How to set up 3 Monitor (Detailed guide)

If your lifestyle, as it is for most of us, is busy and requires multitasking, then basic tools are just not for you. Whatever your job is, it is probably done using a computer. There is no modern job these days that won’t need a pc.

The thing is, when using one monitor, you totally get lost. You open lots of tabs, with different apps and programs, then you need to open software to implement your work. You also want to take breaks and watch an episode of your favorite series on a streaming service, and if you are in a hurry, you want to check your social media feeds for a quick update. Not to mention replying to emails and taking a look at the news. That sounds overwhelming right? And doing this on one monitor means that you will be so late and way behind your schedule.

So how to overcome this issue? Super easy, set up a system of multiple monitors. You don’t need to limit yourself to just two. As long as you have space, having three or four ones is going to make things much better. It will increase your productivity in a way you can’t imagine. That is because all the work is right in front of you, you don’t need to keep looking for a specific tab or close and open tabs to fit into the screen, that is just not efficient anymore.

This is the solution that most productivity professionals use and recommend. It will save you a lot of much-needed time and you will know how to set up 3 monitors easily.

You might be hesitant to try this or think that you won’t be comfortable using them. Well, we guarantee you that once you try this, you can never go back to relying on one monitor.

So, now you have the monitors and you need to set them up. And we will guide you through the steps on different versions of windows. But first, you need to consider some factors and know some things. Don’t worry though, we will discuss everything you need to know.

You can also read about Monitor Ghosting in this article.

Without further ados, let’s get started.

1- Check the device

Before you start thinking about monitors, you need to know whether your device can handle the number you desire of monitors or not. To know this, you need to check two things, the ports and the graphic card.

The ports

This is very simple. Let’s assume that you need to set up three displays, then two additional ports are needed, the third one is the primary monitor which is connected to the other two.

For a desktop, the back of the case is definitely where you are going to find the ports, but for a laptop, you need to check the left and right sides.

You should be able to find one or more ports of the following: DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort, and VGA. This depends on the model of your device. If you find two or more ports, then your device supports triple monitors. But if you see only one port, then you can’t use three displays without making some changes

The graphics card

You need to make sure that your graphics card can support three monitors at the same time. The graphics card’s manufacturer is either Nvidia or AMD, and it needs to be discrete. This means it can handle three or more monitors altogether.

Another thing to know about your graphics card is that it is connected to the motherboard. And both the graphics card and the motherboard have separate ports. But it is better to use your graphics card ports because when using the ports on both the motherboard and the discrete graphics card the performance will drop and you will notice lags.

However, seeing three ports on the card doesn’t mean that you can use them all at the same time. In fact, many older cards aren’t able to support more than two displays despite having more than two ports. To avoid confusion, all you have to do is find out the card name by heading to Control Panel, then to Device Manager, and finally to Display Adapters, and google the name with the number of monitors.

If the graphics card supports the number of displays you want, then move to the next step. But if it doesn’t, then you better buy a new graphics card. You should buy the brand that your device supports. And because it is newer with more capabilities, it will consume more power. So buying a Modular Power Supply will be necessary. Seek technical help if you face any problems while replacing your card.

If buying a new graphics card is not an option, you can get an External MultiDisplay Adapter such as a Docking Station. This is a hardware alternative that allows you to connect several monitors to any free port on your device.

It is a little expensive though, and you should be careful as you have to provide extra power for it to function, and it will heat the computer.

2- Find a compatible monitor

Now, you are ready to look for monitors. That totally depends on your preference. But there are some things you can consider to help you make a decision.

If you are a gamer, you definitely need to get advanced monitors with powerful features such as great resolution and good endurance. You can also get a wider screen at 27-inch in the middle surrounded by two 24-inch displays. This also applies to designers, animators, or artists who need a good view of details without hurting their eyes working for many hours on projects.

If you plan to use it for daily productivity tasks, then buy whatever you like. If you don’t like big screens or you don’t have enough space at your desk, then a smaller display is better, and it is definitely more affordable.

It is also recommended to get monitors with compatible connectors. Monitors usually use an HDMI cable or a VGA cable. But the VGA ones don’t have the technology provided on other monitors and the resolution is not sharp.

Monitors with DisplayPort MultiStreaming Support are even better, but a display port in your device is needed.

If you already have monitors but the connection isn’t compatible, an easier solution would be to get an adapter, which is very affordable.

3- Arrange monitors

Based on your needs, you will be able to specify the best way to arrange your set of monitors. They can be positioned either horizontally or vertically.

There are benefits of positioning the monitors vertically. If you view long spreadsheets or documents that have a great amount of data, then displaying them in a vertical position will be a practical solution.

Then, place them in the order you want. Try to adjust them right so you don’t need to change them a lot which can be exhausting.

4- Set up the display

After setting up the monitors and plugging them in, you need to do a few steps.

First, the configuration part. For Windows 10, click on display settings. But for Windows 7 or 8, right-click on the desktop and click on screen resolution.

Then, you need to confirm that all the monitors are detected. After that, click Identify, this is how you set your primary monitor which has the number 1.

You will find a drop-down menu in the options named Multiple displays do you can choose if you want to duplicate your desktop or extend the desktop across all screens.

You can also change the orientation of the displays and the resolution.

Now, you have finished the configuration of your monitors and you are ready to start enjoying the triple monitors’ experience.

Conclusion

Setting up triple monitors is not a difficult task. But you need to consider many things in order to set them up in the right way. We hope that this detailed guide was helpful and explained to you everything. Remember that you don’t need a huge budget to enjoy this experience as there are many available alternatives.

If you have any technical questions, please check out our set of articles on technical solutions, or just leave us a comment, we will be more than happy to reach out.