Folks, I want to buy a screen for both programming and some gaming as well. What would you recommend? And what's the difference between buying a TV set and a monitor? Is a 4k TV supposed to be better than a 1080p monitor? I need some advice please 😅

The TV set usually comes with different kind of ports. Plus, they have preloaded apps in them like Amazon, Netflix etc. That kind of pushes up their cost. If you have to choose between a TV set and a monitor, but are a techie, I would suggest monitor anyways. As far as 4k and 1080p is concerned, if you're work requires you to be able to distinguish between colours accurately, (like designer, video editor), then 4k makes sense. However, if you're using only for programming, then 4k is actually a disadvantage. Since, your text becomes really small due to the resolution and you end up having to increase the font size from system settings. And that kind of negates the point of having a 4k display. What work do you do, btw?

@gray-lizard-20825 thanks for the tip! I do regular software engineering / web development work. I'm playing No Man's Sky these days, but on my laptop, which isn't so great - so was thinking of getting a bigger screen

On a final note, if you can, I would say honestly go for 2 separate monitors. Programming monitors are designed to reduce strain on the eyes and something which you can sit directly in front of all day. 4k monitors are designed to be used at from a distance. Hence, if you get a 4k monitor for both gaming and programming, you might end up straining your eyes if you use it for programming.

@narrow-judge-33018 - I had once tried using a 30ish inch, 1080p TV as a monitor and I can attest to the points made in this article - https://techtalk.currys.co.uk/computing/laptops-desktops-tablets/why-is-a-monitor-better-than-a-tv-for-computers/ I don’t know how it stands up today (4 years late and with 4K TVs), but I do think some points are valid. Maybe folks who have tried using a TV as a monitor can share their experience.

@loud-glass-33663 @gray-lizard-20825 would this be considered as a good gaming monitor? LG Ultragear 27" 240Hz, 1ms, G-Sync Compatible, HDR 10, IPS Display Gaming Monitor, Height Adjust, Pivot Stand, Display Port, HDMI Port - 27GN750 https://www.amazon.in/dp/B07MKT2BNB/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_jm.IFb6NM09QB

@narrow-judge-33018 friend uses that exact same LG monitor paired with RTX 2070 Super, it is worth it due to ton of features for the price.

A gaming monitor has very high refresh rates (sub 10ms) and higher pixel density (number of pixels per inch, aka ppi). If you can find a TV with matching specs, bigger and cheaper, you could go for it. 4K monitors (at a reasonable size) are great because it leads to crisp text while programming. But it also means that your graphics card has to work harder while gaming. See the image for optimal screen size vs. distance in this article to help you make a choice.

At least in India, there aren't great TVs which match the color accuracy (and response time) of a good monitor falling around the same price.

The best option: 4k monitor in retina (or otherwise high pixel density mode) at a screen size no bigger than 27" and a screen resolution no bigger than Full HD. Full HD resolution with 4k real resolution makes your operating systems use 4 pixels instead of 1 -- this makes all the difference, the text is crisp and overall rendering and colours are better. 27" is the sweet spot for gaming and programming. You can go bigger for games and smaller for programming. The TVs that can truly match displays on refresh rates and qualities are all > 2 Lakhs -- if you have the budget go for it. Remember that a TV consumes almost 5 times the power of a display.

https://tonsky.me/blog/monitors/ This is a good blog post about monitors coming from the creator of Fira Code. He describes how resolution and refresh rates affect font rendering. Although most monitors recommended there are either not available or ridiculously priced in India, this is still a good read to get an understanding of monitor configurations.