home office - large monitor or dual monitors?

[skyking1]

DW works from home, and has dual 27s. Her work involves multiple browser supported apps and she can get a few open to prevent constant tabbing.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

I just have a large screen laptop and a 50" TV.

 

[Souschef]

I have a 24" monitor, and that suits me. When I was doing data entry for a food bank, I could put the input data sheets and the spreadsheet side by side, and that worked for me.
YMMV

 

[MC Rider]

I have three 19" monitors side by side.
Great for w*rk, but otherwise I think 2 would be OK.
Put the music video on the side.

 

[finnski1]

I also have the a 43 inch 4K monitor.. it's beyond amazing since you can run it at 4K without having to scale the fonts like you do with the smaller 4K monitors.

I also recommend buying the best monitor that you can afford especially if you're using all day long.. I do that with all of my computer accessories (keyboard, mouse, monitor, mic, video, etc) instead of using the cheap ones that were included with your computer.

my 2 cents.. Soon to be former IT Manager.. 2 week countdown..

Ken

Congrats on your pending retirement.

 

[pdxgal]

My megacorp standardized on 27" single monitors for everyone. I hated it. I was constantly having to resize and move (application) windows on the screen. And it was tiring to both my eyes and neck to look from side to side of the bigger monitor. So I got permission to go back to two 19" monitors. My primary monitor is directly in front of me, the second off to the side (though sometimes I'll shift them over if needing to view both at the same time for extended periods). FWIW I do have a 27" monitor I use occasionally for spreadsheet work, as it avoids a lot of horizontal scrolling. Otherwise I prefer the two monitors (which can be configured to function as one, i.e. second screen extends the display of the first -- also handy for spreadsheets sometimes).

 

[Katsmeow]

I would add the 2nd 27" monitor. FWIW, I use 3 27" monitors and it works great for me.

 

[USGrant1962]

I have three 19" monitors side by side.
Great for w*rk, but otherwise I think 2 would be OK.
Put the music video on the side.

Three 27" here, upgraded recently from a 27 and 2x24s in a BTD moment (all three are identical models now). But I spend a lot of time at my "workstation". When I use them for actual consulting work I generally have the document I'm working on in center, references like an RFP, previous go-bys, etc. on left, and the web open on the right. Or Webex/Zoom in the center, the doc I'm sharing on the right (usually and action item list or agenda), and other references/lookups on the left.

Also really nice for gaming where a manual or walk-through or keyboard layout can be open in one of the side monitors. And leaving the stat tracker on Fantasy Football open all day Sunday on one of the sides.

Or having one of my FIRE spreadsheets on one monitor while Vanguard or another financial site is open in the center.

But this is probably not practical for a laptop-based system, and takes a bunch of space. In your case, a 27" IPS display as your main with the laptop as secondary would probably work best.

 

[6miths]

I have gone to 32" LG 2560 × 1440 monitors during Zoom times with my laptop set up beside for even more real estate. My son stows his laptop under his desk and drives a curved 34" Samsung 3440 x 1440 monitor. Both setups are nice. I think superior to a dual monitor set up and the 32" LG's are very affordable at Costco. You will want to use the DisplayPort input to get best image.

 

[6miths]

Forty three inch 4K on the wall.

Soundbar under. Wireless subwoofer on the corner of the ceiling. Rocks!

Hey we have the same chair!

 

[wmc1000]

27" on the desk, 55" on the wall that I watch using a wireless keyboard from my recliner!

 

[Sojourner]

Forty three inch 4K on the wall.

FWIW, I use 3 27" monitors and it works great for me.

Three 27" here, upgraded recently from a 27 and 2x24s in a BTD moment (all three are identical models now).

I have gone to 32" LG 2560 × 1440 monitors during Zoom times with my laptop set up beside for even more real estate. My son stows his laptop under his desk and drives a curved 34" Samsung 3440 x 1440 monitor.

27" on the desk, 55" on the wall that I watch using a wireless keyboard from my recliner!View attachment 41098

You all are making me feel like a pauper over here with my one 24" monitor I purchased 5 years ago. I need to BTD and upgrade soon!!

 

[RobbieB]

Yeah, why not?

I think I only paid $500 for the 43 incher, electronics are counter inflationary -

 

[jollystomper]

You all are making me feel like a pauper over here with my one 24" monitor I purchased 5 years ago. I need to BTD and upgrade soon!!

Me too. My desktop monitor is connected to a KVM switch for use with multiple systems, so multiple monitors are inconvenient. But a bigger one will be helpful. Once the Christmas activities settle down, I will start looking at BTD options .

 

[Dalmore]

2 monitors is the only way to go. I've been using two for years now, and often find myself wishing I had three - even though I am retired now.

