I am about to buy a new computer. I will continue to work very long hours in 2009 and it's in front of the computer all day. If anyone needs a boost in productivity, it's me.

I do general biz stuff... lots of emails, heavy web use, spreadsheets, word processing and viewing and drawing maps. My bro has a 24" monitor on his Mac. My monitor is 19".

From what I have read, it would boost productivity to either have a much large monitor or to have two monitors. I am leaning toward two monitors but wonder... I have staring at one monitor since 1984 and it's right in front of me. If you have two, which one do you view by default? Do you get used to it not being right in front of you? (Assuming the middle of your line of sight is right between the two monitors.)

I stand corrected, but for me the benefit of 2 monitors would be a separate program running on each monitor...ie: Word Processor on the 1st & Spreadsheet on the 2nd.

There are different ways people use two. Some spread one spreadsheet or map over the span of two monitors. It's all one giant image. More commonly, you'll have one application on one monitor and another on the other. Or, one in landscape, one in portrait. Suffice to say, every study I have read shows big gains in productivity. As in 25-40% or more. If so, that's huge and would pay for itself in no time.

My main monitor is 24 inches and I have a 19 inch immediately alongside it, with an angle between them so I can look from one to the other and be normal to both. I don't do it very often, but occasionally I'll have both on at once.
I've found it useful for the following situations:
Working with non-intuitive software I often display help on screen 2 and work through the examples on 1 without having to keep juggling for visual access .

Detailed Spreadsheets or Documents - display 2 or more pages at once without bunching up on one screen and having to juggle.

You might want to have different views of the same thing in a Video Editor or keep flipping from Track to Piano roll and other views in say Sonar. Put them on different screens and leave them there all the time.
Similarly when running games if you're a fanatic (I'm not). For example Flight Simulator simultaneous ahead and left or right views.

Once the screens are configured all you do is create the windows you want on screen 1 and mouse-drag them to screen 2. You do have to have a grahics card with 2 screen capability.

I've never considered knowing which screen to look at could be a problem. Using static programs I find you just look wherever the work is being done.
The closer you get to the screens the more degrees you have to turn your head to look from one to the other. A swivel chair might help. It's easy with my distance of 20-25 inches
If you can look in the right places OK while driving a car I can't see that having 2 monitors creates an issue.

Unless of course screen 2 gets a mind of its own and starts displaying distracting images

John

I use 2 wide screen monitors at work and love it. While you can open a window to extend over the 2 monitors I don't do that very often except occasionally for viewing a wide spreadsheet. Mostly I have an app open on one and have my desktop icons on the other where I also run other apps as well from time to time.

Using two now, Mixing console on one, linear tracking screen on the other on another. Adding another for the T3,

I have a 22 inch widescreen and happily have 2 apps open at the same time side by side on the one screen, esp Word and PowerPoint or Word and Sibelius. Another consideration for me would be the desk space that a second monitor would take up, which I need to work other non-computer projects.

Graham

Some more info.
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/setup/hwandprograms/monitors.mspx


http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/news/features/vibe.aspx

Jerry

[This message has been edited by Jerryghr (edited 01-11-2009).]

Image in one, tools and plug-ins in the other (for graphics and video)

Mixer in one, plug-ins, in another, arrange page in another ( ) for music

When you are doing computer music, you can't have TOO many!

That being said, at home I still work with just the one... at the studio, we have several (and several computers).

i do not use 2 monitors

i use 3 MONITORS :-) side by side

a 19" a 28" and another 19" SWEET.....