Method 1: on Windows
- Make sure you can connect multiple monitors to your computer.
- Find out what video connectors are on the video card and on the monitors.
- Purchase the correct cables (if not available).
- Turn off your computer.
- Connect the first monitor to one of the video card connectors.
- Connect a second monitor.
Two 22-inch monitors have a much larger working surface area than, for example, a single 24-inch monitor, while the bundle of two such monitors itself costs the same as one 24-inch. It is clear which option you need to choose if you need maximum space.
Dual output video card
To connect two monitors to a computer at the same time, you need to get a video card with two outputs, or an additional video card. The latter option is more expensive and will give good performance, but in most cases a regular video card with two outputs will suffice. Often these will be DVI outputs, since two HDMIs on one video card are rare, and DVI is quite enough for our needs.
As for the choice of the second monitor - it's up to you personally. From an aesthetic point of view, it is highly desirable that they be the same model. If it does not work out, then at least so that they have the same diagonal. It will be much more convenient to work with such a bundle.
So, turn on both monitors. You can also configure support for two displays using the built-in tools of the operating system. To do this, we go to the monitor settings (right click on the free area of the "Desktop" - "Properties"). We turn on both monitors. For basic features, for example, transferring a window from one monitor to another, the built-in operating system tools are enough, but very soon you may not have enough of them, and then you will need to use third-party programs.
Dual Monitor Applications
There are a sufficient number of the latter. Starting from built-in tools in video card and monitor drivers to third-party applications. Convenient is the DualHead program, which remembers the user's behavior when working with two monitors and adjusts accordingly. If you have an ATI graphics card, you can use the Hydravision software. She, by the way, has a small limitation - monitors must work at the same resolution.
Windows built-in tools have some drawbacks, which can also be solved by installing the MultiMonitor Taskbar program. For example, Windows adds the taskbar to the primary monitor only. But the specified program is for each of them, while the application window, which is located on the left monitor, will be displayed in its taskbar. This is actually much more convenient, and it is not clear why such a feature was not included in the OS.
In any case, whatever program you choose for your monitors, working with them will be much more convenient than with one, and at the same time not much more expensive.
If you are in doubt about what HDMI or DVI outputs look like, we recommend that you read the review below.
