1. How To Set Up Monitor With Laptop

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Multiple monitors are awesome. They really are—ask anyone who’s used a two- or three-screen setup for their desktop, and they’ll tell you that they have a hard time going back to just one. Laptops have a built-in advantage here, since they have one screen: to boost productivity, just add a monitor.

RELATED:How to Use Multiple Monitors to Be More Productive

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But what if you want more than one screen hooked up to your notebook at once? What if your laptop lacks a bunch of external video ports? What if you’re travelling, and you can’t lug around a full-sized monitor? Don’t worry, you still have more options than you might think.

The Ideal Solution for Newer Laptops: Thunderbolt

Thunderbolt 3, which uses the new USB Type-C connector standard, is the newest way for laptops and tablets to output video. The advantages are obvious: a single cable can handle video, audio, standard data transmission (for external hard drives or a wired Internet connection) and power, all at the same time. Not only does this reduce clutter on your desk—assuming you have the hardware to take advantage of it, of course—it means laptops can be made smaller and thinner by consolidating ports.

So, if you have a laptop with Thunderbolt 3 and a Thunderbolt-capable monitor, this is by far the best solution. You can just hook up each monitor to one Thunderbolt/USB-C port.

However, it’s rarely that simple. Unless you have a very new laptop and very new monitors, you’ll probably need a bit more to make this work:

• If you have a laptop with multiple Thunderbolt/USB-C ports but older monitors that don’t have Thunderbolt input, you’ll need some sort of adapter for each monitor, like this USB-C to HDMI or this USB-C to DVI adapter. Remember, you’ll need one adapter for each monitor you’re connecting.
• If your laptop only has one Thunderbolt/USB-C port, you’ll likely need some sort of docking station to connect two monitors to one port. We recommend checking out this Dell Thunderbolt Dock, though there are others out there as well. Note that some laptops, like the small one-port MacBook, do not support running multiple displays from one port using these docks, so check your laptop’s specifications, and if you’re going to try a dock, buy from a store with a good return policy in case it doesn’t work.

Thunderbolt has a massive amount of video bandwidth, and it’s more that capable of supporting multiple standard monitors (the new Macbook Pros can output to two 5K displays at once, so long as you have the right adapters). Specialized adapters—basically mini-laptop docks—are designed for the purpose of regular docking to a multi-monitor setup with mice, keyboard, and other connections.

Once USB-C and Thunderbolt become more common on laptops and monitors, it’ll be the best option around for connecting to just about any kind of video output. That may take a while, since some manufacturers (like Microsoft) seem oddly hesitant to adopt the standard.

For Most Older Laptops: Get a Display Splitter Box

If you have an even slightly older laptop, it probably doesn’t have Thunderbolt/USB-C, instead sporting a VGA, DVI, HDMI, or DisplayPort port. This will let you easily add an external monitor, but if you want to connect two, things get more complicated.

Most laptops only have a single video-out option, with a rare few (like some of Lenovo’s ThinkPad line or older Macbook Pros) offering multiple ports. It’s sometimes possible to use two ports at once for multiple external monitors, but this is rare, as manufacturers tend to expect you to use your laptop’s screen and a monitor together.

So you’ll likely have to turn to a third-party solution, like the Matrox line of dual- and triple-head docks, which use a single video cable to output to multiple monitors. These are a bit expensive, but they’re probably the best solution for most people. Just keep in mind that they’ll be limited by your laptop’s graphics card, so if you have integrated graphics, don’t expect to run a bunch of 4K displays without problems.

A Cheaper, but Less-Than-Ideal Option: USB Adapters

If those multi-port docking stations are just too much money for you, there is a cheaper option. While older versions of the Universal Serial Bus standard weren’t designed to handle video-out, since version 2.0 companies have made handy adapters that can turn any USB port into a monitor-out port—like this USB-to-HDMI adapter from Cable Matters. The vast majority of these adapters are using Intel’s DisplayLink technology.

This option has a lot of advantages. Not only is it an easy way to get video-out on almost any modern Windows or macOS machine, it’s inexpensive, portable, and expandable. It’s possible, at least technically, to add as many monitors as your laptop has USB ports in this fashion.

However, USB video-out adapters basically function as their own low-power graphics cards, and they have a bigger hit on system resources like processor cycles and RAM than a standard external display. Most laptops will start to show serious performance issues if you try to add two or more monitors in this fashion. For quick and cheap multiple monitor setups, it’s best to combine your laptop’s own screen, one monitor attached with HDMI/DisplayPort/DVI, and one on a USB adapter.

