Samsung QE43QN90A as a main monitor?

kenny saunders · 9 Nov 2021 at 11:03

Hi. I was initially looking at a LG C1, but 48" is just too big and my usage is a wort-case scenario for burn-in, so that's out.

I was considering the
Gigabyte 43" 4K Ultra HD 144Hz VA HDR1000 Gaming Monitor LN117399 - FV43U

but happened upon the Samsung 43 Inch QE43QN90A Smart 4K Neo UHD HDR QLED TV

Is there any issues with using that samsung as a daily monitor for gaming and work?

The main thing is I dont want any smearing of black stuff on the monitor and good response time.

Haggisman · 9 Nov 2021 at 11:21

How big is your desk? I've tried that Gigabyte monitor, and while the picture quality was pretty nice, I found it too big for daily use, at ~3ft away (width was fine, height gave me a sore neck - I now have a 38" ultrawide).

Other things to consider is the BGR subpixel layout (which might give issues in text clarity) and that it's a VA panel, so you may get some black smearing.

Edit: might want to remove the competitor name from your post

DomBruv · 9 Nov 2021 at 11:28

so you're deciding between a gaming PC monitor and a TV to be a PC monitor?

Maybe I'm stupid but I'd go with the PC Monitor unless you want the digital TV stuff etc

kenny saunders · 9 Nov 2021 at 13:08

Haggisman said:
How big is your desk? I've tried that Gigabyte monitor, and while the picture quality was pretty nice, I found it too big for daily use, at ~3ft away (width was fine, height gave me a sore neck - I now have a 38" ultrawide).

Other things to consider is the BGR subpixel layout (which might give issues in text clarity) and that it's a VA panel, so you may get some black smearing.

Edit: might want to remove the competitor name from your post

Yeah my desk is massive I've got a 40" 4k already, there's no issue with a 43, but 48" would be just slightly too big. The smearing and the response time isn't great for the gigabyte from hardware unboxed review i saw. I was asking about the Samsung mini QLED.

DomBruv said:
so you're deciding between a gaming PC monitor and a TV to be a PC monitor?

Maybe I'm stupid but I'd go with the PC Monitor unless you want the digital TV stuff etc

Well the gigabyte is va and the samsung is mini qled which seems way better and it still has freesync and 120hz. And given how popular the LG c1 oled is as a pc monitor seems like they are better than standard monitors, dunno.

DomBruv · 9 Nov 2021 at 13:34

kenny saunders said:
Yeah my desk is massive I've got a 40" 4k already, there's no issue with a 43, but 48" would be just slightly too big. The smearing and the response time isn't great for the gigabyte from hardware unboxed review i saw. I was asking about the Samsung mini QLED.

Well the gigabyte is va and the samsung is mini qled which seems way better and it still has freesync and 120hz. And given how popular the LG c1 oled is as a pc monitor seems like they are better than standard monitors, dunno.

Watch linus review on his daily use of the C1 as his monitor and you'll think again

matt100 · 9 Nov 2021 at 13:36

My partner and I used Samsung 43" TVs as monitors and I game on mine and I think they're great.

That said I am an Uber casual gamer, size for spreadsheets is far more important than response time.

kenny saunders · 9 Nov 2021 at 13:58

DomBruv said:
Watch linus review on his daily use of the C1 as his monitor and you'll think again

Well that's ironic, cos that video did help sell me on the LG Cx but then a later video turned me off it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWrFEU_605g and he had a really good tech tuber on agree (Wendell i think) who also agreed about the burn in issues. My monitor would be on about 12hrs a day almost everyday.

Haggisman · 9 Nov 2021 at 14:11

kenny saunders said:
Well the gigabyte is va and the samsung is mini qled which seems way better and it still has freesync and 120hz. And given how popular the LG c1 oled is as a pc monitor seems like they are better than standard monitors, dunno.

I think you're getting confused between panel type and backlighting there.

They are both VA Quantum Dot panels, however while the Gigabyte has very limited local dimming, the Samsung has significantly better FALD from the micro LED backlight - it will however still suffer from the black smearing inherent to VA technology.

kenny saunders · 9 Nov 2021 at 14:34

Haggisman said:
I think you're getting confused between panel type and backlighting there.

They are both VA Quantum Dot panels, however while the Gigabyte has very limited local dimming, the Samsung has significantly better FALD from the micro LED backlight - it will however still suffer from the black smearing inherent to VA technology.

Oh ok that helps clear thing up a bit. Do you know if burn-in on an oled is an issue you can get a manufacturer replacement or insurance from where you buy it from?

DomBruv · 9 Nov 2021 at 14:43

kenny saunders said:
Oh ok that helps clear thing up a bit. Do you know if burn-in on an oled is an issue you can get a manufacturer replacement or insurance from where you buy it from?

No one will cover burn in mate,

it's like me asking for a replacement tyre after it's worn because it didn't last as long as I wanted.

Burn-in is wear and tear, and a lot of people say NEVER EVER use OLED for a monitor.

using it for gaming can be hit and miss mostly depending on whether your game has mini maps and static elements like most games do.

I'd always go for an IPS lower response 1440p ultrawide for a monitor for that price and OLED TV For watching varied content and movies.

that said, I am playing FH5 on my brand new A80J OLED and loving it, but I'll only go for an hour at a time due to the minimap and rev counter being static. long sessions are for the X34A in my house.

