I work in multiple programs at the same time. I’ll have Word open, sometimes Photoshop, and always an open window for Chrome and Safari. I only realized today that I should be able to operate two screens at once. My fairly new iMac has what are called Thunderbolt ports, two of them, consequently I should be able to run two external monitors. But let’s just stick to one for now.
At my local Best Buy I found an inexpensive monitor with a bright screen and a brand name I had never heard of: AOC. (external link). But it was only $120 so I wasn’t taking much of a chance. I also bought the necessary adaptor for the monitor to work with an iMac. It’s called a DVI Mini DisplayPort Adaptor and it was around $20. When I got home I found that the box did not include the necessary DVI cable to hook everything up, so I had to go back to the store, spend another $15, and, finally, I got my system working.
Everything came together as soon as the power and monitor cable were connected. I was a little disappointed that the new monitor was brighter than my iMac. So I went into “System Preferences” and discovered that I had my main screen dialed too far down. I brought the level of my iMac up a tad and now both screens match.
It’s nice to work on the main screen with my first task, while having the second screen waits on my different e-mail accounts. In the future I will have a Word document on one screen, while I compose a blog entry on the other. Maybe I can’t write or edit faster, but I can now be more efficient.
