# Best options for a small secondary monitor?



## PooPipeBoy (Mar 25, 2021)

For the longest time I've wanted to have a small secondary monitor that I can use for playing Youtube videos or reading PDF files while I'm working on the main screen.

The issue I find is that regular HDMI monitors are way too big (21" and up) and shine way too much extra light into my face, so the traditional dual-monitor setup doesn't really work.

I've looked into USB monitors like this AOC, but at 15.6" it would probably still too big:






On Ebay there are very small HDMI monitors around 12" in size and 1366x768 resolution. Those specs would be perfect but I've never heard of the brand names (this one is from "Toguard"?):





I'm wondering if anyone else has a better idea. Obviously it needs to be quite affordable, around US$70 would be nice. I'm not paying US$200 or more for a tiny screen. I don't need touchscreen functionality.


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## oobymach (Mar 25, 2021)

Tablet comes to my mind, they're smaller, have their own os and capable of pretty much everything your pc can. You can also use Splashtop or similar app to control your pc from your tablet via wifi.


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## Blaazen (Mar 25, 2021)

You can use LCD from dead laptop. I didn't try (yet) but I plan to do it. https://www.instructables.com/How-to-Convert-a-Laptop-LCD-into-an-External-Monit/


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## elghinnarisa (Mar 25, 2021)

I went the other way around and went with a bigger side monitor (27") for the youtubes or whatnot. Trying to read a PDF or watch a video and seeing something interesting is just terrible in a petit monitor and you gotta bring out the spyglass to see anything.

For the prices of the obscurely named smaller monitors, I don't think one can complain too much. There arn't that many of the larger brands making monitors in that size.


			https://www.amazon.com/SunFounder-Raspberry-Display-Portable-1920x1080/dp/B07NNXH2SS/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=raspberry+pi+monitor&qid=1616644171&sr=8-3
		

I know you dont need touch but all things considered, it was one of the more popular monitors in that size that I found, as well as a bit pricy but eh, 150 for a monitor? Not particularly bad if you ask me. But if you really want to go under 70, your in the cheapest Chinese copy of the day market. 

Otherwise, what about older used monitors? 4:3 stuff, or do you need it to be a widescreen aspect ratio? You could probably find older 14-16" 4:3 monitors real cheap.


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## AsRock (Mar 25, 2021)

Visit your second hand store


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## PooPipeBoy (Mar 25, 2021)

Blaazen said:


> You can use LCD from dead laptop. I didn't try (yet) but I plan to do it. https://www.instructables.com/How-to-Convert-a-Laptop-LCD-into-an-External-Monit/



Interesting idea, I do have an old laptop that would be a great candidate but it's probably a bit too complicated.



elghinnarisa said:


> I went the other way around and went with a bigger side monitor (27") for the youtubes or whatnot. Trying to read a PDF or watch a video and seeing something interesting is just terrible in a petit monitor and you gotta bring out the spyglass to see anything.
> 
> For the prices of the obscurely named smaller monitors, I don't think one can complain too much. There arn't that many of the larger brands making monitors in that size.
> 
> ...



Oh yeah you'd need to zoom in a bit with documents, although I would use it for Youtube videos more regularly. Resolution shouldn't be a big issue.

I'm thinking of going with a 12" screen and just trying it out. If it sucks then I can always re-purpose it for something else.


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## VSG (Mar 25, 2021)

Did you see this: https://www.techpowerup.com/280149/...ms-duex-portable-dual-screen-laptop-monitors? Not the best idea for a stationary setup though.


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## TheLostSwede (Mar 25, 2021)

Why not get one of the "new" portable laptop screens?
Something like this, which starts at 14" from Asus, but other brands have smaller ones.





