I currently have a 3 monitor setup, which is working wonderfully.

I have a 4th monitor which matches the other 3, and think I should incorporate it into my setup (mostly "because I can"). I've read that having 4 monitors actually doesn't help productivity, and experienced first hand the annoyance of having to shift my head too much.

What I would like to do is place the 4th monitor on top of my middle one, however I need recommendations on what to do. A wall mount isn't likely to be an option, has anyone seen some kind of "double high monitor stand" that they could recommend? stability's not a huge issue, as the stand would be resting against the wall (that I can't use the mount on).

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8 Answers

Take a look at Jeff's review of Monitor Arms then this product.

3

Can you mount a extension off your desk like this Desk Mount

Also, this is pretty cheap. I've bought a few times from mono price, these cheap/low end monitor brackets, and I've been very impressed. Especially if you go with their $30 ones or so, they have worked well. (disclaimer: no affiliation with monoprice)

IN the monitor escalation wars around my office, some guys have hit 8 or more, setting monitors on your CPU or cardboard boxes have been popular. Also one guy has built a series of shelves from wood to hold his monitors all in the positions he wants.

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Quad Vision makes some nice multi monitor stands

Your question should really be "Do I need a 4th monitor?" Chances are, unless you're a stock trader (where you'd need instant access to data at pretty much all times), you're not properly using the three you already have. nVidia has the nView tools built into their drivers in Windows that allow you to better use your three monitors. Also, you mention the "I need to move my head to see it all" issue; your problems with that (and a very bad crick in your neck) are just going to get worse if you move to a fourth monitor.

Having previously used both 3- and 4-monitor setups, I prefer having three, since a center screen will allow you to "center" on what you need to be productive.

That said, if you already have the fourth monitor, just go for it. There were some good monitor arms mentioned in the other answers that are far less than the cost of a new monitor.

Dell sells a few of two tier monitor stands like this one.

The monitor stand that I have also allows for a second tier extension

Not sure about the productivity part...

I have three, but I haven't found the head movement an issue over the last few years. Maybe I'm different?

• the left is mainly browser(s),
• the middle are text editing (xterms or similar), and
• the right is all communications (skype,IRC,gaim,email,VoIP).

I end up running text windows on all three because of remote multi-host activity I do.
Add spreadsheet planning and documentation and I'm not convinced a 4th wouldn't help.

But wouldn't really know until I tried (the 17" glass CRT I tried was just unbearable).

Word of warning to those of us with multiple monitors however...
when you travel, can you actuallly work off your laptop anymore?

It's tough.

Try Allcam stands. Very cheap. Around £100 in the UK for a 4 monitor setup.

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