I’m asking specifically for my situation. I have 3 monitors I want to place on monitor arms. I have not purchased them before so I have no idea what to look for, as there are a lot of choices available especially on amazon.
I’m not to concerned with a budget. I don’t plan to buy all arms at once, unless they are cheap enough, as I know good ones will be expensive. This may change based on tips or product suggestions.
I want to be able to have one monitor above the other 2, but be able to bring it to the side rotated from time to time. (23" 1080p 16:9 60hz)
I also want a way to move one out of the way as it would only be connected to consoles. I want to be able to move it out of the way when not in use. (28" 4k 16:9 60hz)
the third would be my main monitor for the PC. (34" 1440 21:9 144hz)
My recomendation based off of experience is know the weight of your monitors and the supported weight of the arms you’re buying. I’ve bought a monitor arm before that didn’t support my Ultrawide.
One thing to watch out for is your desk as well. If you have an Ikea desk, completely forget about using monitor arms as the thing will just cave on itself.
They make monitor arms that mount to the wall. But the most important thing has already been mentioned make sure they are rated for the weight of the monitor you are using. And by that I recommend buying one that will support 50-100% more than what your monitor weighs. You don’t want the hassle of having to try 3 or 4 different arms each progressively more expensive than the last. Also when you are comparing different arms pay attention to which ones have diagrams showing how much travel/ adjustability they support, then grab a tape measure and estimate whether that particular arm will meet your needs. if they don’t have that graph don’t waist your time with that brand.
after rereading you op my first impulse would be a simple TV wall mount for the main monitor doesn’t sound like you plan to move it much anyway. and the wall mounted monitor arms for the other 2. But personal setups are just that personal so a tape measure is going to be your best friend.
Yes but it’s not just about reach, you also have to determine how much up and down play you will have so that you can determine where you will have to mount individual arms to hopefully make it work the way that you are envisioning.
So I’m not entirely sure what layout your envisioning. Are you considering a double stack arrangement with one off to the side and then the monitor on top being able to move over and rotate? Or are you planning a triple stack where the top monitor can move over down and rotate and then occasionally move the bottom monitor to accommodate console play?
Either way if you have a monitor that is only going to move left to right not up and down I would suggest exploring a vesa TV wall mount, for that specific monitor.
I was under the impression that you had one monitor out of the three that would essentially never move. If that is the case then I still think you should look at TV wall mount for that monitor as well.
The only reason I bring up the TV mounts is because weather fixed or with a hinged boom arm allowing movement if you have a monitor that doesn’t need up and down play, the TV mount will likely be cheaper, stronger, and easier to continue using for a longer period of time either with newer monitors or putting a TV in your kids room etc etc.
Not what I was thinking of. At some point I will be moving all 3, but one would only be moved to facilitate the moving the other 2 if I need to.
I want to be able to move the bottom 2 so when I’m on my console I can have it front and center for comfortable use, and have the Ultra-wide off to the side but usable. When not in use I want to be able to move the 4k out of the way so the Ultra-wide can be font and center for PC use/gaming. the 1080p would be above the other 2 mainly being moved side to side to make it easier to use if I move it at all.
I was thinking I should aim for 3 arms, one of which should be on a pole for height. the 2 lower arms should be weighted for the heaviest monitor I have, as I should be able to fine tune them for the lighter one. the 1080 is light in comparison as I need one hand for it, but I need two hands to comfortably lift the other 2 because of weight. If I space out the desk mounts for them I should be able to get a few more inches (2-4 max).
I would like the 1080p to the size of the Ultra-wide from time to time, but as I was thinking about how to do that it would over complicate the movement of the 3 arms, and how I locate the Ultra-wide would limit which side I can use the 1080 on in comparison to the Ultra-wide, that and handling rotation might be a pain.
Having just gone through a monitor arm upgrade I’ll share my experiences. First time around went with the basic dual Monoprice special (I think). Bolted on back of a plywood supported standing desk. The very basic stand was a set-it-and-forget-it, which worked as long as you didn’t need to adjust it. Sit stand meant I was always adjusting it, changing height changed my ergonomics. I removed the setup after a year and went back to the base stand and riser.
Upgrade was a dual shock-arm, mounted back of the desk. You can dial in the gas-assist, lift and lower with a finger. Rotating, tilting so much easier than the first one. However, with all the extra movement, the back of the plywood is getting some flex to it. There is a lot of weight that is managed by the arm, but make sure your desk is reinforced for it.
My next upgrade is drilling a hole through the centre and changing to a through hole mount. It gets me a few inches more play when it comes to finding the sweet spot of ergonomics for the 12 hour coding sessions. It should also allow for more solid mounting.
My reco: get your ergonomics down, there are good references for eye/monitor height. Try to get a gas-cylinder arm and ideally put it in a secure place on your desk.
For price, I picked up mine on a good sale, about 30% off. Same prices on both NewEgg and Amazon.
Also one thing to look out for is how side movement works, and if it would need space behind the table.
For example my desk is directly to the wall, and my monitor arm would require some space behind the desk in certain positions. The movement restriction is currently not an issue for me, but it’s a limitation.
So @Jeremy_Collins point about diagrams is very important, and I should have followed it
okay Ergotron is a great brand. they make high quality arms and mounts. they are a pricey but they also have a greater range to choose from than a lot of other companies. As for weight/ease of adjustment if your gas piston is properly adjusted that should not be an issue. Mine is only supporting 9 lbs but i can adjust it with 1 finger. If you don’t mind going through the second hand market they will still be expensive but often half the cost.
Ergotron is a strong budget choice for a good quality monitor arm that can support a decent amount of weight.
If you need to support even more weight, the only monitor arm manufacturer I know of is Humanscale. They charge a ton, but their monitor arms can support obscene amounts of weight. I had to buy one of those to support my current monitor, specifically I bought the Humanscale M10 arm.
Yes it’s expensive, but a toddler could swing on the thing and it would probably be fine. But that price. Oof!
if you don’t need to support that sort of weight, then Ergotron is a good choice.
I have a few things to get to get the best ergonomics of my desk, but this is the first step I planned to finalize it.
A better desk is step 2, but with what I am looking for won’t be cheap. Monitor arms look like a cheaper solution for right now, based on the prices I saw on Amazon. And as long as I keep in mind the potential thickness of the desk I can future proof my current purchases. This would also give me time to better think about how I want the desk, depth and height of my current being an issue. That height difference of the one I end up with should only a few inches, I expect about 2 inches lower.
I have done some looking most cheaper arms I’m looking at look like they have springs, but they say the max they can handle is upto a 34" monitor, or 20-24lbs in weight. each costing $60-$100US and one I found (Link) seems to be the over kill but has the reach I’m looking for for the ultra-wide. At max extension it would be about 22-24" of reach and as I don’t plan on mounting it dead center, that offset should give me all the reach I need. Ergotron sells another arm, that should give my other monitor the reach it needs, but may have to move it different then expecting but should work the same as I’m hoping. as for the third, anything on a pole should work to get it above.
My monitor’s manufacturer (MSI) says this about the Weight (NW/GW) 15.24 lbs / 20.64 lbs. The weight feels like is is the 15.24 lbs with stand. The 4K (Asus) weight is Net Weight without Stand is 4.73kg or 10.43 lbs. Asus says it is 7.8kg or 17.2 lbs which feels just heavier then the Ultra-wide.
