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One 2560x1440 Display or Two 1920x1080 Displays?

L

LincolnsiPod

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Nov 20, 2009
665
98
I'm wondering what everyone tends to gravitate to when looking to expand their digital desktop space. I recently upgraded to a 2560x1440 27 inch monitor to use as an external display for my rMBP, and while I enjoy the added real estate, it's cumbersome to constantly change the text sizes beyond the default so they don't look so miniscule.

So I'm starting to think maybe two 24 inch monitors at a lower 1920x1080 (or 1200) resolution might be a better solution. Has anyone else had a similar experience, trying out a larger resolution monitor only to opt for going with 2 smaller resolution monitors instead?

I'm a light gamer, who tends to multitask with email, IM, web surfing, office suites, (spreadsheets, docs, the usual), occasional do some photo editing (via Aperture, but soon to be Photos of course).
 
I went with a pair of inexpensive but good quality 23" 1920x1080 monitors. The higher resolution monitor marketplace is in an unsettled state and prices are still too high (for me). I can use these standard size monitors for a while and sell them later if a preferable high resolution monitor becomes available.

One problem with dual monitors is getting the colors perfectly matched, mine are now almost identical but I should really get a ColorMunki or similar device to match them better.
 
I went from a single 27" monitor to dual 23" screens and I like it better. I had a chance to get rid of it and I definitely enjoy the increased workspace that dual monitors provide. Its also nice because I can mirror to a HDTV to watch Netflix without worrying about the mismatched resolutions.


It looks like I have a setup similar to frank4 and for about $300 if you shop around, the dual 23's are a nice deal for the price.
 
Thats what I like, really excellent deals for 24 inch IPS monitors these days. I'm planning to get a new desk soon, so I'll probably use that chance to swap out this 27 inch for a pair of 24 inch displays instead.
 
I am using a 27" iMac (2560x1440) and a 30" Apple Cinema display (2560x1600) side by side.
Could never go back to 24" or 1080p resolutions.

I dabble in semipro photography (aperture), a little Web design (Adobe Muse) and the usual office apps + the occasional VM Windows .

The lower res screens are just not up to my eyes resolution expectancies - guess I am spoiled by iPad Air and iPhone 6 high dpi screens.

With the newer os x versions you can configure the menus etc to be bigger.
 
eduardrw said:
I am using a 27" iMac (2560x1440) and a 30" A
With the newer os x versions you can configure the menus etc to be bigger.
Click to expand...

Are you referring to Yosemite? As far as I know there's no system wide way to adjust fonts on Mavericks, they have to be done on an app by app basis.
 
Went from two 24" 1920x1200 screens to a 27" thunderbolt display, and I'm not looking back. Keep in mind that the IPS panel, IO ports and 16:10->16:9 are among the reasons why I'm happy with my choice.

Might pick up an additional thunderbolt display when the next gen thunderbolt displays become available, as the current gen will probably drop in price. For multitasking two screens are always nice to have.

Noted that I don't find the 27" 2560x1440 screen cramped at all.

I had a thorough thought process before i switched as well. I can no longer have a game running alongside a web page, but i can easily run two full-sized webpages next to another, or any other apps.

+ Less occupied desktop space
+ one large screen, no black stripe along the middle
+ capable of viewing 1440p content (scarce)

- fullscreen apps take the whole screen
- you have more available pixels with 2x 1080p screens
 
I would also go with the pair of 1080p monitors. I use a 27" iMac, and I find that I tend to have too much vertical screen space, and not enough horizontal screen space. You also have the problem of text appearing comically small on a 2k display, and it's annoying to keep zooming everything.
 
Abazigal said:
I would also go with the pair of 1080p monitors. I use a 27" iMac, and I find that I tend to have too much vertical screen space, and not enough horizontal screen space. You also have the problem of text appearing comically small on a 2k display, and it's annoying to keep zooming everything.
Click to expand...

That's my issue too, although I'm sort of getting used to it. I thought I would need two monitors but the 1440p allows me to view most things split screen, which has really been helpful and mitigated the need for a dual display for the time being.
 
*bump*

I was thinking of making a thread like this too.

I can't decide if I should get another 1080p display or ditch my current 1080p for a 1440p Dell.
 
My take on it depended on the dpi. I like 1080p on the 21.5" iMac, so on a 24" it would start to look too big. My mini couldn't support 4K, so I got a Dell U2515H 2560x1440 display. I liked that it had a great stand, slim bezels, DisplayPorts, HDMI and a USB 3.0 hub built-in. Good price too.
 
broadbean said:
My take on it depended on the dpi. I like 1080p on the 21.5" iMac, so on a 24" it would start to look too big. My mini couldn't support 4K, so I got a Dell U2515H 2560x1440 display. I liked that it had a great stand, slim bezels, DisplayPorts, HDMI and a USB 3.0 hub built-in. Good price too.
Click to expand...

That's the monitor I'm looking at.
 
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