Are dual monitors worth it?

[Tech Explorer]

A few years ago when I worked at Merrill Lynch, I saw one of these devices in operation where the two monitors worked in unison meaning, e.g., that you can drag the cursor from one screen to the next. Do dual monitors have any particular advantages? Are they hard to maintain? Can they get out of sync? Do you have any special uses for them?

 

[OhSnapWord]

I'm running dual monitors and it's great. If I'm doing research, I can have browser windows on both monitors or have my email on one of them. The possibilities are endless. There really is no maintenance with dual display and I never had them go out of sync.

 

[Der-PC-Mann]

I have a question!

What if you wanted to run a full screen game/app' on one monitor and something entirely different on the other monitor? I've never ran dual monitor.. well.. actually, I briefly tried it with my TV, but I didn't try much with it.

 

[JLCM]

It's worth it, IMO. I love it. I can put a game up on one, and Edit with the other

 

[OhSnapWord]

I have a question!

What if you wanted to run a full screen game/app' on one monitor and something entirely different on the other monitor? I've never ran dual monitor.. well.. actually, I briefly tried it with my TV, but I didn't try much with it.

When you run an app or game in full screen mode, it takes the focus of the input devices.

 

[Der-PC-Mann]

Hmm.. so.. how easy is it to tell it what monitor is gonna be doing the inputting?

 

[OhSnapWord]

Usually, full screen games and programs take up the primary monitor. This can be set in the display settings.

 

[Der-PC-Mann]

Aaaaah, I've seen that option... kewl. Thanks for the answers.

 

[happyfella]

Tech Explorer, studies have shown that dual monitors give a 30% increase in productivity for the end user compared to a single monitor. These are just studies so don't take them as gold, assess your personal situation and see if it is right for you.

I have ran dual monitors for many years, I cannot see myself ever turning back. Easy to configure and never any unforeseen issues.

 

[Jake-]

I love my dual Screen, So helpful and very much a time saver.

With Full Screen Games, its different for all, some black out the monitor there not on as others literally just take one screen and the leave the other.
I do this with strategy games, and leave guides on the right monitor while gaming on the left. Of course to scroll the page on the guide requires a simple Alt-Tab out of the game for a few seconds, but with the right PC this should crash or affect your game.

I use AMD Catalyst eyefinity to make my two monitors One, and this allows you to game on both monitors instead of one (unless the game has built in dual screen support) One problem with this is that shooter + driving, the place your aiming is in the join of the two displays. Which is why im thinking of getting a third.

I have always dual screened on identical monitors i find it more easier on the eyes.