The Best Monitors For Dual Setup (2024 Reviews)

Looking for a good and reliable display for a multi-monitor setup?

In this buying guide, you will find the most cost-effective displays for the best dual monitor setup, including monitors with thin bezels, plenty of screen space, VESA mount and other useful features for office, professional and productivity work.

These are the best monitors for a multiple-monitor setup. As you can see, they differentiate by screen size and resolution as well as connectivity choices, VESA mount compatibility and even panel type.

In order to be certain you’re getting the right monitor, make sure your graphics card can support the resolution you want and that its ports match those of the monitor.

Also, remember that all monitors in this list have an integrated low-blue light filter and a flicker-free screen.

In case you are sensitive to screen flicker or you often work for a prolonged time or at night, these two features will prevent eye fatigue and headaches.

For gaming, we don’t recommend dual monitors as you’d always have an annoying gap right in the center of the screen — unless you plan on gaming on one monitor and web surfing, chatting, etc on the other.

A triple monitor setup for gaming makes more sense as you simply extend the screen at the sides.

But this method is more expensive, and if you’re after such an immersive gaming experience, you should consider getting an ultra-wide gaming monitor.

If a monitor supports a VESA mount, you can detach its base and mount it on a third-party desk or wall mount which will give you more desk space and therefore further increase your productivity.

In case the monitor has no VESA mount compatibility and limited ergonomics, you may want to consider getting a monitor riser so that you can adjust the height of the screen for your viewing position.

Visit our best monitor stands and risers buyer’s guide for the best deals.

You can also view our changelogs for this buying guide at the end of this guide.

Best 1080p Monitors For Dual Setup

The following category consists of reliable and cost-effective displays for the best budget dual monitor setup.

About The Monitor

The Acer SB220Q is the best monitor for a cheap dual monitor setup.

Image Quality

The monitor is based on an IPS panel, which will provide you with vibrant and consistent colors and wide viewing angles, meaning that the picture won’t shift in color, contrast, or brightness if you’re looking at the screen for skewed angles.

So, if you were to take three of these screens and align them at an angle to form a cockpit-style screen, the image of the monitors at the sides wouldn’t degrade in quality.

Although the Acer SB220Q is only 21.5″ in size, it has a Full HD screen resolution which will provide you with a rich pixel density, or in other words, plenty of screen real estate for your apps, browsers and whatnot.

Features

As previously mentioned, the Acer SB220Q is also great for gaming.

You get the AMD FreeSync technology, which allows you to synchronize the monitor’s refresh rate with the GPU’s frame rate, thus eliminating screen tearing and stuttering — given that you have an AMD FreeSync card.

Moreover, the monitor offers a 75Hz refresh rate, which gives you a small but noticeable boost in motion clarity for fast-paced gaming.

Other gaming-related features include ‘Black Boost’ for better visibility in dark games and various pre-calibrated picture presets.

Design & Connectivity

The Acer SB220Q monitor has a tilt-only design and it’s not VESA mount compatible.

As you can see, the display has very thin bezels and a slim design, which makes it ideal for a multi-monitor setup. Connectivity consists of one HDMI input and one VGA (D-Sub) port.

Alternatives

• Acer SB222Q Hbi – 22″ 1080p 100Hz model with a VA panel
• Philips 221V8LN – 22″ 1080p 75Hz VA model with VESA mount compatibility

About The Monitor

The Acer SH242Y Ebmihx is slightly more expensive than the Acer SB220Q, but it will provide you with a larger screen, an ergonomic stand and a higher 100Hz refresh rate!

Image Quality

Just like the SB220Q, the Acer SH242Y Ebmihx features an IPS panel with rich colors, wide viewing angles and Full HD resolution as well as a 100Hz refresh rate.

100Hz provides you with a noticeable boost in motion clarity as opposed to 60-75Hz displays. The motion is significantly smoother not just in games, but also just by moving your cursor around.

The best thing is that these new 100Hz budget displays aren’t more expensive than the older standard 60-75Hz displays.

