CharlesCS

Join Date 08/2006

+81

Single or dual display, what say you?

OK, so I am planning on building a gaming PC for my kids (I can’t believe I will be selling my own laptop for this, I must really love them) I will be buying all the necessary parts for the tower and maybe a new keyboard but the monitor I may just keep the one I have for now. However, as me and my kids play games such as the Call of Duty series online we have learned that besides not having very good gaming rigs at this moment (not fast enough processors and very low end video cards which is why I will be building a new rig with better hardware), one of the reasons we don’t always do well in these games is due to the monitor size. From some of my friends and other players comments who have large monitors for their gaming PCs, it allows them to see things one would normally miss on a smaller monitor giving them the edge to get others before they are seen.

So my question is this, I plan on eventually buying a bigger monitor but find myself wondering what would be better. I was listening to Tekzilla podcast where I heard them talking about multi screens on gaming rigs and wonder would it be better to buy say a 25” to 28” monitor from around $250 to $350 or 2, say 19” monitors which would cost about the same? And if so, any suggestions on monitors for dual display gaming?

Thanks.

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vStyler

Join Date 11/2004

+919

Single, big as u can afford. Heck with 19' monitors thesedays

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Snowman

Join Date 03/2001

+343

If you need it - go for dual!! (but you'll never go back to single again)

I myself have a three-monitor setup (22"/26"/22"), and am loving the freedom of space I have!

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kryo

Join Date 05/2003

+458

If it's just for gaming and mainly for the kids, don't bother with dual screens. If you will be using the machine for any kind of major work involving multiple apps at once or multitasking though, it can be incredibly helpful to have multiple monitors.

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Most games still only support one monitor, so if it is a primary gaming rig, just one large monitor is better.

However, if you plan on working on the computer or having multiple programs running, Duals are the way to go.

I myself have a dual setup, and love it.

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I shall add my voice to those lauding multiple monitors, but only if you have a use for them, for gaming alone it get annoying, like leaving you unable to move your mouse towards one edge of the screen for fear of it going on to the other monitor, though that sort of thing really depends on the game

as an aside, I'll note I'm in the UK so can't really say for the US, but $350 probably isn't going to get you 28" monitor, or even a particularly good 25".

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I'd go with a single 1920x1080 aka 1080p screen. Keep in mind the more pixels to display the more graphics power you need. So more isn't always better unless money is no object.

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I'd go with an LCD TV. My TV has a VGA input and was not expensive (<$500). With it I get a full 32" screen at a native resolution of 1360x768. Now I sit back in a recliner and game away. So much better now that I'm not hunched over a desk looking at a 19" monitor.

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Island Dog

Join Date 06/2003

+1048

For what you are doing, get the biggest single screen you can afford. The only reason I have dual-displays is I have two different computers to them. Otherwise, I would just go single.

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Lantec

Join Date 07/2003

+346

I vote dual.....you'll never go back.

I couldn't work on a single screen...all that flipping back and forth would drive me nuts.........even when I game (not a lot) I run the game on the monitor 1 and run hwmonitor and a samurize config on monitor 2 so I can keep track of temperatures, cpu load, bandwidth etc.

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At work I have two monitors and even that is too few sometimes

At home I had one 1680x1050 and I got a free 1280x1024 later on (one or two dead pixels, but hey if it's free... ). So now the big monitor is for gaming (both PC and Xbox) and the smaller one for browsing, IM etc. If you use your computer just for gaming, 1 big monitor is enough

Oh and yes, once you go dual, you can't/don't go back

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I use two 22" Monitors for work and really like that set-up for applications use (mostly CAD and rendering). 2 monitors in gaming though doesn't really work very well, espically if you play and FPS or third person shooters. FOr home i use a 42" LCD screen that is mostly for gaming and video editing, which I love. So based on my experience and the experience of those above, it depends on what you intend on using it for.

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I'm gonna second the Stardock guys and say just get one big screen.

2 screens are great for work, but I have two at home as well and only find myself using the one there. Just buy one that's big and wide-screen, and you should be very happy.

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Hi,

I'm new to the comunity, but i saw this post and thought about a sugestion: Have you heard about 'Triple Head to Go'???

It´s a product from Matrox designed for gaming that allows you to plug 3 monitors and the computer sees them as only one, avoiding the suport problem you have with 2 separate monitors. Spreading the image over the 3 screens with really wide screen resolutions (3840x1024). I've never used it myself, but man does this sound very cool to play COD or what??? Check their website.

O course your gonna have to spend more on 3 monitors + Triple Head to Go + a heck of a video card to suport such resolutions.

Cheers,

Teboga.

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Quoting Teboga,

reply 13

Hi,

I'm new to the comunity, but i saw this post and thought about a sugestion: Have you heard about 'Triple Head to Go'???

It´s a product from Matrox designed for gaming that allows you to plug 3 monitors and the computer sees them as only one, avoiding the suport problem you have with 2 separate monitors. Spreading the image over the 3 screens with really wide screen resolutions (3840x1024). I've never used it myself, but man does this sound very cool to play COD or what??? Check their website.

O course your gonna have to spend more on 3 monitors + Triple Head to Go + a heck of a video card to suport such resolutions.

Cheers,

Teboga.

I tried to do this once at a friend's house, but playing an FPS is difficult with those lines (the edges of the monitor) distorting your vision. Just get one big screen.

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I got 2 Westinghouse 22" widescreen monitors for 169 bucks a piece last black Friday. I will never go back to a single monitor. I use the left for all my dock icons and widgets, and open folders... and the right for open programs. And when I'm drawing I stretch Coreldraw across both!

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Dual for gaming is being seriously under-rated. You stick all of your messenging shit on the second display so you can keep track of things without tabbing in and out every time you recieve a message.

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Thanks for all the responses. I think I might go with the dual screen but not necessarily for gaming. I will try to get at least 22" and play games on single screen while using the second for things like chatting with friends on TS for example or xfire and the dual screen to expand my future blogging ideas. I plan on expanding on blogging by going video and dual screen may come in handy with all the software and sites I'll be using.

For the person from UK who didn't think I could find a monitor for $350. I am not sure if this is a great monitor but it is big and for around that price:

Hanns·G HG-281DPB Black 28" 3ms Widescreen LCD HDMI Monitor - $299.00

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Phoon

Join Date 10/2001

+382

Go with dual.. period. I play games and it is handy as anything to be playing and have reference material (ie.. hints, manuals, notes etc) on the other monitor to reference whilst playing. It is extremely convienient in all apsects of use. You'll thank yourself for doing it!

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2 is good, 3 is better - but I have 5 here with 4 computers...

I do a lot of work and I do not mean skinning - thats a hobby. I mean work... pays to have what I have to do what I need to do.

But dual for one system is very good if setup correctly.

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starkers

Join Date 05/2004

+1153

I have a dual 22" setup and find the second monitor very useful for referencing materials when/while working in full-screen on the first... saves a lot of time with window minimising/maximising.

I don't play games that much, but a second monitor is great for keeping an eye TV (news, sport, etc) while doing something else... saves having to go into the loungeroom to see items of interest, sometimes missing stuff cos I'm too slow getting there.

As for playing games, I would imagine the game content itself would be best on just the one monitor, with related and non-related stuff on the other... as has already been said, the monitor frames would likely be a distraction. While going from one screen to the other may be instantaneous, the frame could well be the difference between shooting an opponent's spaceship (whatever) and not.

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Right. If you use it for chat, or your minimap, or whatever, the second screen can be quite useful. But I think I would prefer a better sound system over an extra monitor. Hearing the gunshot to the right, turning and taking the kill is priceless.

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