TV vs Monitor For Gaming - Which Is Better?

Are Monitors Better Than TVs for gaming?

Overall, monitors are better than TVs for PC gaming. TVs are bigger and offer a broader viewing angle but do not perform as well as monitors with similar resolution settings. Monitors offer high refresh rates with far less input lag, which is preferred for competitive gaming.

At a lower price you could get stunning visuals and better performance with a monitor than a TV. What is considered best for gaming depends on the experience that you want, but monitors are better for gaming in combining image quality and performance. 

Are TVs bad for gaming?

If you are using a PC, then a TV is not the best choice for gaming. TVs typically are designed around comfortable viewing angels and often lack the necessary features for a proper gaming experience. TVs tend to have a high amount of input lag leading to less than optimal gameplay, which could put you at a disadvantage. 

Differences Between TVs & Monitors 

Televisions and PC monitors are both visual output devices that are built with the same base technology. Their specifications are different and although they are sometimes interchangeable, they were designed for different purposes. Monitors connect to other hardware, such as a PC or speakers, and are designed to sit on a desk for close viewing. TV’s, on the other hand, are often standalone and have built-in hardware that can pick up cable or satellite signals. The extra hardware in TVs require more processing time and therefore lower refresh rates, higher input lag, often lower resolutions.

Although you can play video games on either of these devices, monitors are designed to provide the optimal gaming experience.

Refresh Rate

The refresh rate is how often a screen refreshes the image and is measured by Hz or frames per second.The majority of modern TVs have a standard of 60Hz refresh rate while monitors can vary between 60 to 240Hz.

Monitors have higher refresh rates than most TVs, and the TVs with higher refresh rates are more expensive than some of the best monitors. Games such as Apex Legends and Call of Duty can heavily benefit from having a higher refresh rate monitor allowing you to see more frames at the same time and have a leg up on your opponents. Quite often in competitive gaming tournaments, you will find players to be using monitors between 144hz and 240hz for the fastest gaming experience. 

Adaptive Sync

Gaming monitors must have variable and adjustable refresh rates. Adaptive sync is the dynamic adjustment of a monitor’s vertical refresh rate to the frame rate of the GPU eliminating tearing and stuttering. It was developed by the video game industry to improve gameplay on monitors and is only available on some premium TVs. Utilizing adaptive sync will adjust your monitor to the optimal frame rate at all times. 

Input Lag & Response Time

The biggest advantage of using a monitor for gaming is the faster response time and lower input lag compared to TVs. The response time refers to how long it takes for a single pixel to go from one color to another.

TVs take longer than monitors to process signals and display them on screen, also known as input lag.TVs rely on filters to improve image quality which adds latency that can cause delay between player input and actions seen on the screen. Monitors have higher refresh rates that make the response time faster and reduce the chance of lagging or image blur. Lower input lag is a great advantage in fast-paced and competitive gaming.

Size

TVs tend to be much bigger, at around 40 inches or more, compared to monitors, which are usually between 24 to 27 inches in size. Larger TVs are good for viewing from afar or wide angles but do not fit on standard desks and focus more on the viewing experience than the gaming experience.

It is also important to keep in mind comfort and the distance between you and the screen when gaming. TVs focus on color reproduction and size while gaming monitors offer high refresh rates and pixel density. What larger screens have in size, they lack in performance. 

Resolution

Screen resolution plays a more important role in image quality than screen size. The two most common resolutions are 1080P and 4k. While the resolution of a TV and a monitor can be the same, it is important to take into account how close you will be viewing the screen. With a tv oftentimes you will be 5 to 10 feet away, while with a monitor you may be 3 feet or closer. Depending on the resolution of the monitor and the size, you can calculate the pixel density. 

HDR

HDR stands for High Dynamic Range, which means the screen can display a larger range of colors and brightness. HDR works by improving black levels and increasing whites while creating a high contrast ratio. Most modern TVs and monitors support some version of HDR, but the source, such as the video or game, must have extra color information to see the benefits.

With HDR technology, screens are able to display a more vivid and lifelike picture, making gaming more immersive. In order to take advantage of an HDR monitor you must have a display source outputting an HDR signal. Almost all modern gaming GPUs support HDR - making them compatible with many monitors.

Comfort

TVs offer a larger viewing distance and wider viewing angles, but this is not a benefit if you are gaming on a PC.

Viewing Distance

TVs are typically larger than monitors, which make them convenient for gaming from your couch or bed. Gaming on a PC and monitor typically requires you to sit at your desk, which may not be as comfortable, unless you have a high-end gaming chair. Although monitors are smaller and require you to sit closer, higher pixel density results in a sharper image.

Viewing Angles

TVs are typically bigger than monitors and offer better viewing angles, especially from a distance. Wider angles allow you to sit further away from your screen without the colors shifting. Although TVs offer wider viewing angles, it is not necessary when gaming on a desk with a PC. Some modern gaming monitors have IPS technology, which stands for in-plane switching, allowing the screen to show a more vivid image as well as better viewing angles over traditional monitors. 

Price

You will get more bang for your buck when purchasing a monitor vs a new TV. TVs are larger, more complex, and more expensive to produce. In contrast, low-to-midrange monitors that cost less may still perform better than TVs at comparable prices. For less than $500 you can add an ASUS TUF monitor to any Apex Gaming PC. For the purpose of gaming, monitors offer a better product at a lower price

Final Thoughts on TVs vs Monitors for Gaming

Monitors are better than TVs for the best gaming experience. Although TVs can provide stunning visuals at a wide field of vision, they lack in performance. Monitors offer high definition along with higher refresh rates and lower latency at a better cost.