heyman421

Come new-years holiday markdowns after christmas, i'm wanting to buy myself new monitors for the rig.

I've had multi-montor setups before, but were mismatched CRT setups from what i had laying around the home/office, and conflicting refresh rates and resolutions were both hideous, and cause of terrible eyestrain.

I plan to do either a 3 or 4 monitor setup, with matching 19" lcd monitors. I'd tell you what brand/model, but like i said, i'm waiting to see what's gonna be on sale come the after-christmas markdowns. But rest assured they'll be DVI, with a sub-10ms refresh, and hopefully 1000:1+ contrast

Anyways, i'm debating with myself between monitor layouts.

My original plan was to do a 3-monitor horizontal layout. Classic, yes. But then my imagination got ahold of me.

I'm planning on running a quad-monitor ATI video card, so i'll already have the resources i need to run a fourth monitor, so naturally i started thinking about the possibilities.

I could do a 4-monitor horizontal layout. I'm thinking this would be a good idea, beccause it's nothing more than the tried and true 3-monitor horizontal layout, with a bonus 4th monitor. BUUUUUUT, now there's no 'central' main monitor, plus it's gonna require actual head-movement to keep my eyes on 4-monitors layed out horizontally.

Then there's the 2x2 'tile' layout. This may be the way to go, but i'm hesitant, because i lose horizontal space compared to even a 3 monitor setup, but since the setup is going to be in my room, it'll be ideal for after work, when i crash in my bed, and play some videos on my more-or-less 40" monitor-big-screen..............

What do you guys think about this?

It's kind of a shootout between the logical quad 2x2 setup which would require less headturning vs. the ever-so-important horizontal workspace.

Just wanted to pick your brains, and see what you guys think.

Thank you in advance. I'm more than certain you could give me some things to think about that hadn't even crossed my mind yet.

I'll keep checking back

heyman421

sorry to make you read all that, i've condensed that huge post into this:

which of these 3 configurations is the best?

diduknowthat

Well, the 1st config is 3 monitors, so that would be a budget thing i guess.

As for 2nd and 3rd, each has its advantages.

The 2nd one would be easier on the neck as you dont have to look upwards. But the 3rd one would allow you to keep track of all your windows easier as they are close to you. Atleast that's how I see it.

__________________

Silent Tuned | 3D Marks 06: 11566
Q6600 2.4ghz CPU | Gigabyte GA-P35 LGA 775 MB
EVGA 8800gt 512mb Video Card
G.Skill 4GB Ram | Western Digital 400GB HD
X-Fi Xtrememusic Sound Card
Antec P180B Case | Scythe Ninja HSF
CM Real Power Pro 650watt PSU

heyman421

the 3-screen is an option because it has the benefit of having a centered screen, which really is a comfort advantage, as you have a dedicated main monitor, with your excessory monitors on either side to quickly move things off of your workspace.....

and as for the 4-screen setups, i'm having a tough time deciding.

Burgerbob

I would get the three, its cheaper, and as you said, you have the center monitor.

__________________

pdc76

why not go with three horizontal, and a fourth above the center? it would look like the arrow keys on your keyboard.

__________________

heyman421

that would be an awesome setup, but i haven't come across any stands that would accomodate that

the ergotron?? stand are customizeable, but the extra pieces/parts are almost as much as the stands themselves, i'd rather limit myself to what's available as a kit

i'm honestly leaning toward sticking with the 3-monitor setup, and leaving the 4th dvi adapter open for a bigscreen lcd panel if i ever get one.

that way i can have it hooked up as a 4th monitor, rather than a tv, for a pure digital interface, and the best possible picture quality

plus, hd-movies are already widely available on usenet, and it's gonna be a while before i'm willing to throw $500 at a standalone hd-dvd player, so using the tv as the 4th monitor would be a perfect hd solution

pdc76

it shouldn't be that hard to use a 3 horizontal stand and figure out how to put the fourth. maybe wall mounted, or use the original stand on a shelf behind it. i'd be interested in seeing a pic of whatever you decide to do.

__________________