What’s Better: One Big Monitor or Two Smaller Ones?
April 3rd, 2008, 23 Comments »
I was in London Drugs today, buying a new router. Man, the price of monitors has gone through the floor. You can get a 24″ Samsung monitor for $449.
To put that in some perspective, I’m currently typing on a four-year-old 23″ Apple Cinema Display monitor. I bought it off the set of Catwoman for a ridiculous discount, but I think the retail price was CAN $2799.
The old Apple display has been great, but it’s looking a bit dim (plus the frame has turned that gross yellow, computer-in-the-sun colour). Some time in the next year, we’re likely to buy some new monitors. I could buy a 27″ monitor for, say, CAN $999. Or I could buy two 22″ monitors for, say, CAN $329 each.
I’ve only worked with two monitors briefly. Do you think two smaller ones are better than one big one? On the one hand, one monitor avoids any configuration hassles. Plus, it takes up less desk space. On the other hand, two monitors give you more actual screen space. And they apparently make your more productive, which is enticing.
For two monitors, do you have, like, a primary and secondary? If I lined them up directly side-by-side, I couldn’t tolerate having the space between the two monitors staring me in face.
Chris would definitely take two smaller ones:
I would go with two separate monitors any day, over one large one. Having two monitors can cause issues, as I said. Some of your software may run differently. Your computer may need to have minor configurations made to it. It can be a headache to get correct… but it’s well worth it. On one monitor, I have my email and work open. On the other monitor, I have all my “widgets”… for IRC, IMs, RSS feeds, etc. It makes it a lot easier for me to keep things organized, and be more efficient with my work.
You’ll actually have more “screen real estate” within two 17″ monitors side-by-side than what you would have with one huge screen. As I said, this can help you stay much more organized. Having one monitor made things too cramped, and too jumbled. I had to search for things, or keep them hidden when running.
Which would you choose?