Best Monitors For Dual Setup In 2022

Features To Look For In Monitors For Dual Setup

Before deciding which of the best monitors for dual setup is right for you, check out these essential features.

Image Quality - If you’re gaming or using your dual setup for graphic design or similar activities, high image quality, or resolution, is a must. High resolution will ensure excellent clarity, sharp images, and a better overall experience. Even if you’re not using your dual setup for gaming, the high resolution is still useful for watching Netflix or viewing photos.

Features - Monitors that come with additional features are always more appealing, even if you might sometimes need to pay a little more for them. Features can include adjustable brightness or contrast, as well as built-in volume adjustment, although this only works with monitors that use built-in speakers. You can also consider monitors with different modes, such as Movie, Game, or Sport. These settings will adapt the speaker system, aspect ratio, or picture style to provide the best possible picture and audio to match your needs.

Design - The design of the monitor will always impact how you feel about how it looks, and while it isn’t a major issue compared to some specifications and features, it’s worth thinking about. View angles are especially useful, as you can adapt it to suit your position, and can also help with ISP satisfaction.

Similarly, you can choose between a framed or frameless design. Frameless designs are certainly more modern, and they also ensure there is no border around the screen, which could impact the overall picture size. However, framed monitors may make you feel more at ease with durability.

Connectivity - The two connections you must look out for are HDMI and VGA, although DisplayPort is another useful component to have. As a digital port, HDMI is arguably much better, as you won’t experience issues with picture quality or degradation. Still, VGA is still popular among many people, and you won’t notice too much of a difference for general dual-screen needs such as home office setup or casual web browsing. Although if you are insistent on high definition, HDMI is always the way to go.

Speakers - Speakers are a handy option to have with your monitor as it will save you cluttering up your desk or gaming area with additional cables. These speakers are typically on the side of the monitor, but you may also find them at the back. Because of this design, however, the speakers are not always effective or loud, so you may need to connect an external speaker, regardless. Such speakers may not be ideal for gaming or watching movies and TV, but for listening to music while you work, they will probably suffice.

Screen Size - The screen size you choose can depend on several factors. The most obvious one is how much space you have on your home office desk. However, other factors could include maneuverability, the distance that you are from the monitor itself, or even how many others you may need to view the screen at any one time. Most people using dual setups casually will use a monitor that is the same size as their existing one, but there is an argument to go smaller or larger depending on your needs.

Aspect Ratio - Aspect ratio settings will help you find a picture size that matches with your existing monitor, which is useful for using both screens to play the same game or switch between projects. Most monitors will use 16:9 as standard, although you should be able to make changes to suit your needs. Aspect ratios like 4:3 are boxy and might be better for casual web browsing, whereas the 16:9 ratio is ideal for movies or providing an excellent image scope for a game.

Mountability - Mounting your monitor will make your dual setup look more professional and also make it easy to maneuver if you need to. Not everybody will need, or even want, to mount their monitor to the wall, but those that do should make sure that the monitor is capable of doing so.

As we’ve edged closer towards a mounting culture, that is, one where TVs are on the wall, most of the monitors in our list will come with mountable features unless they are too compact to function as such. Before installation, it’s worth finding the right screws to ensure it is secure when mounted.

Compatibility - Most devices and monitors are currently compatible in the 21st century. However, there are still some products that are not as universal as we’d like. Compatibility could be an issue if you use a traditionally PC-based monitor with an Apple computer.

Typically, this won’t be an issue, but older monitors or computers could cause a problem. Before purchasing your monitor, make sure it is compatible with your existing machine and monitor to prevent any disappointments.

Price - A high-quality monitor is not as expensive as you might expect, and for most needs, you can get one cheaply enough. Of course, monitors that cost a little more will come with better specs, usually reflected in the resolution, which could be as much as 4K depending on how much you’re willing to spend.

Despite this, you only really need such specs for gaming, graphic design/video production, professional photo editing, or if you are a serious cinephile. For general home office needs, 1080p is more than sufficient.

Purpose - Finally, it’s useful to consider the purpose of your monitor before you buy it. While a gaming monitor with all the bells and whistles, dynamic images, and excellent clarity is tempting for everybody, it’s not always useful for a home office setup. Instead, consider a monitor that will suit your needs right now. If you find that you outgrow this monitor, there is always the chance to upgrade at a later date.

Monitor For Dual Setup FAQ

Q: What is a monitor for dual setup?

A: A dual monitor setup is useful in gaming, viewing, and office environments. The setup takes a standard computer monitor and combines it with an additional option to expand the real estate of the image for increased clarity or to view two windows simultaneously without jumping back and forth between tabs or windows.

You can use matching resolutions or varied resolutions depending on your needs, but it is best if the aspect ratio remains the same. In the best case, this is 16:9 to guarantee a widescreen feel and prevent your images from being too boxy.

Dual setups are ideal for gamers, and many will associate them most with this hobby. However, they are also an excellent graphic design or artistic measure, and they can also allow you to stream TV, such as Netflix, from a single computer while also getting your studies or anything else done at the same time.