Competition Ultra Wide vs Double Monitor.
Do you feel like you never have enough screen space? Whether you’re using a single widescreen display or an internal laptop display as your main window into the digital world, things can easily get cramped. Open your text editor and browser and the middle screen is ready to explode. Both ultra-wide monitors and dual-monitor configurations offer a solution to this problem, but in different ways.
If you’re looking for a little more desktop space, which of these options (ultra-wide or dual monitors) is right for you?
Ultrawide Vs. Dual Monitor: Setups Defined
If you are a little confused about the difference between ultra-wide versus dual monitors, let’s be clear about them before moving on.
Ultra-wide monitors are simply computer monitors with a wider aspect ratio than usual. These days, the standard aspect ratio is 16: 9. That is, the screen is 16 units wide for every nine of its heights. This is also reflected in the permission. A Full HD resolution of 1920 × 1080 has 16 horizontal pixels for every 9 vertical pixels. Divide each number by 16 and 9 respectively, you get the exact same answer.
Ultra-wide monitors have an aspect ratio of 21: 9 or 32: 9. Thus, a 21: 9 monitor can have a resolution of 2560 × 1080.
A dual monitor setup, on the other hand, simply means that you have two monitors connected to one computer. Almost all modern video cards have multiple display outputs. Laptops can also usually drive both internal and external displays at the same time.
– /
By extending your computer desktop across multiple monitors, you can, for example, run a separate application on each screen. A dual-monitor configuration has been the best solution for multi-tasking power users for many years.
We’ve been doing this since the era of CRT monitors. In fact, many people started with one CRT and one LCD screen during the transition between these technologies. However, with the rise in popularity of ultra-wide screens, do you really need two monitors per screen to have enough room for serious work?
The Pros of an Ultrawide Screen
The biggest advantage of an ultra-wide screen is that there is no bezel in the center of the image, as is the case with two monitors. You only have one large continuous panel.
This means you can split a laptop or PC screen with two or three apps on the screen, and you have plenty of room for everything. Ultra-wide screens are also a much more elegant solution. You only need to worry about one power cable, one display cable and one monitor.
These monitors are great for moviegoers, as most feature films also use a 21: 9 aspect ratio. Video editors and other creative professionals also benefit from the ultra-wide aspect ratio as it allows editing the timeline and many toolbars.
The largest audience for ultra-wide monitors is gamers, and modern support for ultra-wide screens in PC games is growing rapidly. These screens offer a much more immersive gaming experience, especially in the close-up range that PC gamers sit from their monitors.
The Cons of an Ultrawide Screen
The biggest disadvantage of ultra-wide screens is probably their massiveness. Screens take up a lot of space and are more difficult to move and customize. It is highly recommended to use a monitor arm to get the most out of the ultra-wide screen.
Besides the huge ultra-wide size, there are many kinds of content that don’t work with them. They are great for multitasking when you are in control of screen elements. However, if you try to view standard widescreen video content, you will see massive black bars on either side of the video. As you can imagine, these stripes look even more ridiculous when viewing old content in a 4: 3 aspect ratio.
Video games can be a bit of a headache too. Old titles that do not support ultra-wide image formats usually require corrections or adjustments. If you can fix them at all. If you’re wondering how this works, check out How to add ultra-widescreen support to older PC games.
Some models can also be so large and wide that they cannot be used at normal distances, otherwise you will have neck tension. Curved monitors can help reduce this problem.
The Pros of a Dual Monitor Setup
The first big advantage of a dual-monitor configuration is that they are often much cheaper than ultra-wide monitors. You already have a monitor, so you just need to add another one to double the screen area you already have.
Asymmetrical installations are also possible. You can have one screen that is suitable for professional color work and the other with a vertical orientation to make your documents easier.
Another advantage is that you can arrange the monitors in different ways. For example, a larger monitor may be taller than a smaller one. This is a common occurrence when using a laptop with an external screen. The laptop screen is used for email, social media, or other applications where you want to see a notification. The main monitor displays what you want to focus on.
The Cons of a Dual Monitor Setup
The biggest downside to using a dual-monitor display is that there are giant bezels between the screens. Even if you have two screens that add up to ultrawide in size and shape, you won’t be able to fit a single image on them. Some users compensate for this by using a three-monitor system.
There are even special kits without bezels for triple monitor systems that use optical tricks to “erase” bezels. All of these efforts are attempts to replicate what an ultra-wide monitor can do natively, but for less money. But in reality it is not the same.
Setting up dual monitors is more difficult. They include more wires, more outlets, and more effort to set up. Sometimes it can be difficult to find two monitors that match color, contrast and brightness. Even if both models are identical.
It also doesn’t help that none of the most popular operating systems handle them perfectly. It is especially annoying when video games are played on the wrong monitor. Fortunately, most modern video games have a menu item where you can select the monitor you want if it’s wrong.
Is a Dual Ultrawide Setup the Best of Both Worlds?
Of course, you can set up two monitors where one screen is an ultra-wide model. This is typical of MacBook users who combine an external ultra-wide screen with their own internal MacBook display. Our proprietary YouTube editor uses a MacBook Pro M1 with an LG 25-inch ultra-wide monitor. With a basic video editor on a wide screen and a video preview on a small but accurate color on the internal MacBook monitor.
You can also use two ultra-wide screens, although the usual solution is to stack the screens vertically. Asymmetric dual-screen configurations with one ultra-wide monitor are quite useful, but for most people the folding of ultra-wide screens is redundant and not particularly ergonomic.
Do you have a multi-monitor ultrawide or dual monitor setup? Tell us about the performance benefits you love.
–
Competition Ultra Wide vs Double Monitor
Competition Ultra Wide vs Double Monitor