Computer corner

[robblok]

Here is my current computer setup, got an other computer with 2 screens in the other corner as a backup.

 

How many of you use multiple screens ?

 

I got everything wired except my mouse mx master 3 has good battery power. The keyboard is wired and special (has a row of programmable keys)

 

I can't live anymore without extra screens all of them are 32 inch. at 4k resulution

 

Just post some pics of your setup if it looks nice.

 

To be totally honest its usually more of a mess.

Edited January 24, 2021 by robblok

[Halfaboy]

I am jealous ! Would this be difficult to set up by a not so tech savvy person ?

[robblok]

21 minutes ago, Halfaboy said:

I am jealous ! Would this be difficult to set up by a not so tech savvy person ?

Actually setting up multiple monitors is quite easy. You just need a graphical card that has multiple ports for monitors. My current one has 3 display ports and 1 HDMI port. There are cheapish cards that have that many outputs. 

 

If you have a laptop and it has an usb c connection you can also use an usb C adapter to get an extra port. The thing is with USB adapters is that you need a good USB port on your computer (think usb3) because otherwise you can't have the high resolutions.

 

To be able to flip a screen is just buying a monitor arm and set it up. Then in windows at display options you can arange how your monitors are placed and if they are landscape or portrait.

 

To be honest its not that hard to do actually.

 

I like multiple monitors for work and play (not playing games on multiple monitors at the same time) but watching a movie at one screen doing something else at an other. 

 

For work its just easy to have multiple files open and compare them. 

Once you got a multi monitor setup you can just drag windows from one to the other screen as if it was one big screen.

 

3 monitors is for most a bit overkill but 2 is great too. 

 

 

[KeeTua]

Is that a standing desk?

[KannikaP]

4 hours ago, robblok said:

but watching a movie at one screen doing something else at an other. 

Your movie cannot be that interesting then.

I have a NUC with two HDMI outs, each into 28 inch 4K Samsungs. Great for music production as I can have main mixer on one and plug ins on the other.

[KannikaP]

13 minutes ago, KeeTua said:

Is that a standing desk?

I dont think so, but if he had his chair in position you would not see the screens & PCs in the photo. 

[jackdd]

I like to have no borders, and a 34" (3440x1440) ultrawide screen is wide enough for me to comfortably put two windows next to each other (probably enough for most other's people as well)

If it weren't enough for me I would upgrade to a 37.5" (3840x1600) ultrawide, and if that's not enough there is 49" (5120x1440), using multiple screens is so 2010 ????

There are probably some use cases where multiple screens make sense, but not for 99% of people.

Edited January 24, 2021 by jackdd

[KannikaP]

11 minutes ago, jackdd said:

I like to have no borders, and a 34" (3440x1440) ultrawide screen is wide enough for me to comfortably put two windows next to each other (probably enough for most other's people as well)

If it weren't enough for me I would upgrade to a 37.5" (3840x1600) ultrawide, and if that's not enough there is 49" (5120x1440), using multiple screens is so 2010 ????

It all depends on what work/play you are doing on your PC. If you are running MS Flight Sim, then one widescreen is no good, you need side monitors to get the full experience. But for normal use, a widescreen is great if you can afford one, and don't mind throwing your two or three others away, as they are from 2010!   LOL

 

https://www.invadeit.co.th/product/monitors/samsung/49inch-odyssey-g9-1000r-curved-gaming-monitor-240hz-1ms-5120x1440-hdmi-2xdp-g-sync-lc49g95tssexxt-p052342/

Edited January 24, 2021 by KannikaP

[wimpy]

Main monitor is 50" 4k.

 

[robblok]

12 hours ago, jackdd said:

I like to have no borders, and a 34" (3440x1440) ultrawide screen is wide enough for me to comfortably put two windows next to each other (probably enough for most other's people as well)

If it weren't enough for me I would upgrade to a 37.5" (3840x1600) ultrawide, and if that's not enough there is 49" (5120x1440), using multiple screens is so 2010 ????

There are probably some use cases where multiple screens make sense, but not for 99% of people.

I disagree, do you have actual experience with two monitors. For me it makes sense for work. A single monitor does not separate programs as well you have to configure it a lot.

