This video is brought to you by Brilliant. Have you ever wondered how many dual-monitor
setup configurations exist? According to my experiments, there are 16 that are worth exploring
or 9 to be precise if we combine the left and right options. Since my monitor guide
video came out I’ve been receiving a ton of questions and dilemmas from viewers, so
I decided to run some tests to determine which are the optimal dual monitor scenarios. In
my observations, I am keeping things simple. The 2 criteria that I care about are productivity
and ergonomics and to give credit where credit is due, this video was inspired by an old
video of David Zhang which I’ll link below. The 2 criteria that I care about are productivity
and ergonomics So, let’s not waste any time and start with the first main configuration
Side-by-Side. The most popular side-by-side layout is the
one that I call “Center horizontal SBS”. This is when having the monitors dead center
on the desk - essentially having the bezels right in the middle. Although this might seem
logical and quite popular to be honest (because there are plenty of examples online) I find
this configuration the worst (or the second-worst to be precise) in both ergonomics and productivity.
The biggest pain point of this setup is not having the main display but rather two displays
that are neither main nor centered. I’ve used such a setup for quite some time and
I never found comfort in it. Sure it might come in handy when video editing or doing
some other dual-monitor tasks but for everything else, I would have to be working from a weird
angle and lose focus trying to figure out which monitor I should consider primary. I
would either feel uncomfortable looking to the left or feel equally uncomfortable looking
to the right. The only comfort would be to look center and enjoy the bezels in the middle
which is of course a joke, so let’s move on to the next one - BTW, if you end up enjoying
this video, subscribe, because WHY NOT?!? Next configuration is Left or Right Horizontal
SBS. This setup pushes one of the displays to either the left or the right, leaving one
display in the middle to be considered primary. This setup I can live with in terms of productivity,
BUT it kind of looks out of balance, especially in 2 horizontal arrangements. The use case
of this setup is throwing secondary tasks and apps to the display on the side while
keeping the center one engaged for what matters most. In many cases, that might be some browser
windows, coding apps, preview panes, emails, or simply a music player. This might look
good if you have an asymmetrical desk, like an L-shaped one, but it does look odd on a
standard desk in my opinion. What’s more, such a setup takes a lot of space even if
you decide to use monitor arms, which is always a recommendation for any dual setup or any
setup in general. Still, Left or Right Horizontal SBS is much better than Center Horizontal
SBS. What’s even better than both however is
Left or Right Vertical SBS. This is exactly like having the previous setup, with the only
difference being the vertically oriented secondary monitor. This setup gains a lot of popularity
recently and for a few good reasons. Now more than ever, we create, consume, and work with
vertical content, whether that is vertical social media videos or creating apps for smartphones,
or simply coding. Having a monitor that is 9:16 rather than 16:9 at your disposal is
always handy. Second, this setup takes a lot less space on the desk and oddly enough it
looks more balanced than having a horizontal display being on the loose to your left or
right, especially if the secondary display has 4 even bezels and no bottom branding.
While testing it, I found many use cases for the vertical display as long as I kept it
as a sidekick to my primary 16:9. If we do Dual vertical SBS however, which is also an
option BTW, we do something my father-in-law calls - putting too much salt in your food.
The problem of this scenario is the same problem from the first configuration where you have
two main-ish displays but no central unit. Second, no matter how popular vertical content
is, you are losing too much horizontal real estate which matters when it comes to software
apps and UI elements. To understand my point, try using your tablet exclusively in vertical
mode. Even if you add 2 more tablets, you’d still be more productive in one horizontal
one. Ranking this would be to call it counterproductive and uncomfortable. Very hip though and a good
Instagram show-off. Moving to Left horizontal Laptop SBS. Now,
this has many benefits. If you are a laptop user, you can simply take advantage of the
already included display of your machine and leave your desk accommodating only one external
monitor. This means that on demand, you can pull out your laptop and place it flanking
your monitor to the left or the right and use it as a great secondary display. If it’s
a decent size one, like in my case the 16” MacBook Pro, there’s really no need to have
two full sizes monitors. It is the ideal place to throw in some reference documents, file
windows, notes, or whatever else is aiding your workflow.
Exactly the same scenario can be achieved with an iPad if you are in the Mac ecosystem.