						ZenScreen - All Models｜Monitors｜ASUS USA
					

In ASUS 「ZenScreen - All Models」 - Displays / Desktops , you could find most appropriate Displays / Desktops based on product features, specification or price. And you also could get product's detail information and comparsion, even add it into the wish list in buy page.




					www.asus.com


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## qubit (Mar 25, 2021)

If possible, get a small monitor with a glass front instead of a plastic one. You'll get a more vibrant picture. There aren't many around though and they tend to be expensive. If they'd make regular monitors in this way, I'd buy them in a heartbeat, even with a significant premium. Think how vibrant the picture is on your smartphone or tablet. It's not just that it's an IPS screen, but also that glass front.


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## Caring1 (Mar 25, 2021)

If it was myself I would go with something like this:


			https://www.kogan.com/au/buy/kogan-156-touchscreen-full-hd-ips-led-portable-usb-c-monitor/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=product_listing_ads&gclid=CjwKCAjw6fCCBhBNEiwAem5SO46N4sBvEdiTmdUBFrj7edq0x129R6sY2alGZvhVqjcBooNr4EGZxhoCWFAQAvD_BwE


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## newtekie1 (Mar 25, 2021)

You might try looking for "portable" monitors in the 13.3" size. The reason I say that size is that is actually a common laptop screen size. So there are a lot of chinese companies that just take the laptop screens and put them in enclosures, doing all the work for you.

Something like this: https://smile.amazon.com/SunFounder-Raspberry-Display-Portable-1920x1080/dp/B07NNXH2SS/

Yeah, it's an off-brand, but there are only a few actual panel manufacturers. So this is a brand name panel wrapped in an off-brand plastic. It might be a b-grade panel, meaning there is some small imperfecting, maybe even a stuck pixel. But at that resolution at that size it will be hard see unless you really look at it. And if it bothers you, ship it back to Amazon. I'd rather get something off Amazon than ebay simply for the simple returns. Amazon will take anything back if you don't like it, ebay on the other hand can be a pain to get things returned.


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## Bill_Bright (Mar 25, 2021)

I personally think going small is a mistake. Have you run with a dual monitor setup before? Frankly, I don't see how anyone can live with just one monitor - at least not with their PCs. 

I started using a dual monitor setup with W95, experimenting with a 15" 4:3 primary and 13" 4:3 secondary just to see if I could get the 2nd monitor to work. It was simple (and its even easier with W10). In a manner of an hour, I was hooked. Over the years as my financial status improved, I started having money left at the end of month and I was able to buy two new identical monitors at once. Hook, line and sinker now. I currently run 2 x 24" widescreens and I will give them up only when I am 6 feet under - or I upgrade to 2 x 27".

If you feel the secondary screen will be too bright - then turn it down, or just use a dark background image on it. Or just give it a couple days. Either way, I assure you, you will quickly get used to it. In the meantime, you will find it invaluable to have so much desktop real estate to simply move your email window off to the second monitor, or quickly move your Google search results over there while you are entering text in your TPU post or Word document on your primary. 

Imagine your physical workspace being a TV tray - room for your monitor, keyboard and mouse with barely enough room for a pencil let alone a piece of paper. That's how it is with just one monitor. Now imagine getting a full size executive desk with an L side extension where you can spread out multiple multiple documents and multiple pages of your documents - AND your email inbox AND your YouTube window, AND the current weather, and a whole box of pens and pencils. 

It does not matter how big your primary monitor is - 2 (or more) monitors is the way to go. 

I have not met any multi-monitor user in the last 25+ years who didn't regret not moving to a multiple monitor setup sooner. 

One of the main things I have learned over the years is multi-monitor setups work best (or easiest) when all the monitors are the same size and run at the same resolutions. And while the human mind quickly learns to ignore the bezels between the two screens (much like the rear-view mirror in our cars become invisible - until needed), I have found the thinner the bezels the better - or at least look nicer. 

There's are a lot of really cool dual-monitor background/wallpaper images out there too.


