setting up 2 screens

longwalks1

How easy/hard is it to set up 2 monitors with a PC? Will soon be on the market for a new desktop (or laptop with docking station) and ideally want 2 monitors side by side. I've seen the brackets but how hard is it to set up, and decide on what is shown on each screen please?

I_have_spoken

We use them at work with our laptops, the developers like that set-up.

It's easy enough, with one on VGA and their other on HDMI outputs from laptop. Windows lets you drag between each panel and maximise apps on one screen. I think DisplayPort lets you daisy-chain the panels?

That said, at home I use a single extra wide panel like this - http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00EKJHG54 in preference to two monitors.

pstones578

If you get a PC make sure you get one with 2 outputs for video. Many many many modern graphic card support dual head so that should be easy to find. If you get a laptop they always have a video out for a projector/display. Then all you need to do is decide what you want the 2nd screen to do. Mirror primary, work as a second screen so you can have one thing on one and one on another, disable primary and just use second screen.

It's really easy to configure and get a second screen working.

If you are using Windows as your operating system the windows key + P at the same time is your friend when you have an additional screen attached.

longwalks1

Thanks pstones578

That was to be my next question, will be looking for a good laptop with docking facilities, and unsure of what version of Windows to get with it (will be buying new), is there a preferred or 'better' one?

I'd assume the latest version was the best, but I know from others its not always the case?

longwalks1

I_have_spoken wrote: »

We use them at work with our laptops, the developers like that set-up.

It's easy enough, with one on VGA and their other on HDMI outputs from laptop. Windows lets you drag between each panel and maximise apps on one screen. I think DisplayPort lets you daisy-chain the panels?

That said, at home I use a single extra wide panel like this - http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00EKJHG54 in preference to two monitors.

Thanks I have spoken
I never thought about a single extra'widescreen monitor, it works out about the same price, and I guess if you have 2 windows open side by side, its almost the same as 2 monitors. Any disadvantages of the single screen or 2?

I_have_spoken

Any disadvantages of the single screen or 2?

For home use, I prefer the ultra-wide panel. No dividing bezel when watching movies, easier to adjust, less faffing about dragging windows between panels etc.

Downside is that very few web-pages make use of the full width, Amazon being the honourable exception.

Nada666

britishboy wrote: »

Any disadvantages of the single screen or 2?

Single wide-screen monitors tend to be short. Crazily there are some only 1080 high. Unless you know you don't want the vertical space it is better to buy two 1440 monitors. You can pivot one round on occasion.

As to price it is only the 1080 ones that are a similar price. Unless the only reason you want it is for gaming I would hesitate. Plus, of course, you need a graphics card that can handle more at once for games if you don't want the frustration of only playing in a window.

But if you're the sort of person who harrumphs at black borders then knock yourself out with an ultrawidescreen :9 folly.

ETA: there are also many programs and games that work full-screen. With two monitors you have a second monitor to see your other stuff at the same time - not possible with widescreens (unless or until you are fluent with shuffling virtual screens et al).

Nada666

I_have_spoken wrote: »

For home use, I prefer the ultra-wide panel. No dividing bezel when watching movies, easier to adjust, less faffing about dragging windows between panels etc.

Downside is that very few web-pages make use of the full width, Amazon being the honourable exception.

If you're watching films at your desk I can't see any advantage to watching them on an ultrawidescreen. (Why on earth would you span a bezel?)

Other than a television schedule or spreadsheet why would you want a browser window to use the width of a large monitor rather than multiple windows? Fitting a couple of pages on one monitor of dual-screen set-up may on occasion be squeezed for width but I am not excited about the prospect of sites deciding to try themselves to adaptively span multiple columns in a single window. I'd rather live with the borders. (I thought the consensus was "Metro -aargh").

(PLEASE NOTE: I am talking about using dual large monitors not two stupid 1080 HD screens.)

bod1467

2560 x 1080 is the equivalent of two monitors at 1280 x 1080. (Which is not a normal resolution). Two full HD monitors side-by-side at 1920 x 1080 would be 3840 x 1080 equivalent. So the suggested example is losing you 1280 pixels in width (as well as the other disadvantages highlighted).