I recently changed a monitor and was thinking 42 inkch at 4k but it was too big for up close. But for me multiple monitors make sense and I am of the opinion its still better to have 2 32 inch monitors then one 42 inch. But then again this is al about preferences and easy of work. My multi monitors are mainly used for work purposes

 

Must say both of the monitors your talking about are not even 4k (i like real 4k for monitors not those strange formats)

[robblok]

12 hours ago, KannikaP said:

It all depends on what work/play you are doing on your PC. If you are running MS Flight Sim, then one widescreen is no good, you need side monitors to get the full experience. But for normal use, a widescreen is great if you can afford one, and don't mind throwing your two or three others away, as they are from 2010!   LOL

 

https://www.invadeit.co.th/product/monitors/samsung/49inch-odyssey-g9-1000r-curved-gaming-monitor-240hz-1ms-5120x1440-hdmi-2xdp-g-sync-lc49g95tssexxt-p052342/

I never got in the curved part as I dont like it much also i dont like the non real 4k monitors. I do like the 240hertz monitor as its better for games especially if you got a fast video card.

[AhFarangJa]

18 hours ago, robblok said:

Here is my current computer setup, got an other computer with 2 screens in the other corner as a backup.

 

How many of you use multiple screens ?

 

I got everything wired except my mouse mx master 3 has good battery power. The keyboard is wired and special (has a row of programmable keys)

 

I can't live anymore without extra screens all of them are 32 inch. at 4k resulution

 

Just post some pics of your setup if it looks nice.

 

To be totally honest its usually more of a mess.

My Son just walked past as I was looking at this pic.............I will leave you to ponder on the conversation.............

Great set up.........Is that the mini bar on the right disguised as a drawer unit........

[jackdd]

2 minutes ago, robblok said:

I disagree, do you have actual experience with two monitors.

Yes, before ultrawide monitors were widely available I used two screens. Actually at the beginning I used an ultrawide + an extra regular monitor, but after I while i noticed that there is not much point in using this extra monitor, the ultrawide itself is big enough.

 

5 minutes ago, robblok said:

Must say both of the monitors your talking about are not even 4k (i like real 4k for monitors not those strange formats)

That's not an actual problem though. Most people (you included, as we can see from the arrangement of your programs) sit too far away from their 4k screens to benefit from them.

To benefit from 4k on a 32" screen your head should not be further away than 50cm (your eyes from the screen) or so. To profit from 4k at a "normal" distance you need a 40"+ screen.

 

[robblok]

2 minutes ago, jackdd said:

Yes, before ultrawide monitors were widely available I used two screens. Actually at the beginning I used an ultrawide + an extra regular monitor, but after I while i noticed that there is not much point in using this extra monitor, the ultrawide itself is big enough.

 

That's not an actual problem though. Most people (you included, as we can see from the arrangement of your programs) sit too far away from their 4k screens to benefit from them.

To benefit from 4k on a 32" screen your head should not be further away than 50cm (your eyes from the screen) or so. To profit from 4k at a "normal" distance you need a 40"+ screen.

 

My main problem with one big screen is that you constant need to set it up. While separate monitors you just drag and expand the window.

 

I think your wrong with how far i am from my screen. I think its about 50 cm when seated. maybe 60 cm. I really thought long and hard about replacing one of the 32inches with a 42.5 and then having only 2 monitors. But after experimenting a bit with the splitting of screen on my 32 inch i decided that it worked better with separate screens. I thought about it for over a month and investigated it. It was all pretty recent that i wanted to change.

 

But to be honest for me its mainly work based where i need multiple document open. You see that i got my screens on its side that is to mimic a4 (as my documents are in a4 pdf).

 

 

[jackdd]

7 minutes ago, robblok said:

My main problem with one big screen is that you constant need to set it up. While separate monitors you just drag and expand the window.

Since Windows 10 (OSX does this as well) you can just drag windows to the side of the screen to automatically adjust them to a part of the screen.

You can just drag one window to the left side, and one to the right, then both use 50% of the screen. You even get a bar in the middle with which you can adjust them both with one drag.

To have a window use just 25% of the screen you just drag it into a corner. There are also extra tools like this with which you can define custom areas: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/powertoys/fancyzones

That's the same procedure as when having multiple screens.

