720p/1080p HDTV for Gaming

First I'd like to apologize if this post is in the wrong place, I just had no clue where to ask a question like this.

I have little experience in the HDTV realm, I understand the resolution differences between the two however. With 720p having around 1366 x 768 and 1080p having 1920 x 1080.

My biggest problem is I'm running on a "College Budget" and I don't want to purchase something if its just excessive. Spending any more than $400 seems reckless. I'm looking to get a 32" TV and cannot decide if the extra ~$100 for 1080p is worth while for my uses.
Both of these are clearly better than my current 1280x800 on my 15.4" laptop, or the crummy 19" tv I have.

I will be using the tv for a number of different things, I will be playing from both my laptop (IFL90, 8600GT if it helps) and my 360.
Its not going to be placed on my desk (this is in a dorm room) but like a normal TV (as if I wasn't using my comp on it.) So I don't think I will be sitting terribly close to it, hell if I could (and still see nicely) I would want to sit on my bed 7-9ft away.
I mainly play FPS games but I do go off trying action/adventure games like assassins creed where the best vision isn't necessary.

So I guess my few deciding questions/factors are:
1. Could my 8600m GT (GDDR2 mind you) handle the full HD resolution without dramatic framerate loss. (Its not stellar on new games as is)
2. Would I be able to see clearly players (and still headshot them) from 7' away on a 32" 720p would it be any better on a 1080p?
3. Also taking into consideration that my IFL90 only has a VGA port so some type of converter would be necessary.

Once again I apologize for the placement of this thread, but I'd really like your opinion on this.
Thanks,
-GiffE

 

Hi GiffE:
720p mean a 1280x720 pixels. The 1366x768 seems to be a new custom resolution.

I am not expert in laptop gaming with HDTV, but I have seen posted many months back in this thread that using a HDTV for laptop gaming is not very convenient since it imposes extra processing power, especially if you are using a mid-range graphics card.

 

Your laptop can't handle 1080p 720 is the best you can hope for. Most hdtv's come with a vga connector now, you just need a mini to rci cable to get sound to it and a vga cable.

 

If its for anything computer related get 1080p its pretty much that simple.

You can always run a lower resolution if you have too even on the higher resolution screen but dont limit your options by buying the lower spec screen from the start.

 

but non-native resolution (IMO) is blurry and nasty. What uses are you gonna be doing with the 1080P? You got a blu-ray player? If so 32" no big deal still cuz 720P still looks amazing. Although $100 isn't that much more, but it can be put toward something else if you have it in mind haha

but yeah your laptop can't do 1080P very well but can prob do much better settings at 720P and yes you can BOOM HEADSHOT!! with either resolution if you got the skills lol I lean toward the 720P only b/c I know what it's like being in college and being broke. Save money and opt for 1080P when you get a laptop that can run it and you want to go larger than 32", say 46" or so =) once again just my opinion.

 

If your on a budget you dont really need a HDTV capable of displaying 1080p as both your notebook gpu and Xbox 360 (because it doesent really have many native 1080p games) wont use it to the fullest.
And most 720p HDTV's have a native resolution of 1366x768.

I got my Ion nettop hooked up to a 720p HDTV and the image is nice and crisp. xD
1366x768 over HDMI, and XBMC 9.11 is rocking.

 

Ah my mistake, well I just saw that res on a few while I was walking through the store.
The "power factor" is definitely something I'm concerned about. I fear the aging 8600 GT will hate me if I put him on a full hd screen.
720p wouldn't be as much a strain.

Thanks for the responses I'm definitely leaning towards the 720p, I believe it will serve its purpose and would leave me with a bit more money.

 

Spare money is always good.

 

Don't think you'll regret it, as long as you're going with a nicer panel in the first place =) I have a 40" 720P Samsung and no complaints, of course I only use it to game via 360 and watch DVDs Blu-rays so I wouldn't mind having 1080P but 720P on it is fantastic. Especially free over-the-air HDTV.

