What exactly does the term “Multiple Monitors” refer to?
Multiple Monitors (also known as Multi-Monitor, Multi-Screen, and Dual Monitors) are all synonymous terms referring to the use of more than one monitor, connected to a single computer, and controlled by a single mouse and keyboard. This type of setup allows you to visually interface with more than one program at a time, as well as compare charts, and use the “copy and paste” function across multiple screens.
Do multiple monitors increase productivity?
Do you remember the saying "two heads are better than one"? Well, the same thing applies to monitors. By increasing the visible space on your desktop, you can highly improve your efficiency with almost any work task such as day trading, audio recording, video editing, medical imaging etc.. I have been using Multiple Monitors for years, and I have noticed a true increase in productivity, every time I upgrade to a system to support more monitors. So far I have Eight monitors on my main computer and four on my side kick pc. Many people who have never used a multi-monitor PC may not understand the true advantage of this technology, and dismiss the idea as novel. On the other hand, an individual who utilizes multiple monitors knows about the power of visualization and organization, and feels as if they have discovered a wonderful secret for business multi-tasking.
Multiple Monitors for Day Traders
One of the most common uses for multi-monitor computers is Day Trading. That in itself is a big testament to how useful and productive you can be with multiple monitors. If the Wall Street big dogs are using them, you know it’s going to be an effective tool. In fact, using multiple monitors for stock trading is guaranteed to make you a better trader.
For Example: You can view charts on one screen and run your trading software on another. If you use more than two screens, you can watch your live news streams on a third monitor or perform internet research. You can also copy and paste across monitors, rather than maximizing and minimizing windows.
The Three main ways to Setup Multiple Monitors
1) You can buy a manufactured Multiple Monitor Computer. The best place to purchase a multi-monitor computer system is at: Multi-Monitors.com. They carry a multi-monitor computer line called SUPER PC that can support from 2 to 12 monitors (or more if you ask). They offer the best quality for the lowest prices and they are pretty much the original pioneers of this new breed of multi-tasking evolution.
2) You can get a “USB to VGA Adapter”, or “USB to DVI Adapter” that will allow you to add an extra monitor to your computer via any USB2.0 Port. You can also add multiple extra monitors by using multiple adapters. This is a great option for viewing documents, surfing the web, using Microsoft Office and many other business tasks. This is not a good option for intense graphical situations such as HDTV, Blu-ray, Gaming and 3D / CAD Workstation applications. For those types of scenarios, it is highly recommended that you purchase a high-powered Multi-monitor Workstation.
3) You can replace or add an extra video card to your existing computer, depending on how many monitors you wish to support. Although this sounds easy enough, this is a rather complex solution for a beginner, especially when trying to find a compatible graphics card. For this reason, I am going to write an entirely seperate post on that topic and will link to it here, very soon.
Once you have your multiple monitor system set up and ready to use, you will need to enable all of your monitors in your “Display Properties” Control Panel. Here is a great link to a complete and animated walkthrough of how to enable your multiple monitors in the Windows Control Panel.
How to Setup Multiple Monitors (Instructions)
Nothing speaks louder than a video. For a better understanding about how multiple monitors work individually, as well as in a panoramic fashion, watch this interesting Youtube Video:
