People with really large screens: Do you use your windows maximized?

By Glassed Silver
in Poll Station

 Share

  

260 members have voted

  1. 1. Maximizing - how much?

    • Nothing gets maximized. Nothing!
      14
    • Everything as large as I can get it, please!
      14
    • Some select applications get the maximization treatment :P
      59

  2. 2. In case you voted some get maximized - which applications?

    • My browser
      51
    • My productivity applications (PS, Office, Video Editor, Database, IDE)
      57
    • Communication applications apart from Email (Messengers, Address book, ...)
      4
    • Email application
      28
    • iTunes / other media LIBRARY applications
      18
    • Normal media PLAYERS (no big library, just drag and drop into application-style if you will)
      14
    • Windows Explorer/Finder/Konqueror/Nautilus/...
      15
    • Virtual Machines
      30
    • Special use software (specify in comments)
      11
    • Other application(s) (specify in comments)
      17
    • -NONE-
      15

Recommended Posts

Grand Master

Glassed Silver

Posted
Posted

Heya guys!

I used to maximize every window (well, those that make some sense maximizing, obviously not "paint palettes" etc :p)

Nowadays, I have a 27" screen and browsing Neowin at half the screen width is plenty already. :laugh:

So what do you guys do?

Glassed Silver:mac

Grand Master

Gerowen

Posted
Posted

I don't have an enormous screen, but I usually only size the windows big enough to fit all of the content. For example if I'm reading a text file, I size the window down as small as it will go without having to scroll left or right to view all of the document.

Grand Master

Biotoxic_hazard_835

Posted
Posted

I upgraded my system to two 24" monitors and i maximize my browser and if I am watching a movie or music video I maximize WMP. I also use Motorola CPS Software (for programming Motorola two-way radios) which I also maximize for ease of use. Other than that I keep everything minimized unless I need it.

Grand Master

Krome

Posted
Posted

I don't prefer to maximize application windows as it wreck my versatile flow between tasks. However, I do size "productivity" or certain application that lack the necessary workspace environment. Photoshop and Microsoft Expression Web seems to have very small workspace inside it's application. But still they are not max. I sometimes prefer my game in full-window mode, but sometimes in windowed mode.

Grand Master

remixedcat

Posted
Posted

depends on what im doing

This...

I got dual displays 23 in Samsung Syncmaster P2350 @ 1920x1080 and 19 in LG Flatron W1952TQ @ 1440x900

My media player mostly on screen 2 becuase I wanna see the playlist and the info. It's J-River Media Jukebox, a very powerful player.

Browser if I am doing a lot of reading and on sites that use more horiz. space. Or sites that demand more full on attention.

Experienced

Squirrelington

Posted
Posted

(1) 42" 1920x1080 and (2) 24" 1920x1200 (Dual-monitor)

Firefox (Maximized: Screen 2)

Windows Media Player (Music) (Maximized: Screen 2)

VLC (Videos) (Maximized: Screen 1)

Windows Explorer (Unmaximized: Screen 2)

Visual Studio 2010 (Maximized: Screen 1)

Microsoft SQL Management Studio 2008 R2 (Maximized: Screen 1)

Various Games (Fullscreen Windowed (No Border): Screen 1)

Veteran

tuckeratlarge

Posted
Posted

I got myself a 24" sammy 1920x1080 and I have everything I can maximised, because I can't stand scrolling sideways. The exceptions are Winamp, TomTom Home, Avast, Unzbin, AVS Video Converter, Calculator and Notepad.

Proficient

deactivated_

Posted
Posted

When I ran dual or triple monitor 4:3 ratio, almost everything was used maximized. However, now that I am running dual 24" widescreen monitors it's a mixed bag of what gets maximized. Especially with the Windows 7 Win-Left, Win-Right happy goodness that has changed my productivity forever.

Collaborator

nw2001

Posted
Posted

I maximize browsers, media players, games, virtual machines, ps and stuff like that. Only stuff that doesnt get maximized is chat screens. (Steam, I use gtalk in browser or via the new chat extension for chrome.)

Since I use a 46 inch tv and a laptop monitor it's pretty easy to manage and tons of small screens don't work well on a tv. (I'm sitting with in 3 feet of the tv, probably horrid for my eyes but I can read most things very well and for single player games it works better. I also use the TV for browsing. Multiplayer games like LoL or anything too reliant on skill I pop on the laptop monitor just because it feels more responsive.) I freaking hate alt tabbing and I hate using windows explorer. (Running w8 and even with ribbon the explorer is a pain to manage anything with.)

