Gaming laptop to tv ?

[u/qaseet]

Hi all quick question has anyone connected a gaming laptop to a tv to play games on I’ve a ps5 connected to my pc but I want to play pc games on a bigger screen than my laptop is it easily done ? Meaning once I connect them can I shut my laptop screen down and is there a mode that acts just like a pc ? It’s a Lenovo loq14 thanks !

[u/icyhaze23]

Yes I've done this, you can set it up so that when you connect via hdmi/dp your TV becomes your main screen. Then you can set it so when you close the lid it stays on but turns off its own screen, so now it's just the TV.

From then on it's basically just a desktop with a big monitor.

I will say TVs typically aren't as good as a monitor (lower refresh rate, more input delay) and sometimes need some settings fiddled with, but really it should be fine for most stuff!

So ultimately, yes!

[u/qaseet → u/icyhaze23]

Thanks very much.

[u/Liambp]

Edit: I forgot step 0 - connect your laptop to the TV using HDMI. If you laptop does not have a HDMI port then perhaps it has some other kind of display output (USB C perhaps) so you may need an adapter.

If you just want to turn off the laptop display but still use the laptop keyboard and touch pad then go to settings ->system->display->multiple displays and select "Show only on 2". You also find a shortcut to this by clicking on the internet icon in the bottom right corner of your desktop and scrolling down to "Project".

One thing to be aware of is that your laptop will still go to sleep if you close the lid. You can change this by going into settings -> power and sleep -> additional power settings -> change what happens when you close the lid. Just be careful to undo this when not connected to TV if you want to preserve battery life.

If you want to be able to control your laptop with the lid closed then the best way is probably to use Steam big picture mode. Then you can control most functions with a game pad exactly like a game console. Of course this only really works if your games are on steam. It is possible that the Microsoft Xbox app also allows this but I haven't tried it.

In my experience it is still handy to have a keyboard on hand to type in text so I bought myself a mini wireless keyboard that is brilliant. Here is the one I bought: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07RNCJ39B?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_1&th=1 It comes with its own dongle or you can use it in bluetooth mode so it works with almost everything and it includes a touchpad and a keyboard. I can connect it directly to our TV even without the PC which is a Godsend for typing in passwords instead of using the crappy onscreen controls.

[u/qaseet → u/Liambp]

That’s great thanks

[u/Jafin89]

As icyhaze23 said, easily done. The only thing to watch out for is if your TV is 4K then the games won’t perform at the same fps you get on the laptop, so you’ll have to tinker around with the game settings or lower the output resolution to match that of your laptop.

[u/qaseet → u/Jafin89]

It’s an old tv thank you

[u/theCelticTig3r]

Yes you can do this but youve to be comfortable cogniscent of two things

1. If you expect to play in 4k, temper your expectation. Pushing pixels is extremely GPU intensive.

2. Do not close the laptop. Most laptops allow heat to escape through the keyboard so closing it will only hinder temp regulation.

I done this for 2 years until I built my pride and joy at Christmas.

[u/qaseet → u/theCelticTig3r]

Thank you

[u/qaseet]

Thanks for all the info will keep it in mind won’t be changing my tv anytime soon for a monitor but I’m happy enough with it I just want to be able to play modded versions of games etc othwerwise I’d just have the ps5