Dual Monitors, work by day, game by night

[Relentless81]

Hi,

So its looking like I'm going to be working from home a lot more and if thats the case I cant keep on with my current setup, I'm using my personal 1440P Dell Freesync monitor with my work laptop monitor wedged underneath it so I can access the laptop keyboard and I'm constantly looking down at the laptop monitor and over time its killing my neck to the point where its giving me a lot of agro even after work. My dell monitor is plugged into the laptop HDMI out every morning so I have a make shift dual monitor setup.

After work I pack my laptop away and my desktop which is on the same desk is used for gaming most nights.

I was wondering if anyone else has adjusted to this situation more comfortably than I have and if so what did you do? I was thinking maybe sell my current monitor, buy a dual monitor arm and downgrade unwillingly to dual 1080P gaming monitors, I suppose another benefit of that is I can shrink my PC to a smaller case and take advantage of smaller GPUs in the future giving me more desk space (my desk is tiny)

That would sort the comfort out but then how would I share the monitors between my desktop and laptop, also if I'm currently using the laptops keyboard for work and I then use the laptop via a docking station to the two monitors I'll end up with two keyboards, one for gaming PC and one for work (I cant use my Ducky One2 Mini for work)

Another issue is my current single monitor stand has a removable C clamp as my desk is fixed to the wall with a gap for cable management so I would need to find a dual monitor stand with a removable C clamp and there wasnt much choice when looking for a single stand.

Sorry I feel like I just blurted all of that out, hopefully it makes sense!

Cheers

 

[Relentless81]

49" ultrawide 5120 x 1440 @ 144Hz or more with decent ports such as USB C that you can connect the laptop to and charge it and send video signal over. The downside is there isn't much in the way of IPS models or they aren't 144Hz. The new Samsung Odyssey G9 C49G95TSSU might be a possible contender but it's a VA panel, due out soon (next couple of weeks).

Sorry I don't understand I don't think my post is very clear, I want to try and use two monitors for both work and gaming as I need a dual monitor setup for work, I've been looking into it more tonight and my only option is keep current monitor for gaming and stack another cheap 1080p monitor above it but I think it will be too high, I failed to mention my desk is only 118cm wide so it's really small

Another option is to lift my current monitor up more and continue using the laptop on the desk but my current monitor arm is already holding the monitor at max height

 

[Relentless81]

The 49" monitor is like 2 27" monitors except you don't have a center bezel like you would with separate monitors. They usually have picture in picture modes so you can connect your desktop and laptop at the same time and either use the whole screen e.g. equivalent of 2 27" monitors for either the desktop or the laptop and optionally display one of those devices through picture in picture. Alternatively use the source selection on the monitor to switch between the desktop and the laptop. Ideally put the monitor on a proper mount rather than the supplied stand and then you can easily adjust the height, I'd recommend something like the ergotron hx. Buy a separate stand for the laptop and that would raise that up a little so you could use that as a third monitor when using the laptop. Some of the 49" monitors allow you to connect your keyboard and mouse so you can use these with either computer.

Ah I see, I didn't know picture in picture even existed so thanks for that, I can hear my Vega 56 crying at the though of powering it when gaming though!

I'll read into this some more

Thanks

 

[Relentless81]

@Hades

Sounds good, I looked into the exact same setup but with my desk being 118cm wide and 200mm of that being consumed by my desktop I am somewhat limited on desk width so the laptop won't go side by side with the monitor and I'll need to use two keyboards because I have a ducky one2 mini which I now regret buying I wish I bought something a bit more work based that I could also use for gaming so I could split the connection like you are going to do

My current plan is to remove the monitor stand and go back to standard, by a monitor riser that will house the laptop when not in use and slide it in and out of the riser to use it during the day

This still means I'll have to put the ducky keyboard away and use the laptop keyboard which I dislike but it's about the only setup that'll work for me with the desk space and the cheapest

 

[Relentless81]

OK a couple more suggestions then. If you are getting neck or back pain looking down at the laptop then it's important you stop doing it. It will probably get worse over time u till you struggle to get work done.

Can you get your gaming PC on to the floor to free up space on the desk? Maybe next to the desk on the floor? Or mounted hanging under the desk even if overhanging a little.

Could you get a wider desk if there is room?

