I've been lurjing here on an off for a while now; coming back from an 'off' spell I've done a bit of reading to catch up on what's the current deal on panels, and I'd like to think I have a pretty good idea of what'll fit my needs. I'd appreciate it if you could fact check me and make sure I'm not doing something stupid ;).

Here are my needs:
Distance: anywhere from 6 ft to 10 ft, depending on room layout (I'll be moving into my new apartment in a week)
Light: More worried about lamps than sunlight; I'll at least be able to position the panel so that the sunlight won't directly strike it, and I'll have drapes to boot.
Video Sources: Mostly from my xbox 360, followed by use as a second computer monitor, followed by TV. Won't be watching too many movies.
Budget: I'd like to keep it to $1200, but I can stretch and go to $1400...maybe :p. The less I spend on a panel, the more I can spend on speakers :D.

So I see for me being the top priorities as a fast refresh rate (for the gaming) and as a capability to keep static pixels for extended periods of time without burn-in (via gaming HUD and computer usage).

Although I'm darn tempted by the refresh of the plasmas (and the price), unless someone can tell me that they can withstand 6 hrs a day of fairly static pixels (I do believe I read that referred to as "abuse" :p), I think that that will limit me to LCD options.

Which pretty much leaves me with features and size as the deciding factors. Looking at Samsung's offerings, my general options are (at Amazon prices, they seem competitive; notes are my own just to keep my head straight, please correct me if you see something incorrect!):
LN40A530 @ $1100 (seems like slightly different 40A550; worse contrast ratio; semi-matte?)
LN40A550 @ $1080 (basic 40", 60hz)
LN40A650 @ $1380 (40" at 120 hz)
LN46A550 @ $1293 (basic 46" at 60 hz)
LN46A530 @ $1400 (seems like slightly different 46A550; worse contrast ratio; semi-matte?)

Please feel free to suggest comparable models from other manufacturers; I'm simply using these as I have done the most research on them.

I think right now the biggest questions plaguing me are: is the 120hz model going to be worth it to me as a gamer, and does any benefit that this might provide get out weighed by the extra "ooohhh" factor that a 46" would provide over a 40"? Is there something extra special about the '30 models, or is it just the fact that they've been recently release that is keeping their price relatively high? Or do I grab the 40", and put the rest towards a better sound system/ BD player? Or perhaps I'm looking at the market a few weeks too early, as I've read rumors of new goodies coming out, perhaps accompanied by price drops on existing models?

Thanks in advance for your responses; seems like right now I know just enough to go get myself hurt, as they say :p.

You should probably stick with LCD, because of your large amounts of gaming. You should go to the LCD forums to ask about those. People there are more likely to know what will work for you best.

I would say gaming I wouldn't worry about plasmas. I game for hours and there is not much image retention. PC Usage though I would be concerned. How serious are you about gaming though? Check out input lag on the Samsungs. There are some posts regarding this.

Thanks for the replies; I revived a "best gaming lcd" thread over in the LCD forum. I had done several searches but not much came up, hence the post :p.

LN40A550 @ $1100 (seems like slightly different 40A550; worse contrast ratio; semi-matte?)
LN40A550 @ $1080 (basic 40", 60hz)
LN40A650 @ $1380 (40" at 120 hz)
LN46A550 @ $1293 (basic 46" at 60 hz)
LN46A530 @ $1400 (seems like slightly different 46A550; worse contrast ratio; semi-matte?)




You have the same model listed twice. Could you clarify as I assume the first one is the 530?

Haha yes my bad, that is indeed the 530. Copy and paste is both the bane and boon of my existence. I edited the post for this.

despite you are going to game somewhat many hrs it wont be an issue, when h3 came out i would play it for hrs, only IR happen when gta 4 came out i played for almost day and no issues.

just make sure you break it in several hundred hrs and once you are done gaming put it on a break in disc or something that playbacks in a loop so it clears up the temporarly IR

ir = image retention - a temporarly thing that looks of what you were watching in static ie hud screen

for pc that i would not know, although once again if you use the pc and put it on screen saver meanwhile you get a drink or break or w/e you're fine. if you are just browsing the internet then their is no concern.

so with speed/motion involved definitely get a plasma.

pioneer is the best brand but its out of your price range so a panasonic might be the better choice over samsung due to better IR resistan but otherwise either of pioneer > panasonic > samsung are fine.

I think LCD would be best for you especially with the computer usage. Of the models listed you should try to get the biggest set you can for your budget. The Samsung's are nice but I know that the Sony's and Toshibas seem to be better for gaming (the samsungs have that game mode that's not adjustable and input lag). Check over at the LCD forum. Good luck.