The 2 small vs 1 big monitor dilemma

[entropy1982]

Hey guys, I currently have 2X 22" 1680X1050 X2Gen (crap) monitors. To be honest, I have never had a chance to work on a decent monitor so I guess I don't know any better. Here is my dilemma, for gaming 2 monitors sucks because neither of the monitors is in the center. However, for any other use, it is nice to be able to maximize something on only one monitor while working on another.
I will be purchasing a new system soon and price is not really an issue for me. Any suggestions/experiences would be appreciated.

 

[morkman100]

In my 2 monitor setup (2 Samsung 17" monitors), I have the main monitor right in front of me and the keyboard, while the 2nd monitor is to the right of the monitor.

 

[bunnyfubbles]

if price is not a issue, then two big monitors

 

[jkresh]

The two solutions aren't directly comparable, you can use programs to split the screen on a large monitor so some apps are in one section others, but there are still some things that work better with two independent monitors. Gaming (for games that support it like flightsims) can be better on two but is usually better with one large one (as long as your gpu can handle the resolution), movies definitely are better on 1 larger display (unless you want to watch a movie while you do something else in which case two displays is nice). I like my xhd3000 (30 inches), but occasionally it would be nice to have a 2nd monitor (sometimes I use my laptop as a 2nd display). If budget is not really an issue then go with 1 30 as your main and 1-2 20-24 on either side, if budget is really no issue then just get two 30's and call it a day.

 

[Billb2]

A 30" in the center and 2 x 20" (rotated 90°).
Text

 

[acx]

A big monitor gives your seamless desktop while 2 smaller monitors will give you more usable workspace.

One big monitor is better for Movies, Image/Multimedia editting, and Games.

Two smaller monitors is better for running multiple applications at the same time. For example, writing and debugging code in one window while reading the specification the document on another window.

One big monitor is better for playing. Two smaller monitors is better for work.

 

[bunnyfubbles]

Originally posted by: Billb2
A 30" in the center and 2 x 20" (rotated 90°).
Text

while thats a spiffy design, its pretty much the price of three 30" monitors

 

[Psynaut]

I absolutely love my 37" Westinghouse. Right now I am watching a movie on half the screen and writing this on the other half. I still have space in the bottom corner to open Windows folders. It seems much bigger than 2 22" monitors. I have never added up the total square inches to compare, but it seems much bigger. I would consider going larger next time to, maybe a 40" or 42". Even small text is very sharp on this, and gaming is fantastic.

 

[entropy1982]

Well I have a good 50 inch tv (Pioneer KURO) &PS3 combo which I watch most of my movies on. So mostly I am trying to balance gaming vs work I guess since it does appear that 2 smaller monitors do a better job for work. As far as the 3 monitor solution is concerned.... I think my desk is not big enough because the 2 22 inch monitors are taking up like 75% of it as is and the text in the corners of each is difficult for me to see. If they were even further I would imagine that would make it even more difficult

 

[akugami]

Get two decent 24" monitors and you're pretty much set. Although a 30" monitor and two 24" monitors set in portrait mode is certainly tempting. I've already got a good and an ok 24" monitor, maybe it's time to upgrade to a 30" for the center piece.

 

[Lonyo]

Why not get a single 24~27" monitor to replace your main display, and then continue to use one of your existing monitors as a secondary?
I've been using duals for 3.5 years and wouldn't go back to singles.
I started off with 2x17" LCD then went to 20" and 17", then replaced the 20" with a 24" so I'm currently on 24" and 17".

Just upgrade the primary monitor and keep one of the secondaries to make a dual screen setup with 1 large and 1 smaller. Best of both worlds.

 

[Viper GTS]

Originally posted by: bunnyfubbles

Originally posted by: Billb2
A 30" in the center and 2 x 20" (rotated 90°).
Text

while thats a spiffy design, its pretty much the price of three 30" monitors

That's for a pre-packaged setup, of course it's expensive.

I'm putting together the same thing (except with a much nicer stand than the one they are using) for less than 1/2 the cost. The displays cost me about $1100, & the parabolic stand was $260.

Viper GTS

 

[SSChevy2001]

Originally posted by: Psynaut
I absolutely love my 37" Westinghouse. Right now I am watching a movie on half the screen and writing this on the other half. I still have space in the bottom corner to open Windows folders. It seems much bigger than 2 22" monitors. I have never added up the total square inches to compare, but it seems much bigger. I would consider going larger next time to, maybe a 40" or 42". Even small text is very sharp on this, and gaming is fantastic.

Same here! PIP is a nice feature also. If you add up the sq in it's bigger than 2x 22" monitors, and only 12% off from the sq in of 3x 22" monitors.

37" 32.25" x 18.14" = 585.02"
22" 18.66" x 16.66" = 217.58"

 

[edplayer]

Originally posted by: Viper GTS

I'm putting together the same thing (except with a much nicer stand than the one they are using) for less than 1/2 the cost. The displays cost me about $1100, & the parabolic stand was $260.

pics?

 

[qbfx]

OP, buy a 30" for the middle and keep your 2x22" in portrait on both sides.

 

[AstroManLuca]

I don't like multiple monitor setups. Invariably I end up using just one and ignoring the other. My mom, on the other hand, benefits greatly from them since she works in Illustrator and Photoshop.

 

[kmmatney]

Originally posted by: AstroManLuca
I don't like multiple monitor setups. Invariably I end up using just one and ignoring the other. My mom, on the other hand, benefits greatly from them since she works in Illustrator and Photoshop.

I agree. When I tried mulitple monitors, I just used the second one for displaying help files and documentation pertaining to the work I was doing on the main screen. However when I went to larger screens, it was easier to just keep the documents minimized until I needed them, and tile the windows if I needed to view 2 things at once. With widescreens, it's easy to put 2 full windows side by side.

With a 30" screen, you have 2560 x 1600 resolution. That is a huge workspace, enough for several documents and work on the screen at the same time.