Should You Use TV as Computer Monitor? Pros & Cons Explained!

Before upgrading to a 24-inch IPS monitor, I used an LED TV as a primary display. Having a big TV as a computer monitor has its perks but comes with a few caveats. So in this article, I will answer the second most asked question; should you use a TV as a display or a dedicated monitor?

To keep it fair I’ve upgraded from a 1080p TV to a 1080p IPS monitor for under 20,000 INR. So you should know what difference can be felt.

Also, things are drastically different if you compare OLED TVs or premium-tier TVs as they have dedicated PC mode. Hence the scope of this article covers TVs and monitors under 20,000 INR.

So before anything else, welcome to Padhkedekho, and let’s start with the pros & cons of using a TV as a Computer display!

Using TV as Computer monitor — Using TV as a Computer monitor

Table of Contents

Pros And Cons of Using TV as a Display

Pros

Bigger field view
Bright & vivid colors
Ideal for content consumption
A dedicated speaker is a plus
A variety of high-quality TVs are available

Cons

Lower PPI than a dedicated monitor
Lower refresh rate hence delay in gaming
Higher eye stain if you sit closely

Here are 4 points you should know before switching to TV as a computer monitor!

#1 What Content You’ll Be Dealing With?

The biggest difference between a monitor and a TV is your primary need. if it’s for content consumption on YouTube, Netflix, or other OTT platforms, TV is better. Because that’s what TV is for!

LED or LCD TVs have predefined video presets for movies making content detailed and colorful to the eyes. Most premium TVs have a good panel that delivers great blacks and greys. This, along with a 32, 40, or 55-inch display will make your viewing experience lavish.

Don’t get me wrong, you can also watch great content on dedicated monitors but the 21-inch or 24-inch might not appeal like the TV. This was the biggest switch that took place with my work PC.

How good is dell ips monitor — How good is the Dell IPS monitor

So, if watching content is your only thing then the TV will be better. However, for anything else, you should go with a monitor.

Why? primarily because of the PPI. if you don’t know PPI is pixels per inch scattered around the display be it tv or monitor. These are responsible for the content you will see on the screen.

if you move close to your current display you can see the tiny dots. These will be more prominent on a lower PPI display like a TV.

In general, it’s monitors that have higher PPI. This results in good sharpness and details for the text content. Hence monitors, are great for working on text documents, reading, or multitasking.

Moreover, a higher PPI will make the text crisp and more detailed while photo or video editing.

Hence, to sum up, if you want to consume content, TV is better. And for creating content, you should go for a monitor.

Read More: Dell S2421HN Review | Best IPS Display Under 15K?

#2 Do You Play Games?

if you are not serious about gaming, you can go with an LCD or LED TV. You will experience good detail and colors.

Overall gaming will be good. But the moment you switch to fast-paced online games like CS: GO, Fortnight, Battlefield, or Call of Duty Series you will hardly get any kills!

This is a major issue with budget TVs as the refresh rate is not good. Doesn’t matter if your PC has a top-configuration GPU, SSD, and whatnot it will still perform slowly.

So to extract the best performance while gaming, you need a faster refresh rate monitor. You can get great options from LG under 20,000 that can give you up to 144hz refresh rate.

Another thing that is important for gaming is the response time. The moment you press the left button to fire it should happen as quickly as possible otherwise the enemy will move and the next bullet is for you!

Usually, response time is measured in milliseconds by switching from black to white or vice versa. But many brands calculate response time from grey to grey. They never say which grey-in-color pallet they are addressing.

It can be super light grey to light grey. So in a way, they are just marketing and it works for them.

So if you have gaming in mind, go for any monitor that’s above 60 Hz refresh rate. Response time around 5ms is okay. Don’t necessarily aim for a 1ms response time. Because many brands are just targeting the 1ms as their USP.

#3 How Close Will You be Seating to The Display?

Use TV as Computer monitor — Use TV as a Computer monitor

The next question you should ask yourself is “How far or close you will be sitting”. Do you plan to sit under 2 meters from the screen or 6 to 7 meters away on a couch? The reason for asking this is simple which many people ignore and that’s the screen size.

Having a 40-inch TV on the table and working on it up close will be too nerve-racking. Not only to your eyes but also neck due to the bigger field view.

Hence if you are going to sit under 2 meters then anything about 27 inches will be acceptable. But do remember to take your time off after a continuous 20 minutes of staring monitor! Look at things in your room for better eye accuracy.

Along with that, just remember the closer you are going to sit the better PPI you need. If the PPI is lower then the text will not be sharp enough or detailed while working on documents or reading up close. Moreover, you have to move a little back for the best possible experience.

This will now answer the question of whether you are going to sit up close or too far you need to have a higher PPI to compensate for your text documents or characters’ needs.

#4 Cost to Feature Differences

Keeping in mind the cost, using a TV as a Computer monitor seems cheaper. For under 15000 INR, you can get a Samsung 32-inch LED HD Ready TV whereas a computer monitor will be around 18 to 24 inches. That’s where 2 years ago, I made the wrong decision!

For a casual user who will see the cost-to-feature ratio, a TV will make more sense. It will be bigger, have a better image and video quality, vibrant colors, a good viewing angle, and native app support to OTT platforms at a lower price than a smaller computer monitor.

But the moment, you realize you have to work. From that very moment, your experience will go downhill.

What makes a computer monitor better than a TV and perhaps expensive? Because of just a few things. A computer monitor is made keeping “work/gaming” in mind. Whereas, a tv, is meant for leisure/entertainment.

For any professional work, maybe photo/video editing, reading emails, working on PDFs, doing split-screen for Word documents, gaming for fun or serious in fast-paced shooters you need a higher PPI and faster refresh rate.

Getting a TV with PPI and above 60 HZ refresh rate under 20000 Rs is not possible. Hence, now will need to try UHD or OLED TVs that will give monitors like PPI and refresh rate. So now you know where the cost-cutting is done.

Therefore you should always “get what you need rather than what’s cheap.”

Wrapping up!

There you go folks, here are our few cents for using the TV as a Computer monitor. if you found it helpful then do share it with others who might be looking for this clarification. if you still have some doubts then feel free to reach us on any of the below social accounts. We love to help our readers.

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