[robblok]

14 minutes ago, jackdd said:

Since Windows 10 (OSX does this as well) you can just drag windows to the side of the screen to automatically adjust them to a part of the screen.

You can just drag one window to the left side, and one to the right, then both use 50% of the screen. You even get a bar in the middle with which you can adjust them both with one drag.

To have a window use just 25% of the screen you just drag it into a corner. There are also extra tools like this with which you can define custom areas: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/powertoys/fancyzones

That's the same procedure as when having multiple screens.

I know and tried, im a techie. It does not really work the same its less flexible. But really it depends on how you use it.

 

I really investigated that and used tools like you describe i still found it lacking. (not if you did the same stuff all the time)

[KeeTua]

15 hours ago, KannikaP said:

I dont think so, but if he had his chair in position you would not see the screens & PCs in the photo. 

I noticed what looks like a telescoping left desk leg similar to an adjustable standing desk and I'm in the market for a standing desk hence my question. Nice ones come with a motor that easily moves from sitting to standing height. Had one before and loved it.

[OneMoreFarang]

I think it depends a lot on what you are doing.

I.e. I setup Windows PCs with dual screens for the operations team with about 15 people in an office. Those are the people who are constantly on the phone, check their emails, compare what they read with other documents on a second screen, etc. They are all happy with it and they don't want to miss it anymore.

Other people in that office, including the boss, don't have two screens because it doesn't help much with their work.

 

When I installed my "new" 24 inch screen at my main PC a couple of years ago I left my old 19" screen near it and I thought maybe I will connect it later when I need it. I never connected it because it seems I never missed it. All the hardware is there, I have the outputs and the cables and I know how to set it up in 5 minutes but I never did it because I never missed it...

 

I think one of the reason why I don't need/use multiple screens is that I know all the keyboard shortcuts to change windows, see the desktop, etc. and I use them constantly. I am sure if I would have to use the mouse to switch between windows then I also would prefer more than one screen because using the mouse is "a lot of work" compared to a keyboard shortcut like Alt-Tab.

Edited January 25, 2021 by OneMoreFarang

[robblok]

21 hours ago, KeeTua said:

I noticed what looks like a telescoping left desk leg similar to an adjustable standing desk and I'm in the market for a standing desk hence my question. Nice ones come with a motor that easily moves from sitting to standing height. Had one before and loved it.

No not a standing desk but IKEA has one that is a standing desk. I Looks like mine but has a motor to go up and down.

[robblok]

20 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I think it depends a lot on what you are doing.

I.e. I setup Windows PCs with dual screens for the operations team with about 15 people in an office. Those are the people who are constantly on the phone, check their emails, compare what they read with other documents on a second screen, etc. They are all happy with it and they don't want to miss it anymore.

Other people in that office, including the boss, don't have two screens because it doesn't help much with their work.

 

When I installed my "new" 24 inch screen at my main PC a couple of years ago I left my old 19" screen near it and I thought maybe I will connect it later when I need it. I never connected it because it seems I never missed it. All the hardware is there, I have the outputs and the cables and I know how to set it up in 5 minutes but I never did it because I never missed it...

 

I think one of the reason why I don't need/use multiple screens is that I know all the keyboard shortcuts to change windows, see the desktop, etc. and I use them constantly. I am sure if I would have to use the mouse to switch between windows then I also would prefer more than one screen because using the mouse is "a lot of work" compared to a keyboard shortcut like Alt-Tab.

I need multiple screens as i do some data imput. On one screen i got the data on the other the program. The third screen is for if i need to compare two balance sheets and have the accounting software on the 3rd screen. It is for me really useful.

 

I tried the big screen split with tools but is just not as convenient as separate screens. (works if you do the same all the time) but not if you switch around a lot

 

[OneMoreFarang]

42 minutes ago, robblok said:

I need multiple screens as i do some data imput. On one screen i got the data on the other the program. The third screen is for if i need to compare two balance sheets and have the accounting software on the 3rd screen. It is for me really useful.

 

I tried the big screen split with tools but is just not as convenient as separate screens. (works if you do the same all the time) but not if you switch around a lot

 

Sure, there are lots of scenarios were multiple screens make life easier.