 

[Starsky]

I'd vote for an ultrawide, curved monitor. A year or so back I bought a 34" one for less than $400 that is 2560x1080 and it's amazing! I much prefer it to a dual monitor setup and it is fantastic for working on my creative projects or watching sports and movies on my computer in full 21:9 widescreen HD resolution. Having dual monitors seems hugely anachronistic at this point, and I couldn't imagine having to drag across screens or use up two USB-C video outputs for my monitors.

 

[Sunset]

I vote for 2 - 27" monitors for OP.

When I started working at a 100 person, privately held company years ago, they were all using 1 monitor.
I quickly found some studies showing the efficiency and improvement of having dual monitors.
Within a year all the development dept folks had copied me.

Over a year a lot of time is saved not switching windows or shuffling around items.
At home I have dual monitors as it's nice having a lot of screen real estate.

 

[nphx]

Dual monitors are my choice. Also for zoom meets one is in a conference or shared while the other is available for "multi tasking"

 

[albireo13]

Well, I went and picked up a Dell 32" curved monitor. Very nice! I will try that and if I find I want a second monitor, I can add my original 27" flat monitor alongside.
So far, I am liking the Dell.

 

[dadu007]

I have two 16:9 27-in HP 4k monitors. They're great.
The advantage of two monitors with photo editing is that you can throw the photo you're editing to one monitor in full screen, while still seeing the controls/adjustments on the first monitor. Not really the same on a very large single monitor.

 

[isisdave]

Good points on that.
.
My laptop has only USB-C or USB3.0 outputs.
I think getting a nice hub with two HDMI/DP outputs will be the plan.
That way, one cable to plug into the laptop. Also, they come with USB-C charging so, can provide power to the laptop as well.

I'll just have to suck it up on the cable clutter.

There are USB-C to HDMI adapters and they don't cost much. See if your laptop will drive a monitor that way.

Anyone considering using a TV as a monitor -- check the resolution; you'll want at least 1024 vertical lines. Smaller TVs will be 720.

 

[danabu]

Go big!

I'm in the big monitor camp, either ultra-wide or just big, with 4K resolution. I like that I can use it either as one big window or carve it up into multiple ones, similar to what you'd get with multiple smaller monitors.

Currently using a Dell UltraSharp 43 U4320Q, and I had the Dell 3818DW ultrawide before that. I have my laptop open on the side so I still have the secondary screen if I want it, but most of the time I'm just using the one monitor.

Both of these Dell monitors (and some of their smaller ones) are power-providing docking stations as well as monitors. That means you can connect all your USB peripherals - camera, mouse, kb etc. to the display, then connect just one USB-C cable to your laptop. Super convenient and clean on your desktop.

I use a utility program to "snap" windows into position on my display. My default is 6 windows, 3 across and 2 down, so it's like having 6 monitors in that mode. But I can also snap to larger sizes if I want them, or use the whole thing. For some spreadsheets or music/video editing having the huge screen is awesome.

Good luck!

 

[Jeb-NY]

I have used two monitors for several decades starting when I was still working. I have been running two monitors about the same size vertically on a post type monitor stand at home for about 10 years now and really liked it over side by side. I use the top monitor for things that don't change often and watch TV/Movies/Music apps while working on the lower monitor. About a year ago I had the brain storm to buy a wide screen curved monitor and replace both monitors, running the wide screen in portrait mode. Worked fine but after a couple of days I missed having the separate monitor that wasn't interfering with what I was doing on the lower part. Rotated the wide screen for the bottom work area and remounted one of the old smaller monitors on top for long term apps and entertainment. Works great. I often have my laptop going beside the widescreen and can work on it at the same time and have a virtual screen I can switch to on the widescreen that has the laptop mirrored and uses one keyboard and track pad. have an additional virtual screen that lets me work on the entertainment center computer when needed. Drives my wife nuts.

 

[gooddog]

Have you considered large dual monitors?

 

[Global Wizzo]

Monitors

Good points on that.
I may just get another 27" display. I just want to not lose too much deskspace and also want to avoid clutter.
I briefly looked into a smaller (<43") TV but, pickings were slim for anything < 40". I don't want a wall mount, just desk.

When I worked full time I had two nice 27" displays side-by-side attached to an adjustable stand. Also had a nice docking station, etc.
It was great.

Now, I am doing part time consulting work and don't have that big a budget.
My laptop has only USB-C or USB3.0 outputs.
I think getting a nice hub with two HDMI/DP outputs will be the plan.
That way, one cable to plug into the laptop. Also, they come with USB-C charging so, can provide power to the laptop as well.

I'll just have to suck it up on the cable clutter.

Suggest dual monitors. There are several USB-C docks for notebooks that will support dual or triple HDMI outposts for monitors.

Make sure your monitors are matched for type/model. You want the same refresh rates and color response.

I run two computers. Desktop and notebook. Both with dual monitors.

Good luck.