Due to its larger screen, it offers a bit lower pixel density than the SB220Q, but you will still get sharp and vivid text as well as plenty of screen real estate.

Features

The Acer SH242Y Ebmihx monitor offers additional features, such as Black Boost for better visibility in darker scenes, a low blue-light filter and various picture presets.

Further, AMD FreeSync is supported up to 100Hz for tear-free gameplay. However, since there’s no DisplayPort input, VRR only works with AMD Radeon graphics cards.

Design & Connectivity

Moving on, the monitor has thin bezels and a slim design with versatile ergonomics including up to 80mm height adjustment, -5°/15° tilt, +/- 360° swivel and 75x75mm VESA mount compatibility (only two holes).

Connectivity includes HDMI 1.4, VGA, a headphone jack and dual 1W integrated speakers.

Alternatives

• ASUS VA24DQ – IPS, with DisplayPort and FreeSync up to 75Hz, allowing you to use VRR with compatible NVIDIA GPUs. However, it has a tilt-only stand
• Sceptre E248W-FW100T – 24″ 1080p 100Hz VA model with FreeSync and DisplayPort

We don’t recommend 27″ 1080p monitors as they have low pixel density, so text won’t be as clear – yet they’re more expensive than the 24″ sized models

For gamers, we also recommend high refresh rate gaming monitors.

For instance, the BenQ EX240 goes for ~$160 and offers a height-adjustable stand, a USB hub, integrated speakers, 165Hz and a wide color gamut for more vibrant colors. There’s also the KTC H24T09P with a wide color gamut IPS panel, 165Hz and tilt-only stand for ~$100.

Best 1440p Monitor For Dual Setup

About The Monitor

The KTC H27T13 is the most affordable 1440p display!

Image Quality

For most people, a 27″ 1440p display with 108 PPI has just the right pixel density as you get plenty of screen real estate with reasonably sharp details and text, and you don’t have to use any scaling!

On a 27″ 4K display, you would need to use scaling to make small text readable. This would increase detail clarity in comparison to a 27″ 1440p monitor, but you would get the same amount of screen space.

However, some applications may not handle scaling very well, leading to the interface being either too small or too big. Most newer apps don’t have any issues with this, but if you’re using older software, it’s worth keeping in mind.

Further, for most users, 27″ 1440p will be more than sharp enough for productivity work and basic everyday use

The KTC H27T13 even has a high 100Hz refresh rate for notably smoother motion clarity as opposed to 60-75Hz displays, VRR support for tear-free gameplay and a wide 123% sRGB color gamut volume for more vibrant colors!

Other specifications include a decent 300-nit peak brightness and a 1,300:1 static contrast ratio, which is a bit better than average for an IPS panel!

Design & Connectivity

The stand of the monitor is tilt-only, but it’s sturdy and can be detached so that the screen can be mounted on a third-party stand via the 100x100mm VESA pattern.

Connectivity options include two HDMI 2.0 ports, DisplayPort 1.2 and a headphone jack.

Alternatives

• MSI MP275Q – a more expensive model by MSI based on the same panel with integrated speakers, but no wide color gamut
• Acer SB272UE – Acer’s model based on the same panel, no wide color gamut nor integrated speakers

Best 4K Monitor For Dual Setup

About The Monitor

Nowadays, you can even find affordable 4K monitors. In fact, the Sceptre U275W-UPT is actually cheaper than 27″ 1440p displays.

Image Quality

4K UHD looks incredibly sharp on 27″ sized screens thanks to the high pixel density of 163 PPI. This also means that you’ll have to use scaling in order to make small text readable.

As a result, depending on the amount of scaling, you get around the same amount of screen real estate as you would on a 27″ 1440 display, but with a lot sharper text!

Some applications don’t scale well, which can cause issues with the interface being either too small or too big. Luckily, most applications nowadays work just fine, but if you’re using older software, be sure to check how it handles scaling.

