out in the monitor vs TV for gaming comparison may seem unimportant. Everything, however, may probably change for you the first time you decide to try playing on a good monitor instead of a TV.