Is Using Multiple Monitors More Productive?
When you step into my office, The first thing you will probably notice is the abundance of computer monitors. Believe it or not, This isn't just for the wow factor, though it is a testament to my nerdy ways! The reality is, I find that I am able to work much more efficiently using more than one monitor. There is considerable evidence that this is the case from studies that have been performed by Dell, JPR Research, and The University of Utah. Each of these studies has found that workers are prone to fewer errors, higher efficiency, and greater satisfaction working on computers with more than one monitor.
Over the next few minutes, I'm going to discuss some of my own personal findings. I believe there are advantages and disadvantages to having multiple monitors. How much weight you put on some of these considerations will determine if using multiple monitors would be a benefit or a hindrance for you.
Advantages to Multi-Monitor Setups
Less Effort to Manage Windows
The first advantage that most people will realize when moving from a single screen to two or three screens is how little switching and minimizing windows they have to do. Say you are working in a web browser, reading an article, or watching a video, and you also want to be chatting with friends on social media. You're going to need to do some fancy window-shifting to be able to do both things on a single screen. If an office worker is looking at an excel document and summarizing his findings in an email, to have both open at the same time would require shifting back and forth multiple times to verify the information is correct.
With separate screens, you can have multiple applications open and visible at the same time. You can even full-screen your YouTube video on one of the monitors. Alternatively, with a single screen, you need to shrink both windows to be visible on the single screen. Which can make viewing the video difficult.
More Multitasking
Another advantage to having more than one monitor is that you can multi-task without having to worry about moving windows around to do so. If you are only working on one thing at a time on the computer, then you probably won't see much of an advantage. However, for myself, If I'm writing or doing research, I need a number of windows open simultaneously to stay organized.
Better Organization
Having two monitors also allows you to organize your windows easier. Instead of spending time trying to get your window size to be just right, you can drag a window over to the edge of a screen and it will lock into place. On Windows PCs this can also be done using the Windows key + left or right arrow buttons. This is a valuable shortcut as it works on any Windows computer, and can even be used on single monitor setups to have two equally sized windows open at the same time.
Disadvantages to Multi-Monitor Setups
There are several disadvantages that one should be aware of before investing in more than one monitor for your computer. The first obvious one is that it will be expensive. Monitors are cheaper than they have ever been, (COVID price hikes aside) but multiply the price by two or three, and there is a substantial investment to make.
Graphics Card Support
The primary thing to pay attention to if you are trying to upgrade your system with multiple monitors is that your computer graphics card needs to be able to support it. Most laptop computers today can connect to an external monitor, but they are often only limited to one. If you plan on using two or three monitors with a laptop, you will need to pay attention to compatibility and if the laptop can connect to a dock that supports multiple monitors.
For a desktop computer, there is often support for more than one monitor, however, caution is needed here as well. There are plenty of graphics cards that have ports for up to 3 or more monitors, however, the graphics card may not support using them all at the same time. Get a graphics card that explicitly supports simultaneous usage of the number of monitors you need.
Space and Power
Another thing to be aware of with multiple monitors is that you need space and power for the monitors. You are most likely going to need a power strip or UPS to plug all of the equipment into. You want to make sure that you have enough power to run the extra equipment.
Over the past few years, the computer industry has offered some new solutions to computer displays. First, as the price of high definition and 4K TV displays have reduced, it has become more reasonable to start to use a quality TV as a computer monitor. Secondly, the industry has started to change with the rise of the Ultrawide monitor.
The Ultrawide Monitor
In the past few years, there has been a new kind of monitor that has begun to pick up steam in the computer market. These monitors are called the Ultrawide Monitor. Instead of having the standard 16:9 aspect ratio of a typical monitor, they have an "ultra-wide" aspect ratio of 21:9 or greater. While a typical monitor in today's market has a screen resolution of 1920x1080 pixels, Ultrawide monitors typically can get above 3440x1440 pixels.
