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Ask HN: Two 24" Monitors or One 30" Monitor

8 points by viggity 17y ago

I've been thinking about upgrading for a while, I've currently got two 19" dells that I like a lot, but just aren't quite cutting it anymore. With either the 24"s or the 30" I think the cost is going to be roughly the same ($1000-$1200) The 24" are nice because they partition my work better so there is a clearer delineation of whats on each screen, and they also would have a larger total screen area. The problems I see is that they'd be too wide and I'd have to do more back and forth looking. The 30" monitor is going to have a smaller total area, but is nice because everything is centered. This lends itself well to playing video games, but could be nice for code as well. Although I'm sure I'd need to buy another video card for games. I suppose a third option is to buy another 19" dell. I'll be using it primarily for coding, but again, games are always nice. Do you have any experience with this?

aditya 17y ago
One 30" FTW with two displays you have to twist your neck more, also, if you're using video out from a laptop, it's easier to deal with one display.
anigbrowl 17y ago
I'm not sure why you expect to spend so much. You can get two Dell 24"ers for $600 or so easy. If you're happy with a pair of smaller monitors I'd go for the pair of larger ones, rather than a single huge one. You'll get more resolution and you're already used to the dual-panel look. Some monitor models can swivel to a vertical (portrait) alignment for a small extra cost. You might find this better for code listings and so on than a super-wide desktop; I have a friend with 2 x 24" models of which one is portrait, off to the side for debugging etc., and one is landscape, in the middle; and although it looks weird, when I've actually sat down with it it's quite pleasant to work with.
gtani 17y ago
viewsonic 23" LCD's are < $200, the Dell ultrasharp 24" i want is ~ $600. I can code on any decent monitor driven off a macbook, but for video, gaming, photoshop, you need better. I believe in costco sourcing to extent possible: you can run down and grab as many Princeton, Samsung, viewsonic or other leading mfr's 22-24" monitors as you need anytime. If you don't like them a month later (90 days, actually), return in original packaging.
jws 17y ago
I like my 30" over my 24" for its greater height. It provides a little more context when coding. I haven't used multiple monitors for years though. I let my monitoring displays peek out around the edges of my windows and use virtual desktops for task switching.
icey 17y ago
I have a PC with a 24" monitor right next to a Mac Pro with a 24" monitor; I share a keyboard and mouse using Synergy. I'm going to be moving to Mac only pretty soon and plan on upgrading to a single 30" monitor. 2x24 is nice, but there ends up being a lot of side-to-side head motion which gets tiring after a few days; and the most premium screen real estate (straight in the middle) is taken up by the bezels of the monitors.
neilc 17y ago
Personally I like one large monitor, because I find it fits my workflow better. If you're using two monitors and don't like needing to swivel your head back and forth, have you considering orienting them vertically? For writing code, the extra vertical space is often more valuable anyway.
- viggity 17y ago
  I've tried rotating, but I find the text harder to read because there is no cleartype. I've got all the keyboard shortcuts for code folding memorized, and I do all my navigation via the keyboard in Visual Studio, so vertical space isn't as big of a concern for me.
copernicus 17y ago
The 30" without question. You get 4 megapixels (2560x1600) on one screen instead of spread across two (2 x 1920x1080) - great for side by side columns of code (I can fit 3 on one of my screens). Its also very nice for gaming, although be prepared to experience some vertigo. Of course the real way to go is dual 30's =)
sandGorgon 17y ago
dude.. save the earth. Choose the config with the lesser power consumption.
- deleted 17y ago
  [deleted]
justrudd 17y ago
I've got two monitors. But take this with a grain of salt because I'm not a PC gamer. I use a console, but I do have the console hooked up via HDMI to one of my monitors. I've got a 24" Dell rotated 90 degrees to portrait. I have this one front and center so no moving of the of head. This is where I do all my coding. Lots and lots of vertical space (which is more important to me than horizontal). That's the only thing on that monitor. To the left, I have a 27" Dell that has my e-mail, Yammer, and a couple of other "all day" windows open. I've got the Windows arranged from right to left - most important to least important. E-Mail is on the far left as I get a lot of e-mail and most of it not important :) I scan that monitor maybe once or twice an hour. If I'm doing a lot of work on that monitor, I'll swivel my chair towards it and move the keyboard and mouse in front of it (both are wireless). It works for me because it allows me to compartmentalize my day. The setup cost me about 1300 at the time (900 for the 27" - no sale; 400 for the 24" - cheaper now).
- steverb 17y ago
  Just a note: There is no clear-type for vertically oriented monitors under Windows.
  - justrudd 17y ago
    Very true. Which is another reason why I keep the 27" further to the left as a separate monitor. When they are side x side, I can see the difference. But when focusing just on the 24" for coding, I do see the difference. It just doesn't bother me.
- Travis 17y ago
  I do the exact same thing, except I'm more fluid with my layouts.
evlapix 17y ago
I read this a while ago: http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/001076.html http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/001076.html I still decided to go with the 2x24's. In the end though, it may have been a waste. Afterwards I introduced myself to Ubuntu and the virtual desktop features really separated my work well enough that I probably didn't need the extra monitor anymore. A couple months later and I'm now on a 17" Macbook Pro. With Spaces configured to my liking I don't miss the additional monitor at all.
nickFaraday 17y ago
Wow, I'm really surprised by all the 30" -in favors-? I use 2 24" in monitors and love it. As for having to turn your head... that's a very minor concern if your keyboard and mouse are centered (or sightly off center) you can see both monitors fine. For me I use textmate on one monitor (main) and have web-browser, Adium, Skype open on the second monitor - organized so all three are "on top". Works like a charm. I have another box with a 30" monitor, but I use it mainly as a review station. Window organization is a bit of a pain on that large of a monitor on OSX. I would have to agree that that for media (games, movies, video editing) the single larger monitor is better.
frankus 17y ago
For Windows, I like multiple monitors, since it allows you to maximize a window in each monitor. On a Mac, for the most part apps don't take over a whole monitor without a bit of effort, so one monitor is probably the winner. There's also a Windows shareware utility called SplitView that divides up one large monitor into a couple of virtual screens, so you can have the benefits of side-by-side maximized apps without giving up full-screen gaming.
dws 17y ago
Your choice might depend on your eyes. If you're subject to presbyopia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presbyopia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presbyopia), either due to age or a bad draw in the gene pool, having two 24" monitors lets you angle them to minimize the need to refocus.

