Using 2 monitors

[YoMoma]

Whats the benefit? I currently use a 19" monitor and am considering buying another 19". I have friends who use 2 monitors and like having 2 to work from. These are gamers who use 2 at once. I know you can run a game with both, but I think they use them more to display a game on one and other programs on the other.
Any gamers out there who use 2 monitors and can tell me any benefit you get from it.

 

[brumwald]

The benefit is having twice the real estate to work with
Most seem to really enjoy multiple screens when they get used to it but I have a hard time explaining why.

While gaming I don't see the real benefit, you could still display other applications on the 2nd screen but as far as I know you can only watch and do nothing else. Most games 'capture' the mouse cursor so you can't even move the mouse to the second screen and if you could and did press anything that window would get focus and your game would minimize on the first screen. Still could be neat to keep track of an IRC channel or something like that.
I don't think having the game on two screens is that great (games like flight simulator would be the exception), since the middle of the screen would be exactly on the monitors seam. Three monitors is more common for that.
So I wouldn't buy a second screen for the gaming aspect, a larger screen would probably be better in that case (you could still keep your current 19" and still have dual displays though ).

 

[OConBudget]

Yeah 2 monitors really come in handy when you are a super multitasker. I have to have twenty some odd windows open at most times and 2 monitors allows me to get alot more done faster so I don't have to keep constatnly minimizing, maxamizing windows.

 

[nomu]

While gaming I don't see the real benefit, you could still display other applications on the 2nd screen but as far as I know you can only watch and do nothing else. Most games 'capture' the mouse cursor so you can't even move the mouse to the second screen and if you could and did press anything that window would get focus and your game would minimize on the first screen.

I don't play any FPSs, but literally every game I own has a windowed option, which means you have no limitations on your cursor.

The biggest benefit for PC games is for MMOs, but it's kinda nice for 4x games too. Overall the best use is console gaming on one screen and whatever you want to do on your PC on the other.

However, I can't think of a compelling reason for a gamer to go dual-display. As brumwald said, surround gaming is 3 displays, and hardcore MMO multiboxers generally don't settle for only 2 or 3.