Do your dual screens need to match?

[zCypher]

When you go dual monitors, do they have to be exactly the same?
Last night I told my friend I wanted to get a second display, he offered one he was not using (an older, i think 19" square model) - I declined as I plan to soon purchase a second monitor as identical as possible to the one I have now. He seemed surprised by that. The multi-display thing is kinda new to me, at least for the home pc.

My current display is the Samsung SyncMaster 2343bwx which was listed as a 23.5", 20000:1, it does 2048x1152 which is nice, not limited to the "almighty 1080p".

Seems to be pretty much impossible to find the same monitor now.

I would like one of similar dimensions. I now understand that I won't be seeing anything beyond 1080p for the price I paid ($180).

Any recommendations? Feels so limiting to have only one display!

 

[jlee]

You can mix and match your monitors at will...I ran 20" 1680x1050 and 23" 1920x1080 side by side for a while. It can get annoying not having things match up exactly if split between windows, but it'll work just fine.

 

[Mr. Pedantic]

2048x1152 was rare for LCDs even at their peak. So I doubt it will be very easy finding another one like it. But yeah, you can mix and match different monitor sizes. I have a 22" 1920x1080 and a 17" 1280x1024 - the secondary used to be a 19", but that died, unfortunately.

 

[pitz]

I prefer them to match.

For instance:

Laptop = 1920x1200 15.4" display
External LCD = 1920x1200 24" display

If I move a program from one window to another, there's no resizing involved.

I had a 1680x1050 20" LCD initially, but it became too annoying to use with the 1920x1200 15.4" laptop display.

 

[Makaveli]

I agree with this ^^^^ they don't have to be the same.

But it is better when they are not only visually but for the reason mentioned above.

I'm on dual 22's 16:10 and if upgrading would need to replace both.

 

[taltamir]

they don't have to be the same. but generally people are more satisfied with matching screens.

with different models, one is going to be better. This is going to be unnoticed in normal use, but with dual monitor setup will be obvious and jarring. Many people come to loathe their inferior monitor and quickly replace it to match.

that being said, its by no mean all people who do so. And I don't know if its a majority or a minority, just that there are many accounts of such. it might be a minority... but keep in mind that it is an issue that might bother you.

 

[ther00kie16]

http://www.compu-america.com/23inlcd20000-12048x1152-v10722.html

otherwise, used on ebay is an option but i only see the dell 23" for 2048x1152 lcds

i use a 17" 1920x1200 with my 24" of the same resolution but in portrait. if it were stable, i'd probably put my laptop in portrait as well while working (do this occasionally while reading lying down on bed).

 

[jlee]

they don't have to be the same. but generally people are more satisfied with matching screens.

with different models, one is going to be better. This is going to be unnoticed in normal use, but with dual monitor setup will be obvious and jarring. Many people come to loathe their inferior monitor and quickly replace it to match.

that being said, its by no mean all people who do so. And I don't know if its a majority or a minority, just that there are many accounts of such. it might be a minority... but keep in mind that it is an issue that might bother you.

That's the main reason I went back to one display. I had two Samsung LCD's but they were different models and I couldn't get them to look exactly the same (color/etc).

 

[gorobei]

yeah, that atypical res is going to be a pain to match. you might want to consider selling it and getting a matched set.

I finally completed my set of 3 dell2408 19x12 with a craigslist find, and i still cant help thinking that i might have been better off selling my pair of 2408 and buying 3 dell 23" e-ips 19x10.

that said, mixing is fine just annoying at times. the extra desktop real estate is always nice for high end apps, and you will find the empty space fills up fast.

 

[bunnyfubbles]

I run a BenQ XL2410T (1920x1080) and a Dell U2711 (2560x1440) side by side.

The major problems of running two mismatched monitors is difference in pixel pitch. Even though my U2711 has a much larger resolution than my XL2410T, its not that much larger in physical size. So when I set them up side by side I can only do much to try and match up the pixels because 1920x1080 is a much smaller area on the U2711.

The other problem I can think of off the top of my head is pretty minor but its when you want a different desktop wallpaper. The "easy" solution is to get a large wallpaper that would simply span all your monitors because Windows still does not support different wallpapers on different monitors. Other than that there are options such as running a third party program such as DisplayFusion that will allow you to setup different wallpapers on your different monitors.

 

[nanaki333]

i have 1 of those samsung displays with the odd ball resolution. how much is it worth it to ya?

but anyway, i have 3 matching e-machine 23" displays on my desk at work ($109 shipped each from staples baby!), dual 24" dell LEDs at home and dual viewsonic on my wife's. don't know the exact models of either.

 

[tigerbait]

I use a 23" HP 1920x1200 and a 19" Dell 1280x1024 side by side. I prefer equal, but I just kept the Dell when I upgraded to the 23".

 

[ViviTheMage]

I run a 24" and 20" at work, and 2 24" at home...prefer the exact same models for dual screens.

 

[Gillbot]

You can mix and match your monitors at will...I ran 20" 1680x1050 and 23" 1920x1080 side by side for a while. It can get annoying not having things match up exactly if split between windows, but it'll work just fine.

This ^ but my OCD prevents me from mixing them. I couldn't bear to look at them if they were different screens.

 

[zCypher]

Well when it's a laptop + a monitor plugged into it, that doesn't bug me at all it's what I have for work. At home, just the idea of having two different ones... I just know it would get on my nerves.

I'm not willing to pay upwards of $300 for a monitor similar to the one I have which was less than 200. For $300 I can easily get at least a 25.5" 1920x1200. Maybe I'll just wait, get rid of this one, and get dual 25.5. My desk is a bit small for that though.

 

[GundamF91]

I run two 22" LCDs, one Dell and one Acer. You could go a different size, but I'd try to keep resolution similar when it's displayed, otherwise things just look weird when you move one window from one screen to another.

 

[OVerLoRDI]

I ran 24" 1920x1200, a 19" 1280x960 CRT, and a 15" 1024x768 LCD. Works fine.

Now I run 3 23.6" 1080p screens. Love, except I miss those extra 120 vertical pixels of the 16:10.

 

[sgrinavi]

Exact is the best as it's easier to match color temperature (much easier on my old eyes) -- if I can't have exact then I try to get the the physical vertical size as close as possible. I find its distracting when you move the mouse from one screen to the other and the little arrow jumps down (or up)...

 

[jlee]

This ^ but my OCD prevents me from mixing them. I couldn't bear to look at them if they were different screens.

Yep, that's mostly why I went back to one display. It also gave me a lot of desk space back.

 

[Gillbot]

Yep, that's mostly why I went back to one display. It also gave me a lot of desk space back.

I have 2 now, bought them matched. I want to go to 4 but finding matches for my current pair will be nearly impossible. I may TRY to handle a 2x2 setuo though.

 

[Mr. Pedantic]

Yep, that's mostly why I went back to one display. It also gave me a lot of desk space back.

Serious? I have 2 mismatched. When one broke down I went a week with only one monitor before I found a replacement. That week I felt like I was doing everything on the computer without my left arm.

 

[jlee]

Serious? I have 2 mismatched. When one broke down I went a week with only one monitor before I found a replacement. That week I felt like I was doing everything on the computer without my left arm.

Yeah I couldn't get the colors to match and it was annoying (plus they didn't line up exactly - 20" 1680x1050 and 23" 1920x1080). I may try it again though and see if I can get used to it.