Psychology, time management, mental game etc. might seem elusive at times but there are some practical, tangible, concrete solutions that they managed to produce throughout the years. One of those solutions that we owe researchers from various psychology related fields is the use of multiple-monitors in boosting workplace productivity.
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Yeah, Science!
A study conducted at the University of Utah in 2004 was one of the first major indicators that using multiple monitors can dramatically boost one's productivity. According to the researchers, multiple monitors were 'significantly more usable than single screens on measures of effectiveness, comfort, learning ease, time to productivity, mistake recovery'.
Microsoft's independent study found that switching to multiple monitors could offer a boost of productivity from 9% to 50% depending on a particular task and these numbers were later confirmed by studies conducted by other companies. Furthermore, 98% of users prefer dual monitor setup to a single monitor. Turns out that once you invest in another screen, you never go back.
Poker is a game of information and the more screen real estate you have at your disposal the easier it is to optimize for acquisition and analysis of that information. Have you ever seen a trader using just one computer screen? While poker and trading aren't the same things they are similar enough to assume that poker players can also benefit from using a multi-monitor setup.
Even if you're not a fan of massive multi-tabling you can still make your sessions much more efficient by placing your poker room lobby and/or poker tracker on a separate screen. You can make the individual tables bigger and therefore easier to read, you can comfortably fit more stats in your HUD, you can have notes and charts you prepared beforehand open and visible at all times.
What To Look For In a Monitor?
If you're sold on the idea of getting an additional monitor for your laptop or desktop, but you're not a techy person and you're not really sure how to go about it, here are a few things you should keep in mind while making your choice.
Keep in mind that there are numerous viable options available on the market so instead of listing a few examples (which you're going to find later in this article), let's instead focus on a few major characteristics of computer monitors to arm you with the knowledge that you can use to make your own selection.
Resolution
This might come as a surprise to you but the actual amount of screen real estate that you have at your disposal has much less to do with the physical size of the monitor and much more to do with its resolution (or simply put, the amount of pixel that the screen is able to display). While the 'full HD' or 1920x1080 resolution has become an industry standard in the recent years, poker players and other users concerned with productivity are often going for 2560x1440 or even 4k resolution (3840x2160) monitors.
There are also ultra-wide options with a wider aspect ratio such as 2560x1080 or 3840x1600 that are also favored by power users and content creators. On the other side of the spectrum, we have people that are still playing poker on a laptop with a 1366x768 resolution which - while certainly doable - is not exactly comfortable given how you can't even comfortably tile 4 tables on a screen like that without them overlapping.
Size
In the world of monitors size, unsurprisingly, matters. While the resolution is much more important when it comes to actually fitting windows on your screen, if you want those windows to scale properly you have to make sure that your monitor is big enough. In theory, a top of the shelf smartphone with a 4k display can fit as many tables as a 32-inch 4k monitor (a pixel is a pixel is a pixel) but you wouldn't be able to see them comfortably in the former case.
For example playing poker on a 30-inch 1366x768 TV might look baller from a distance but it's actually extremely inefficient and even painful to the eyes given how you can clearly see individual pixels which make small details like cards or stack sizes really blurry. As a general rule, it's better not to go beyond 24-27 inch when shopping for a 1920x1080 monitor with 21-24' being the sweet spot. Screens larger than 27' look much better with higher resolutions like 2560x1440 and 4k.
Matte IPS Panel
We could list all the other specs that you can see on a product page of your average monitor but there's really no need for that. Unless you're a gamer or a content creator things like the monitor's refresh rate, low response time, technologies like G-Sync/Freesync or even brightness, color gamut or color depth aren't really important.
Ports
Lastly, make sure that your laptop or PC has enough ports to plug your new monitor(s) in. Keep in mind that some ports like VGA can only run the resolutions up to 1920x1080 (plus you shouldn't really use a VGA port anyway if you can help it). DVI-D ports can handle anything up to 2560x1440 or even 4k if you use two of them at the same time and if you have access to the Displayport 1.2 or HDMI 2.0 you can run every monitor that's currently on the market.
Brand/Build Quality
When it comes to features and build quality all of the major monitor brands currently on the market are fairly competitive, whether we're talking LG, DELL, Samsung, ASUS, IIyama, Acer, BenQ, Eizo, AOC etc.
Feel free to read up on some reviews of the models that you find interesting or make a trip to the store to make sure they are as robust as advertised, but as a general rule, the build quality is rarely an issue.
Basic Setup Options
Best Computer Monitors For Business
Let's discuss a few monitor setup options that you might consider upgrading to. If you're down with this whole multi-monitor productivity-boosting idea but your desk space is limited, you might want to buy a single monitor that supports an ultra-wide resolution (2560x1080, 3840x1440 etc.).
It's basically two monitors in one and this solution might be less overwhelming if you've never experimented with multi-monitor setups before. Same goes for a single 2560x1440 or 4k monitor. Another classic option, and probably the best one for the vast majority of poker players would be going with two 1920x1080 or 2560x1440 screens.
Monitor Options
After reading this article you should be able to pick a monitor by visiting your favorite real life or online store, but here are some recommendations in case you want something to base your decision on.
