Really want to go dual monitor, need some help in choosing.

[coolred]

I have posted a while back about wanting to get a dual monitor setup going, as i think it will make me more productive. Right now I am using a dell 1800FP, 18.1"viewable LCD. I think its 25ms, but I mainly only play RTS's on it, so it works fine. Unfortunately dell no longer has this model, so unless I choose ebay or buying used form the forums, just getting another 1800FP is out.

I was thinking of getting 2 new dell 1704FP's but then I have to deal with selling, packing and shipping my 1800FP, and that sound slike it could be a pain.

SO I am thinking of other options. I am sure there are probablly other 18.1" viewable LCD's out there, maybe not a ton, but I am sure there are a few. I could also just go with a 19", but am wondering how weird it would be with that extra .9" of space on the 19". I figure my other option is to go for a 19" CRT which should have either an 18 or 18.1" veiwable. Only thing I wonder about that is how well I will be able to line it up so that the screens are actually in line, since the CRT will have a much thicker bezel.

Plus I am wondering how each of these setups will look. I mean I don't mind if they are a little off, but if the screens are big time differant, it may bug me a bit. SO what do you think is the best option? Obviously cost wise the CRT is likely best, asteticlly the 17"s are best, with the 1800FP and 19" LCD being somewhere in the middle, but also offering me the ability to eventually go dual 19" LCD's in the future.

 

[coolred]

WHo votes other and then doesn't tell me what their other option is

 

[Shooters]

There's no reason why you can't run two different sizes. When you run dual monitors, you can specify the resolution and refresh rate of each one independently. I run a 21" as my primary display and a 17" as my secondary. The difference in size doesn't bother me because I typically don't span one application window across both monitors, but if you plan on doing this, then the different sizes/resolutions might bother you.

I voted 1800FP + 19" CRT only because I still like the versatility (in terms of resolution) of CRTs; plus they're cheaper. But, if you like LCDs then go for the 1800FP + 19" LCD option. I wouldn't recommend the two 17" LCDs option because selling the one you have and then buying two more can be a hassle, and it'll probably be the most expensive option. Unless of course you really want to have two indentical monitors.

 

[thraxes]

Once you start using a multimonitor setup you most likely WILL be spanning over both monitors. Although this can be app specific. I know that I would want two identical screens for my Adobe Premiere work though.

 

[coolred]

Well I am not sure how much spanning I will be doing. I admit seeing some of these awesome desktops with a spanned background, makes me want to. But i don't think I would be spanning many if any applications. I just realized in my first post I made it sound like I do something that would greatly benefit from dual monitors. Thats not the case. I don't do photo editing or spreadsheet work or programming. I would just like to be able to do many things at once, or maybe show a single firefox window on each monitor when comparing things, as I often do. So I don't really need dual monitors, it just sounds like it would be great. I think I would be able to handle a CRT and an LCD, as long as they don't look too drasticlly differant on the screen. And the thick bezel on the CRT may bother me a bit, but I think I would get over it, but I am open to the other ideas as well.

 

[coolred]

Any more opinions?

 

[thehype2049]

GET 2 SAMSUNG 710T'S AND UDE DUEL,,, HONESTLY, I JUST USE MY CTR AND THE TV NEXT TO IT WHEN IM DOING LOTZ OF WORK LIKE PHOTOSHOP OR OTHER STUFF

 

[coolred]

Holy crap, even in all caps I can't understand what you just wrote. What is UDE Duel? And are you saying you use your TV for work like photoshop?


I am not ruling out dual 17's, but they are not my first choice. It would require selling my current maonitor, which sounds like a pain. Plus I would be going down in actual monitor size, and realestate compared to the other options. But they would be brand new and the 1704's look awesome. But I am leaning more towards another 18.1" LCD, a 19" LCD or a 19" CRT.


Which reminds me I forgot to add the 18.1" LCD option to the poll, but I am too lazy to fix it. Any ideas who makes an 18.1" LCD, I will have to check some places.

 

[coolred]

I don't know, the more I think of it, maybe an LCD is a better bet. Since I don't think i will be spanning to many programs I suppose I can get used to a differant size. But I am just wondering if I can get past how it will look with 2 differant size monitors. But then again I will have that same issue with an LCD and a CRT. Seems like most people are recommending 2 17" LCD's, and I wouldn't mind doing that, just wish I would be easier to sell and pack my current one.

 

[thelvman]

I've used a few dual monitor setups and heres my thoughts.
I never span programs across both monitors. I find it distracting to have a gap in the middle of the screen, and pretty much any window could be used comfortably in one monitor. Where dual monitors become handy is having multiple windows open without having to minimize and restore all the time. You have less overlapping windows and things are easier to find. It surprizingly saves a tonne of time not having to deal with those "minor" things.
I'm currently using a 1680x1024 laptop screen, with a samsung 712n monitor. The heights don't match up at all, but I still find it much better than just one monitor. If I had the money, I'd probably get 2 712n's and a docking station for my laptop so I could run dual 712n.
If your thinking 2 17", just buy one for now and test it with your current monitor, if you don't like, buy another 17 and sell your current one.

 

[piasabird]

Might be neat to take a wide plasma and have software to dispay 2 outputs on one screen and just split them up. Kind of like picture in picture display with 2 full screens. I think I have seen Plasmas or LCD's with 2 video inupts on them. I wonder if they do split screen?

 

[imported_Phil]

Originally posted by: thehype2049
GET 2 SAMSUNG 710T'S AND UDE DUEL,,, HONESTLY, I JUST USE MY CTR AND THE TV NEXT TO IT WHEN IM DOING LOTZ OF WORK LIKE PHOTOSHOP OR OTHER STUFF

WORST POST EVARRRRRR!

Seriously, 14 frickin' lines of system specs?

 

[daveshel]

I've been a dual monitor user for years and I like having them matched.

 

[coolred]

Good info guys. Although i am still not sure which way to go. One thing I am wondering is, how the differance int he actual screens will be? I mean unless I go with a matched pair of 17's, or find another 1800FP, my screens are gonna be differant. As I understand it the 1704FP is substantially brighter then the 1800FP, so I imagine it would look quite a bit differant. Not sure how big a deal this is, any input?