Ultrawide monitors are a favorite in the computer gaming industry as it creates the immersive experience of having multiple monitors, but without the bezels between screens getting in the way of your game. While designed for gaming, there has been an increase in the number of Ultrawide monitors being marketed towards office work. Some of these reasons include increased efficiency and working with specific programs and industries where it is helpful to have a very wide screen.
Advantages
The advantage to Ultrawide monitors for productivity, (aside from really cool looking aesthetics!) is that ultrawide monitors also make it easier to multitask on a single screen without feeling like your running out of space.
Ultrawide monitors solve some of the difficulties that are introduced using multi-monitor setups while simultaneously continuing to provide some of the conveniences.
First, since you are only using one screen, it removes the concern for power consumption, space, and graphics card support. It will work with any computer that is designed to be connected to an outside source. This eliminates a lot of complexity and expense.
Speaking of expense, while Ultrawide monitors are more expensive than your average 23" monitor, You can find name-brand quality ultrawide monitors for less than you would spend on 3 cheap monitors. You can find ultrawide monitors for only a few hundred dollars.
Ultrawide monitors are also highly beneficial for certain kinds of computer applications. Very wide excel files are easy to view without scrolling too far from side to side. Video editing and music production software also rely on viewing the "timeline" as a long horizontal bar that fits very nicely on a very widescreen. Again, the purpose is that a user doesn't need to move the windows around to see everything. It's all right in front of them when they need it.
Disadvantages
There are a few disadvantages to Ultrawide monitors. First, because they have very unique screen resolutions, sometimes programs are not optimized to take advantage of all the space. Most videos are designed to be viewed in a 16:9 aspect ratio, so putting YouTube into fullscreen will result in large black bars on either side of the screen. You lose out on maximizing the space that you have.
Secondly, when purchasing an Ultrawide monitor it is almost a requirement that you buy third-party software to more effectively manage the screen real-estate. Mac and Windows both do a decent job by default, but there are several software programs that can allow you to manage windows far more effectively.
Monitors with large resolutions also don't work as nicely with older hardware. You need to make sure that you are using cables that support resolutions higher than HD and that your computer hardware is able to handle higher resolutions on a single screen. Otherwise, you will have a nice big screen, but text and graphics will look fuzzy or stretched because of not being able to maximize the resolution of the monitor.
Large Monitors and TVs
You may be asking, "Why should I get an Ultrawide monitor when you can just get a TV to hook up to your computer?" It's a decent question, and definitely, an option that you should consider. Below are some of my reasons that I would recommend that you look at both before making a decision.
Firstly, a TV and a computer monitor are not the same. One is designed to be viewed from a distance while the other is designed to be viewed much closer. This means that cheap TVs are going to look really bad when you hook them up to a computer. If you are looking to get a quality 4K TV, it's going to be much more expensive, but will look very nice as a computer monitor. Quality 4K TVs are not cheap. They also have some requirements to use effectively with a computer that other monitors don't. You need to make sure that your cables, graphics card, and computing horsepower all are designed to support the significant requirements of a monitor with that kind of resolution. Without taking these things into consideration, the display will probably look a lot worse than simply using a computer monitor.
You will also be hard-pressed to find a large monitor at a price point lower than where Ultrawide screens are. TVs can come down in price around Black Friday, but otherwise, it's going to be hard to find a large-size monitor at a good quality level and at an inexpensive price point.
With the increase in vertical space as well as horizontal space, Large monitors also should have window management software like Ultrawide monitors. Computers that have large monitors connected to them should use this software to form a grid on the screen so as to not waste the additionally provided space.
Conclusion
So which is better? Is it better to have a computer with multiple monitors or to have one large screen? Obviously, it depends on what you plan to use it for as well as your personal preference and budget. Hopefully, these thoughts are helpful for you as you consider your options.
I'd love to hear what kind of arrangement you use, and if you are considering upgrading or re-arranging. Let me know using the social media links below!
-Josh