Using one of the best laptops as your daily driver gives you the freedom and portability to work from anywhere. But with a desktop computer, you have almost endless options when it comes to how you want to configure your desk setup.
Maybe all you really need in that situation is a single, high-resolution monitor or one with a lower resolution but a higher frame rate. Or perhaps, like me, you can’t imagine working without a multi-monitor setup. Fortunately, it’s easy enough to add another monitor to your desk setup. Similarly, you can switch from a stacked monitor setup to a side-by-side arrangement relatively easily.
I’ve been using an ultrawide monitor for the past seven years as I love having all that extra screen space. With an ultrawide screen, I can have two full-size windows next to each other without any bezels — or even worse, a gap between them — getting in the way. Sure, I did end up adding a touchscreen portable monitor underneath my main display last year but for the most part, I’ve been very happy with my ultrawide.
Unlike most people, though, I build and review the best standing desks for a living. As part of my testing process, I like to put together a new setup for each desk I review, which gives me the opportunity to try out loads of different monitor configurations. For my new Autonomous SmartDesk 5 review, I figured it was past time that I went back to a classic dual-monitor setup as I haven’t used one in almost 20 years.
Here’s what it was like ditching my ultrawide monitor for a dual-monitor setup for the past two weeks.
Back to the basics
The last time I used a proper dual-monitor setup, I was still in college and my computer of choice at the time was a Power Mac G4. I’m sure plenty of kids are using multiple monitors in their dorms now, but at the time, I think I was one of the only people on campus with two monitors. Rightfully so, as these weren’t thin, flat-panel displays. Instead, they were chunky CRT monitors that took up half my desk and I had to have my Mac underneath it.
My how things have changed — today, not only are the best monitors incredibly thin and light, they’re also a lot less expensive. That is if you go with full HD ones as opposed to monitors with a higher 1440p or 4K resolution. Even then though, you can get a basic 4K monitor from LG or Samsung for around $200.
In addition to building a new desk setup to put the Autonomous SmartDesk 5 through its paces, I also wanted to test out the multi-monitor capabilities of the Geekom A6. Even among the best mini PCs, it’s absolutely tiny and even smaller than the Mac mini M4.
So what was it like putting together a dual-monitor setup after building desk setups with an ultrawide monitor? Well, to put it bluntly, there were twice as many cables to manage and getting the two displays positioned correctly on my desk did take a bit of trial and error.
If I were building a dual-monitor setup from scratch, I would have bought two identical monitors to give the whole configuration a cleaner look. Since this was more about testing this new desk and the mini PC underneath it, I grabbed a Benq gaming monitor and a gigabyte one I had lying around my office and got to work.
For this setup, I used the clamp-on version of my favorite monitor stand with one for each display. One of my favorite things about these stands from Hemudu ($32, Amazon) is that their posts are thick enough to hide all the wires and they have built-in clips to hold them in place.
While one of the best desk lamps is a great way to add some extra light to your workspace, I’m partial to using a monitor light bar instead. Most of them are powered by USB, so you don’t need to plug them into an outlet which is a good thing as the Autonomous SmartDesk 5 only has three outlets to begin with. Since the Gigabyte M28U monitor on the left in the picture above has a built-in KVM switch with multiple USB ports, I actually used it to power both monitor light bars on top of either display.
With my dual-monitor setup complete and all of the cables tucked away neatly, it was time to start using it.
Better than I remembered
When it comes to monitors in general, I tend to prefer a flat display over a curved one as they take up less space. However, if your monitor is wide enough, you can end up straining your neck by looking from one side to the other. To avoid this, I positioned both of these monitors at a slight angle with the added benefit of having them meet in the middle without a gap between them.
Maybe it was the desk itself but from the minute I started working, I remembered why traditional, side-by-side dual-monitor setups are so popular. My ultrawide display is a 34-inch one but with a 27-inch and a 28-inch monitor next to each other, I now effectively had 48 inches of screen space to work with. Since almost all of my work is done in dual Chrome windows, the slight gap between the two monitors where their bezels met didn’t bother me at all.
For those times when I did want to watch a full-screen video, I would just move it to one of the two monitors.
You might notice I don’t have a pair of the best computer speakers on this desk and that’s for good reason. Since I tend to go from one setup to another, I try to buy monitors with good built-in speakers, and the BenQ Mobiuz monitor on the right sounds fantastic since it features the company’s own TreVolo audio tech. Now at my main desk setup on the other side of my office, I have a pair of Audioengine A2s and they’ve served me quite well for as long as I’ve used an ultrawide monitor.
One thing that I really like about this dual-monitor setup is that I have a bit more room on top for accessories than I do with my ultrawide monitor.
For instance, with the monitor light bars I mentioned earlier, you typically want to have them centered. The problem though is that you also want to have one of the best webcams in the same place. Sure, you can jerry-rig things to have your webcam sit on top but then it becomes really hard to get the right angle for video calls.
With this dual monitor setup, I have not one but two monitor lightbars centered on the top of each display with plenty of space to mount a webcam between them. Here I’m using the Obsbot Meet 2 and besides its compact size, I really like how it has a detachable cable.
Too good to give up
Although I really enjoyed spending the last two weeks with a dual-monitor setup, I’m back working on this very story at my main desk with my ultrawide display and a portable monitor underneath it.
Even though this is technically a stacked monitor setup, it actually functions like a triple-monitor setup since I have two Chrome windows side by side up top and another one down below that I primarily use for Slack.
The good thing about building and reviewing desks is that I get to try out different setups like this quite often. Now that I’ve done a stacked monitor one and a dual-monitor one, maybe for my desk setup, I’ll try putting together a proper triple-monitor setup as that’s something I’ve always wanted to do.
Finding the right setup for you
So which of these two setups would I recommend? Well, that depends on a few things. If you’re primarily going to be working from your desk setup, you can’t go wrong with an ultrawide monitor for productivity and overall simplicity.
Ultrawide monitors do cost a bit more than your standard monitor — or sometimes even two — but the extra screen space they provide is truly a game changer. Even more so when you’re switching from a dual-monitor setup to an ultrawide since you don’t have to worry about the gap between your monitors anymore.
Now if you plan on gaming, an ultrawide can be hit or miss. With games that have ultrawide support, it’s truly an amazing and immersive experience. However, with games that only support a 16:9 aspect ratio, you end up with black bars on either side which kind of defeats the purpose of having a wider monitor in the first place. This also happens with PS5, Xbox and other consoles since none of them feature ultrawide support yet and they likely never will. Fingers crossed for the next generation though.
If you’re on a budget, just want as much overall screen space as possible or if you want to use multiple resolutions simultaneously (maybe 1080p for an old gaming PC and 4K for a newer console), then a dual-monitor setup could be the way to go. You can always pick up an additional display but for a cleaner look, it’s best to purchase two of the same model at the same time.
While you don’t necessarily need one of the best monitor arms or a monitor stand with either of these setups, they do help you reclaim some precious desk space. They can also help with ergonomics since you can raise your monitor to eye level and they’re typically much more stable than the flimsy included stands that ship with many displays.
You really can’t go wrong with either of these setups if you plan accordingly based on your intended usage and do the necessary research before pulling the trigger on a new ultrawide display or even a pair of monitors.
The good thing though is that you’re not locked into a particular monitor setup and though you likely won’t do so as often as I do, you can always change up your desk setup. In fact, that’s half the fun and with spring cleaning right around the corner, maybe it’s time that you too mix things up for a change.
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