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Can Dual Monitors Slow Down A Computer (Solved)

A dual monitor setup is a brilliant way to enhance your experience when using your computer for gaming, work, or other intensive activities such as Google Meet or using a webcam for an interview. If you haven’t had a dual monitor set up before, then you can be forgiven for thinking that all you need to do is plug them in and that’s it!

Can dual monitors slow down computers?

Do dual monitors use more RAM?

How can you tell if your computer is slow?

In this article, you can learn the answers to these questions and more. Read on to learn all you need to know about dual monitors and the effect they can have on your computer’s performance.

Can Dual Monitors Slow Down Computer Performance?

When using dual monitors there can be a slowdown in performance. This is more noticeable when you are doing intensive activities such as gaming, watching high-quality videos, or other specialist activities. The slowdown is caused by the fact that the computer needs to manage the images on two screens and not just the usual one.

To get the best performance out of dual monitors make sure they are set up to use the same colour format and resolutions. It is also recommended to check you have installed dual monitor driver software. If you are experiencing poor performance when using dual monitors check the following:

  • Make sure the graphics drivers are up to date
  • For gaming make sure the graphics cards are within the recommended specifications
  • Check the colour format is the same for both monitors
  • Check the resolutions are the same
  • If you have a system that is more than 5 years old, then it may not support dual monitors

You also may consider opting for a single ultrawide screen.

Do Dual Monitors Use More RAM?

In case you don’t know RAM stands for Random Access Memory. The RAM is the computers short term memory that is used for temporary storage for every program that the computer is running.

If you have a dual monitor setup but you still only run the same total amount of programs as before, then your RAM usage should stay roughly the same.

However, if switching to dual monitors means you are going to have more programs running than before, you may need to consider adding more RAM to your system.

Read Docking Stations For Dual Monitors.

Will Using Two Monitors Reduce FPS?

FPS stands for Frames Per Second. This is the number of full-screen images shown consecutively per second. Most monitors support a refresh rate of at least 60 hertz which allows an FPS of 60.

When using a dual monitor setup your graphics card and system must work harder as it needs to provide the images to both screens. Therefore, this could cause a drop in the FPS. Having said that, the drop in FPS may not even be noticeable! It will depend on what you are doing and how powerful your setup is.

For example, if you are gaming on one screen but using the other screen for viewing text, then a drop in FPS may not happen. However, if you are gaming on one screen and watching high-quality video on the other, this may cause a noticeable drop in FPS due to the workload.

Ultimately, it depends on what you are using the monitors for. Not all games are optimized to play on dual screens which means you could just use a single monitor and enjoy the best FPS.

If you are using AutoCAD you may want to check my article about curved monitor for AutoCAD.

how can you make your computer faster?

There are many possible reasons for your computer to run slowly. Here are the best tips to help speed up performance –

  • Reboot. Rebooting your system should always be the first fix that you try. If you normally leave your computer on, then simply rebooting may boost performance. Don’t just press restart. Instead, completely switch off the computer, leave it for a few minutes, then switch it back on.
  • Stop unnecessary programs. A common cause of a slow computer is that there are too many programs running in the background. When you start up the system there are many programs that start automatically. Go to ‘Task Manager’ to check what is running and close programs that are not needed.
  • Delete temporary files. Your computer will save temporary files when running programs. It is worth periodically deleting these files to free up space and improve performance.
  • Run a scan. It is worth running a scan to check for viruses or malware. If any are found, take the appropriate action to remove them.
  • Updates. Make sure all updates are installed. This ensures you have the latest software running and the latest drivers for your hardware.
  • Check plug-ins. If you have too many plug-ins, then this could cause poor performance.
  • Upgrade the system. Poor performance may be caused by having an older system. Check if adding more RAM or upgrading the CPU (Central Processing Unit) will boost performance.

If after checking all of this you are still experiencing poor performance, then it may be time to get a new computer!

What Other Things May Slow Down My Computer?

Once you have checked all the obvious issues that may slow down your computer, there are some other suggestions that may help improve performance.

Too Many Tabs!

When browsing the web, it is easy to lose track of how many windows or browser tabs you have opened. Each window or tab you open is a drain on the system’s performance. Make sure to close any you don’t need.

Close Apps

There are some apps that constantly run in the background. If you don’t need the app to stay on, then make sure to fully close them.

OneDrive Syncing

Microsoft OneDrive is set to continuously sync; this can slow down your system’s performance. To stop this, click the OneDrive icon in the notification tray (this is located near the volume indicator), select ‘more’, and click ‘pause syncing’.

Final Thoughts

Using dual monitors doesn’t have to slow down the performance of your computer. If you follow the advice in this guide, then you can get the most out of your system every time.

Hope you found this article useful!