Monitor question... looking for advice/opinions.Follow

Recently THE Kaolian helped me out on PC building advice and I asked him about monitors too...

Here is what I am trying to do... I am looking for a 24" (or larger) monitor for around $250.

My video card is going to be a GTX 480. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130552

It has two DVI outputs and one mini HDMI 1.4 output (I guess it is an output).

I have looked at Dell monitors and Samsung monitors, both are great brands and everything but I have a question about another brand.

I am actually thinking about buying a 26" Vizio HDTV to use as a monitor. http://www.walmart.com/ip/Vizio-M260VP/14711124 (btw, I have a 47" 120Hz Vizio for my game/PC room and it is GREAT.)

It's about $100 more than what I wanted to spend, but if everything works like I want it to it might be worth it.

Big question: If I was to use the HDMI from the GTX 480 to the TV would it send an audio signal to the TV also? That would save me some money, because I wouldn't have to buy speakers for a regular monitor, and if it doesn't send audio couldn't I just by a 3.5mm jack to RCA (audio) cable and use it to hook up audio to the TV from my PC?

Also, the TV comes with a TV tuner and a analog to digital convertor built in. The monitors I looked at didn't have a TV tuner... plus I could hook up anything I wanted to to the TV like I could with a regular TV.

Any opinions or advice?

Kaolian, your opinion?


edit in: Forgot to add that I get a 10% discount at Walmart/Walmart.com because I work for them. It isn't a HUGE discount but it helps.





Edited, Sep 18th 2010 11:54pm by PentUpAnger

The cable is a 2 pin digital SP/DIF audio cable, and it would connect to your motherboard header or your dedicated sound card header and back to your video card. The 480 and 470 GTX both have this capabilty, and most of the cards out there come with that cable.

I use my Emerson 32" HDTV as my monitor. It was around $350 when it was bought (was my xmas gift from last year).
No sound is send to the TV, but that is fine as I put headphones on/have a nice sound system for the comp.

If you can get more then one use out of using a TV as a monitor, I would say go for an HDTV.
IE: Use it as a TV, hook gaming systems up to it, etc.

My max is 26". Much larger than that and I would have to buy a new desk. I am still considering the monitors from Dell, and Samsung... along with the Vizio TV.

The Vizio HDTV is LED and that is a big selling point for me. But the redraw rate is 8ms, I think.

Looking around I have seen a couple of Dell monitors with a redraw of 5ms, but nothing below that in my price range.

I am still undecided on which to pursue, and I was hoping to get a 120Hz monitor/TV, but all I can find is 60Hz.

Kaolian might remember that I am hovering around $1900 for my PC build and that includes a 24" Samsung monitor. I still need some HDDs, a good HSF (more than likely for CPU OCing if I decide to), and maybe a 1000w GOOD PSU. After everything is said and done I might end up holding off on a monitor (I REALLY don't want to) in order to get the other stuff... I guess it all depends on my auctions on eBay.

I'll know a closer figure of how much I will have Tuesday evening, but right now business is going well.

The problem I usually see with using a TV around 24"-26" is that the resolution is usually garbage compared to a monitor of the same size.

Well that kinda applies to most any size as well.

Edited, Sep 23rd 2010 3:24am by ispanolfw