People choose other ways to watch content instead of using TVs.
People choose other ways to watch content instead of using TVs.
I addressed your query honestly—budget isn’t the only factor. The passion for high-quality displays isn’t limited to gaming; it’s about having ample space and clarity for everything you need.
I haven’t used a monitor in over ten years. I went from a 37" 1080p TV to a 42" 4K LCD in my office and an 88" one for gaming. It’s hard not to chuckle at those who think a 40-inch screen is too large for a desk. With today’s 4K 120Hz TVs offering VRR, there’s no real need to buy a monitor again. And I can’t help but laugh at people who can’t tell the difference between 1080p and 4K. It’s a huge leap unless you’re talking about phone screens.
No amount of "sharpening" or "softening" or "filtering" is going to compensate for a lack of resolution. To paraphrase an old adage in the car community, "there's no replacement for resolution". I don't only game with my monitor. I read text. I browse. I watch videos. There isn't a font alive that can't be better rendered and present less eyestrain--if properly rendered in 2160p vs 1080p. It's not a question of "what resolution will I natively game in?" and then only buying just enough for that. In fact, that same dearth of logic is what has been holding the display community to a standstill in progress. Your monitor SHOULD be out-resolutioning your games. That's how it always used to be. It made sense. You could keep the same display, and instantly appreciate improvements in graphics or upgrades to your system. So you can game at 1080p all day long; but you will never convince me that it's worth it to do so on a 1080p display--unless it's something you've had for a long time and don't have a GPU to warrant an upgrade. 1080p should be illegal to sell, imho.
It seems you're pointing out that the differences between resolutions are noticeable, especially at smaller sizes. You mention being sensitive to changes like 1080p versus 1440p and even a jump to 3K, which is clear from your experience with compact screens.
It’s clear now that 1080p TVs are almost standard. You’d need to make an effort to find a new one that really matters. It’s odd since PCs have always led the way, but it seems like they’re settling for 1440p on a 27-inch screen and still hunting after outdated Hurtz tech.
I believe many people misunderstand the issue because it's not about screen size alone. It's not just about PPI (pixels per inch). It's about PPI at what an individual sees. The "individual user" factor is crucial—and that’s why education matters. Personally, I might be content with a 40-inch display offering 110 PPI when viewing from 32 inches. In simple terms, it boils down to dividing PPI by the viewing distance in inches. This gives me roughly a "user number" of 3.44. While this isn’t significant on its own, it helps explain why sensitivity changes matter. If my distance grows to 40 inches with the same monitor, that number drops to about 2.75. If I switched to a 1440p screen instead of 2160p while keeping the 32-inch viewing distance, the number would fall to around 2.29. I’ve calculated this sensitivity before when upgrading from 1080p to 3k; the results were clear. Though I can’t easily tell if 3k exceeds 4k at that size, I suspect between 211 and 188 PPI lies the practical limit for me to notice changes. Based on this, I’d say my upper sensitivity threshold is about 6.0. In short, advice is useful only when shared with others who have a similar "user number." Otherwise, these stories lose their impact. A 6.0 offering guidance to a 2.0 will confuse the latter, and a 2.0 sharing tips with a 6.0 will make the latter question its effort.
Specialized HTPC/Living room gaming setup with a Roccat Sova. It's essentially a 3900X and GTX 1080 (from my desktop, now a 3950X and RTX 3080). It varies by the games I play but always enjoyable. I also enjoy 4X titles like Civilization on the couch for fun.
I previously used a Samsung 48-inch TV for my PC display. I really enjoy it. The only issue was with games that needed you to stare at the entire screen, like Dota 2—it was quite tiring on my neck. Latency is almost nonexistent; I switched to a 32-inch QHD 144Hz model after my old TV failed, and I didn’t notice much difference in latency improvement. I’m planning to get a new TV when my current one isn’t as needed.