 

There is something else to consider. The 720p output from the Xbox will scale better to 1080p than to 768p, because the math is simpler. 1.5x increase in either dimension, vs 1.06667x increase. Well maybe not because scaling to a higher res means more pixels are made up. In any case for the Xbox, 1366x768 probably looks fine, especially from a distance.

 

Upscaling to a larger resolution is not a bad as people make it out to be, but being stuck with a lower res when you are up close is definitely bad. Also anything computer related like desktop space or web surfing you will notice the handicap considerably using only 720p vs 1080p.

Dont forget playing older games and stuff you can handle the full 1080p and even some newer games that are not as demanding like TF2

 

Dont forget you can always upscale from 720p to 1080i and it looks really good, in game and on TV.

 

Found this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16889237016
I don't now anything about their TVs but their monitors are pretty good.

 

Now that I wouldn't recommend. You can probably run in 1080P fine, but don't use 1080i mode under any circumstances. It's an interpolated compatibility mode that runs in 30Hz, has visible scan lines on most LCD's, and has a very noticeable video lag (ie, mouse lag.)

You might really regret getting a 720P set in the future, if you got 1080P, you can still run in whatever resolution you want that's lower, and it will scale across the panel fine, but if you get one with a native resolution of 720P, you'll never be able to see what your missing.

When you get a 1080P LCD HDTV, your not limited to only using 1920x1080 resolution, you can run 640x480, through to 1920x1080 and everything in between.

 

I have a worse laptop than you (GPU-wise at least) and have a Samsung 2270HD. It's a 22'' 1080p TV/monitor. I'm really happy with it (it's pricier than the competition, but it was a gift so I don't really care).

Although the main game I play nowadays is America's Army 3, which I have to run at the glorious resolution of 720x480 (poorly optimized game + entry-level GPU = crap graphics). However, I occasionally enjoy Age of Empires III, Civilization IV or The Sims 3 in full 1080p glory, although I have to switch some things off.

My recommendation is, unless you are really strapped for money, get a 1080p TV. Even if only for work and some Xbox games, it'll be worth it.

 

Yeah, I see no reason today for not getting an 1080p TV, Even in a tight budget, I´d save some more time for the 1080p.

Besides, How much for a Blu-Ray external drive nowadays? $80?

 

have to agree with visc here lower res isnt as bad as everyone makes out.

Your tv can also make a difference too! 720p is suggested for 24/7 gaming (although not the powerfullest gpu, thats a comfortable res!)

Where as if you do a bit of everything, 1080p is really really nice to have i must say. My tv is toshiba from the regza line, and that has some really nice features behind it, one of them being resolution plus, which can aid in some upscaling of images.

Whatever you choose though, both have there +'s.

 

scaling is better if you have more pixels to work with.
Maths is the same.

 

The Xbox itself only upscales in the sense that it upscales lower-res games to either 720p or 1080p (depending on your console setting). The processor in the TV then takes that 1280x720 signal and upscales it to fit its 1366x768 native resolution.

 

Just an update, I got a 1080p because it was on sale for $100 off (its a vizio 32") and only costed $50 more for the 1080p over the 720p.

Unfortunately, I cannot set the resolution any higher than 720p because it gets blurry. My 360 on the other hand looks rocking

 

Mess with your nVidia display settings. It won't get quite as crisp as your laptop display, but you can make it better. My settings weren't perfect when I first hooked up my 42" 1080p LCD through HDMI. I had to resize it a little, so the final pixels are like 1866x1024 or something like that. That helped a lot for clarity. Then I had to tweak the colors, etc.

Mess with it though, it'll probably get better.

 

See if there's an option for per pixel mapping. AKA 1:1 pixel mapping. That way there is no scaling at all.

A lot of TVs, for no good reason, throw away some pixels, then scale the remaining ones up to its full res.