8 points by viggity 17y ago

aditya 17y ago

One 30" FTW with two displays you have to twist your neck more, also, if you're using video out from a laptop, it's easier to deal with one display.

anigbrowl 17y ago

I'm not sure why you expect to spend so much. You can get two Dell 24"ers for $600 or so easy. If you're happy with a pair of smaller monitors I'd go for the pair of larger ones, rather than a single huge one. You'll get more resolution and you're already used to the dual-panel look. Some monitor models can swivel to a vertical (portrait) alignment for a small extra cost. You might find this better for code listings and so on than a super-wide desktop; I have a friend with 2 x 24" models of which one is portrait, off to the side for debugging etc., and one is landscape, in the middle; and although it looks weird, when I've actually sat down with it it's quite pleasant to work with.

gtani 17y ago

viewsonic 23" LCD's are < $200, the Dell ultrasharp 24" i want is ~ $600. I can code on any decent monitor driven off a macbook, but for video, gaming, photoshop, you need better. I believe in costco sourcing to extent possible: you can run down and grab as many Princeton, Samsung, viewsonic or other leading mfr's 22-24" monitors as you need anytime. If you don't like them a month later (90 days, actually), return in original packaging.

jws 17y ago

I like my 30" over my 24" for its greater height. It provides a little more context when coding. I haven't used multiple monitors for years though. I let my monitoring displays peek out around the edges of my windows and use virtual desktops for task switching.

icey 17y ago

I have a PC with a 24" monitor right next to a Mac Pro with a 24" monitor; I share a keyboard and mouse using Synergy. I'm going to be moving to Mac only pretty soon and plan on upgrading to a single 30" monitor. 2x24 is nice, but there ends up being a lot of side-to-side head motion which gets tiring after a few days; and the most premium screen real estate (straight in the middle) is taken up by the bezels of the monitors.

