Can a second monitor really influence everyday life so much? Yes, it can – MeinMMO author Benedikt Schlotmann explains how his second monitor has completely changed his daily routine.
“I don’t want to give up my second monitor anymore!” That’s what my friends and colleagues have always told me. But I always wondered: Is that really true? Can a second monitor be such a big improvement that I wouldn’t want to miss it?
This question has crossed my mind more often in recent months. On the occasion of Black Friday, I finally bought a second monitor. Because in the monitor category, there were indeed some good deals on Black Friday, while the rest was rather disappointing.
By now, I believe that this was one of my best decisions in 2021. Because the second monitor has made my everyday life at the desk much easier. By the way, I chose a Full HD monitor for my purchase, even though my colleague Patrick Freese has been totally thrilled with his WQHD monitor since 2020.
A second monitor has improved my productivity and my overview
This is the problem I had: With one monitor, I previously had a limited workspace. I often lost track when many tasks came my way or when I had to sort things out.
Many operating systems also offer you multiple virtual workspaces, but at some point, I lost track of what I had moved where.
Basically, you can imagine my problem like a desk: If the desk is full, you will start stacking things on top of each other and probably put bookmarks or similar on the items. In the worst case, you find nothing again, put everything in a box, and start over again. This happens to me when I have 120 tabs open in my Firefox and actually don’t know what I’ve opened.
This is how my everyday life has changed: With my second monitor, I double this space. Instead of using one desk, I can now spread my items over two areas. I can move unimportant things to the other monitor and don’t start piling everything on one desktop.
And this has significantly improved my work and workflow:
- Previously, I had dozens of windows open in the background. Now I can comfortably spread things across two monitors and switch much faster.
- I can now type text on the left side while I see the email I want to answer on the right.
- I don’t have to constantly switch between dozens of windows in my workflow since I have multiple windows open side by side. This eliminates many unnecessary clicks.
- On the left side, I can open an important presentation while I see my colleagues on the other monitor.
Not all games support dual monitors
While working with two monitors is a real pleasure and a significant improvement for my everyday life, gaming is a bit different.
The real-time strategy game Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation, for example, supports a dual monitor setup, and I can command thousands of units around. The racing game Need for Speed: Payback also supports two monitors. However, my graphics card also has to work accordingly. So it only makes sense if you have a graphics card in your computer that delivers enough power for two monitors. Alternatively, you can also use technology like AMD FSR to get more FPS.
However, the dual-monitor setup does not work with all games: Especially many indie titles like Kingdoms: Two Crowns or the Pokémon clone Temtem do not support this. Here I might encounter ugly artifacts or the option is not even offered to me. In the end, I have started to use the second monitor for Discord or similar. This is especially interesting for all those who want to turn their setup into a streaming room.
Consider early enough whether you want a second monitor
Due to the deal on Black Friday, I now combine two monitors from different manufacturers at my workplace. In desktop operation, the differences are hardly noticeable at all, as texts or websites look the same on both monitors.
In gaming, the differences are particularly noticeable when using different display technologies. My primary monitor offers significantly better contrast and black levels, while the other monitor produces more vivid colors. One option is to calibrate the monitors so that the colors match again.
Another thing is more of a personal inclination, as I usually pile work and new windows on the left monitor and then push things to the right side. Even while gaming, I often do almost everything on the left side. The enemies overrunning my outpost on the right side of the screen? No problem, I’ll just move my left view to the right.
I don’t want to give up my second monitor anymore
Hardly anything has changed my everyday life as much as a second monitor. That may sound very exaggerated at first. But if you have been working with one monitor for years and suddenly have two devices to work with, it makes many things significantly easier.
In everyday life, I save a considerable amount of time that I can now invest in other and more meaningful things. In gaming, I am still a bit divided. On the one hand, I enjoy being able to play games in a larger format, but not all games support that.
What do you think about it? Do you already have a second monitor at your workplace and can share similar positive experiences, or do you think my view is overrated? Discuss with us in the comments and tell us what you think!
