Widescreen or Double Monitors?

[Tom Slick]

Recently I have been doing a bit of AutoCad work and realized that my 17" screen leaves a lot to be desired. I have seen quite a few people using a double screen setup for drawing. I used a widescreen 19" monitor awhile back and it worked very well for drawing.
I assume the double screen setup requires a new video card and obviously 2 screens.
what do you guys recommend? 2 monitors or widescreen? any recommendations on hardware?

[StickSeler]

Yes. I run a 19" for my day-to-day, but I have a 24" Wide that I use for Excel and ACAD.

I run the wide as my primary and throw stuff the the 19" which is set up as dualview. I had the wide set as primary at first, but I remote desktop in and it messes the Icons up

Take a look at your video card, if you have a VGA and DVI out on it you might be able to go dual screen without a new card

[dbhost]

I use double screens at work, both 19" Dell flat screens. But they are used for keeping open multiple ssh sessions in different windows so I can compare tail output. (I am a UNIX admin). I use a single 21" CRT @ home because woodworking power tools have taken my funds for a pair of 24" flat screens.

With the minor difference in price I don't see much of an argument about going with a 17" or 19" monitor. But if you have the budget, bet 2 of the biggest, highest quality screens you can afford.

I had a former roomate (needed one for about a year after my ex left, lawyers you know...) that had twin Dell 24" flat screens. He used to keep one open for code, the second for testing his code... He worked on game software in his off hours...

[Tom Slick]

Thanks for the tip! I just checked and my card does have VGA and DVI. how do you set it up as a dualview?

[Alex Franke]

I'd do both if you can. (This from a guy that actually uses three monitors at work.) The extra screen real estate really comes in handy, and just like the computer's memory, you'll use what you have. I find myself using one monitor for the main work surface for the application I'm using, another monitor for all the related windows and toolbars, and the third for other applications. For example, I write a log of code, so the center monitor is the main development environment application window; the one on the left is for related windows errors, command, breakpoints, todo's, source control, etc; and the one of the right is more email/calendar, desktop widgets, IM, etc.

Check windows desktop display settings (right-click desktop, then properties [or Personalize in Vista]). You should see more than one monitor depicted if your video card supports more than one.

[StickSeler]

on mine its in the nvidia tools. I dont remember how, but look for your card name and then update the drivers, depending on the card it might come with its own tools. My card did not have dual view till I upgraded the drivers, buit it had clone.

[Chris_B]

I use dual monitors at work (22") and at home (24"). Once you try it you will never go back.

If you can afford it, I think dual 24" panels are superior to a single 30". The convenience of snapping applications to full-screen in either monitor makes it very easy to use all the real-estate, and anything larger than dual 24" would be outside my peripheral vision (and probably require two video cards).

Also, IMO it is better to use exactly the same monitor for both screens as it is easy to get the same colors across the entire canvas. Get panels with narrow & plain bezels to minimize the visual gap.

[Tom Slick]

cool! I found the mulitple monitor settings in the video cards advanced settings.

[Alex Franke]

Also, IMO it is better to use exactly the same monitor for both screens as it is easy to get the same colors across the entire canvas. Get panels with narrow & plain bezels to minimize the visual gap.

This is a really good point -- if you can't have the same monitor, though, at least get the same size/resolution. Otherwise your windows will change size when you drag them from one monitor to the other. It's very disorienting.

Also, some of the folks where I work -- especially those who work on documents -- use one monitor oriented vertically, and the other horizontally. Consider this an option, too. Many (but not all) monitors now can pivot this this, and video cards usually support it as well.

[Bruce Cohen]

I do some heavy duty Photoshop work and I use an Apple 30" just for the image and a 21" for the pallets. This works really well for me, I use this set-up for Indesign, Quark and Illustrator too. The first two are page layout software and Illustrator is a vector drawing program.

I'm a graphic designer and the amount of control pallets for these programs require a second monitor just to be able to have any real estate left to see the image of what you're working on.

Ain't technology great!!!

Bruce

[jonmulzer]

Once you go multi-monitor you will never go back. I run dual 19" widescreen LCD's at home and at my last job ran dual 19"s also with one turned 90 degrees to make reading long lists easier. I wish I had more deskspace, I would run three monitors. For anything with toolbars it is nice to be able to drag them over to another screen and get them out of your way but still be able to refer to them very easily. Next time I feel like splurging my second desktop here in my office will inherit these 19's and I will go to dual 22's on my main I believe.

[leehljp]

"Once you go to dual monitors, you will never go back"


I used to say that but I did go backwards - of sorts! I used to do a lot of Photoshop work and so did my youngest daughter. I used dual monitors for about 10 years.

Since I started traveling more in my work (from 2005), my graphics work diminished to almost zero. The most that I design now is business cards, which I do on my notebook.

But for a desktop for layouts, for graphics and CAD, for comparative text or dual language work - dual and triple monitors REALLY help! If time is money and deadlines creep up quickly and often, IMO it pays to go this route from a productivity standpoint.

[goslin23]

I use dual 21" Samsungs at work and would not ba happy camper without them. Like others said, it's so much easier when you can throw your toolbars to the other screen.

At home I only have a single monitor and it drives me nuts! Then again, I "could" hook it up to my 42" HDTV....

-=gos=-

[StickSeler]

Then again, I "could" hook it up to my 42" HDTV....

-=gos=-

My kid does that when he has homework on computer, makes it easy to help him and he can sit back on the couch and do his work without me having to look over his shoulder.

[chrisk]

Personally, I'm a fan of the larger monitor (widescreen, of course). I have a 32" LCD at home and a laptop at work with a secondary monitor attached that rarely gets used.

The reason for multiple monitors is usally for multitasking or working with palettes off of the model. For AutoCAD, you can usually clean up the workspace enough so as to have little more than the commonly used options (or you can learn the commands or have a cheat sheet) and have the model take most of the primary screen. Remember, you're not going to extend your model/paper space in to two different monitors (though you could). Your model is only as big as your biggest screen (without the seams created by the monitor edge).

I have used AutoCAD quite heavily through both college and now my first year as a civil project engineer. I draw 2 dimensional items mostly (construction sheets for street reconstructions, contour maps, detail drawings, etc.), though I have also done a lot of 3d stuff in my prior course work. All of this with just a 19" widescreen laptop. My work won't spring for a bigger monitor yet (though I've been working on it....) The technicians get the big monitors first.

You have to think of the dimensions you are working with, also. The y aspect of the model may restrict your capabilties to view the complete object as large as you want due to the smaller dimensions of the monitor.

Plus you have the benefit of the large monitor for other things like watching movies, playing games, etc.

There are also other things to look at for monitors other than size. A sharper, brighter screen is quite beneficial for CAD.

Anything will be an upgrade from a 17". I'd say that before you go for two 24" LCDs, try one and see if you like it.