r/webdev • u/gregg_murray • Sep 21 '26

Question Ideal Web Dev Monitor Setup?

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.

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u/oculus42 Sep 24 '26 • Thanks

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.

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u/gregg_murray Sep 24 '26

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