Which One? $400 43” Samsung M70B or LG C2 42” OLED as a Monitor

[Bearygoodfries1]

Hi everyone,

I’ve set up a second workspace that will also double as my gaming… hub? Mainly for gaming on Switch and smaller games on Mac.

I’m debating between two screen: The Samsung M470B that’s 400 bucks, or an LG C2 42” OLED.

Both have their pros and cons (mainly price). I don’t know if an OLED TV is the best choice for a monitor (especially with a lack of USB-C port), but if it’s my secondary workstation (will be used less compared to my main workstation) and will be used more for gaming, maybe I should go for the OLED?

What would you do? Or what do you suggest?

 

[xraydoc]

Hi everyone,

I’ve set up a second workspace that will also double as my gaming… hub? Mainly for gaming on Switch and smaller games on Mac.

I’m debating between two screen: The Samsung M470B that’s 400 bucks, or an LG C2 42” OLED.

Both have their pros and cons (mainly price). I don’t know if an OLED TV is the best choice for a monitor (especially with a lack of USB-C port), but if it’s my secondary workstation (will be used less compared to my main workstation) and will be used more for gaming, maybe I should go for the OLED?

What would you do? Or what do you suggest?

There's a 2x price difference between those two. I'm not sure you're comparing apples to apples, if you know what I mean.

 

[tstafford]

I have an LG C2 for TV use. Two things: 1) it's amazing as a TV (we also have G2 and I don't see the difference), 2) I wouldn't want any of them as a computer monitor. But that's just me.

 

[WP31]

I have an LG C2 for TV use. Two things: 1) it's amazing as a TV (we also have G2 and I don't see the difference), 2) I wouldn't want any of them as a computer monitor. But that's just me.

Hijacking the thread here (sorry!). I'm in the market for a large (>32") monitor, no ultrawides, for productivity. I do not game. There are very few choices that aren't an OLED TV or a smart TV branded as a monitor. I'm constantly bouncing between the new Dell U4332QE, the older LG 43UN700, and all the TV options. My biggest concern ref an OLED TV is I do not watch tv, do not game, and only want a large monitor for business use. So ~10-12 hours of task bars, dock, Mail App, calendar, etc. open & static every day. I do not want to have to make any changes/adjustments for it to be a monitor. Question for you: why wouldn't you use a TV as a monitor and what would you use?

 

[tstafford]

Question for you: why wouldn't you use a TV as a monitor and what would you use?

For me:
- It's too big to sit that close to
- The only input is HDMI and that sucks
- I'd rather have multiple smaller monitors so I'm not resizing windows all the time

Again, just me.

 

[bootz]

OLED is amazing for nextgen console and PC gaming.

 

[Arthur75]

I wonder why nobody seems to target a 29 or30 5K (16/9), working today with an LG 4K 27, this would seem to me like the right size for the highly increased resolution

 

[Fishrrman]

I've been thinking of moving from a 27" 1080p display to possibly a 43" 4k display running "true 4k" (pixel for pixel, no scaling).

We're seeing 43" displays designed as "computer displays" (rather than as "tv's") in greater numbers lately -- both for the gamers (I'm NOT interested in "computer games") and for "productivity" users.

Would like to hear comments from those who have gone this route... pros, cons, etc.

 

[cthompson94]

Someone please correct me if I am wrong, but I thought currently OLED isn't good for computer use since there are a lot of static on screen items. The top bar for Mac and the bottom bar for Windows being just one example. I know that phones get away with OLED by having very minor constant changes, but have the computer OS's adopted this yet to reduce the likelihood of a screen burn-in

 

[JaredJenkinsDesign]

Someone please correct me if I am wrong, but I thought currently OLED isn't good for computer use since there are a lot of static on screen items. The top bar for Mac and the bottom bar for Windows being just one example. I know that phones get away with OLED by having very minor constant changes, but have the computer OS's adopted this yet to reduce the likelihood of a screen burn-in

Typically it isn't but you can take measures to increase the lifespan of the monitor such as hiding the top menu bar and bottom dock, using a blank background as your wallpaper and avoiding leaving anything static on your screen for a long period of time.

I've been thinking of moving from a 27" 1080p display to possibly a 43" 4k display running "true 4k" (pixel for pixel, no scaling).

We're seeing 43" displays designed as "computer displays" (rather than as "tv's") in greater numbers lately -- both for the gamers (I'm NOT interested in "computer games") and for "productivity" users.

Would like to hear comments from those who have gone this route... pros, cons, etc.

I haven't used it on a 43" display but I did use 4K no scaling on a 32" monitor before and it does take some getting used to in terms of placing your application windows on the screen. Productivity wise it was really nice and it's something to consider if you don't want to go the ultrawide or dual monitor route. PPI will be around or slightly less than a 27" 1440p monitor so if you need something sharper, you'll have to go a different route.

 

[bootz]

Someone please correct me if I am wrong, but I thought currently OLED isn't good for computer use since there are a lot of static on screen items. The top bar for Mac and the bottom bar for Windows being just one example. I know that phones get away with OLED by having very minor constant changes, but have the computer OS's adopted this yet to reduce the likelihood of a screen burn-in

I don't think it is as big an issue as long as you don't keep the brightness jacked up to HDR levels. The bigger issue is that even using low brightness, the screen will auto-darken on its own if the image is [relatively] static. So you'll be working on a spreadsheet, then all of a sudden the screen will become very dim. You then have to change the window position to "re-engage" the display.

I put up with it (LG C1 48") because the majority of my time spent on the display is gaming and web browsing. My work is done at another location and/or my MBP M1 Pro 14.

 

[cthompson94]

I don't think it is as big an issue as long as you don't keep the brightness jacked up to HDR levels. The bigger issue is that even using low brightness, the screen will auto-darken on its own if the image is [relatively] static. So you'll be working on a spreadsheet, then all of a sudden the screen will become very dim. You then have to change the window position to "re-engage" the display.

I put up with it (LG C1 48") because the majority of my time spent on the display is gaming and web browsing. My work is done at another location and/or my MBP M1 Pro 14.

Oh man I didn't even think about the possibility of the screen auto darkening, huh good information thank you. I am also sure as OLED monitors become more popular that Apple (maybe) and Microsoft will add a feature to help keep the pixels engaged