Triple setup - 27" center + smaller flanks?

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sphinx99

[H]ard|Gawd
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My ideal setup would be a 27" center with a couple of 4:3 displays left and right, with height matching the center. Unfortunately I don't think I can do that anymore. But, could anyone recommend a smaller 16:10 that rotates portrait (or works with a mount that allows for it) that in portrait would match up against a 27?

From my envelope math, that would be about a 15.6" 16:10 display... basically a laptop panel, which does not seem realistic. Any other options for someone who wants a triple display setup but would prefer to keep the flanking displays smaller?
 
Nope, the laptop panels are the only game in town to flank a 27" with matching PPI and vertical resolution. It actually has been done by a [H]ardforum member named nickchong:

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?p=1038710563&highlight=#post1038710563

The problem with using laptop panels are numerous:

- need to get a converter to power them and make the signal VGA or DVI
- have to figure out how to mount them as they don't have VESA mounting brackets
- many of them are TN and look crappy in portrait mode
- realistically they are too small to be really useful, 900 pixels is too narrow for most applications like web browsers

On top of everything else PLP isn't supported by Eyefinity or nVSurround so you won't be using the wing monitors all that much. I dumped my PLP 20-30-20 (whose wing monitors are 50% larger than a 15") in favour of 3x30" landscape because of that limitation.

There are *NO* 4:3 monitors that would be a good fit for what you have, as you would be looking for a 16.5" 1440x1050 and AFAIK panels simply don't exist in that size and resolution combination.

There is another option: buy a 40" 4K display. The 40" is the same PPI as your 27", so put the 40" in the middle and get another 27" so you can put them in portrait mode on each side. The vertical resolution doesn't match but it's pretty close and the PPI is a good match. Of course if you were looking to save desk space this is *NOT* the optimal approach ;)
 
I tried a 27 center PLP setup, actually I still have one and IMO it is not a good idea. There is a reason why 20-30-20 is so popular. When your side monitors do not match your center monitor as far as size and number of pixels and when you have a solid wide setup with no height whatsoever, the PLP experience goes down significantly.
 
I have a 2560x1440 flanked by two 1600x1200 monitors. The PPI doesn't match up, and it is annoying at times, but it's generally quite workable. I usually use the side monitors for reference, and do most of my work on the 27", so it's not like I'm moving screens between monitors that often (and when I do, I use the Windows hotkeys, not the mouse).

The Eizo 22" 1920x1200 monitors (2243 and SX2262, I believe) are the closest PPI match you'll find. Even they are not very close.

http://www.eizo.com/global/products/flexscan/s2243w/
http://www.eizo.com/na/products/flexscan/sx2262w/index.html

I'd prefer a thirty inch center, but it's more that I want to dedicate the 27" to proofing, rather than general use. I don't game, by the way.
 
Please note that those sides he used are TN panels. TN panels are the worst there are when it comes to image quality under changing viewing angles. The worst is the vertical angle. If you sit behind a laptop, gamma, contrast, colors; it all shifts if you go move up or down. The nice thing about a laptop is that you can easily adjust the angle of the screen, because there are hinges on the lid.

Now, if you turn those TN screens on their side, the problem goes to the horizontal viewing angle. In reality it means that you have to sit at a fixed distance from your screens and adjust the angle of the side screens accordingly. If you move a few inch forward or back, you'll see a huge shift in colors / contrast / etc. on the side screens.

The easiest PLP setup with matching screens (size and PPI) is the 20-30-20 route with 20" 1600x1200 IPS on the sides and 30" 2560x1600 in the center. I have that, and it's great. Just be aware of the energy consumption and subsequent heat. This route will however provide more real-estate*, less DIY, better image quality and because it's all IPS it's useable with different viewing angles; meaning that you can move around a bit without huge shifts in the image, making you less prone to RSI

* 4960x1600 vs 4360x1440 is 26% more pixels and more importantly, 11% more vertically.
 
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JC,
Do you have a pic of your 20-30-20 set up? I'm curious how that would look. :)
 
Here is a 2009 pic:
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?p=1033765440&highlight=#post1033765440

There are a lot of 20-30-20 PLP pics in that topic. Some of them have a different 30" in the center, but this one (3007(-HC)) matches the best, since the monitor casing matches with the 2007FP used on the sides.

Here's a more recent picture:
http://hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=1039516309&postcount=21162

Are are some more 20-30-20 PLP setups:

http://hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=1039353232&postcount=20964
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?p=1039097479#post1039097479
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?p=1038483366#post1038483366
 
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