PC gamers, would you rather have the best PC possible or a second monitor?

Would you rather?

  • Always have the best possible computer but no second monitor allowed

    Votes: 139 88.0%

  • Have a budget PC with second monitor

    Votes: 19 12.0%
  • Total voters
    158
Brakum said:
The wuestion is if you had to choose. You couldnt get a second monitor if you had a high end pc. Would you still want that? That's the question
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I'm not sure what condition telling you that you cannot have both, but if i have to pick, it will be a high end PC.
 
pudel said:
Because you only need than one more monitor and you can game in panorama view. :messenger_winking_tongue:



HkWQJOv.jpeg
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Get a ultra wide. why would you game with a massive black bar down the middle of the screen.
Paltheos said:
Not needing to alt+tab as much means too much to me. A chunk of games also don't play nice with it either, not wanting to remove the game from the foreground.
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Must be me getting old, if im gaming im not doing anything else.
 
b0uncyfr0 said:
Dual monitors were a headache 5 years ago, prob still are.
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Nah, i am using 3 monitors since nearly 20 years now. In the beginning it was really a headache (special adapters needed etc). Since graphic cards allow you to easily plug in 3 monitors its nothing more than ...just plugging them in! 🤷‍♂️

clarky said:
Get a ultra wide. why would you game with a massive black bar down the middle of the screen.
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Yeah....i am thinking of getting maybe a 32:9 monitor next. but than again 48:9 > 32:9 🤷‍♂️. Didnt made up my mind yet about this one. And you get used to that black bars...till you dont notice them anymore. But I notice very quickly when I play a game only in 16:9.....there is lots of stuff missing left and right. :messenger_grinning_smiling:
 
For me, it depends on the game. I play a lot of jrpgs and Farming Simulator, and with those I like to have a 2nd monitor up for YouTube.

For less casual games that demand more attention, my main ultrawide is the only thing going. It also matters with Linux gaming as it currently stands, near impossible to get VRR working if multiple monitors are in the loop.
 
Brakum said:
The question is if you had to choose. You couldnt get a second monitor if you had a high end pc. Would you still want that? That's the question
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Well here in lies an issue with the posed question. You didn't really define what a "budget PC" was in the OP.

Brakum said:
So i would rather always only have a budget PC but have a second monitor over having the best PC money can buy and not be allowed to have a second monitor.
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I read this as choosing between a top of the line PC with one monitor vs a step or two down and dual monitors (because price differences are quite large); like a 4090 single monitor vs 4080 dual monitor is an easy choice for me (dual monitor). But a 4090 single monitor vs a 4060 (or 3060) dual monitor then no, I'd rather have high end.

I actually make this decision when budgeting and building a new PC and I always take a step or two down from top of the line to spend that money on something else; like a nice monitor to replace my oldest, and then sliding my previous primary monitor into the secondary monitor spot.
 
2xscjb.png


You guys are using two monitors on your gaming system?
 
That's a weird restriction considering a secondary monitor doesn't even have to be an expensive one but sure, i'll take the expensive parts for the best PC possible.
 
jshackles said:
2xscjb.png


You guys are using two monitors on your gaming system?
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A fast monitor and a big TV. One for desktop computer stuff and 240hz VRR gaming and one for movies/couch gaming.

Basically, everyone who has a computer has a monitor and a TV. All you need to do is to have them in the same room.
 
I can't imagine going for a high end pc build without at least a second monitor. It's integral to having the true PC experience. So I would say I would have a 2nd monitor regardless of how good my pc is.
 
My TV is next to my PC so I use that when I need a second screen.
(I duplicate it though, so they are both the same).
 
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Brakum said:
Yes? Everyone i know with a gaming PC does.
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I'm not even sure where I would put a second monitor, as the one I have is larger than my desk itself.

ISA5GFy.png
 
winjer said:
Personally, I only care about a second monitor for work, such as Autocad.
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Have two ultrawide monitors at home. Used SolidWorks for the first time since buying either monitor, and it just reminded me how superior 21:9 or higher is to 16:9 monitors. Also reminded me how crappy my setup is in the work office (crappy mouse, keyboard, monitors).
 
