Running Your PC with Two Monitors (Or More)

Having a dual-display setup can help make you more productive (or appear more productive) in the workplace or at home if you like the idea of aggressively multi-tasking in your spare time. A multi-monitor setup is a practical computing solution as it allows you to view more content side by side for comparison, research, communication, and even gaming.

 There are different ways to approach this setup and this post will describe the most common methods. It’s important to clarify the difference between Flat-Screen monitors and Flat-Panel monitors so you don’t accidentally choose the incorrect equipment for your dual display setup. Flat screen literally means the screen is flat but this concept is also true for many existing and still available bulky CRT computer monitors. 

Flat Panel means the monitor’s chassis, or panel, is flat which saves a considerable amount of space. Consult your computer manufacturer’s operating manual on how to add and remove computer parts as well as making sure you ground yourself to avoid any static electricity damage to the computer! If you’re building a new desktop computer from scratch and want a dual-monitor set up, you’ll need dual monitors and an appropriate graphics card and video cables. The most important thing to do before you run out and buy monitors, cables, and an expensive graphics card is to examine the motherboard to determine what graphics card to use for the dual display.

 Does the motherboard have a PCI slot? PCI Express? AGP? Once you identify the correct slot, it’s also important to examine your computer case’s rear panel. Are the PCI slots standard or low profile? If your simply adding a secondary display to an existing computer with a single monitor, you need to first find out what’s under your computer’s hood to determine what type of video card to get.

 You will probably have the option of picking a graphics card that is either PCI or PCI Express x16. For the sake of keeping up with the Joneses, a PCI Express x16 would be a better choice. Once you decide on the graphics card you would like to purchase, make sure the secondary monitor you’re adding also has the supported ports.

 If you’re thinking you might want to add a second display to your notebook computer’s existing LCD, the first thing to determine is what port(s) your notebook has. While it’s handy if you have peripherals that you already connect to your notebook, such as a docking port, if your notebook has HDMI, Mini Display Port, VGA or DVI (DVI-D) ports, you’re in business. The most commonly-used format due to its support of both audio/video and high definition is HDMI. Many computer owners connect their desktop/notebook (with HDMI) to their big screen HDTV and watch videos from Netflix and YouTube to save money by cancelling their TV cable subscription (versus an Apple TV or Roku box). 

Once you determine which format you want to use, ensure the monitor you’re getting has the same port (notebook w/HDMI = LCD monitor w/HDMI) along with the corresponding video cable. An additional option for both desktop and notebook computers is a multi-monitor adapter. If your computer is a little older and only has USB ports available, a multi-monitor adapter like a USB to DVI or HDMI adapter makes the installation simple by using traditional USB to externally connect the secondary monitor to your computer.

 Configuring the dual display setup would be handled by the included software for these adapters. If you’re looking to go beyond just a dual-display, the same rules above apply, and simply require more monitors and more video cards / adapters, as needed.