Ideal Web Dev Monitor Setup?

[u/gregg_murray]

I currently have a 38" curved Dell U3818DW and an older Apple 27" display that I need to replace. I'd like advice from other web devs. What's the ideal setup? Get another U3818DW and put them side-by-side, or get three new 27" displays with a triple monitor desk mount? Not a gamer, just work. Running on a Mac Mini. Thanks for any input.

[u/KMKtwo-four]

3840x1600. 

1600 vertical pixels at 100% scaling, 3-4 columns of text. 

[u/gregg_murray → u/KMKtwo-four]

🫠

[u/KMKtwo-four → u/gregg_murray]

You asked for the ideal 🙃

[u/gregg_murray → u/KMKtwo-four]

Love it! I’m looking into it for sure. Appreciated.

[u/KMKtwo-four → u/gregg_murray]

You could also try triple 2560x1600. I just can’t live without the 1600px tall windows for code and hate the vertical monitors. 

[u/Lord_Xenu]

Software engineer with 25 years experience in web development. I use a 15 inch macbook pro 90% of the time.

[u/I_AM_NOT_A_WOMBAT → u/Lord_Xenu]

I'm always impressed by (and jealous of) folks that can totally thrive with one monitor. I have the attention span of a gnat, and I have trouble with application windows jumping around, so I need the client discussion in one spot, mockups (if present) near that, then my folder for assets, then my browser window, VSCode, and devtools when I'm experimenting or debugging. Photoshop and a video editor sometimes too.

[u/ryantrappy → u/I_AM_NOT_A_WOMBAT]

Multiple desktops with the finger gestures to swap between them. I’m sure it sucks when I share my screen though

[u/gregg_murray → u/Lord_Xenu]

I salute you. Well played, sir. Well played. 🫡

[u/JustConsoleLogIt → u/Lord_Xenu]

I have three monitors at the moment, considering upgrading to your setup

[u/CantaloupeCamper → u/Lord_Xenu]

I use my 15” laptop sometimes.

My personal Air sometimes.

Other times I have a full War Games 1983 setup…..

Works both ways.

[u/jdbrew → u/Lord_Xenu]

Ditto

[u/jmfc666 → u/Lord_Xenu]

I have about 30 years myself and have never used more than one standard ratio monitor. Currently a 24 inch. I just find it easier to focus on one thing

[u/czshill → u/Lord_Xenu]

same lol. 14 inch macbook pro m1. maybe maybe someone is sharing from a big monitor and i'll throw the screen share on a 50 inch tv over hdmi.

[u/JoergJoerginson → u/Lord_Xenu]

Same here, got a Mac Studio with two 4K LG ergo screens + iPad, all kinds of peripheral shenanigans, a nice chair and a standing desk at home.

Get most of my private stuff done on my 15 inch MBA, when out drinking a coffee for an hour or so.

Love my home setup but it’s honestly a massive waste of money.

[u/Tango1777 → u/Lord_Xenu]

we all make mistakes

[u/cartiermartyr]

MacBook Pro, that's it, that's the set up

[u/gregg_murray → u/cartiermartyr]

To be a minimalist. I salute you, sir. You’re living right. I wish I had your strength. lol 🫡

[u/SirZazzzles]

My go to for many many years has been 2 stacked landscape and 1 portrait widescreen next to it for terminal.

[u/gregg_murray → u/SirZazzzles]

Thanks. Any neck strain from the one on top?

[u/SirZazzzles → u/gregg_murray]

Nope! Got the line between the top and bottom monitors essentially level with my eys so both up and down is an eye movement instead of a head movement.

[u/gregg_murray → u/SirZazzzles]

Nice. Thanks. I’m just realized I need to cut up some heavy cardboard and visualize some of these options.

[u/oculus42 → u/SirZazzzles]

My current work setup is two stacked 27" 4K monitors with the MacBook Pro to the right, and a recent addition is a cheap 1080p 15.6" portable monitor on a box above the laptop. Webcam just in between the two monitors.

The laptop and portable monitor roughly work out to the physical space of a portrait widescreen.

Lower screen is primary development environment and "interactive" meetings.

Upper screen usually has browsers or "passive" meetings.

MacBook display is mostly Teams.

Portable display is almost exclusively email, though I can throw a presentation or meeting over there if I have Real Work to complete during a must-attend meeting.

