Looking to upgrade screen before the new consoles.

I currently use a Samsung sync master 24" monitor

I've had it for about 11 years and games still look good on it, however I'm looking to get something new to accompany the new console generation.

HDR and a slightly bigger screen would be nice, I'd appreciate any suggestions.

How much are you looking to spend?

@liquiddragon: $500 something like that.

More questions: Are you asking for a TV that you''ll use in a living room? Or for a monitor in your office space?

I ask because there are some differences in features offered between a $500 TV and a $500 monitor, such as available screen sizes, resolutions, panel types and refresh rates.

That said, TCL is a good entry level brand for 4K TVs. Used one of their 55" models with my PS4 Pro and Bloodborne looked good enough. As for monitors, hold on to your butts 'cause $50 says that you'll get 20 different recommendations when the PCMR guys notice this thread.

For $500 if you are wanting a TV then TCL is hard to beat. For a monitor I would suggest a GSync monitor if you have a compatible card. A full list can be found on Nvidia’s site. Otherwise many Freesync monitors meet the GSync standard. Even if you are only using it in Freesync mode, the mere fact that it meets the much more strict GSync specs means it is better. As far as HDR goes, for TVs you have a massive range of choices. Almost any 1080p Smart TV supports HDR. It is worth noting that not all HDR systems are equal. If you find one that supports Dolby’s Vision standard in addition to the more common standards then you are in good shape. Monitors on the other hand are far more limited due to how little content on a PC makes use of HDR. Haven’t looked into it recently, but you are probably looking at closer to $1000 for that. Most people don’t watch movies on their monitors and PC games don’t normally support HDR. A TCL TV is definitely the best bet for the price. In the US they are most commonly found at Target and Best Buy.

@facelessvixen: It's not for the living room it's more of an office space.

My current screen is 24" so anything upwards of that would be good.

I use it for my PS4, but it was originally for my PC along time ago, not that that makes a difference.

TCL look pretty good, and I forgot all about OLED so that's something else I need to think about, but if I go for a monitor that rules that out because of the price.

I wouldn't use it as a TV so I'm thinking that puts me into the monitor category?

I remember hearing Jerf Berserkiller mentioning monitors not doing HDR or something, but that's what people say makes a massive difference.

Interested to see what comes up here.

I only occasionally get to use the family TV for gaming, so I usually use a cheap no-frills 24" TV for my Xbox One.

Getting a Series X in a couple of weeks and would like to upgrade the small screen, but for various reasons I can't really go any bigger than 24".

As far as I can see to get anything better (4K, HDR etc) in the TV category I'd have to go to at least 32", so that's out. I could easily get a 24" 1080p 144Hz freesync monitor, which would be a step up, but if I want to up the resolution to 1440p 144Hz freesync the options get way more limited at 24", and HDR seems to be a complete no-no at anything less than 27".

So I think 24" 1080p 144Hz freesync might be my best bet / only realistic option, but interested to see what might come up here.

Edit: removed unnecessary waffling

I think at that price point you won't be able to get anything with HDMI 2.1 which is where a lot of the new console features are. But there are some nice monitors right around $500 that have 4K and HDR.

I can't vouch for this one specifically, but I have liked all the LG products I have owned in the past.

https://www.amazon.com/LG-27UK650-W-Monitor-FreeSync-Technology/dp/B07MKT1W65/

You will pay a premium on anything that says G-Sync on it since that is Nvidia's proprietary tech. But since both the new consoles are running AMD inside, Freesync should work just fine.

There are definitely HDR monitors, but they tend to be more expensive than comparable TVs and they're sometimes HDR in name only. By that I mean they're not bright enough to qualify as real HDR.

Thanks for the replies!

Does anyone own or use something that they would personally recommend?

I have the Acer Predator xb271HU, it is 27", 144 hz, 2440x1440, and GSync compatible. I have one and it's a great monitor. The only downside is it doesn't support HDMI 2.1, and I have my PC connected to the display port to take advantage of high refresh rates.

@beast780: Looks like a really nice monitor.

I'm learning as I go so I might be talking rubbish, but HDMI 2.1 just allows for higher frame rates right?

$500 will not get you very far with when it comes to HDR. You have to be very careful because almost all TVs today can accept an HDR signal, but that does not mean they can produce an HDR image. For LCDs (essentially all monitors and most non OLED TVs) the tv needs to be blue to reach a peak brightness of 1000 nits. If you buy an OLED they don’t need the same brightness requirements because of their infinite contrast ratio. Regardless you will not be getting an HDR picture for $500 so I would see if you can find a monitor or tv with other kinds of bells and whistles like G Sync if that is your budget Range.

@diamond_lime: HDMI 2.1 allows for VRR (variable refresh rate) ALLM (auto low latency mode) and eARC. Only VRR is all that important IMO

@diamond_lime: Unfortunately I'm not sure that you'll be able to find much in the 500 dollar range that would take advantage of the features these next-gen consoles provide. I'm talking about 4K resolution, 120hz refresh rate, HDR and variable refresh rate. Perhaps you'd be able to find a decent 1080p monitor that does 120hz, but not many or any of the other features added on top.

Generally it seems like monitors have started to slightly lag behind good TV's when it comes to these next gen features. I'm hoping that 2021 will bring some monitors that will at least do decent HDR at 1440p and 120hz.

@y2kbug77: So Nvidia now rates certain Freesync monitors as GSync compatible. They aren’t as good as actual Gsync monitors, but they are able to maintain sync at the lower frame rates required by the GSync standard, while many Freesync monitors introduce judder or ghosting below 60 hertz. So you want one that is Gsync compatible because the standard is far stricter. That said, Gsync currently does not support HDMI, but that should change with the 20000 series supporting 2.1.

@isomeri: @grayfox666: Which would be your preferred choice, a TV or a monitor? and If I could increase the budget, what would I need to be looking at to make it worth while?

If you go into HDR research that the panel is actually a true 10 bit panel. HDR marketing is so confusing, and there is SO much faked HDR support. For the $500 price point I would bet that you couldn't easily find yourself a true HDR panel. Better to stick with other criteria for choosing your monitor like grey-to-grey time, light bleed, viewing angle, refresh rate. Don't pay extra for a phoney "HDR 10+ supported" sticker.

@diamond_lime: I am no expert on the issue by any stretch, but at this point it seems to me that you can get a nicer 4K HDR screen for cheaper as a TV than as a monitor. The full HDMI 2.1 suite of features would probably bump your budget up to the 1000 dollar range, but for five hundos or so you should be able to get a pretty nice 55" 4K HDR screen with relatively low input lag. On the other hand for similar money you could perhaps grab a 1440p 120Hz monitor in the 27" range but without decent HDR.

@diamond_lime: the LG CX OLED which you can get in a 48 inch size so could double as both a monitor and tv. Has 4 HDMI 2.1 ports free sync and g sync. The catch is that it’s right now around 1,300-1,600$, sometimes because of the yields 55 inch models can be cheaper especially in the UK. Wait till Black Friday, I bet those price get cheaper but No Way around $500. Don’t take my word for it HDTV TEST on YouTube (dude is a professional tv calibrator not some unqualified personality) posted a video comparing the best TVs for the next gen consoles.

@grayfox666: Thanks for the info, a TV seems like the better option at the moment , and I'll take a look at that channel.

@isomeri: Thanks for the info, it gives me a much better idea where I need to be heading.