There are some advantages of being a technology journalist, and one of the biggest is that, with a few exceptions, I can effectively work from anywhere with an internet connection. Working from home during the pandemic was a relatively smooth transition, but there was one thing I wasn't expecting: the absolute destruction of any work-life balance.
One thing about previous jobs I've had where I punched a clock and walked back out into the world is that I could leave work behind, but that is a very hard thing to do in a 24-hour media environment. Working from home didn't make things any better, especially during the pandemic when there was no outside world to really walk out into.
Working on my dedicated gaming PC, it quickly doubled as a workstation where I edited photos for work, planned content for work, answered emails for work, and so on. The line between my gaming PC and my job became irreparably blurred, so now, when I sit down at my desk, I don't know if I'm working or getting ready to game, or watch something from the several streaming services I have subs for but which also take a backseat to work.
I've tried to use my TV in the "living room" of my studio apartment, but it's several years old at this point, and to be honest, it is far from the world's best gaming monitor, so I inevitably drift back to my desk where I'd been working all day to try and do something other than work.
I've known this was a problem for a long time now, but it didn't seem like there was any getting around it until I realized that my old TV really was the thing holding me back. So, after looking at Black Friday deals left, right, and center for the past couple of weeks, I finally did what I should have done more than a year ago: I took advantage of one of the best Black Friday TV deals going and bought a new Samsung TV to shake up my unhealthy routines.
Why the Samsung QN90A Neo QLED might just be the answer to my prayers
The TV I ended up going with (after a quick chat with our Home Entertainment Senior Editor Al Griffin), was the 50-inch Samsung QN9DA Neo QLED from Amazon for $639.20, down from its list price of $799. It's not the cheapest TV out there by any means, but if there's one thing I've gotten almost no use out of, it's a cheap TV.
Still, 20% off the list price isn't a bad deal at all, and given that I already have a great gaming PC and a PS5, it makes sense to take my gaming PC off my desk and move it to my entertainment center on the other side of my studio. I use a controller for most of the games I play anyway, so treating my gaming PC as another console makes a lot of sense.
I have a work laptop that has everything I need on it to do my job, so taking that off the shelf and plugging that into my monitor at my desk physically creates a work-gaming divide that I can't manage psychologically. And since I couldn't install a PC game on that laptop even if I needed to do so for work (believe me, I've tried, but it cannot be budged), I have no reason to sit at my desk if I'm not working, which is exactly how it should be.
What I liked about the Samsung QN9DA, sight unseen
It's always tough to make a big purchase without actually seeing the unit, but fortunately my friend and former colleague Nick Pino reviewed the Samsung QN90A Neo QLED for TechRadar earlier this year, and Al wrote up a hands-on for the Samsung QN90B, both of which speak well for the tech in the TV I bought, even if mine is a slightly different model than those TVs.
More than anything though, I need a TV that can actually play games at high framerates, which has always been a drag on the TV I currently own, which is capped at 50Hz. With a native 120Hz refresh rate, the QN9DA is already more than twice as fast as my current TV, meaning both my PC and PS5 games will have much more of a PC gaming feel than they did before, which is exactly what I need to get me out of my gaming chair and onto my couch.
I also have a sound bar already, so I'm not too worried about how the speakers will sound, but I have a mischievous cat who will undoubtedly get behind the TV and possibly pull some shenanigans, so it'll have to secure it to the wall (which I'd have to do with any TV, really. Thanks Katya!).
Beyond that though, the picture quality gets top marks, which is really what I need the TV for, and while there is only one HDMI 2.1 port (so either my PS5 can be plugged in or my PC can get 120Hz gameplay, not both), I'm not concerned about needing to get up and switch out cables. I grew up in an era where TVs had knobs, RF inputs, and rabbit ear antennas, so I can get up and swap out one or the other.
You can't put a price on being able to walk away from work
While I love my job and I wouldn't do anything else in the world if given the chance (though astronaut still sounds like a cool gig), it's also not the most stable in the world either, so I was definitely anxious about dropping $650 on a new TV.
It's still worth taking that chance though since everyone should have the chance to have a work-life balance. And for a lifelong PC gamer such as myself, that means reclaiming my gaming PC for gaming and leaving work stuff for my work laptop.
If that requires physical separation, then so be it, but already I feel relieved to have a place where I don't have to be reminded of work every time I sit down to get in a couple of rounds of Crucible matches in Destiny 2.
More US Black Friday deals
- Amazon: 50% off TVs, AirPods, clothing & toys
- Apple AirPods Pro 2: down to $199 at Amazon
- Best Buy: up to $700 off TVs, laptops & iPads
- Cheap TVs: $79.99 smart TVs from Best Buy
- Christmas trees: prices starting at $38.99
- Dell: laptops from $299.99
- Dyson vacuums: $150 off cordless vacs
- Gifts ideas: 40% off holiday gifts from Amazon
- Home Depot: 50% off tools & appliances
- Lowe's: $750 off appliances, decor & tools
- Macy's: coats, sweaters & boots from $10
- Overstock: 70% off decor and furniture
- Nectar: up to $500 off mattresses + free gifts
- Nordstrom: 50% off UGG, Nike & North Face
- Samsung: $2,500 off TVs & appliances
- Sephora: 50% off makeup, perfume & gifts
- Target: 45% off toys, TVs, Keurig & more
- Toys: 50% off best-selling toys at Walmart
- Ulta: up to 50% off makeup, hair & perfume
- Verizon: get the iPhone 14 Pro for free
- Walmart: 60% off toys, TVs, vacuums & laptops
- Wayfair: up to 80% off sitewide, + free shipping
More UK Black Friday deals
- Amazon: up to 60% off TVs, laptops, and more
- Adidas: up to 50% off trainers and clothing
- AO: deals on appliances, headphones and TVs
- Argos: up to 1/3 off toys and big TV deals
- Boots: half-price fragrances and make-up
- Box: up to £1,000 off TVs, laptops and PCs
- Currys: 40% off TVs, laptops and vacuums
- Dell: up to 45% off laptops and desktops
- Dyson: save £100 on the Dyson Cyclone V10
- EE: up to £300 gift card with select phones
- Game: PlayStation and Xbox games from £4.99
- John Lewis: up to £400 off TVs and appliances
- Lego: 25% off dozens of sets
- Ninja: save up to £90 on air fryers and pans
- Peloton: up to £500 off
- Reebok: up to 50% off sitewide
- Samsung: up to £250 off phones and tablets
- Shark: up to £220 off cordless vacuum cleaners
- Sonos: 20% off portable speakers and soundbars
- Very: offers on TVs, Lego and fashion
- Virgin: broadband deals from £25 per month
- Wayfair: furniture, lighting and mattress deals