A Semi-Permanent Solution for Business and Gaming Laptops: Docking Stations

We covered this briefly under Thunderbolt, but a docking station is a popular alternative to multiple adapters for power users. These gadgets usually aren’t made for specific laptop or tablet models unless they’re explicitly business-oriented; examples include Dell’s Latitude line, Lenovo ThinkPads, and Microsoft’s Surface Pro tablets. USB-only alternatives are available, but generally less powerful—more expensive options offer more flexible video ports. A model-specific expansion dock with multiple video outputs might do if you want to keep your laptop mobile with the minimum amount of setup and teardown time at your desk.

RELATED:The Best Ways to Connect an External Graphics Card to Your Laptop

A more specialized version of this idea is the external graphics card. These gadgets are really cool, because they let you hook up a full desktop-class GPU to a laptop and output to as many monitors as that card can support—usually three or four, for the mid-range options from NVIDIA and ATI.

Unfortunately, these are both limited (typically restricted to only a few models of laptop from a single manufacturer like Razer) and expensive, with docks costing $300 or more without the card that goes into them. They also require a USB 3.0 or ThunderBolt port to operate. External GPUs should become a more viable option in the future, but for the time being most consumers can only use them if they’re prepared to buy a whole new laptop and a dock and a graphics card at the same time, a $2000 investment on the low end.

Image Credits: Matrox, Dell, Lenovo, Apple, Asus, Amazon

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By now, a dual-monitor setup has become commonplace. Multitasking on a single screen is just way too confining. But why stop at two displays? I can speak from experience: Having multiple monitors (and I’m talking three, four, five, or even six) is just…awesome, and something you totally need in your life.

Right now, my main PC has a triple-monitor setup: my main 27-inch central monitor, with a 24-inch monitor on either side. I use my extra monitors for a number of things, such as comparing spreadsheets side-by-side, writing articles while also doing research, keeping tabs on my social media feeds, and, of course, watching Netflix.

Using one of your monitors in vertical orientation can make a big difference for scrolling long documents. If you’re a gamer, well, surely you can see how great three-plus monitors can be for games that support multi-monitor setups.

But before you jump in, you want to give your multi-monitor plan some forethought. This guide will walk you through all the factors you need to take into account before setting up three or more monitors.

Step 1: Check your graphics card(s)

Before you run out and buy a bunch of extra monitors, check to see whether your computer is physically capable of handling all that graphics prowess. First, look at the back of your PC: How many graphics ports (DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort, and VGA) do you see?

If you don’t have a discrete graphics card, you may only see two video ports—most motherboards come with integrated graphics that can only run dual-monitor setups. If you do have a discrete graphics card, you’ll probably see at least three ports, not including the ports on your motherboard.

Tip: While it is possible to set up multiple monitors using ports on both your motherboard and your discrete graphics card, you’ll see a performance drop and some lag when you move windows between monitors. If you want to do this, you will also need to enter your PC’s BIOS and go to Configuration > Video > Integrated graphics device and set it to “Always enable.”

Just because you see three or more ports on your discrete graphics card, however, doesn’t necessarily mean you can use all of them at the same time. For example, many older Nvidia cards are unable to run more than two monitors on a single card, even if they have more than two ports. The best way to find out whether your graphics card supports multiple monitors is to find the name of your card (Control Panel > Device Manager > Display Adapters) and Google it with the monitor setup you’re looking to run (e.g. “Nvidia GTX 770 four monitors”).

If your graphics card supports—and has enough ports for—the number of monitors you want to set up, excellent. If not, you may need to purchase an additional graphics card to get the multi-monitor support you’re looking for.

Before you buy an extra graphics card, you’ll need to make sure you have enough space in your tower (and open PCIe slots), as well as a power supply unit that can handle the extra strain.

If you buy a graphics card solely for the purpose of having multiple monitors, it’s best to get one that’s the same (or, at least in the same product family) as your current graphics card, so you can connect them using SLI (Nvidia) or CrossFire (AMD). SLI and CrossFire setups will help your graphics cards run smoothly, and they’ll also boost your PC’s overall graphics performance so you can do fun things like play games in multi-monitor mode without frame rates plummeting. You’ll get much better performance with multiple connected graphics cards than you will with multiple non-connected graphics cards. And, while you technically can run Nvidia and AMD cards side-by-side…it’s more trouble than it’s worth and I don’t recommend it.

