24" + 2x19" Monitors

[Maqqie]

Hey Guys,
I am considering having a 3 multi-monitor setup for my computer at one and I am thinking of having a 24" Dell LCD for my main screen with 2 19" LCDs for the left and right screen.

However I am a little concerned over how an image will look when its spread across the 3 screens. If I had an image spread across the 24" & 19", will half of it look huge and the other half look small? What if I have them at different resolutions?

Should I stick with 3 19inchces instead of 1 24" and 2 19"?

Many thanks,

Maqqie

[jfk]

The 24" and the 19" screens will operate at different native resolutions. The 19" will be 1280X1024 and I "think" that the 24" is 1920X1200. Unless you lower the resolution on the 24" to match the 19" (which will give a poorer quality image), it won't look right. I would stick with LCD monitors with the same native resolution (ie. 3 19" as you mentioned).

[Maqqie]

Originally Posted by jfk Unless you lower the resolution on the 24" to match the 19" (which will give a poorer quality image), it won't look right.

When you say "won't look right", what exactly do you mean? Currently I am running duel monitors, one 17" CRT (running at 1024x768 resolution) and one 19" LCD (running at 1280x1024 native resolution). If I spread an image across the two screens it looks fine. The only issue I have is that, if I place my cursor right to the top of my 19" LCD and move it across to my 17" CRT it will stop at the edge. I have to bring the mouse down a little then it'll cross over to the 17" CRT (just as if there were a invisible border there).

This is obviously because the 17" CRT has a lower height (1024) than the 19" LCD (1280). Is this what you mean when you say it "won't look right"? Because if it is, I am totally fine with that.

[jfk]

No. What I meant was the differing native resolutions would make the text appear different on the 24" screen vs. the 19" screen. It sure seems like it would, but I haven't ever seen a dual (or more) monitor setup that didn't have all monitors operating on the same resolution.

[thefultonhow]

The text not being the same size across screens isn't a big issue IMO. Here at work I'm typing this on a computer with an 18" 1280x1024 screen and a 14" 1400x1050 screen. At home I have a 20" 1600x1200 screen and a 14"1400x1050 screen. It's not an issue for me.

With that said, are you limited by cost? Because if you're willing to spend extra, I'd go for 20" screens instead of 19" ones to complement the 24" screen. They will match up more precisely in size and resolution.