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## PooPipeBoy (Mar 26, 2021)

Bill_Bright said:


> I personally think going small is a mistake. Have you run with a dual monitor setup before? Frankly, I don't see how anyone can live with just one monitor - at least not with their PCs.
> 
> I started using a dual monitor setup with W95, experimenting with a 15" 4:3 primary and 13" 4:3 secondary just to see if I could get the 2nd monitor to work. It was simple (and its even easier with W10). In a manner of an hour, I was hooked. Over the years as my financial status improved, I started having money left at the end of month and I was able to buy two new identical monitors at once. Hook, line and sinker now. I currently run 2 x 24" widescreens and I will give them up only when I am 6 feet under - or I upgrade to 2 x 27".
> 
> ...



I stopped by my local Cex outlet and picked up a 1080p Philips 24" monitor for US$65. It looks to be a Philips 243V5 with an 8ms response time. It has a few blemishes including a little dark patch but I expected no less with a second-hand screen. I might run with it for a little while.

I did also order one of those 12" 720p monitors and I'll give it a try when it gets here. I'm still not sold on the dual 1080p monitor setup but I'll be able to test each setup and see which one I like most. There's always other uses for these monitors if they don't work on my main computer.


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## Bill_Bright (Mar 26, 2021)

PooPipeBoy said:


> I'm still not sold on the dual 1080p monitor setup...


If you give it a fair chance, I will be surprised if not sold. It's all about functionality - to me anyway. Being able to spread out and still be able to see all your open windows - including those temporarily on the back burner - instead of closing, covering up, or minimizing (and possibly forgetting) them is so much easier, and a big time saver.


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## Vario (Mar 26, 2021)

It is helpful to have both monitors running the same resolution, just in my experience.  Desktop icon jumble, easier screen duplication, etc.

Also worth noting something you can consider is to run both monitors on adjustable arms (Ergotron or similar) and then you can get it out of your face when not in use.  It's also worth familiarizing yourself with the windows key and P keystrike command to rapidly change monitor settings.


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## dirtyferret (Mar 26, 2021)

PooPipeBoy said:


> I'm still not sold on the dual 1080p monitor setup



I have two dual monitor setups; one in my office at work (both 1080p) and one in my home office.  Like Bill, I agree dual monitor is the way to go and I actually prefer 1080p to 1440p for work monitors.  At home I have dual 27" monitors with one 1080p (work) and one 1440p (gaming, pictures, etc.,) Spreadsheets, the back ends of web sites, etc., look rather small on the 1440p monitor but are perfect size on the 1080p.  Granted the 1440p is better for side by side set up but you rarely need that with dual monitors.


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## MIRTAZAPINE (Mar 26, 2021)

What monitor size would you want? I find my laptop ips 15.4 inch 1080p screen to be rather too small for icon. It ok for me sitting close to the laptop enough but it just too small when I sit back in the chair. I think 21 inch set to vertical mode would be much better for pdf reading. I have small 11 inch 1080p monitor I take a picture and show it to you soon enough. size by size with my laptop.

Edit : Sorry the photo might be dark and blurry. Here my 3 monitors, all 1080P. My laptop left is 15.4 inch, the black LG monitor is 21.5 inch and the blue monitor is about 11 inches. If you are sitting really close I guess 15 inches could do. You could the monitor from chinese sellers in aliexpress. They make plenty and some have touch screen. You can use my picture as a guide.


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## PooPipeBoy (Mar 26, 2021)

dirtyferret said:


> I have two dual monitor setups; one in my office at work (both 1080p) and one in my home office.  Like Bill, I agree dual monitor is the way to go and I actually prefer 1080p to 1440p for work monitors.  At home I have dual 27" monitors with one 1080p (work) and one 1440p (gaming, pictures, etc.,) Spreadsheets, the back ends of web sites, etc., look rather small on the 1440p monitor but are perfect size on the 1080p.  Granted the 1440p is better for side by side set up but you rarely need that with dual monitors.



Oh yeah, for a work computer having two 1080p monitors is absolutely necessary. It just makes it so much faster when you're not back-and-forthing between windows, most people can do that but I can't stand it.