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Alternatively, newer monitors with DisplayPort multi-streaming support can be daisy-chained together from a single DisplayPort 1.2 connection on your graphics card, using additional DisplayPort cables to connect the additional monitors to one another. The various displays don’t even need to be the same size or resolution. ViewSonic’s VP2468 is one such example. At around $250 on Amazon, this 24-inch monitor is on the pricier side, but in addition to DisplayPort-out, it also offers a premium IPS screen, and a super-thin bezel, which is ideal for multi-monitor setups.

Step 2: Select your monitors

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Once you figure out your graphics card situation, it’s time for the fun part: obtaining extra monitors. In general, monitors can be had for fairly cheap these days. Assuming you can’t finagle a hand-me-down, a 24-inch monitor with an IPS screen will run you around $170, such as the Acer R240HY. You can get a 24-inch TN screen, which will likely trade strong off-axis viewing for a lower response time—something gamers might prefer—for even less money, such as the Asus VS248H-P ($140 on Amazon). Or step down to 21.5 inches and you could find something for less than $100, as with this HP Pavilion IPS display.

Meanwhile, it you’re looking for even more screen real estate, you can find a decent 27-inch IPS screen for about $200, such as the ViewSonic VA2759-SMH, and a TN display for quite a bit less, like the $150 BenQ 2760H.

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Of course, the perfect monitor for you depends on multiple factors, including the monitors you already have, the size of your desk, and what you’re planning on using your extra monitor for.

In my case, I already had two 24-inch monitors, and I wanted a larger monitor as the centerpiece of my setup, so I picked up a 27-inch monitor and placed it between my two 24-inch displays. I’m not using my multi-monitor setup to play multi-monitor games, so the difference in sizes (and the difference in heights—my 27-inch monitor’s stand holds my 27-incher about one inch higher than my 24-inchers) isn’t an issue for me. However, if you’re planning on doing a lot of gaming or watching videos that span multiple monitors, this height difference will make for a not-so-seamless experience.

Before you buy your monitors, you’ll also want to make sure they have input ports that

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How To Set Up Monitor With Laptop

correspond with your PC’s output ports. While you could use conversion cables, such as DVI-to-HDMI or DisplayPort-to-DVI, they can be a hassle. If you have a VGA port on your PC or your monitor, I suggest staying away from it: VGA is an analog connector, which means your picture will be noticeably less sharp and colors will be less vivid.

Step 3: Set up your PC

Set up your monitors, plug them in, and turn on your PC. Voila! A perfectly-formed multi-monitor setup! Well, not so fast. Setup is easy, but there are still a couple more steps.

The first thing you’ll want to do is configure Windows to play nicely with your multiple monitors. If you’re running Windows 7 or Windows 8, right-click on the desktop and click Screen resolution; in Windows 10, click Display settings. This will take you to a screen where you can configure the options you have for multiple monitors in Windows.

Here, you can confirm that all your monitors are detected. Click Identify, which will cause a large number to appear on each of your displays, so you can determine which screen is which. Select the monitor you’d like to serve as your main display (which will also determine where your taskbar and Start button appears). A drop-down menu lets you choose whether to duplicate your desktop or extend your desktop across all the screens. In most multi-monitor setups, you’ll want to extend your desktop across all three (or four, or whatever) of your displays.

Alternately, you can set up your multi-monitor configuration in your GPU’s control panel. Right-click your desktop and choose either the Nvidia or AMD control panel (depending on your graphics card), and find the Display section, which will offer similar options as Windows.

Gaming

It’s one thing to use multiple monitors to do work and watch Netflix. It’s another thing entirely to use multiple monitors to play video games. If you want to use your snazzy new multi-monitor setup to do some three- or four-panel gaming, there are a few extra things you’ll have to take into consideration.

Gaming on several displays at once requires far more graphical firepower than gaming on a single screen alone, because the GPU has so many more pixels to push—so if you’re not running a sufficiently robust graphics card or cards, you’ll almost certainly see lag and artifacting in your multi-monitor games. Check out PCWorld’s guide for choosing the best graphics card for gaming.

Before you can start playing your games across multiple panels, you’ll need to set up your graphics card and your game. Nvidia users will need to set up Nvidia Surround, while AMD users will need to create an Eyefinity group for their monitors.

You’ll also need to go into your game—not all games are multi-monitor compatible—and configure the video or display settings to the correct resolution so that the game spans across all of your monitors instead of staying squished on just one. You’ll also want to play around with other settings as the game allows, including field of view (too low, and there will be too much going on around you; too high and everything on your left and right screens will be hugely distorted).

For gaming, it’s easier if you have multiple identical displays, because otherwise you’ll run into issues with resolution, distortion (if your displays aren’t at the same height), and color calibration, all of which can be difficult to work with if you’re trying to play in a “seamless” environment.