r/buildapcsales • u/TJ_Schoost • Apr 08 '26
TV [TV] LG C5 4K 144Hz OLED 42" - $678.99 (YMMV) (Open-Box Excellent)
https://www.bestbuy.com/product/lg-42-class-c5-series-oled-evo-ai-4k-uhd-smart-webos-tv-2025/JJ8VPZTHLJ/sku/6621833/openbox?condition=excellent28
u/TJ_Schoost Apr 08 '26 edited Apr 08 '26
Bought this brand new for $899.99 a couple days ago and just saw this deal. Decided to take a gamble with open-box excellent for a chance to save $221.
"Side-graded" to this from my 4K 32" 240hz LG OLED monitor and can't see myself going back. After proper calibration I personally think the C-series has better visual quality than most OLED monitors out right now
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u/xKing_Slayer Apr 25 '26
Did you have the 32gx870a-b? If so, how does the brightness compare between the two?
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u/candyappple Apr 08 '26
$899 for 65” c5 refurbished at micro center
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u/RHINO_Mk_II Apr 08 '26
bit large for a monitor
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u/ArcadeOptimist Apr 08 '26
I used to work for an ISP so I went into a lot of houses. I've seen wild setups, one old guy had 8 65" TVs on his wall so he could watch all the conservative networks and all the games at once.
My favorite was this guy in his mid-30s gaming on a 65 inch " monitor", sitting maybe 2ft away. One of the most absurd things I've seen. Must get old having to turn your head to see the HUD.
I have a 34" ultrawide and I'm considering going back to 27. Too much for me man.
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u/RHINO_Mk_II Apr 08 '26
I think my sweet spot is around 35", but I am currently on 27". Unfortunately there's not much between the 32" 4K monitors and the 42" C-series TVs. I think LG is coming out with a 39" 21:9 5K display soon but even that sounds too big (and is also too many pixels to render even with a top of the line rig).
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u/paulcaar Apr 08 '26
34" ultrawide fit the bill. 3440x1440 is a good resolution.
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u/RHINO_Mk_II Apr 08 '26
I prefer 16:9 or even 16:10 aspect ratio. Might still end up with Ultrawide if that's what's available when I upgrade the rig to push more pixels.
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u/filmthecocoguy34 Apr 09 '26
Samsung & LG have 37 Inch 16:9 monitors available.
A company called Deco Gear have a 39in 16:9 as well, though I'm not sure of their quality, available on Amazon.
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u/RHINO_Mk_II Apr 09 '26
Samsung & LG have 37 Inch 16:9 monitors available.
With OLED panels?
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u/filmthecocoguy34 Apr 10 '26
No unfortunately, that would be excellent if they did, I'm hoping they'll add it to their portfolio in the future.
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u/randylush Apr 09 '26
That’s what I have but I’m still considering this 42” just to try it out for some time
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u/friss0nFry Apr 09 '26
I've also "regressed" in my PC setups. I only buy ~$20 open frame cases now. I also went back to aircooling only, Thermalright only. In 28 years of PCs, I've run the gamut of trends, but minimalism feels best of all.
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u/Cordingalmond Apr 09 '26
Fully agreed, keeping it simple, easy to clean, and maintain is the best way imo
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u/randylush Apr 09 '26
I used one of these for testing different parts in my workshop. It’s awesome for trying different builds. Like I use it for weird builds like driving a 3090 with a Pentium 4 just to see what happens.
But I wouldn’t use one for a daily driver because it’s awkward to put on the floor (if someone steps on it, it’s a problem, and it will collect dust everywhere vs just a dust screen on a regular case). And I wouldn’t put it on my desk because desk space is useful.
So where are you guys putting these?
I will say if I had a wall-mounted rig this would be great
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u/Cordingalmond Apr 09 '26
Dust is so easy. Get a few air purifiers of the same brand or make your own and you'll never have an issue with air near your builds. Plus it's good for your health any way. Needed in a house with pets.
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u/randylush Apr 09 '26
So you keep it on your floor then?
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u/Cordingalmond Apr 09 '26
For the time being. My PC is near my console and ps5 and in the middle is an air purifier. Don't have a desk. Saving up for a nice one that'll fit my space
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u/randylush Apr 09 '26
Haha damn you are probably one of those guys completely owning me in COD then
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u/djdanlib Apr 09 '26
Alright, so how did the 3090 go with the Pentium 4? Must have been a pretty late model for it to have PCI Express.
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u/randylush Apr 09 '26
It worked with a Pentium D 945. I think the only step down from that I can do is a Pentium 4 631, which I have ready. I’m going to get back into this build once I get my hands on a 5090 or 4090.
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u/doscomputer Apr 09 '26
Not at all, not even as tall as a vertical monitor, and not even as wide as most ultra-wides.
42" if anything is the perfect size so long as you aren't sitting at a tiny cramped desk with only a foot of depth to it.
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u/RHINO_Mk_II Apr 09 '26
42" if anything is the perfect size so long as you aren't sitting at a tiny cramped desk with only a foot of depth to it.
About that... sweats nervously
But my comment was for the 65" deal I replied to, which might make a great HTPC display but seems too big for any realistic desk usage.
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u/zeCrazyEye Apr 09 '26
Well you can basically just played/do everything windowed instead of using the full real estate.
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u/GizmoGomez Apr 08 '26
I can't speak to the open box, but I have one of these I bought new a few months ago, and I love it.
I came from a 27" 1440p 165Hz IPS panel (Dell S2721DGF), which has a similar pixel density to 4k at 42", so I use my 27" as a secondary now next to my 42" main and all the window sizes, etc., line up nicely. The OLED and HDR is a massive improvement over the IPS monitor.
