32" hi-def pc gaming? Yes please!

The main advantage console gamers have, in my humble opinion, is the ability to plug in to a TV.
Giant hi-definition TVs at that.
PC games are limited to your 17" desktop monitor, or your 15.4" laptop screen. You may have a larger widescreen monitor, but nothing compared to the average size of a hi-def TV in living rooms these days.

I've never really been a "gamer" in the true sense of the word, but I always enjoyed playing PC games. In 1998, I got hooked on Command and Conquer - Red Alert, and Tomb Raider II, and in 2002, the same with Roller Coaster Tycoon II.

Since custom-building my own PC, it's been able to effortlessly play awesome games such as GTA IV, FIFA 09, and Street Fighter IV. Great quality, DirectX 10 games on Vista. A lot of the latest games now have better graphics on the PC as opposed to the PS3 thanks to the latest hardware :)

Until recently, larger PC monitors haven't really been made available. A shame really, when you consider the sheer technological advances in the gaming side of things. You'd be hard-pressed to find anything more than a 22" widescreen sitting on someone's desk.
Console gamers meanwhile, sit and play happily on their 42" screens with HDMI inputs...

PC gamers may have to put up with a smaller screen, stuck in their study, but luckily my gaming-rig is nice and snugg in my bedroom.

My PC is a custom-built Quad-Core 2.33Ghz, 8GB RAM, and a 1GB ATI Radeon HD 4670. I'm tempted to get another card for the Crossfire capabilities you know.

The plan? Well, I'd like to get two things actually. I've currently got a 17" TFT monitor (VGA connection to the PC), and a 32" CRT TV in my room as well.
I'm going to upgrade my monitor to a 22" widescreen, and replace my CRT TV with an LCD 32" (possibly 37" if the funds are there).

My TV is just over 5m away from my PC, so I'm buying a 7.5m DVI-HDMI cable to connect it.

Once set-up, the TV and monitor will show the same signal - happy days. I've already got a powered 4-port USB hub under the TV to connect my Xbox-for-Windows controllers.


It's easy - anybody can transform their TV into a PC monitor. You can of course use VGA connectors (most TVs come with a PC input via VGA). All you need is a spare output on your graphics card, and a TV with either a VGA or HDMI input (you can get the appropriate cables and lengths on ebay).

Remember, though - the software for your graphics card needs to support a "clone" configuration, not just "extended desktop" that Windows provides if you want both screens to show the same display.

Sorted. Roll on, my birthday!!

Digiman out.