EDIT: Image retention and burn-in also seem to happen more if the screen is bright, and PC applications and gaming brightness are always high for me cos in dark games i can't see **** in the finer details.

Haggisman · 9 Nov 2021 at 15:06

kenny saunders said:
Oh ok that helps clear thing up a bit. Do you know if burn-in on an oled is an issue you can get a manufacturer replacement or insurance from where you buy it from?

Supposedly John Lewis will cover it if you buy their extended warranty (it explicitly includes burn in), but I have no personal experience of using it, so can't give any recommendation either way.

I was in a similar position (well, considered waiting for the 42" OLED), however after seeing the LTT video linked above I decided against it since my current usage is also probably worst case scenario for OLED (WFH for the foreseeable future with relatively static visual studio windows open 8 hours/day). I ended up going for a nice fast IPS monitor instead.

DomBruv · 9 Nov 2021 at 15:10

Haggisman said:
Supposedly John Lewis will cover it if you buy their extended warranty (it explicitly includes burn in), but I have no personal experience of using it, so can't give any recommendation either way.

I was in a similar position (well, considered waiting for the 42" OLED), however after seeing the LTT video linked above I decided against it since my current usage is also probably worst case scenario for OLED (WFH for the foreseeable future with relatively static visual studio windows open 8 hours/day). I ended up going for a nice fast IPS monitor instead.

£140 for it, then when you try take it back for burn-in they say its not covered because you caused it lol

Haggisman · 9 Nov 2021 at 15:45

Well, they say it covers:

"Immediate accidental damage cover (including TV screen burn), no excess to pay."

However, under exclusions:

"If you don’t follow the manufacturer’s instructions and/or installation guidelines"

So I guess if you disable all of the screen protection functions then they might tell you to do one (all though I'm not sure if they would be able to tell if you switched them back on again after?).

Personally I don't think I'd be willing to take the risk on it. Plus at what point do you decide to use the warranty? Screen burn is a gradual thing, it's not like one day the screen is fine, and the next day it's suddenly there, so you either put up with it for a while before getting a repair/replacement, or you claim as soon as it becomes visible, in which case how many times are they going to repair/replace it before they tell you to get lost?

Edit: quick read of the policy notes and "If we give you a remanufactured product as a replacement your policy will continue. In all other cases if we give you a replacement or a gift card, your policy will end and no premium will be refunded."

So if you claim for screen burn after 6 months and they replace it with a new one then you are no longer covered.

matt100 · 9 Nov 2021 at 15:51

If you're that worried about burn in don't buy an OLED? Is it really that essential?

I can't imagine it would make the slightest difference for a monitor for work

tony888 · 9 Nov 2021 at 16:30

kenny saunders said:
Yeah my desk is massive I've got a 40" 4k already, there's no issue with a 43, but 48" would be just slightly too big. The smearing and the response time isn't great for the gigabyte from hardware unboxed review i saw. I was asking about the Samsung mini QLED.

Well the gigabyte is va and the samsung is mini qled which seems way better and it still has freesync and 120hz. And given how popular the LG c1 oled is as a pc monitor seems like they are better than standard monitors, dunno.

I thought the 43 inch Samsung was only limited to 60hz. I think only from 50inch upwards has the higher refresh rate and better panel.

kenny saunders · 9 Nov 2021 at 19:56

tony888 said:
I thought the 43 inch Samsung was only limited to 60hz. I think only from 50inch upwards has the higher refresh rate and better panel.

Holy **** you might be right! The data sheet say 60hz (default) but that might mean just the initial setting. Every sellers website says 120hz and I dont see why there would be a hdmi 2.1 port if it was only 60hz. All the reviews are for the larger panels.

kenny saunders · 9 Nov 2021 at 19:58

matt100 said:
If you're that worried about burn in don't buy an OLED? Is it really that essential?

I can't imagine it would make the slightest difference for a monitor for work

This isn't about oled I've already said I've decided against oled, its about the QE43QN90A. If you've got one whats the max refresh rate?

tony888 · 9 Nov 2021 at 20:01

kenny saunders said:
Holy **** you might be right! The data sheet say 60hz (default) but that might mean just the initial setting. Every sellers website says 120hz and I dont see why there would be a hdmi 2.1 port if it was only 60hz. All the reviews are for the larger panels.

I was also looking to do the same but can’t find a definitive answer on it and most reviews are on the larger panels

matt100 · 9 Nov 2021 at 20:15

kenny saunders said:
This isn't about oled I've already said I've decided against oled, its about the QE43QN90A. If you've got one whats the max refresh rate?

Oh I missed that, well I have 2 Samsung 43s but they were fairly entry so I think 60hz.

kenny saunders · 9 Nov 2021 at 22:55

Haggisman said:
Supposedly John Lewis will cover it if you buy their extended warranty (it explicitly includes burn in), but I have no personal experience of using it, so can't give any recommendation either way.

I was in a similar position (well, considered waiting for the 42" OLED), however after seeing the LTT video linked above I decided against it since my current usage is also probably worst case scenario for OLED (WFH for the foreseeable future with relatively static visual studio windows open 8 hours/day). I ended up going for a nice fast IPS monitor instead.

What was it you went for?