neilc 17y ago

Personally I like one large monitor, because I find it fits my workflow better. If you're using two monitors and don't like needing to swivel your head back and forth, have you considering orienting them vertically? For writing code, the extra vertical space is often more valuable anyway.

viggity 17y ago
I've tried rotating, but I find the text harder to read because there is no cleartype. I've got all the keyboard shortcuts for code folding memorized, and I do all my navigation via the keyboard in Visual Studio, so vertical space isn't as big of a concern for me.

copernicus 17y ago

The 30" without question. You get 4 megapixels (2560x1600) on one screen instead of spread across two (2 x 1920x1080) - great for side by side columns of code (I can fit 3 on one of my screens). Its also very nice for gaming, although be prepared to experience some vertigo. Of course the real way to go is dual 30's =)

sandGorgon 17y ago

dude.. save the earth. Choose the config with the lesser power consumption.

deleted 17y ago
[deleted]

justrudd 17y ago

I've got two monitors. But take this with a grain of salt because I'm not a PC gamer. I use a console, but I do have the console hooked up via HDMI to one of my monitors. I've got a 24" Dell rotated 90 degrees to portrait. I have this one front and center so no moving of the of head. This is where I do all my coding. Lots and lots of vertical space (which is more important to me than horizontal). That's the only thing on that monitor. To the left, I have a 27" Dell that has my e-mail, Yammer, and a couple of other "all day" windows open. I've got the Windows arranged from right to left - most important to least important. E-Mail is on the far left as I get a lot of e-mail and most of it not important :) I scan that monitor maybe once or twice an hour. If I'm doing a lot of work on that monitor, I'll swivel my chair towards it and move the keyboard and mouse in front of it (both are wireless). It works for me because it allows me to compartmentalize my day. The setup cost me about 1300 at the time (900 for the 27" - no sale; 400 for the 24" - cheaper now).

steverb 17y ago
Just a note: There is no clear-type for vertically oriented monitors under Windows.
- justrudd 17y ago
  Very true. Which is another reason why I keep the 27" further to the left as a separate monitor. When they are side x side, I can see the difference. But when focusing just on the 24" for coding, I do see the difference. It just doesn't bother me.
Travis 17y ago
I do the exact same thing, except I'm more fluid with my layouts.

evlapix 17y ago

I read this a while ago: http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/001076.html http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/001076.html I still decided to go with the 2x24's. In the end though, it may have been a waste. Afterwards I introduced myself to Ubuntu and the virtual desktop features really separated my work well enough that I probably didn't need the extra monitor anymore. A couple months later and I'm now on a 17" Macbook Pro. With Spaces configured to my liking I don't miss the additional monitor at all.

nickFaraday 17y ago

Wow, I'm really surprised by all the 30" -in favors-? I use 2 24" in monitors and love it. As for having to turn your head... that's a very minor concern if your keyboard and mouse are centered (or sightly off center) you can see both monitors fine. For me I use textmate on one monitor (main) and have web-browser, Adium, Skype open on the second monitor - organized so all three are "on top". Works like a charm. I have another box with a 30" monitor, but I use it mainly as a review station. Window organization is a bit of a pain on that large of a monitor on OSX. I would have to agree that that for media (games, movies, video editing) the single larger monitor is better.

frankus 17y ago

For Windows, I like multiple monitors, since it allows you to maximize a window in each monitor. On a Mac, for the most part apps don't take over a whole monitor without a bit of effort, so one monitor is probably the winner. There's also a Windows shareware utility called SplitView that divides up one large monitor into a couple of virtual screens, so you can have the benefits of side-by-side maximized apps without giving up full-screen gaming.

dws 17y ago

Your choice might depend on your eyes. If you're subject to presbyopia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presbyopia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presbyopia), either due to age or a bad draw in the gene pool, having two 24" monitors lets you angle them to minimize the need to refocus.