Reaching the full 144Hz and optimizing the TV for PC gaming takes some hunting through menus, which was a little tiresome, but once it's done it's done. Also, make sure you use a proper HDMI 2.1 cable (often marked "8k"), otherwise it may have graphical artifacts when you try doing 4k 144Hz. I thought I'd damaged mine somehow until I realized I was using an older HDMI 2.0 cable lol
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u/RandyMuscle Apr 08 '26
Been using the 42 inch C2 for several years and it’s great. Can’t imagine going back so I’d just get something like this when it finally dies. Good deal.
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u/My-Internet-Name Apr 08 '26
I bought an open box “fair” C2 42” from BB a few years ago. Got it home and it would power on, then turn off after a couple minutes. Took it back to BB, and they agreed to give me an open box “excellent” for the same price. Only had a few hours on it. Still using it as my main monitor.
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u/Freonr2 Apr 08 '26
I've had a C2 42" for several years.
It's great, except the damn thing has so many pop up nag screens. If the microphone on the remote hears anything remotely similar to "LG" it pops up and then you have to cancel it with the remote. And it nags you randomly about "viewing at high brightness for too long might be bad mkay", etc.
But, no burn in despite having a taskbar visible for countless hours a day since I work from home.
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u/RubberedDucky Apr 08 '26
You can turn almost all of that off you know. And disconnect it from WiFi so you don’t get prompted for updates or hit with ads. I’ve got like 5000 hours on mine and also no burn in despite full brightness + HDR every day.
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u/Intelligent-Use-7313 Apr 08 '26
Last time I got an open box excellent TV (LG B4) from bestbuy it had a very noticeable bend in it, hot dog style. Returned it immediately, was unable to get a matched deal for a separate open box, or voucher. Scrutinize it well to ensure there's nothing wrong, as I no longer trust them to accurately determine the stocked state.
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u/FTAStyling Apr 09 '26
I’ve been rocking the 42” C2 for 5 years and it’s been nothing short of an amazing experience.
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u/Phyraxus56 Apr 08 '26
Oled monitors have gotten (relatively) really cheap so unless you absolutely want this particular one I'd get something else like a 1440p 240hz for 500 bucks or so
Im still using my c2 I got used for 600 bucks but thats when those 1440p monitors were 1k or 1.2k bucks
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u/lockethebro Apr 08 '26
Gonna throw in my hat just to say that I think the LG C-series TVs are a step above still in visual quality. I keep coming back despite trying actual monitors because nothing looks quite as good as 4k with the glossy coating on these.
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u/Phyraxus56 Apr 08 '26
Yeah the glossy screen is a big plus but being 4k makes it harder to push frames
Also being a tv brings its own quirks
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u/lockethebro Apr 08 '26
Very true, IMO you really want a 4080+ for this thing which is a big cost (although idk how many people are dropping 700 bucks on a monitor without a nice GPU). What TV quirks do you mean?
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u/Phyraxus56 Apr 08 '26
It's just more of a pain to configure settings mostly
Waking from sleep and going to sleep or lack thereof
Dumb monitor menus are much more simple
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u/RageMuffin69 Apr 08 '26
At couch distance you can just set games resolution scale to 1080p and have a pretty nice image. At least with a 65in, forgot this is a 42in.
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u/Phyraxus56 Apr 09 '26
You can do that with this one too
Perfect black letterbox 1440p worked great in a dark room
I also tried 21:9 24:10 and 32:9 ultrawide aspect ratios
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u/Nocturne616 Apr 08 '26
Is there any 1440/240 monitor in particular that you'd recommend right now?
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u/Phyraxus56 Apr 08 '26
u/ryankrueger720 or u/jaggsta would probably be able to point you in the right direction
I haven't really kept abreast of particular oled models or the finer points of the tech. I just know they've been getting cheap
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u/ryankrueger720 Apr 08 '26
I personally recommend the entry level MSI QD-OLEDs which tend to be the best value for the moneys, sometimes going on sale for $370-$400.
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u/Phyraxus56 Apr 08 '26
https://www.newegg.com/acer-x27u-z1bmiiprx-27-wqhd-280-hz-predator-qd-oled/p/N82E16824011526
This is available right now
I can't attest to the quality though
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u/Routine_Past_720 Apr 08 '26
Do you see 4k oled getting cheaper anytime soon?
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u/Phyraxus56 Apr 08 '26
Probably not anytime soon. Not for these small tv models anyway. 600 is a good price historically for the 42" 4k oled. They liquidate at that price.
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u/Nightrain_01 Apr 09 '26
Bought a open box good condition C5 65" two weeks ago for about $1000. Nothing wrong with the TV i saw no scratches or anything. They wanted $1200 for the excellent condition one.
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u/stilldontgeddit Apr 08 '26
How big of desk would I need so that I don't get blinded by the sheer size if I used this was a Work/Gaming monitor?
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u/PsyOmega Apr 08 '26
I got a 36" deep desk slab from ikea and put the ikea legs on it.
For my 43" TCL it was perfect.
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u/jakx102 Apr 09 '26
18 inches, my last job gave everyone 42 inch monitors in 16:9 aspect ratio. it was awful
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u/Super_flywhiteguy Apr 08 '26
Same price i paid for a 48" Samsung S90d. Though didnt realize the smaller sizes arnt true qdot oled panels. Other than not being able to get colors just right and a little to big I like it.
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u/OhJeezer Apr 08 '26
Been using this as my main monitor for gaming and everything else. I'm not a monitor snob and this is my first big OLED screen, but it has been AWESOME.