And I agree with the advantages of multiple screens compared to one BIG screen. It's easier to manage multiple programs with multiple screens.

[robblok]

17 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Sure, there are lots of scenarios were multiple screens make life easier.

And I agree with the advantages of multiple screens compared to one BIG screen. It's easier to manage multiple programs with multiple screens.

You mentioned short cuts, i got short cuts made on the row of 6 programable keys. Like switch to this program go one page down in the document then switch back to the other (accounting program). So i can go one page down in the imput document and then get back to the accounting software without ever having to use the mouse.

 

The other buttons i programmed to for accounting program shortcuts. I could not live without a gaming keyboard that allows these kinds of keys to be programmed.

[OneMoreFarang]

51 minutes ago, robblok said:

You mentioned short cuts, i got short cuts made on the row of 6 programable keys. Like switch to this program go one page down in the document then switch back to the other (accounting program). So i can go one page down in the imput document and then get back to the accounting software without ever having to use the mouse.

 

The other buttons i programmed to for accounting program shortcuts. I could not live without a gaming keyboard that allows these kinds of keys to be programmed.

 

Depending what people do, and definitely in your case, a gaming keyboard makes a lot of sense.

I love my ergonomic keyboard - with just a few programmable keys.

 

 

 

 

 

[robblok]

1 minute ago, OneMoreFarang said:

 

Depending what people do, and definitely in your case, a gaming keyboard makes a lot of sense.

I love my ergonomic keyboard - with just a few programmable keys.

 

 

 

 

 

Yes it all depends what you do, programmable buttons make a lot of sense for repetitive tasks. It takes a bit of time to set it up but in a production environment it definitely helps.

[OneMoreFarang]

1 hour ago, robblok said:

Yes it all depends what you do, programmable buttons make a lot of sense for repetitive tasks. It takes a bit of time to set it up but in a production environment it definitely helps.

Did you ever try a gaming mouse for work?

I bought recently this one with programmable buttons: Logitech G502 Hero

Logitech G502 HERO High Performance Gaming Mouse

 

 

It's not bad. But at least for me the special buttons are not in the perfect positions for my fingers.

[robblok]

8 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Did you ever try a gaming mouse for work?

I bought recently this one with programmable buttons: Logitech G502 Hero

Logitech G502 HERO High Performance Gaming Mouse

 

 

It's not bad. But at least for me the special buttons are not in the perfect positions for my fingers.

I prefer to do everything with the keyboard, every time my hands leave the keyboard is lost time. (in a way). But yes i like good mousses I had that mouse before. Its nice for games.

[OneMoreFarang]

3 minutes ago, robblok said:

I prefer to do everything with the keyboard, every time my hands leave the keyboard is lost time. (in a way). But yes i like good mousses I had that mouse before. Its nice for games.

I learned a long time ago that the way to efficiency is to switch between mouse and keyboard as little as possible.

"Only" keyboard is ok, "only" mouse is fine, switching every few seconds is a bad idea - if it can be avoided.

[wimpy]

I can highly recommend this Logitech MX Vertical. The most comfortable mouse I have used. Goes a long time on one charge.

 

[OneMoreFarang]

6 hours ago, wimpy said:

I can highly recommend this Logitech MX Vertical. The most comfortable mouse I have used. Goes a long time on one charge.

 

Thanks, maybe I will try that one.

Currently I have an old MS ergonomic mouse. Slowly it's falling apart and I need a new one.

[ukrules]

10 hours ago, robblok said:

You mentioned short cuts, i got short cuts made on the row of 6 programable keys. Like switch to this program go one page down in the document then switch back to the other (accounting program). So i can go one page down in the imput document and then get back to the accounting software without ever having to use the mouse.

 

The other buttons i programmed to for accounting program shortcuts. I could not live without a gaming keyboard that allows these kinds of keys to be programmed.

 

Speaking of programmable buttons I bought something called a 'stream deck' by Elgato about a year ago - it's nothing to do with streaming for my use but it's a little 'pad' of programmable buttons which display icons from an lcd screen behind - I use it to change volume, launch programs, etc.

 

It's quite useful : https://www.elgato.com/en/gaming/stream-deck