Almost 12 years ago, my house was robbed while I was at work. One of the items the burglar decided to relieve me of was my desktop PC. Thankfully, I was fully insured and received a payout, which I then used to buy what was my first laptop.
Since the day I bought the aforementioned laptop, the only time I have used a desktop machine was at one of my office-based jobs that I held until delving into the poker world. However, last month, I returned to the world of PCs.
Although I didn’t purchase the PC purely for playing poker, it struck me that there will be potentially many PokerNews readers out there who are in the market for a new machine that they intend to use for grinding online poker. It also dawned on me that buying a new rig can often be a daunting process if you’re not sure what you should be looking for or know what specifications you require. While this article isn’t going to go into great detail about exact specifications of computer components, by the time you finish reading it you should be armed with enough knowledge to go out there and purchase a new setup.
The first thing I’d suggest is to avoid computer superstores that sell off-the-shelf machines. Here in the UK, the biggest computer retailer is PC World. It may seem ridiculous telling you to look elsewhere, but trust me on this.
When I was pricing up my new machine I ran the specifications of various machines that were within my budget to a friend who is a huge computer nerd. At least 90% of these machines had great processors but poor graphics cards and/or poor hard disks and other components. To make a long story short, the machine that I eventually purchased cost me £843 (approx. $1,310) and the only PC World machines that can get anywhere near it carry at least a 50% premium.
Anyway, if you’re setting up an online poker grind station you’re going to want to consider the following.
Windows PC or Mac
Having been a Windows-based PC user my entire life I can only comment on these. While I love Macs and everyone I know who owns or uses a Mac sings its praises, I am a PC user.
Best Computer Monitor For Gaming
The good news about online poker sites is they generally don’t need a powerful PC on which to run. That said, once you start playing multiple tables, have third-party software running at the same time, and maybe stream some music as you play, you’re going to start needing a little more oomph. And let’s face it, you’re not only going to play poker on it, you’ll have to try out some games, too!
I’d go with a later generation Intel i5 processor. Moving into i7 territory can start to get expensive and some of the i5 versions are more than capable of handling what you’ll throw at them, including most of the latest games.
Make sure you have plenty of RAM. At least 8GB should suffice, but it is pretty cheap these days so beef it up to 16GB.
Best Computer Monitors For Eyes
As for graphics cards, make sure it’s a decent version (model 960 upwards) of a NVIDIA GeForce GTX and you’ll be fine.
Lastly, it’s worth shelling out the extra money for a Solid State Hard Drive or SSHD. These are so much faster than a standard hard drive and I believe more reliable too as they have no moving parts. While unnecessary for online poker, the 5-6 second boot time is cool enough to warrant the extra outlay.
Monitor — It’s not only size that matters
Many people fall into the trap of thinking that bigger is better when it comes to a PC monitor, and while they do have a point, it’s all about screen resolution.
Make sure the screen you’re buying is true HD and has a display of at least 1920 x 1080p so that you can play multiple tables without a ton of overlap. Once you’ve found one with a good resolution, choose your monitor size bearing in mind that a high resolution on a small screen can make everything seem tiny. I went for a 27” screen and would have opted for a 4K monitor had my budget allowed — make sure your graphics card supports 4K if you go down this route.
A wired gaming mouse
It seems that the current trend is for your mouse to be wireless, but you can’t beat the reliability of a wired mouse. For one thing, they don’t run out of batteries when you’re sitting there with aces!
When choosing a mouse, make sure that it is comfortable for how you hold it — some people like to have their hand flat, other grip it like a claw — and that it has an adjustable DPI which allows you to tailor how sensitive it is. That’s particularly useful if you have a large screen.
Most gaming mice have a number of buttons on them that allow you to assign actions to them, meaning you can click one button and you’ll fold or another and you’ll move all in. This is awesome for high volume grinders.
Above all, make sure it is comfortable to use because this is what you’ll have hold of for several hours at a time.
A gaming keyboard
While a good keyboard isn’t necessarily essential, you don’t want to scrimp and save here, either. Again, like with mice, gaming keyboards have programmable keys that can be a godsend if you play a lot of tables and/or video games. Comfort is key here if you’re going to use your machine for word processing a lot. Take it from someone who writes a lot that a bad keyboard is bad news.
Miscellaneous considerations
It’s a given that you require a comfortable, supportive chair and a roomy desk, but what about access to a wired internet connection, a backup connection, and a charged laptop?
Wireless internet is much more stable than in the past, yet plugging into the router itself means the only time you’re going to be cutoff is if the router fails or your internet goes down. Having a backup connection may seem like overkill if you only play low stakes, yet the cost of a mobile broadband dongle or being able to tether to your cell phone gives you the peace of mind that should you lose your internet connection you can be back online in no time.
But what if there’s a power cut? That’s where the fully charged laptop comes in handy. If the power goes off, fire up the laptop and either pray to the poker gods that your electricity supply returns before your laptop’s battery drains fully, or head to your nearest fast food restaurant or coffee shop and leech their power.
While you don’t have to spend several thousand building a state-of-the-art machine for playing poker, it is worth investing in something that is at least a little future-proof. Feel free to post your machine specs in the comments box and we can all nerd out together!
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