What's the point of more than 1 monitor?

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ulillillia

ulillillia

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Jul 10, 2011
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What's the point of having more than one monitor? Do note that I have zero experience with multi-monitor setups (don't have the funds or the space and stacking 40-pound monitors on top of each other is another issue). While I think I understand that multi-monitor setups allow for a higher resolution experience, such as connecting two monitors of 1920x1200 to get either 3840x1200 or 1920x2400 resolution. Still, there's that gap between the monitors that might cause workability problems. You could get 3 1920x1200 monitors for the price of a single 2560x1600 display and get far more total pixels. Beyond that, what's the point of having several monitors?
 
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I have run dual displays for years
would never go back
I run 1920x1080 21.5 primary
and a 1280x1024 secondary (saving up for new monitor)

for me it is the abiltiy to have a multiple apps open between the two displays
for example an email open with a two or three browsers plus MS Word etc

so if I have info on an email that plus on browser windows I can
easily see it as I type on MSWord

also I put my Outlook,system monitor, on there so I can see it
and not take up space on primary

for example while typing this
I have TV playing in Cyberlink Power Cinema from my TV capture card
I have outlook
I have DVD Flick encoding/burning a DVD
and I have HWinfo64 showing temps and clocks

while I have two big browser windows on primary
one is my toms
the other is ebay

It has been stated by Microsoft that having multiple displays
can increase work productivity by 30-40 percent

plus it looks cool :)
 
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^^^ +1

When I use multiple monitors it's usually for when I do multimedia work. It can be handy having Dreamweaver open on one monitor and the page in a web browser on the other so I can quickly view it. If I'm doing video work I might have my controls and timeline on one and the composition and video on the other.

If I play games (since I have a laptop) I might have temps and usage meters on one screen whilst I play on the other.
 
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I first used more then one monitor back in my college days. I hated having to work in the lab with the rest of the group because my rig at home had dual monitors. The ability to see example code on one screen while writing your own code is worth every penny. Sure you can do it on one monitor sort of, but you spend a lot of time minimizing/maximizing windows. Trust me, those wasted seconds add up. For productivity multiple monitors are a must.
 
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I have played World of Warcraft on one monitor, while streaming a movie/tv show on the other monitor.

Also for photoshop I keep 1 monitor with the picture i'm working on and then on the other I have all my tools and file browser open, and I sometimes stream a movie while working on some projects.
 
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I don't do gaming, though I do game design, which is a totally separate thing. I don't do any demanding stuff so my GeForce 7600 GT is barely a problem. Even for productivity, I don't see much use in multiple monitors, unless running a program in full screen mode and you need to shut it down (such as it crashing or freezing (the latter often due to unresponsiveness or infinite loop bugs).

Afterall, I can have the image window of GIMP positioned in a way so that I can reference calculations I've done in Excel behind to position things (since it's faster that way than to spend a while writing a program for something otherwise short but accuracy-critical). I run at 1920x1440 resolution on a CRT, so I find plenty of space, especially the much-needed vertical.

I'd love to go with 2560x1600, but at over $1000, it's not worth it. I can buy 6 of my 1920x1440 CRT monitors for that price, even with the hefty $40 shipping for each monitor.

I asked this as I was seeing some threads stating of having 5 monitors, of which I thought someone was going berserk on monitors, as if collecting them.

Note to mods: I accidentally posted this in the wrong category - I thought I was in the "graphics" forum, not "TV Tuner cards". I would think this thread should be moved there.
 
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my first build was for video editing and had 2 17" CRTs (later upgraded to 19" Mitsubishis woot!) plus a TV. Premiere felt much less cramped across 2 screens, and the TV was for a live preview of what I was editing so I knew exactly what I was getting.
About 4 years ago the old CRTs started getting blurry and I decided on a single 27" as it was large enough to have 2 pages up at a time at 100% zoom (meaning they are life sized), and it has been nice, but I would love to have a 2nd, or even 3rd 27" monitor if the budget afforded it.
If I had my way now I would have premiere over 2 1920X1200 screens, and then put the video feed on the 3rd so that I can have a fully uncompressed view of what I am editing again. Plus it would make for some nice surround gaming, but I would have to get SLi running before that happened.
It takes some getting use to using that much space effectively, but the same law that causes all flat surfaces to be covered with clutter applies to monitors as well; you may not know what you would use the space for, but once you have it there is still not enough!
 
