2 v 3 monitors

[hargi]

Mods: posting here as its more of a productivity then monitor question

I currently have a 2 monitor set up in the office a 21.5 and a 28 inch. However today it looks like the 28 inch is broke.
Now do I get another 28 inch or got with 3 21.5's and maybe turn them portrait ?
I could probably get the other 2 small ones at very little cost.
Just wondered what your thoughts were.

All for work not games

 

[AHarvey]

what do you do for work?

would help us decide

I run 2 24" in landscape, then a 19 + 21 on a second PC, all in landscape. I need to build some proper mounts when I build my man shed but it does me fine at the moment

 

[hargi]

At the moment lots of vm's for network planning and testing, but also do some dev work which is what I want to do more of.
Normally I have text editor/ visual studios on one screen and browser on the other

 

[Mynight]

3x24" ftw. I use multiple VMs, graphic work, coding and a bit of modelling(as a hobby).

I find the bigger screens give me a headache when working on(low res ones).

 

[Tom B]

I went from a dual-screen setup and swapped it for a single 4k. My productivity is so much better with the extra real estate! I have 1/2 of the screen for code. For web dev I have 1/4 for the browser and 1/4 for developer console or a visual I'm working from.

 

[hargi]

What size duel screen to what size 4k?

 

[Tom B]

2x22" 1680x1050 monitors to a 28" 4k.

I always struggled with 3 widescreen monitors landscape, everything is just so far physically far away from each other the extra turning is worse than switching windows imho. Turning them around so they're portrait works but most TN panels look terrible if you do that so it's only worthwhile if you have IPS panels.

 

[mortals]

I have 2x24" 1080p monitors (Dell P2414H) with adjustable stands for working on
I don't think I'd get on with 3 widescreen monitors (just seems to wide for me)

The main thing that helped me with productivity was changing to a tiling wm (currently using i3wm)
I find I have 10 desktops open by the end of the day on linux.

The 4k screenshot looks pretty nice

 

[fez]

I work with 2 24" monitors either side of my 13" laptop which works quite nicely. I used to work on a 2k 27" but I find this much better and more balanced.

 

[AHarvey]

My issue is that there's an optimal angle for viewing monitors at which is about 15-20 degrees below your eye line. I can use my 2 monitors for 20 hours a day and my eyes are fine.

Similar position when playing xbox on a 42" tv and I get bad eye strain. I think having 1 massive display in front of you is more likely to cause eye issues than smaller screens.

 

[meandu229]

At work now I have 4 monitors, main 2 in front of my are usually code/browser with code in, laptop screen is split into 2 with email/skype open so I always see stuff coming in and far right screen in portrait is usually music/reading etc. I could get away with not having that but its nice to have my playlist on screen so I dont hunt through tabs looking for it.

 

[AHarvey]

my job involves monitoring 5 websites, each with staff on, I also need the chat clients open for each one as well. Email/Microsoft Lync. Then the usual word, excel etc.

I could easily use 4/5 screens. 3 should be min here but we have to get by with 2. At home, I use 5 (2 x 2 pcs + netbook) and its great!

 

[james.miller]

4k displays are god-like for productivity. It'd have to be 30" + for me though, everythings too small otherwise

dont need that much realestate personally, so i have a 34" ultrawide (3440x1440) at work and a 29" at home (2560x1080). Does me fine We have got one guy at work with 4x 29" ultrawides, lol