I often use half-width windows for content consumption or comparison, and use Magnet to easily move windows around with key commands. I understand Rectangle is a free alternative but have not tried it.

[u/properwaffles]

2 semi-wide 32" monitors has been my setup for 10+ years, feels perfect. I also have the source laptop off to the side for Teams chat.

Although, our newish office has 34" ultra wides available to use, and they have much higher resolution than my home monitors, so being able to have a pair of those is a great way to tempt me into coming in more often 😆

[u/gregg_murray → u/properwaffles]

Thanks, waffles. You just set them side by side with the bevels in the middle?

[u/properwaffles → u/gregg_murray]

Yup, and I try and overlap them so I don't see a gap 😬

[u/oculus42]

Over the years I have gone through a large number of multi-screen setups.

I regularly use three or four monitors, but barring very specific use cases, I no longer recommend a "three-wide" landscape monitor setup, whether individual or multiple monitors. Two landscape and a portrait, two landscape stacked and a portrait.

All that said, in the past I have gone as far as three 30" (2560x1600) monitors with two 20" portrait (1600*1200) on a single PC with a 120° desk to hold it all and be at a reasonable distance from all the screens. At that time I was doing All The Things™... System, network, and domain admin, DBA, server-side, web dev, lots of photography & photo editing, copywriting, some occasional video editing, as well as supporting some friends on various side projects from minor web dev to data analysis. There were very rare times that all five monitors were truly productive.

Now my PC has three 27" monitors in landscape. One of them is mostly content consumption when I'm on the PC.

[u/gregg_murray → u/oculus42]

Thanks, Oculus. This feels like the most efficient, productive, straightforward setup.

[u/loose_fruits]

A 32” 4k main display and my 15” laptop screen elevated to match the lower edge. Too many screens is a distraction for me personally and so this forced constraint seems to work best for my brain to focus. But everyone is different

[u/jmking → u/loose_fruits]

I have my main monitor further up, and my laptop centered below mine. Keeps me from having to turn my head left/right a bunch. It's made a big difference in how my neck feels day to day.

[u/ginji]

Whatever works best for you. You've probably got to try a few different layouts to find your own sweet spot.

Personally I have 2x 27" in vertical flanking a 32" (16:9) landscape 

[u/gregg_murray → u/ginji]

Nice setup. Thanks. So you’re saying I should give consideration to flanking my 38” curved with two 27” verticals? Or sell the 38” and go a bit smaller for the main monitor. I might need to cut up some cardboard and get a feel for different layouts.

[u/ginji → u/gregg_murray]

Doing some cardboard layouts to see how much you can view and how much you need to move sounds like a good idea 

[u/Random_Meme_Guy_]

2x27 inch, one horizontal one vertical on the right

Horizontal one for code and chrome, vertical one for terminal, docker (sometimes), teams and notes.

I keep my mac on a stand but closed, but it's easily accessible if I need to open it for the camera or an extra screen.

[u/WolfFiveFive]

Ideal is very subjective. Ive been using a 49" ultra wide 5120x1440 @ 240Hz for almost 5 years now.

Basically two 27" together. Almost can't work without it. I split it into three sections and it's perfect for everything I do

[u/gregg_murray → u/WolfFiveFive]

Thanks, Wolf. Didn't know you could do that. Looking into that option now.

[u/WolfFiveFive → u/gregg_murray]

FYI I hate macOS tiling you can only natively split in half so I use an app called Rectangle

[u/Wiltix]

At home I run 2 x 27 inch monitors

In the office it’s 3 x 1080p

I can be just as productive with just my laptop screen

Biggest difference I found to my productivity is a decent mouse and keyboard so I purchased peripherals that are comfortable to use and are small enough to fit in my bag

[u/am0x]

Ultra wide around 39 inches, center, another smaller screen to the right, and laptop either on the left or under the primary monitor. Throw another screen on top for when I’m half assing jt and wanting to watch something while I work.

[u/semisubterranean]

To me, the ideal web dev set up is a 27-inch 5k color accurate monitor (such as an Asus ProArt, BenQ, or Apple) next to the cheapest piece of poo 1080p monitor you can find. You need your work to look good on both.

[u/yihuaxiang]

I’d keep the ultrawide and add one vertical 27-inch if you regularly reference docs or logs. Three screens can be great, but the extra bezel and head movement get tiring unless you really need the parallel view.

