Shopsmith Forums

I've been trying to decide what things I could do to improve my computer situation in that my main computer is now pretty old and lacking behind the curve on performance. I had decided to start putting together a new one using parts just behind the cutting edge to gain the price advantage of established parts.

When I got a new lap top I went with the dell XPS13 with the 10th gen i7 and higher resolution 4K screen. I love it! And without a doubt it is faster then my main machine in every respect.

The display being only 13" and 3840 x 2400 has been limiting my use of things like sketchup as I still like to see things on the larger screen of my main system. The monitor there is a 25" with a maximum 2560 x 1440. I got a dell hub so I can get the laptop to the main screen HDMI but that is still a long way from the what the laptop can do.

So this month I have started by buying a 27" monitor that can do 3840 x 2160. It arrived today and I have it unboxed and warming to room temperature. It has two HDMI ports and a display port. I hope to have the laptop connected to one of the HDMI ports when I want to take advantage of the larger display and bring the laptop to the desk where I will use it rather then the main computer for those times when the speed and larger display will be useful and then I can unplug it and use it has it has been, just a laptop. The other HDMI I can then use for the main computer for general use.

I'll move the old monitor over to another computer that has an even older display. That is a MAJOR update for that one. Then that monitor can replace one that is a TV/monitor what works but just barely.

So I will have some down time but by morning I should be up and working at all three/four computers. What I'm most interested in seeing is the lap top on the big screen.

Ed

Ed,

A couple years ago I bought a 42" 4K TV to use as my main monitor. The screen is nothing special, it is a Best Buy budget brand, but I really have no complaints about its quality. It is great for design programs, in my case mostly Vectric Aspire for CNC work, but really any kind of design program where you want to have lots of real estate. I almost wish I would have sprung for a 50" though as some things are still just a tad too small.

I am fortunate to have a Dell 43" 4k monitor. An IT friend of mine got me a massive discount on it...otherwise it would have been prohibitively expensive. I really like it because I can have one large monitor that still has a decent screen height. For CAD or gaming, most people have a dual monitor setup. This worked well when the monitors were still 4:3 aspect ratio, but when the industry moved to widescreen (16:9) and ultra-widescreen (21:9) formats it makes it difficult having enough vertical real estate for displaying CAD applications (too much zooming in and/or panning up/down is required). Using a much larger monitor like this gives me 21" of vertical visible on the monitor and 37" horizontal so it is a 16:9 aspect ratio. For comparison a 24" monitor (common sized used in dual monitor setups) has only an 11.5" vertical that is viewable. So, I have almost twice the height for display. It is overkill for a lot that I use it for, but for CAD work it excels. Still, I wouldn't want to go back to using smaller dual monitors for apps like Microsoft Word, Excel, etc. where having more vertical pixels is important for display to minimize scrolling.

Having said all of this, a 27" computer monitor is really about the perfect size for home use. You will really appreciate it and get good use out of it. Also, they are reasonably priced now. I remember the first 27" monitor that I purchased was $1k, but that was many years ago.

Ed, with your new monitor can you utilize it like a dual monitor (split screen) with say Sketchup on one screen and the forum on the other OR

an excel spread sheet on one and stock market on the other

while being able to input to either.

dusty wrote: ↑Tue Feb 09, 2021 11:48 am Ed, with your new monitor can you utilize it like a dual monitor (split screen) with say Sketchup on one screen and the forum on the other OR

an excel spread sheet on one and stock market on the other

while being able to input to either.

That is what 'Windows' is all about.

Two 'windows' side by side! . . . .

JPG wrote: ↑Tue Feb 09, 2021 12:33 pm

dusty wrote: ↑Tue Feb 09, 2021 11:48 am Ed, with your new monitor can you utilize it like a dual monitor (split screen) with say Sketchup on one screen and the forum on the other OR

an excel spread sheet on one and stock market on the other

while being able to input to either.

That is what 'Windows' is all about.

Two 'windows' side by side! . . . .

Also, Windows 10 made it easier to do split screen on a single monitor. Just hit Windows key and left or right arrow to snap the active window to one side.
https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing ... y%20space.

RFGuy wrote: ↑Tue Feb 09, 2021 1:36 pm

JPG wrote: ↑Tue Feb 09, 2021 12:33 pm

dusty wrote: ↑Tue Feb 09, 2021 11:48 am Ed, with your new monitor can you utilize it like a dual monitor (split screen) with say Sketchup on one screen and the forum on the other OR

an excel spread sheet on one and stock market on the other

while being able to input to either.

That is what 'Windows' is all about.

Two 'windows' side by side! . . . .

Also, Windows 10 made it easier to do split screen on a single monitor. Just hit Windows key and left or right arrow to snap the active window to one side.
https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing ... y%20space.

Thank you. Neat Shortcut.
I did not know this.

and it works on the secondary monitor as well.
four windows open in a flash.

Another useful display trick is to have more then one desktop. That way you can have many many things open and full screen then move between desktop. If you don't know about this tool let me know and I can get you started.

You can also click and on the window tool bar then pull up or down or right or left. Up for full screen, down for smaller, left and right for half screen to either the right or left. Yet another short cut......

Ed