Upgrading my TV

[gnosa]

Hello,

I am currently using a 32" 720p tv for my pc and I would like to upgrade to about 40" and 1080p. I use it mostly for gaming and movies. I'm happy with the quality of my 32" (which is just a DYNEX) but at 1360x768 resolution, the UI in many games takes up too much room and seeing as how the prices have come down, a bigger one would be nice. My budget is $500. Does any one have any suggestions?

Also, from what I've been reading about quality and response time, either I don't have the eye for it or I lucked out with my current TV having bought it because it was the cheapest 32" HDTV I could get at the time. Or maybe it's because I view it from 6'-7' away. Should I anticipate worse quality from a larger TV? I have a factory overclocked GTX 670 so the 720 to 1080 bump shouldn't be too bad but I suspect I won't be able to max out every graphic option anymore.

 

[ssddx]

my suggestion?

sony bravia 40" 1080p 60hz led backlit. no smart tv.
you can likely find one for $500 if you look hard enough.

for the same price of $500 you can easily get a 42" vizio. for $550 you can get a 47" vizio. you may even be able to fit a 50" vizio in your budget. of course you can use any other budget brand not just vizio in that equation since prices should be similar.

nice article we are putting together here: http/www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-1661174/parts-guide-monitors.html
it has some information on tvs and also on different resolutions

since you are upgrading from a 720p tv to a 1080p tv you shouldnt notice a huge difference.
50" 1080p tv = 44ppi
47" 1080p tv = 46ppi
42" 1080p tv = 52ppi
40" 1080p tv = 55ppi
32" 720p tv = 48ppi

a 40 or 42" would be slightly more clear from the same distance. a 47" or 50" would be slightly less clear. at the slight differences you see here though you arent likely to notice a huge difference.

i have a 40" 1080p sony tv with a gtx470 and i play games at maximum settings typically. then again i dont play bf3, cryis3 or any other junk like that. turn down or turn off the anti aliasing and you should be fine even on high.

 

[gnosa]

Thank you, that article was very informative. One thing that I read about somewhere else that wasn't mentioned in that article was scanning and game mode.

 

[ssddx]

scanning?

do you mean progressive scan? if yes then all lcdtvs do this.

game mode?

this is used on 120hz and 240hz tvs since computers and game consoles are best displayed at 60hz. essentially you could say this SHOULD disable 120/240hz and make the screen act like a 60hz tv. the problem is that it does not always work and i've heard of multiple problems. to avoid any complications and since you are only planning on using this for a pc screen getting a 60hz panel to begin with would eliminate any issues.