Gaming on an external full HD monitor or TV screen

Hey guys, I was wondering if my laptop with a 2ghz core2duo t7300 and 256mb nvidia 8600gt would manage to watch movies & play games on full hd screens (with resolution lowered ofcourse). If you don't want to read the entire story, my questions are summed up at the end of it.

My mee-maa just bought herself a sony bravia full hd televison, and I would like to try to hook up my acer laptop on it with a hdmi cable to play cod4. My current laptop screen's resolution is 1280*800 but when I play cod4 I need to tune down the resolution to 800*600. So I already know I won't be able to play the games in full hd resolution. I just want to know, will the result in lower resolution on a +-32 inch screen TV screen or 21.5-24 inch full hd external monitor be decent?

Also, my mom was offering to buy me a desktop to save my eyes a bit (this 15 inch glare screen is killing them). But perhaps I could buy a 24 inch external full hd monitor (with her money ofc) to use for all my needs (including watching movies and playing games).
I found a nice full hd monitor from samsung on this belgian website SAMSUNG P2450H bij Vanden Borre : Ruime keuze, makkelijk vergelijken en kopen

If my gpu&cpu would have too much trouble using screens with such high resolution, perhaps I should settle for a cheaper hd screen with 1600*900 resolution? I read using a screens native resolution is way better than using a higher resolution screen with lower resoltion enabled. On the other hand, buying a full hd screen might be more future proof when I buy a powerfull Alienware or studio XPS dekstop when there will finaly be decent gpu's that can play every game at full HD resolution without getting 20fps (even ati hd 4870's in crosfire run crysis at +-24fps when using full hd resolution & max settings on the m17x). or do you forsee that it will take a while longer before gpu's reach that lvl, and I should just learn to live with lower resolutions?

To sum up for the people who don't like to read the whole thing:
question a: Can I use full hd external tv screens or monitors with my weak laptop?
question b: Should I take a full hd external monitor or would one with a lower 1600*900 resolution do for the next 3-4 years?

 

This is a true saying. Especially with larger screens.

GPUs, especially enthusiast level, are already at that level and have been for a while.

Get the full HD screen. Apart from gaming, you can use it at native resolution.

 

a) not sure. Don't have a gaming laptop in the house. Used to have an XBOX360 but it got the RROD- twice. ugh.
b) I have a laptop for school and when I get home I usually hook it back up to my 19" monitor. It's not HD at all (1440X900) but the bigger matte-screen is bright enough for me and shows documents fine. I'm planning on getting a bigger monitor soon

 

Thx for your reply, I have an aditional question though. When I look at full hd screens, there is a difference in contrast.
For example: the 23 inch samsung full hd screen has 50 000:1 contrast. While the 24 inch model has 70000: 1 contrast. I have no idea what is better, or if its even noticeable for gaming purposes.

 

I purchased a 120Hz LCD TV from a major name brand and it seems it makes a big diff. specially when I connect a PS3 to play games to it. Everything is so smooth vs ghosting while playing I'm talking about the PS3. I'm not sure if they're available in Europe but they're perfect and I'd never downgrade to a regular LCD TV. You know very well the diff. between a HDTV and a monitor, is that the TV is a monitor with extras built-in and a remote.

 

Hard to say since different manufacturers use different calculations for dynamic ratios. You may have to go to a retailer to compare. But generally the are pretty much similar unless they are adding some technology like edge lit or multiple colour LED backlighting. The other thing is not all TV's display a crisp computer signal via HDMI or VGA. Some are better than others even with the same manufacturer. Monitors however tend to be better at this.

I recommend you either try before you buy by bringing your notebook and HDMI cable or buy from a retailer that has a generous return policy. You'll know if it's a keeper on day one of ownership.

I have a 46" SONY XBR with Triluminous LED backlighting. Movies and TV are exceptional. Computer gaming is awesome. But desktop/windows/browser work isn't as crisp as I'd like at standard DPI settings. Have to bump the settings up a notch. Whereas the 26" Sony I have in my kitchen has a superior display for computing work.

 

Well I was comparing between similar screens from the same brand (samsung). I don't know wether 50000:1 is higher or lower than 70000:1 Nor do I know if I would actually see the difference. I think i'm gona do as you advice and compare them in real life. Thx for all your help.

 

You should be able to play older games like Counter-Strike: Source at full HD.
My laptop's GPU is weaker than yours, and I am able to play CS at full HD on a 40" LCD TV with around 40 fps.

 

True. They're pretty meaningless as a comparison between different models since there is no industry standard. However generally speaking, the higher the ratio, the better.

 

Thx thats what I wanted to know. I was a bit confused because I also take a look at €300 full hd monitors from samsung and they had a contrast ratio of 30000:1 which made me think it was the other way around (the lower the number, the better).