118 PCWorld MARCH 2020HERE’S HOW USE YOUR TV AS A PC MONITOR
IS IT WORTH IT?
There’s no harm trying to connect your
computer to a TV you already own to see if it
works for you. Go for it!
Our advice varies if you’re shopping
though. If you’re looking to get the best
bang for your buck, an HDTV isn’t
necessarily going to save you money over a
monitor. In fact, if you’re purchasing a new
display, I recommend sticking with the
tried-and-true computer monitor. For one
thing, smaller, cheaper HDTVs are typically
720p resolution, not 1080p, while similarly
priced monitors will almost always be
1080p. So if you’re looking for something
under 27 inches, an HDTV will probably be
more expensive and lower-resolution.
These lower-priced 1080p monitors
often support AMD’s FreeSync adaptive sync
technology (go.pcworld.com/fstc) as well,
which can help
your games look
buttery smooth.
You won’t find that
in a cheap TV.
If you’re looking
for something larger
than 27 inches,
remember that pixel
density decreases
significantly with
every few inches
you gain, and
there’s a reasonHDTV-makers suggest sitting several feet away
from their displays. If you need a display that
will multitask as an up-close work/email
display as well as a movie/entertainment
display, you’ll want something with a high
enough pixel density that text won’t be a pain
to read—and even with a high pixel density, a
large display may still cause eye and neck strain
if you sit too close to it.
There is an ideal situation in which the
HDTV-as-monitor shines, though.
If you want to add an extra display to a
single- or multi-display setup for
entertainment—say, so you can watch Netflix
or Twitter while you write articles, or so you
can play Skyrim on a 60-inch screen—then
an HDTV can be a very capable (and cool!)
monitor replacement. Bonus points if you
happen to have an extra HDTV lying around,
or if you can pick one up for dirt cheap.An HDTV as a secondary monitor is perfect for streaming Twitch, watching
Netflix, or keeping an eye on Twitter in real time.