Can an Ultrawide monitor duplicate all the functionality of a dual monitor setup?

[Slayven]

I need more screen real estate but I don't have the desk space for a second stand that another monitor would need. Could I game on one side and have youtube or discord up on the other side? I know folks will say get another desk but I like my desk it is the only one I ever seen of the like. It has a raised shelf on the front where I set my desktop and monitor. I don't like putting my desktop near the floor and it's not in any danger of spills

 

[Steel]

I mean, you'd have to do a pretty small window to do both youtube and a game on an ultra-wide. Multi-monitor is really the way to go. I'm sure there's some combined mount you could use instead.

 

[Phoenics]

an ultra wide, can act and feel like a dual monitor for sure, you can snap tabs on one side to the other, my friend does it all the time and it works great.
i guess it has its pluses and minuses. but it for sure can work out

 

[DJ_Lae]

You can get monitor stands that include VESA mounts for two (or three) monitors.

I'd probably go that route over an ultrawide, as while you could game windowed and squish something in on the side, it wouldn't be ideal.

 

[Quantum Leap]

I've been using my 34 incher since 2015 and no It's not the same thing as dual monitors

 

[zou]

nope.

 

[kvetcha]

You certainly can with the Samsung super ultrawides. They accept multiple inputs and can display two full 1080p/1440p (depending on which model) screens side by side, or just operate as a single double-wide screen.

 

[Knight613]

Kind of feel like even a 34" ultrawide monitor wouldn't give you as much to work with as 2 24" monitors.

 

[Atomic Playboy]

You can get monitor stands that include VESA mounts for two (or three) monitors.

I'd probably go that route over an ultrawide, as while you could game windowed and squish something in on the side, it wouldn't be ideal.

Click to shrink...

I think this would be the way to go. That or a custom mounting option that allowed dual monitors as opposed to an ultra-wide (my friend ended up building his own mount for a tri-monitor setup, so that's something to consider if you're handy).

 

[Dodongo]

You can get monitor stands that include VESA mounts for two (or three) monitors.

I'd probably go that route over an ultrawide, as while you could game windowed and squish something in on the side, it wouldn't be ideal.

Click to shrink...

This is what I do. My stand has a single base, but holds three monitors.

 

[Wraith]

You can get monitor stands that include VESA mounts for two (or three) monitors.

Click to shrink...

This is probably the easiest answer, as long as OP's current monitor supports a standard mount.

 

[Android Sophia]

A 1080p Ultrawide is basically like having two 4:3 monitors as one.

If your intent is gaming + Discord, a second monitor setup is probably a better idea. That said, if the game has no issues with scaling to the aspect ratio, then it's viable.

 

[zer0blivion]

Just get something like this: Dual Monitor Adjustable Gas Spring Desk Mount, For Smaller Screens Up to 27in https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=24588

 

[Tbm24]

An Ultrawide is not a good choice if you have desires like gaming on one side and doing stuff on the other. I wouldn't be hard to do, just run a game in windowed mode, but I wouldn't recommend it. An ultrawide for productivity is only a better option depending on your work flow. For the software/server work that I do, I need separate screens.

 

[Chopchop]

With ultrawide, I'm not sure how well games would react if you did things like set a game to borderless windowed mode so that you could do stuff on the other side of the monitor.

I agree that one stand that holds more than two monitors is a good option. You could also consider turning one of your monitors to a portrait orientation to make better use of vertical space.

 

[JediMasterMatt]

If by ultrawide you mean only a 21:9 aspect ratio - then no, they can't fully duplicate a dual 16:9 environment.

If by ultrawide you mean anything wider than 16:9 - then yes, a 32:9 aspect ratio monitor is dual 16:9s and more.

With virtual frames to snap things into, you can accomplish anything you want on the screen.

I've got ultrawide at home and work and can't got back now. Gaming is one thing; but, the power or more than 16:9 on a spreadsheet is just as impactful. I've got a 32:9 at home and a 21:9 and a vertical 16:9 at the office.

If you are in the market for dual monitors, definitely look into ultrawide as an option.

 

[Souzetsu]

The LG 49WL95C-W is a 49" monitor that you can virtually split into two 27" 2560 x 1440 resolution monitors. As to how well it works, I can't say for sure. But if it's the lack of desk space, you can get mounts that clamp onto the desk if your monitors have VESA mount support.

 

[Lump]

Ultrawide - yes, but the two windows are not as wide as you would get as one wide window on a standard 16:9 monitor. Still fine for most work purposes. It's how I work from home most days in a week.

Super Ultrawide - Yes. No asterisks.

 

[exodus]

Dual monitor gives you 4 anchor points for split screen windows whereas ultrawide only gives you 2. The wide aspect is also not nearly as wide as dual monitors.

16:9 (single monitor) vs 21:9 (ultrawide) vs 32:9 (dual monitor)

Also, ultrawides tend to be curved and you're going to have a subpar experience if you're not playing your game full-screen. It's also going to be a pain since not all games will play nicely how you would like them to with only a partial viewport.

Have you looked into a dual VESA mount?

 

[sgtnosboss]

I need more screen real estate but I don't have the desk space for a second stand that another monitor would need. Could I game on one side and have youtube or discord up on the other side? I know folks will say get another desk but I like my desk it is the only one I ever seen of the like. It has a raised shelf on the front where I set my desktop and monitor. I don't like putting my desktop near the floor and it's not in any danger of spills

Click to shrink...

They make a ton of multi-monitor mounts

Amazon

 

[sgtnosboss]

Just get something like this: Dual Monitor Adjustable Gas Spring Desk Mount, For Smaller Screens Up to 27in https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=24588

Click to shrink...

you get me

 

[itwasTuesday]

Clamp style vesa mount attached to edge of desk. Do that.

And turn the non gaming monitor vertical.

 

[TheOMan]

I have a 43 inch 4k monitor. I don't know that I'll ever go back a dual monitor setup, so you may want to look into that.

 

[Carbon]

Clamp style vesa mount attached to edge of desk. Do that.

And turn the non gaming monitor vertical.

Click to shrink...

That's what I do at work (graphic design), one vertical and one horizontal works great. 👍

Ultrawide is better for gaming IMO, but dual/triple monitor is a better work setup, unless, as others have stated here, you go full 32:9 or wider.

 

[zou]

Ultrawide - yes, but the two windows are not as wide as you would get as one wide window on a standard 16:9 monitor. Still fine for most work purposes. It's how I work from home most days in a week.

Super Ultrawide - Yes. No asterisks.

Click to shrink...

what's the model/resolution on the first one?

 

[Lump]

what's the model/resolution on the first one?

Click to shrink...

Not sure - just Google Image searched what two open windows would generally look like at that aspect ratio. It looks like it would be 3440x1440. With the text size showing as it is, I can't imagine it's 1080 vertical.

 

[Clowns]

Another vote for a VESA stand. Just try to use two of the same monitor, for consistency of color/brightness/aesthetics, if you can.