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Rather a budget pc, got currently 4 screens wouldn't want anything less. 2x 1080p screens 27 inch, for forums + stream/movie, 1x 1080p screen 24 inch for discord, and a 4k oled c2 set as ultrawide as main game / screen.
 
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jshackles said:
2xscjb.png


You guys are using two monitors on your gaming system?
Click to expand...

Who the hell isn't? It seems insane to me lol. Maybe because I play socially so always want discord/chats on my second screen. A single monitor for multiplayer games is a vastly less enjoyable experience.

If I'm playing an engrossing SP game, the light in my room is turned off and so is the second screen.

As for the question? A second monitor that you dont need to actually game on can be so ludicriously cheap now it's an absurd hypothetical. Just get both.
 
This thread seems work-related, why would a PC gamer rather have a second screen than the best possible PC? Three screens I can understand, for dedicated racing fans, but two screens?
 
Fess said:
This thread seems work-related, why would a PC gamer rather have a second screen than the best possible PC? Three screens I can understand, for dedicated racing fans, but two screens?
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Not work related. I dont work on my pc. The second monitor is not for gaming. I couldnt care less about a third monitor. Second is a must
 
Too many variables. If the 1 monitor is a 32"+ 4k then you can comfortably multitasking on a single display. But if the single monitor is a 24" 1080p it's going to be a unfortunate.

What's a budget PC? Games on medium, low, or built for Office365?
 
Brakum said:
Not work related. I dont work on my pc. The second monitor is not for gaming. I couldnt care less about a third monitor. Second is a must
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If it's not for gaming on your gaming PC then why is a second screen a must? Can't you just alt tab to see whatever you need to see?
 
Brakum said:
I always have a high end PC but i feel like having a second monitor is way too important for me. I would never go back to single monitor. So i would rather always only have a budget PC but have a second monitor over having the best PC money can buy and not be allowed to have a second monitor.
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PI5VSPF.gif
 
You can get a second monitor for 70 bucks or less. If you can afford the best PC, there is no reason you can't pick up a second monitor. Just do both.
 
You can cheat this question and just say you'd use this monitor:

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who needs a second monitor when your single monitor is as wide as 2 widescreen ones?

I bet you can even configure it in a way that makes it work like 2 separate ones
 
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I only needed a second monitor for work. But a couple years ago I changed that for a 35" ultra wide. Now I just have that one

The games I play are so much better on an ultra wide and for work I just snap windows left and right. Desk is also a lot cleaner
 
Brakum said:
I always have a high end PC but i feel like having a second monitor is way too important for me. I would never go back to single monitor. So i would rather always only have a budget PC but have a second monitor over having the best PC money can buy and not be allowed to have a second monitor.
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Whynotboth.gif I mean... whats the point of having a high end PC, if you're not going to use a multi monitor set up? Right now, I have three monitors plugged into my PC. I have one 21:9 monitor, one 16:9 monitor and one 4:3 monitor. I use to have a 16:10 (1920x1200) monitor plugged into this PC (I still have this monitor). But I replaced it with an old 1280x1024 Dell LCD for emulation.
 
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2nd monitor just for work. If the PC is just for gaming then I can make do without the second monitor.

Right now my second monitor is a 15 year old Benq monitor. It still works flawlessly. Sometimes I wish it broke down to have an excuse to buy another one but truly I'd rather spend it on a new GPU.
 
One new monitor by LG that I had my eye on is this one... Which is essentially two 16:9 monitors stacked up vertically. I am kind of sick of horizontal monitors for PC use. To be honest, I never liked the 16:9 format for PC's. Taking away horizontal space has always been stupid. I have been producing my own animation, and I need more vertical space for editors and software. I almost want to purchase image related. But I am not sure about the screen resolution for the price.

zsYexAV.png
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I don't work on a gaming PC or vice versa. I have a separate one in the office and the gaming PC is just hooked up to the TV.
 
I have a second monitor but only for my work laptop. My gaming PC doesn't even connect to it.

Odd to imagine favoring a second monitor over a powerful PC, tbh.
 
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