OT - Two monitors or One big one

[Brett_A]

I need to upgrade/update my monitor (17inch LCD Viewsonic VP171b - has
been awesome) and I was wondering about other opinions. I have about
$600 to spend. I can get two 19 inch wide screens or one 24 inch wide
screen. My computer has dual DVI.

Most of my day is spent with SQL Server, Dreamweaver, Fireworks, IE/FF
browsers, iTunes and Outlook open.

Any opinions between getting one big monitor or 2 smaller monitors and
how one direction or the other has impacted your productivity?

Thanks

Brett

 

[Bob Cramer]

I'm a developer also. I tried two monitors and loved it. I couldn't believe
how much it improved my productivity. Now I have 3 monitors - center is 19"
(standard screen) and the other two are 19" (wide screen). When I'm in my
"heads-down" coding mode I have Visual Studio in the middle monitor, SQL
Server Management studio in the left monitor, and documentation in the
right-side monitor. The wide-screen monitors are great for tools like
Dreamweaver or PhotoShop that have pallettes and such at the sides with a
primary document area in the middle. You get your desired document size in
the middle,without having to hide the pallettes. Having 3 monitors is
perfect, IMO. Even if you can't have three; two is WAY better than one.

Alt+Tab seems like a simple thing to do - and it is - but you don't realize
how disruptive it can be until you no longer have to do it. The more apps
you have open the more disruptive it is.

 

[3c273]

IMO, 2 small is WAY better than one big one. Besides having more real estate
with two 19's, when you run 2 programs at the same time you can maximise one
on each monitor instead of having to manually make each window the correct
size.
Louis

 

[Rod]

$600 to spend. I can get two 19 inch wide screens or one 24 inch wide

Just a little off centre, but worth mentioning,
If you are near a fair sized city, why not look
for "Government IT auctions"
I recently picked up a crate of monitors
for $5 each 17" 19" and 21"

They may have stickers and the odd scratch, all work perfectly
and at such a price, if your not happy, you can
carry on and buy new.

......just a thought Brett.