Another thing to keep in mind is that you’ll need a graphics card that can output two 4K displays. While this might be an issue with older cards, even entry-level newer GPUs can handle two or more 4K monitors.

Other specifications include a 350-nit peak brightness, 99% sRGB color gamut and a 1,000:1 contrast ratio. The Sceptre U275W goes up to 70Hz but doesn’t support AMD FreeSync.

Design & Connectivity

The stand of the monitor is sturdy, but it’s tilt-only. Luckily, the screen is VESA mount compatible via the 100x100mm pattern.

Connectivity options include DP 1.2, one HDMI 2.0 port with 4K 60Hz support, two HDMI 1.4 ports (limited to 4K 30Hz), integrated speakers and a headphone jack.

Alternatives

In case the Sceptre U275W is not available, check out the Philips 278E1A, the Dell S2721QS (ergonomic stand) and LG’s 27UK580 (ergo stand) and other models.

There’s also a 32″ version of this monitor, the Sceptre U325W-UPT with excellent value for the price.

Which Dual Monitor Setup Is Right For Me?

When buying a monitor or two for a multiple monitor setup, there are certain things you should take into consideration, the first one being — do you really need a dual monitor setup?

Let’s say your work involves having multiple office applications open at the same time while researching with several tabs open in the browser.

In this case, getting an extra monitor will help you out more than any other PC component upgrade.

Compatibility

First, make sure that your graphics card supports dual monitor setups. Most older GPUs do, but some don’t support triple display setups, so make sure to check your graphics card capabilities.

Naturally, also ensure that your GPU offers the same ports as the monitors you want, unless you plan on purchasing extra VGA-DVI, DVI-HDMI, DisplayPort-HDMI, etc. converters/adapters.

You don’t need any extra multi-monitor tools or software as both Windows and Mac offer easy and user-friendly adjustments and configuration.

Best Size For Dual Monitors

Keep in mind that a bigger screen is not always better. First of all, a big monitor should have a proportionally high resolution if you wish to have a lot of screen space and clear, easily readable text.

That’s why we didn’t include monitors with low pixel density. For instance, 27″ 1080p monitors have a low pixel density which results in smudgy text, making 24″ 1080p monitors a much better (yet cheaper) choice.

Besides the pixel density, you should also take into account the total screen size of all monitors in the setup.

For instance, if you get three 27″ 1440p monitors and place them side by side, you might find that you have to move your head left-right too often and that a smaller 24″ monitor setup would’ve suited you better.

UltraWide Monitor vs Dual Monitor Setup

Not sure whether you should get two 24″-27″ monitors or a single ultrawide display?

Well, a dual monitor setup will provide you with more screen real estate than a 21:9 ultrawide monitor, and overall better results for productivity.

However, if your work involves audio or video editing, an ultrawide display is a better choice as you get more horizontal space for video timelines and audio editing, arranging, etc.

Ideally, for video editing, you should get an ultrawide display and a good secondary monitor for previewing your work.

For gaming, we recommend an ultrawide monitor instead of a multi-monitor setup.

Picture Uniformity Across Multiple Displays

Another thing to keep in mind is that even if you buy two or three identical monitors for a multi-monitor setup, they may not have an identical image quality out of the box.

Since each panel is at least slightly different, you will likely need to calibrate the brightness, contrast, and color settings if you want an identical picture quality on both displays, which can be pretty frustrating and time-consuming.

In some cases, you may not be able to get perfect results without professional calibration tools. If you are sensitive to this, you might want to consider just getting a good ultra-wide monitor.

Conclusion

Overall, the Acer SB220Q offers everything you need to boost your productivity and two or three 24″ 1080p monitors will suffice for most people.

If you can afford something pricier, the KTC H27T13 will provide you with considerably more screen space, while the Sceptre U275W-UPT also improves upon detail clarity a bit for a higher price.

Have you found your perfect monitor for a multi-monitor setup? Feel free to leave any questions you might have in the comments below.