From the team at [ClassyMachine.store](https://www.ClassyMachine.store) 🖥️✨

Whether you’re cutting timelines, color grading, streaming with overlays/HUDs, or juggling dashboards, your monitor layout can save real hours. Here’s a practical, creator-first breakdown of single ultrawide vs. dual displays—with concrete layouts, gear tips, and setup checklists

TL;DR

- Choose a single ultrawide if you want one seamless canvas with no bezel in the middle, split into virtual zones for timeline, viewer, and HUDs.
- Choose dual displays if you need strict app separation, a dedicated color-accurate panel for preview, or you rely on stacked/portrait layouts.

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How the work maps to screen space

- Editing/grading: long horizontal timelines benefit from wide, continuous space.
- Streaming/HUDs: OBS, chat, audio mixer, alerts—run best on a secondary area you never cover.
- 3D/VFX: large viewport + node graph/compositor panel side by side.
- Coding/docs: editor + console + docs; portrait monitors shine here.

When a single ultrawide shines

- You live on the timeline: video editors, sound designers, DAW users.
- You want zero center bezel for color, tracking, or immersive 3D.
- You’re okay with software “zones” to snap apps.

Recommended classes:
- 34″ 3440×1440 (21:9): great value, ~110 PPI sweet spot.
- 38″ 3840×1600 (21:9): more vertical room for bins/inspector.
- 40″–45″ 5120×2160 “5K2K” (21:9): superb for color/preview text clarity.
- 49″ 5120×1440 (32:9, ~two 27″ QHD): a “dual” without the bezel.
- Curvature: 1000R–1800R reduces edge distortion and eye strain.

Pro tips:
- Use OS zones: Windows PowerToys FancyZones; macOS Rectangle/Stages.
- Calibrate once, then carve stable regions for “Program,” “Timeline,” “HUD.”
- Consider PBP/PIP to simulate two inputs (e.g., PC + laptop) on one panel.

Cables/GPU:
- For 5K2K or 49″ at high Hz: DisplayPort 1.4 (DSC) or HDMI 2.1.
- USB‑C (DP Alt Mode) for laptops; check 100 W power delivery if docking.

When dual displays win

- You want a dedicated, color‑accurate preview screen and a separate “tools” screen.
- You stream: keep OBS, chat, and audio mixer isolated and always visible.
- You prefer stacked or portrait orientations for code or docs.

Popular layouts:
- 2×27″ 2560×1440 (QHD): affordable, balanced pixel density.
- 2×32″ 3840×2160 (4K): razor‑sharp preview, massive canvas.
- 27″ 4K + 24″ portrait 1200p: preview on 4K, scripts/notes in portrait.
- Stacked: main front‑and‑center, secondary above for HUDs/dashboards.

Pro tips:
- Match size, resolution, and panel type to minimize color mismatch.
- Calibrate both; set the main display directly in front to protect your neck.
- Use VESA arms to pull the secondary slightly in and tilt down.
- Disable “span across displays” for editing apps; keep windows per screen.

Cables/GPU:
- Dual 4K can stress older GPUs; prefer DisplayPort 1.4 for 10‑bit and 60+ Hz.
- If daisy chaining via DP MST, confirm bandwidth and 10‑bit requirements.

HUDs and streaming overlays: best practices

- OBS on secondary space: never cover it with your NLE/game.
- Chat and alerts: stack vertically on a narrow portrait monitor or a narrow ultrawide zone.
- Audio (Wave Link/Voicemeeter/Loopback): pin meters where peripheral vision catches peaks.
- Use global hotkeys/Stream Deck so you don’t alt‑tab away from your timeline.

Ergonomics that actually matter

- Distance: about an arm’s length; add 10–20% for 49″+.
- Eye line: top of the main screen at or slightly below eye level.
- Curvature: 1000R–1800R for 34–49″ ultrawides to reduce head turning.
- Arms and mounts: free desk space, align bezels, fine‑tune tilt and height.
- Lighting: bias light (6500K) behind the display reduces eye strain and boosts perceived contrast.

Color and accuracy notes

- Panel types: IPS/mini‑LED for editing; VA for contrast; OLED for blacks (mind ABL and burn‑in safeguards).
- Coverage targets: 100% sRGB for web; 90%+ DCI‑P3 or Adobe RGB for grading/design.
- Hardware LUT calibration beats software-only profiles.
- Keep brightness consistent across displays (e.g., 120 cd/m² in a dim room).

Example layouts you can copy

- Ultrawide 38″ 3840×1600
  - Left 60%: timeline + bins
  - Right top 25%: Program/Scopes
  - Right bottom 15%: HUD (OBS/chat/mixer)

- Dual 27″ QHD
  - Left: NLE timeline full-screen
  - Right top: Program/Scopes
  - Right bottom: OBS + chat

- Stacked 32″ 4K over 27″ QHD
  - Bottom (primary): timeline + viewer
  - Top: HUDs, Discord, notes, reference stills

Buying guide: quick picks by workload

- Video editors (balanced): 38″ 3840×1600 ultrawide or 2×27″ QHD.
- Color-first: 5K2K ultrawide with high‑end color, or 27–32″ 4K calibrated + secondary utility screen.
- Streamers: 49″ 32:9 ultrawide with strict zones, or main + portrait side monitor.
- Developers/analysts: dual with one portrait; or 5K2K for three-column IDE + docs.

Connections checklist:
- Prefer DisplayPort 1.4 for 10‑bit and high refresh; HDMI 2.1 if console use.
- USB‑C hub/PD if you dock a laptop.
- KVM needs: check built‑in KVM on some creator ultrawides.

Setup checklist

1. Position main screen centered; secondary angled 10–20° toward you.
2. Calibrate displays; set consistent white point (D65) and luminance.
3. Create window zones (FancyZones/Rectangle); save app layouts.
4. Assign hotkeys/Stream Deck for scene swaps, mute, markers.
5. Test GPU headroom: play a 4K timeline while running scopes and HUDs.

The bottom line

- For long timelines and a “single canvas” mindset, a curved ultrawide with smart window zoning is magic.
- For strict separation, color preview, and flexible orientations, dual displays win.
- Many pros blend both: a calibrated 27–32″ 4K as the main, plus a side portrait or a small utility screen for HUDs.

If you want a clean, dialed rig, we’ve curated mounts, arms, cables, and creator‑class displays at [ClassyMachine.store](https://www.ClassyMachine.store). Build the screen space that fits your flow. 🎯