About a month ago, I reported that I installed a second computer on my desk, an AMD Athlon XP 2500+-based tower system with a 17-inch flat panel display running at SXGA resolution (1280 x 1024).

I've been trying to figure out how to maximize my blogging efficiency and the number one thing I craved was more screen space to fit two windows side-by-side without overlapping. My choices as I saw them were as follows:

1. Replace my 17-inch SXGA flat panel with a new 20 or 21-inch DVI-driven Flat Panel that can run UXGA (1600 x 1200) like the Samsung 213-T.

   The total cost when you throw in a new PCI Express video card like the ABIT RX600 is between $950 and $1,100, depending on where you shop and which models of each device you buy. That results in a 46 percent increase in screen space.

2. Add a second 17-inch SXGA flat panel and buy an AGP video card that supports dual displays. I already have a Samsung SyncMaster 770 that I like very much, so I would want to try to find another one of those reconditioned or through eBay so that it matched the other flat panel as closely as possible. If I had to buy a matched set of 17-inch SXGAs, I might go for the SAMSUNG SyncMaster 712N. The video card for this setup could be as simple as the ATI Technologies Radeon 7000 Graphics Card with 32MB of DDR memory. ATI's a good choice because they provide Hydravision which adds a number of multiple monitor productivity tools to most Microsoft operating systems.

   The total cost of the dual flat panel setup is more like $750 to $850, if you had to buy both flat panels. I only needed one, so my cost would be more like $400. This configuration would double my screen space.
   

What would you have done?

I went for the second flat panel. It seemed like a no-brainer because I am a web developer and weblogger who does some photo editing. I don't need the ultra-fast response that a gamer might want. If I needed the speed and the screen space, I probably would have spent the money and bought the 21-inch flat panel instead.

Some of Operation Gadget readers will question the fact that I didn't even consider a flat panel like the Hewlett-Packard L2335 Widescreen LCD Monitor or something slightly smaller that can run at 1920 x 1200 (a 16:9 ratio). These units are more expensive because manufacturers are trying to shift production to HDTV-friendly geometries and encourage demand for them with extensive advertising. I'll buy a Macintosh or a Media Center PC if I want an HDTV-like experience.

Two analog flat panels running at SXGA are sharp enough and fast enough for my application. So, I'll save the $500 to $700 I otherwise would have spent for my next gadget purchase.

Look for a photo of the newly enhanced Blogging Workstation at the end of this week, after I have time to receive my new equipment and install it. [ Thanks to Ed Anuff and Martin O'Donnell for technical advice / review of the configuration options. ]