Keeping an iPad to the side of your monitor can help you tremendously, especially if you
take advantage of Universal Control and SideCar. As an example, while having the much better
built-in front-facing camera, the iPad might come in perfectly as your go-to-meetings device
while working on your computer and the main external monitor. In that case, with the help
of Universal control, you can simply jump in and out between Mac and iPadOS using one
set of peripherals. Let’s keep the pace and go through the remaining
layouts and the one that I call center top stacked. Think of it as having your main monitor
front and center and having a secondary monitor tilted down towards your face, ON TOP of your
main display. Out of all the setups, stacking setups like this one take far less space.
They might look a bit overwhelming though, especially if you decide to combine an ultra
wide with a 16:9 for example. Overall, the principle of having a primary and secondary
display is the same, but the focus and distraction become vertical only, eliminating head rotation.
If the monitors are not too big, this display layout might be consumed with little head
tilt and just eyeballing for the most part which is definitely more ergonomic than some
other configurations we already covered. Looking at Center Bottom Stacked flip, where
you have the secondary display below your main one, things are starting to approach
my zone of workflow. Having the secondary display below the main might be a little weird
at first, especially when we talk about mounting and attaching such a setup, but in terms of
comfort and productivity, it feels like having a giant non-touch tablet at the tips of your
fingers. I’ve seen producers using such setups where the resolution on the bottom
display can remain tiny because it’s that much closer to the eyes of the user allowing
it to accommodate a lot of information, such as layers, timelines, and tools while the
primary display becomes the window to the project that is being worked on - like the
preview of my project for example. It is a bit questionable this point which display
can be considered primary and secondary, but you get my point. Definitely worth exploring.
Before I tell you my favorite configurations and what I use most often, I’d like to point
out that when picking and choosing the right monitor setup, you shouldn’t initially wonder
about specific product models but instead find the answer for your optimal setup scenario.
It’s a bit like the game of 20 questions - asking a “balanced” question that divides
up the field of monitor choices and accessories into groups of similar sizes, eliminating
lots of possibilities. That’s in fact a key idea behind Brilliants’ course on Computer
Science Fundamentals - splitting a problem in half in order to tackle the individual
parts, a technique that computer scientists call divide and conquer. I’ve been knee-deep
into this course recently as it helps develop the problem-solving techniques needed to think
like a computer scientist. Like this course, Brilliant provides other visually stimulating,
practical courses that help you always learn something new, while doing it at your own
pace. Visit brilliant.org/ThisIsE/ or follow the first link in the description below and
the first 200 people to upgrade with my link will get 20% off the annual Premium subscription.
Now, the next configuration is the one that I use all the time and that is the Vertical
Laptop Stacked configuration where I have the laptop below my desk monitor. What makes
this setup unique is the fact that this is the most compact dual monitor setup which
is on demand. As you can imagine, if I don’t need a secondary display, I can just keep
my laptop lid closed and have one less thing to blast light in my face. It is definitely
better than having two dedicated external monitors that always light up, whether you
use the secondary display or not. In most cases, I use the big monitor as my primary
display, and in the case of my line of work, I use the Liquid Retina XDR display of my
MacBook pro as the reference monitor since it’s the best display that I have at my
disposal. In other scenarios, I might use the MacBook as a reference display throwing
in a shot list that I am working on or a script that I need to refer to. When I don’t require
a secondary monitor I just close the lid and boom, I have a clean single monitor setup.
Occasionally, as I pointed out in my latest desk setup video which I’ll link at the
end of this video, I might have my laptop completely tucked away and use the iPad to
serve the same vertical stacked purpose as my laptop. This setup becomes even more versatile
because it’s an on-demand secondary display that runs two operating systems - macOS and
iPadOS and get this - I can use it in both vertical and horizontal orientation below
my main display. No cables, no fuss, no muss. Whichever setup you decide to take advantage
of think of the following questions: What will you be using the secondary display
for? What percentage of time will the secondary
display be used for? Can the extra real estate be achieved by simply
investing in a single ultra-wide monitor instead of two dedicated displays This is a topic
that I talk about in my recent monitor guide video which I’ll link at the end of this
video and in the description below? What accessories will I need for this setup?
While on the topic of accessories, whether you’ve decided to go for a side-by-side
setup or a stacked setup, you’ll most likely end up looking for good monitor arms, raisers,
and stands. To help you pick the right accessories I will be creating a dedicated page on my
website where I’ll link my personal recommendations when it comes to single, dual, and triple
arms, floating stands, trays, and more. This way, as I stumble upon better solutions I’ll
be able to update the page no matter at what point you end up watching this video. So,
be sure to check the description below. In the meantime, check out my dedicated monitor
playlist here as well as my 2022 monitor guide right here. Like and subscribe and as always,
it’s been an absolute pleasure, This is E
Over and out