Do you really need more than 1 monitor?

I'm looking for a new monitor and I have one on my mind. I have a question for people who have more than 1 monitor. Do you really use multiple monitors? I have instances where I'm like: "Hmm. another monitor would be nice in this case."

I mostly do work for school on my pc and also watch movies and play games sometimes.

I don't need advice on which monitor to choose, I just want to know if you really use 2+ monitors.

second multiple monitor

asked Jun 23 '11 at 05:34

Mitte
511●19●21●31

I just setup a second monitor, but I don't really use it for much more than throwing my email and IRC client windows onto. Although I have a little bit different scenario than most people. Since I'm legally blind, I have to be a few inches from the monitor to see it clearly (i.e, be able to read any text). So my main monitor is on an arm that I can pull closer to me so I can sit in my chair normally without slouching. My second monitor is a smaller one, and it's just sitting on the table next to me. A lot of times I just turn it off if I'm trying to focus since it can be a little distracting.

It is kind of nice to be able to just look over to the second one (and in my case, push my main monitor away and lean over to look at the second one) to see if I have a new email or anything interesting going on in any IRC room's I'm in.

(Sep 12 '11 at 18:38) lhamil64

22 Answers:

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I'm running two 24" 1080p monitors and I can say I have benefited massively from using them. I like the fact I can position multiple windows on both screens without having to minimize something to find another window. Its also very useful for doing research or taking notes e.g you can have your web browser open on one screen and Word open on another screen making it easier to take notes from a webpage.

I recently used someone's PC with a single 19" monitor and I was going crazy. I found it so frustrating that I had to constantly minimize and maximize windows over and over again, not to mention the screen looking so small in comparison to mine. Multiple monitors allows you to be really productive and it makes your life so much easier for just about anything you'd use your PC for.

answered Jun 23 '11 at 05:44

DazOwen
5.9k●77●104●159

Thanks for you comment! Funny fact, I'm using a 19 inch monitor and I also have to minimize and maximize the whole time.

(Jun 23 '11 at 08:28) Mitte

Get dual monitors and you'll see how much easier your life gets.

(Jun 23 '11 at 08:30) DazOwen

Why not just use ALT + Tab and cycle through that way. I've been doing that for years since windows 3.1 came out. When I was working at 1 company my workstation there had two monitors since I was running close to 30 applications to do my work. At home I'm running close to about 67 the most on a single screen.

(Feb 23 '12 at 18:31) Compucore

If you have Windows Vista/7, Windows Key+Tab is better if you don't have over 60 things open. If you have lets say 5 it's fine.

(Feb 23 '12 at 18:32) DJ Scooby Doo

Once you've used more than one screen there's no going back to just one!

answered Jun 23 '11 at 13:22

Ebotman16
771●67●73●83

It is really hard going back to just one.

(Jun 23 '11 at 16:28) Xiro

Too right bro, I can barely use a Laptop now because the res of the screen is so low.

(Jun 23 '11 at 19:41) Ebotman16

To be honest I had the same idea as you and then I tried two. It's nice to be able to have a web page open while you write some work, but I found that I preferred to use one good quality, decently sized (24 inch +) monitor rather than one or two small ones.

Don't forget that you may use more power with two.

You might enjoy a multiple monitor setup for gaming though!

I would simply sell or throw the 19 inch monitor and get a 24 - 26 inch HD monitor. A single big monitor is also a lot better for watching films on than a few small ones. Buying a few small ones is tempting due to price and i'm sure you are tempted to get another one due to already having one monitor.

answered Jun 23 '11 at 17:23

SignOff
(suspended)

I haven't thought about the power consumption, to be honest! That's a good point you bring up. The thing I have with a 26 inch monitor is that most of them are 1080p instead something bigger or you pay a lot of money. That's why I'd go with 24 inch. Thanks for your input, though!

(Jun 26 '11 at 07:30) Mitte

1	It's addictive... if you have a second (or even third) monitor you find it REALLY hard to work with one. Damn. answered Feb 28 '12 at 13:53 RafalChmiel 491●138●151●156

0	I have a extra monitor, but only hook it up when I'm coding websites or something like that. But if I am just browsing the web there is really no reason for me to hook it up. You can get monitors cheap now a days at yard sales. answered Jun 23 '11 at 05:57 PhotoshopGuru 121●4●4●10

I was using three because of the level of multi-tasking I do. At the moment I am using a 1080p television as my monitor. Even though it is larger I have still lost screen space, I am always having to shrink windows.

answered Jun 23 '11 at 06:20

Xiro
4.4k●37●54●103

Why 3 monitors, isn't that a bit overkill?

(Jun 23 '11 at 08:27) Mitte

I had the room and the extra monitor was around so I thought I would use it. What I ended up doing was using the smallest one for a chat monitor and the biggest one for internet and the other could even have a movie or show playing. Normally I prefer to focus when I watch movies and shows so at that point it would be so I could keep an eye on other things or just pause it when I wanted to check a web site.

(Jun 23 '11 at 16:28) Xiro

So, from what I understand is that you have 3 monitors with different resolutions? That seems odd to me..

(Jun 26 '11 at 07:25) Mitte

I did, 24" 1920x1200 19" 1440x900 and 15" something lower. Why? They were there, the 19" was an older monitor and I upgraded to the 24" and the 15" was around and just fit so I thought I could use them and they did come in handy.

Three 24" would have been best, I was using what I had.

(Jun 26 '11 at 07:35) Xiro

I am a forex trader so i need multi monitors 4 in total. But even if i did not trade i would still use them as once you get used to them it is nice. Play a game, surf the net, edit photos and more with out switch all the time. I recommend a program called ultramon to control the monitors.

answered Jun 23 '11 at 10:09

ronsam
(suspended)

Okey, than I could really see the use of multiple monitors! Also, thanks for the suggestion of ultramon! That program looks really useful!

(Jun 26 '11 at 07:22) Mitte

i would like to have a 27" secondary monitor so i can watch tv or movies on it while doing other things on the main monitor.

answered Jun 25 '11 at 20:26

ChuckysChild
(suspended)

How big is the monitor you have right now?

(Jun 26 '11 at 07:18) Mitte

i have a 22" wide screen.

(Jun 26 '11 at 09:51) ChuckysChild

I just use one larger monitor as my main display and have a secondary non wide screen monitor on the side for having notes, messenger etc on the side. I would like to have 2-3 wide screens for gaming and extreme multitasking but my current desktop real estate prevents that.

It does save time not having to minimize and search for windows but it really comes down to what your uses for them will be. Do they justify having multiple monitors? I find having a 24" widescreen monitor is more than enough for copying notes from a webpage. I just snap a doc file to one side of the screen and the web browser to the other side and it makes for easy note taking.

answered Jun 25 '11 at 20:43

Lamethrower
311●3●5●10

Well, the last couple of weeks I open my laptop besides me and just put tweetdeck on it. So, I could do that on my second monitor. Other than that and sometimes IM I don't really now what I should use the monitor for..

(Jun 26 '11 at 07:21) Mitte

I sadly can only use one on my main desktop (laptop...screen is broken) however, I am using a 22' HANNS-G widescreen for my primary display, and then I have 2 19' dell monitors on my IRC laptop and home server, and I use synergy to control them. This works like having dual/tri monitors!

UPDATE I am currently rocking a dual monitor setup on my HP Pavilion P7-1026b, being a 22' widescreen Hanns-G monitor, serving as my primary, and a HP 20' LED monitor as my secondary monitor. I still have the Dell 19' monitor, still doing IRC.

answered Jun 26 '11 at 07:36

Kyle
330●4●5●13

edited Aug 11 '11 at 12:31

i just got the one i have and it's a hanns-g. i am loving it. controls, and resolution as good as any other i've had, and the pricing on the hanns-g lcd's is simply fantastic.

(Jun 26 '11 at 09:54) ChuckysChild

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