Question about Vertical monitors.

kalvindeane · 10 May 2011 at 01:36

First off let me say this: I do not intend to buy any monitors as I can't afford to buy one, this is just a general query.

I am going to try multiboxing WoW again, albeit with trial accounts. I still have ISBoxer, the program of choice for multiboxing. I was watching this tutorial below of how to do a quick settup of the program. From what I can work out, he is using Dell UltraSharp monitors. I'd like to know if there are any similar, but cheaper monitors, that work in portrait well?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiKHcrAJfvc

cmndr_andi · 10 May 2011 at 01:48

You can run pretty much any monitors in vertical mode - you just need a monitor with VESA mounting holes and a VESA monitor arm that allows you to run the monitor on it's side.

That said, if you are running monitors in portrait mode (on their side) then the vertcial viewing and angles become the horizontal viewing angles and vice versa. With cheap monitors they almost exclusively use TN panels - these type of panels have generally poor viewing angles and especially poor vertical viewing angles. Since the monitor is on it side this translates to very poor horizontal viewing angles - so you won't be able to move your head much or you will see a lot of colour shifting.

The way to get round this is to use higher-quality monitors which use different panel technologies. The best for viewing angles is IPS and the modern IPS monitors are rather responsive and handle games very well. Also, if you go for a higher-end monitor then they often come with stands that do portrait mode. As such, I would suggest one of the Dell Ultrasharp IPS range - specifically the U2311H, since it uses an E-IPS panel, is nice and responsive, is 1920x1080 resolution, the stand allows for portrait mode and it doesn't cost much more than a decent quality TN panel monitor at £222 at the moment. Here is an in-depth review of the U2311H.

PCM2 · 10 May 2011 at 09:38

I agree with cmndr_andi on this one. I've had experience with a number of different monitors in portrait mode and I feel that only IPS monitors provide the consistency and clarity one would desire for this. It's nothing to do with the backlight, but have a look at the situation with a typical TN panel monitor in portrait orientation (in this case the BX2440) - http://www.pcmonitors.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/BX2440-portrait-white.jpg.

At £220ish the U2311 is very good value at the moment and most monitors using 'lesser' panel technologies are generally not that much cheaper! They tend to cost more than the far more popular and ubiquitous glossy fixed-stand designs even if image quality is no better.

kalvindeane · 10 May 2011 at 10:32

Thanks for the replies.

Just to clarify - I had googled this a bit before starting the thread and I had heard of the poor viewing angles of cheaper models. But nobody had said what type of monitor to steer clear from or what to look for when choosing a vertical monitor. Hence the thread.

I didn't realise that the UltraSharp monitors could be so cheap. If I could sell my 32" TV and had a little bit of extra money I think I might actually buy one!

R.C.Anderson · 10 May 2011 at 12:13

I use TN panels in portrait in my triple monitor setup. I have a 26" (16:10) landscape center monitor, with a portrait 19" (5:4) either side, and they're all TN panels. Although the viewing angles can be annoying, I have angled them all to face where I sit, and I don't move around (much) when at my PC, so it's not really a problem for me. Saying that, I wouldn't say no to changing them all to IPS panels, however I like how the side monitor are almost exactly the same height (when portrait) to my centre monitor, and it wouldn't be possible (unless I spend a lot of money) to replicate my setup with IPS screens.