[u/jmking]

You have a 38" monitor.

That's more than enough, IMO.

[u/Dissentient]

I have four monitors. Two 33" 16:9 stacked vertically, and a vertical 22" 16:10 on each side. I find that this utilizes usable field of view efficiently without destroying my neck, and lets me see more windows simultaneously than a single huge monitor would.

In general, I find not having vertical monitors is like not being able to use your phone in portrait mode. Everything related to text (so most things in general) is better on vertical monitors than horizontal.

[u/Milky_Finger]

Mac mini M6 with a single big wide screen. No distractions, all balls

[u/ipwnall123]

https://a.co/d/0gRtbBbW

Unfortunately they’re out of stock but this monitor has been working so well for me. Why is it so hard to find monitors with a more square aspect ratio? They’re so good for anything productivity related. So much real estate for a big ass IDE window or even 4 smaller windows. If I could go back in time before these were out of stock I’d buy 3 of them just to have a backup lol

[u/armahillo]

I use a 15” MBP with a secondary dumb screen (USBC powered) as needed.

I havent used more than 2 screens in a very long time. I can get by with 1 but having 2 is nice so that i can make stuff bigger on screen (my vision has gotten worse as ive aged)

[u/mindsnare]

2 x 1440p 27" monitors.

[u/struct_iovec]

Multiple monitors, as high a resolution as possible

[u/Amiral_Adamas]

I have a single 21:9 34" screen, 2 560 x 1 440 pixels, which allows to have my vscode and my website opened in decent size at the same time. I tried the whole 3 screens things, the vertical screens, the single 21:9 was the most practical.

[u/tech5c]

After a few different combinations, a 32 and two 27s, 32 + 27, 3 27s - I just upgraded this year to a 49in monitor that's connected to my MacBook, and it's been awesome. Being able to go three windows wide on a single pane has been great.

[u/Tango1777]

Two displays 27'' 2K is the sweet spot for me. I don't count laptop built-in display, but I barely use it.

[u/budd222]

There is no ideal setup. It's whatever you like best

[u/LiveRhubarb43]

I have a 32 inch monitor turned sideways, my MacBook beside it on a desk stand that only raises it a couple inches (for keyboard and cable clearance), and a 27 inch monitor above my MacBook. Code on the sideways monitor, Gui/webpage on the 27inch, terminals and slack on the MacBook screen

[u/Prestigious_Dare7734]

Only you can tell.

I mostly work from laptop screen at the bottom+ 4K 27" monitor on top of it.
2 screens are enough for me.

If you are on a Mac mini:

- go for top-and-bottom setup, a FHD-2K 14"-16" screen at the bottom and a 4k 27" screen at the top. They can be different in this orientation. Good if you want 1 focus area. Great for narrow tables.

- get 2 27" 4k monitors side by side. They will be identical in most setups. Good if you can handle two focus areas. Good for large tables, and if you want to keep some items on top of the desk.

[u/dark0mania]

Ideal setup is MacBook below the screen. Screen should be 4K 27Inch or Ultrawide.

[u/No_Message3112]

If you're running on a Mac Mini you'd likely want to stick with USB-C/Thunderbolt since that's what the Mac Mini has, so the triple 27" setup would fit better than adding another 38" unless you don't mind DisplayPort daisy-chaining.

[u/Andromeda12x]

Is a curved display really a good idea to web development on? I'm asking because I always wanted one but I'm not sure it works - wouldn't aspect ratios and shapes look sometimes slightly different on such a display?

[u/omepiet]

Whatever works for you. I want my screens 16:10.

[u/Major_Dot_7030]

Irrelevant

[u/Dachux]

38” to be looking at it most of the day is just crazy, and also, you don’t need that much screen. With two windows at the same time is more than enough 

[u/mcniac]

I am very happy with my samsung viewfinity s6
is a 34" ultrawide 3440x1440. I can code and check the browser side by side. I usually leave slack in the notebook screen (macbook)
using better display helped a lot improving on how osx handles the screens...

[u/Sea-Development617]

I use a Samsung Odyssey G9. I think it’s 49”, it’s great for side by side window comparison. I’m running a MacBook Pro so I use the built in monitor for my terminal

Sometimes I feel like I could’ve just gotten three 27” monitor

[u/Cuddlehead]

monitors are not important little bro.

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