Maybe consider an adjustable laptop stand which mounts to the side of the desk and overhangs it if there is room to the side.

Could the laptop sot on top of your gaming PC?

Would a vertical laptop stand help so you can mount the laptop while it is closed and maybe slide it behind the monitor?

Would one super wide monitor help so you have enough space not to need dual monitors?

If no other option could the laptop be placed on the floor, turned on but not looking at it, with a long monitor cable and separate wireless keyboard?

Would a wall mounted monitor stand help at all?

Could a wall mounted laptop holder help at all?. Either with the laptop open and using the screen or even turned on but closed and in clamshell mode and slotted into the holder like and envelope?

Would down sizing your gaming PC to ITX help?

Would mounting a second monitor above the main one, instead of to the side, help?

Consider changing your keyboard if it is one of the problems?

Appreciate this, helps me think it through as I dont want to make more mistakes like buying an expensive small keyboard to free up space and then regretting it! Yes I definitely need to stop hunching over my laptop its killing me and I'm not feeling as productive at all, its fine when gaming as I'm looking forward but with work when looking down at the laptop thats where its getting uncomfortable.

Definitely cant put the PC on the floor, there is no room in the chair space

My desk is custom made into an old old wardrobe space, see pics below so no chance of changing the desk unfortunately

There isnt any room to the side for a laptop stand, it will clash with my main monitor and cover it up

The top of my PC is too high to sit the laptop on, I would be looking up and to the right all the time

RE Vertical laptop stand, that would work to the side of me a there is just enough room but I need the laptop screen for my second screen and I use the laptop keyboard currently

RE Super Wide, do you mean with Picture in Picture as described above by thenewoc? If so its kind of expensive but its possible however it involves getting a super wide monitor which cost big money at the moment, playing the panel lottery, buying a new monitor arm as current one wont support the weight and then the Picture in Picture thing actually working well. Kind of risky as I see it at the moment. Also selling my current monitor to get some of the funds back isnt ideal with Covid

Laptop on the floor, back to needing the screen again

Not sure about wall mounting the monitor, behind my monitor the wall is MDF (See pics) I'm not sure it will support it

Laptop wall mounted while closed/docked back to needing the screen again

I will be downsizing my PC definitely I am waiting for B550 ITX boards but to be honest I have a Meshify C and most ITX cases that house decent GPUs are not that much smaller!

I have considered a double mounting pole with a cheap 1080P 60hz screen mounted above my current one but this in itself sounds good at first then I realise I'll be looking up at that screen all the time rather than down as I am currently and I dont know where I would put the laptop, I imagine I would need to dock it somewhere permanently and cable it in, there iss an issue an issue with mounting poles as my desk is fixed so I need to find one with a removable C clamp and it was quite the challenge to find my current one which doe have a removable C clamp

RE keyboard, if I settle on a permanently docked laptop and another screen then yes I'll have to begrudgingly sell the Ducky and buy something that cater for office and gaming that wont need moving around so much

So many different ways of doing it, none of them ideal!





In the below image the keyboard is now a Ducky and the headset is hanging under the desk so make more room on the desk, everything else is the same

 

[Relentless81]

@Hades

Thanks for the options it really helps me break it down, I'm leaning toward stacked monitor setup with a cheap 1080P monitor above my main monitor although I am concerned about the weight, the desk is only 15mm thick. The cupboard above has power and a switch in there so the laptop could live in their and I could get a dock for the laptop, sell my Ducky and get a keyboard for both work and play. The issue with this is that I cant seem to figure out is how to cable the monitors. The main monitor isnt a problem as it uses Display Port from my desktop and I can use HDMI out from the laptop, down the cable run you can see in the left of the pics and up the monitor pole to the main monitor but how do I connect the second monitor via HDMI? I cant use a HDMI splitter because I need to extend the desktop to the second monitor and there is only one HDMI out. The docks dont cater for this at work, you have to have one VGA and one HDMI so I'm a bit stumped on setting up an extended image from the laptop if its housed in the cupboard.

@Bug One

Thats a pretty good way of doing it, are you using two separate images on the same ultra wide monitor with Picture in Picture?

@thenewoc

What you cant see in the image is the cable tidy tray thats built into desk/wall my feet and legs would definitely hit my PC if it was down there