Tip: While it is possible to set up multiple monitors using ports on both your motherboard and your discrete graphics card, you'll see a performance drop and some lag when you move windows between monitors. If you do have a discrete graphics card, you'll probably see at least three ports, not including the ports on your motherboard. If you don't have a discrete graphics card, you may only see two video ports-most motherboards come with integrated graphics that can only run dual-monitor setups. First, look at the back of your PC: How many graphics ports (DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort, and VGA) do you see?
This guide will walk you through all the factors you need to take into account before setting up three or more monitors.īefore you run out and buy a bunch of extra monitors, check to see whether your computer is physically capable of handling all that graphics prowess. You can even use your TV as an extra computer monitor!īut before you jump in, you want to give your multi-monitor plan some forethought. If you're a gamer, well, surely you can see how great three-plus monitors can be for games that support multi-monitor setups. Using one of your monitors in vertical orientation can make a big difference for scrolling long documents. I use my extra monitors for a number of things, such as comparing spreadsheets side-by-side, writing articles while also doing research, keeping tabs on my social media feeds, and, of course, watching Netflix.
Right now, my main PC has a triple-monitor setup: my main 27-inch central monitor, with a 24-inch monitor on either side. But why stop at two displays? I can speak from experience: Having multiple monitors (and I'm talking three, four, five, or even six) is just…awesome, and something you totally need in your life.
Multitasking on a single screen is just way too confining. By now, a dual-monitor setup has become commonplace.