Oddly enough it's different for my gaming system at home because normally I'm doing only one thing at a time, so my VS248 24" is usually enough screen space. It might be different this time around though because even something as simple as checking Task Manager, it's annoying to tab out of a game to check it. It seems that I'm starting to outgrow the single monitor setup, so it's probably easiest just to opt for the additional 1080p monitor and have plenty of room.


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## Bill_Bright (Mar 27, 2021)

PooPipeBoy said:


> Oddly enough it's different for my gaming system at home because normally I'm doing only one thing at a time


I am too - other than I am probably streaming tunes while doing something else. 

But it really is not about multi-tasking. It is about temporarily setting something off to the side while you concentrate on your game, or other primary task. Off to the side, but still within easy reach without having to dig it out and unbury it again - covering up your game in the process. 

Just as an example, when I have MailWasher Pro (my email handler/spam blocker) open on Monitor #2, and a new email comes in, nothing says I have to stop what I am doing on Monitor #1 and read my email. But I can, "IF I WANT TO" very quickly glance, see who its from and the subject, then decide to stop what I'm doing or keep doing what I'm doing. And should I decide to pause the game, I can reply to the email totally on Monitor #2 without interfering at all the game. 

If I want to open Task Manager - no problem. I can do it on Monitor #2, watch TM while gaming on Monitor #1. 

Sure, you can do much of that with a tiny monitor, but then your brain has to keep resizing itself. Easily doable - but, IMO, a nagging inconvenience.


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## Shrek (Mar 27, 2021)

I tend to prefer a high resolution monitor over dual; at the moment I am using a 2560 x 1440 unit.


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## Bill_Bright (Mar 27, 2021)

Andy Shiekh said:


> I tend to prefer a high resolution monitor over dual


That really makes no sense. It is not a matter of dual "or" high resolution. If budget allows, get two high resolution monitors.


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## Shrek (Mar 27, 2021)

I just meant to give my opinion; but can understand why it might not seem to make sense.


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## silentbogo (Mar 27, 2021)

PooPipeBoy said:


> I've looked into USB monitors like this AOC, but at 15.6" it would probably still too big:


There are tons of options, if you ever need to go smaller than that. 
All around Aliexpress there are tons of 10-17" portable monitors with either a full-size or micro-HDMI. Some even have a touchscreen, all in a sub $250 package. 








						67.89US $ 30% OFF|10.1″ Pc Monitor 1920x1200 Touch Gaming Monitor For Raspberry Pi Ps3 Ps4 Xbox360 System Cctv With Vga Hdmi Bnc Usb Lcd Display - Lcd Monitors - AliExpress
					

Smarter Shopping, Better Living!  Aliexpress.com




					www.aliexpress.com
				




Acer and AOC had 13" portable monitors for medical applications, but those are expensive.

You can also DIY it. something like a 12.5" IPS LCD with generic eDP driver is enough to get you going on a budget. Just get creative with enclosure, and you'll have one of a kind monitor.
Alternatively - there are kits for raspberry pi, based on older LG retina displays (same as on iPad 3/4).








						Adafruit Qualia 9.7" DisplayPort Monitor - 2048x1536 Resolution
					

Add a glorious 2048x1536 retina-blasting, ultra-high pixel density, IPS display to any computer with a Thunderbolt/DisplayPort port. This product comes with a new 9.7" diagonal TFT  ...




					www.adafruit.com
				











						LG LP097QX1 - iPad 3/4 Retina Display
					

These are the same glorious 2048x1536 retina-blasting, ultra-high pixel density, IPS displays you may have seen in iPad 3 or 4's. This product comes with only the brand new 9.7"  ...




					www.adafruit.com
				




Forgot one more option.
If latency isn't an issue for your application(e.g. you just want to keep an eye on e-mails or GPU temps etc.), then there are apps which can make your tablet into a secondary monitor. 
Something like Splashtop Wired XDisplay should do (I think it maxes out at 1080p60).


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## dgianstefani (Mar 27, 2021)

Grab one of the OLED panels from a good quality tablet - hook up via a converter.

Bam, top quality small monitor.


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