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To each their own but
if you never have tried dual monitors
and it is possible to try it you should

I have a 1920x1080 and feel cramped when I have the second display
shut down and only using primary

I am also in the USA so it is cheap to get monitors

I have a 1920x1080 Viewsonic VX2260WM 21.5 inch 16:9 I bought
used a year ago on Craigslist for $90 with DVI cable included
and a 1280x1024 17inch gateway I bought for $15 at a secondhand store

I always buy my monitors used

Though for true color portrayal I have heard the CRTs are actually better than LCDs
and I had a Mitsubishi Diamond Pro 22inch CRT that I ran for years and didnt give it
up until it broke last year
I loved that screen
I hated moving it LOL

 
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My super high 1920x1440 resolution pretty much makes up for the use of multiple monitors in many ways (and even then, I still don't find that that resolution is high enough). I barely have enough room on my computer desk for doing maintenance, let alone putting my 1600x1200 CRT monitor that's been collecting dust for about 3 years now to work.

Thanks for the responses though - I've always wondered this for several years.
 
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"It takes some getting use to using that much space effectively, but the same law that causes all flat surfaces to be covered with clutter applies to monitors as well; you may not know what you would use the space for, but once you have it there is still not enough!

truer words have never been spoken
Spend one month using dual monitors and then try to go back to single


but also if you are happy
then dont worry about it :)
 
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lol, I hear you king, those mitsubishi monitors are beast. Even my 19" ones were at least 50lbs each. When I moved east I gave them to my dad, and just moved back to my old 17" envision monitors. I never bought a monitor until my big LCDs. I got all of the CRTs for free from business closures by just showing up and asking if they had anything they would want to give to a poor starving high school/college student; oddly that argument holds less weight when you get older. Now I can get all the screens I want at my work, but I am addicted to the larger screens as my setup sits on a coffee table ~4' from my couch. It is just too hard to see small dense pixles at that distance.
 
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I had a Dual of 19s at work for more than 4 years now.... but never really felt I wanted to get into it at home since I already a 24 sitting on my desk, although I've had an extra 24 lying in it's box for over 2 years had bought them together, so recently about a month ago, I just got it out for kicks and put it on..... now I hate going to work 'cos of the 19s there and 2 24s at home.....
 
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I am glad to help

But remember if it your setup is working for you then it doesnt matter
about the second monitor

A computer is a tool designed for certain purposes

If it serves that purpose then there is no reason to change the computer

If it isnt broke
then dont fix it

It was definitely a good question for a thread

It is 3 am
I should go to sleep LOL

Goodnight
 
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I've never experienced a dual monitor setup so, obviously, I'm used to a single-monitor setup. The super high resolution I use otherwise makes up for it for the most part. I just can't test in fullscreen effectively, but that's otherwise a minor issue as windowed mode works just the same. I have at least learned quite a bit from this thread. Still, being used to only a single monitor, it's likely what I'll intend on doing.

I only have 2 upgrades in mind. The first is my video card, since it can't play back H.264-encoded HD video in Virtual Dub at true speed as it can't decompress fast enough. The second is the RAM and CPU fan - I'd like to upgrade these. It takes a long enough time to save up as it is.
 
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The very first time I ever used a 2nd monitor, I marveled at just being able to have Task Manager and GPU-Z open on one monitor while I was gaming on the other. Though it's incredibly helpful in a lot of other usage scenarios already pointed out by earlier posters.

WQXGA and WQHD monitors would also help immensely for multitasking but are priced out of most people's budgets. I'd love to save up get a Dell U2711 someday...

Dual 1080p monitors give a tad bit more pixels at a much more affordable price and I think that is the preferred method for those that are serious about productivity or those that just want the better experience that it provides.
 
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I highly agree with the quoted comment, multi-monitor setups allow for much more productivity.

I know you don't game but for gaming purposes multi-monitor setups own single monitor in every possible scenario.

"two is better than one"
 
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Actually gaming is best on 3 monitors and Flight Simulators are best on 9.....
2 Monitors aren't the best for gaming, they are the best for productivity though. You can compare it to tabbed browsing vs single window browsing, with a dual setup you have more parallel work being done, it a real boon for multi tasking brains simultaneous references and editing, drawing, creating, watching, entertainment, taking a break..... it all just adds up to a second monitor.
Why even watching a HD movie is a real experience in a 2 or 3 monitor setup with a good audio system, you'll really forget the Theater experience. The best parts are the bezels, the marvelous human brain and optic system just minus the bezel after a little while..... it's an amazing thing , and really if you have the dough , it's worth every penny....
 
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