Grand Master

+InsaneNutter MVC

Posted
  • MVC
Posted

The only thing i generally maximize is Photoshop, I usually have 1/3 of the screen at the right for instant messaging chats, Windows 7's sticky notes and sometimes a video playing in a small window.

The other 2/3 of the screen will usually have the web browser, word, or any other application i'm using open in.

This is on a 24" screen @ 1920x1200.

Grand Master

Vice

Posted
Posted

On my desktop system I use three 30" monitors. Each has a resolution of 2560x1600 (Known as XHD) combined the resolution is 7680x1600. That is 12.225 Million pixels. For comparison a 24" display is 2.304 Million pixels.

With that much screen real estate I do not find it beneficial to maximise any applications apart from Games.

It is not uncommon for me to have 5-6 virtual machines open and visible, 2 VNC sessions to my servers, 1 or 2 browser windows open (with multiple tabs in each) an IM conversation, email client, music or video player and some creative apps maybe Visual Studio or Programmers notepad or Photoshop and Illustrator.

I make great use of all my displays I've had them for years. I got my first 30" display back in 2008 and it really boosted my productivity. That was a 3007WFP-HC @ 2560x1600. At that time I had two 20" displays on either side of it (each 1680x1050) and I later replaced those with 30" displays.

Being able to visualise everything, being able to see the concept drawings for an application, the code powering it, all the assets for it and the app itself running makes it really easy to see the "full picture". If I were to full screen something I would be wasting literally 50% or more of the screen it is on as my resolution is just so big even having something filling only half of one screen is equal in pixels to the maximum resolution of some 17" and 20" panels.

Grand Master

xendrome

Posted
Posted

30" Dell LCD and a 24 inch on the other side, I run in windows so I can have more then one thing open, typically never maximized unless it's a game.

Another reason why Windows 8 ****es me off, I don't want metro apps taking up 30 inches of my screen that I can't window....

  • The Laughing Man and Vice
  • Like 2
Grand Master

spikey_richie

Posted
Posted

24" HP monitor. Not huge, but bigger than average... Process Explorer, Firefox, Thunderbird, iTunes, Picasa, games & Windows Explorer maximised. Everything else (Defraggler, CCleaner, Winamp, Speccy, Holmes, Pidgin etc...) windowed.

Grand Master

Glassed Silver

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Updated poll with "none" option.

Sorry, I thought a poll question that is multiple-choice was allowing you to skip it, too.

Glassed Silver:mac

This topic is now closed to further replies.
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Posts

    • Save 74% on this Complete 2026 CompTIA Certification Training Bundle

      By News Staff · Posted

      Save 74% on this Complete 2026 CompTIA Certification Training Bundle by Steven Parker Today on offer via our Online Courses section of the Neowin Deals store, you can save 74% on the Complete 2026 CompTIA Certification Training Bundle. This comprehensive 2026 CompTIA training bundle is created for aspiring IT professionals who want a faster, clearer way to earn multiple industry-recognized certifications while building practical, job-ready skills. Designed around real-world expectations, the curriculum guides you from foundational IT concepts to hands-on technical mastery across A+, Network+, Security+, Cloud+, Server+, and Pentest+ domains. You'll develop the confidence to troubleshoot systems, secure networks, manage cloud and on-prem environments, and tackle complex technical challenges with a methodical approach that employers value. By focusing on practical application and exam-aligned content, this bundle helps you stand out in the job market, prove your capabilities, and prepare for roles such as IT technician, network specialist, cybersecurity analyst, and system administrator with clarity and confidence. Certificate of Completion only. You will not receive official CompTIA certificates upon completion of each course. It's only designed to help you prepare for the covered certification exams. You need to take and pass the exams to get certified. Courses included in this bundle A Plus Certification - CompTIA A+ 220-1202 Training Master hardware, software, networking, and security essentials Covers the full Core 1 & Core 2 scope with inclusive materials that reflect real-world IT work CompTIA Cloud+ (CV0-004) Comprehensive pathway to mastering essential cloud concepts & acing the certification exam Practical skills in cloud architecture, security, and DevOps CompTIA Network+ (N10-009) Training Course Design, configure, manage & secure modern networks Covers OSI & DoD models, IP addressing, subnetting, routing technologies, VLANs, wireless networking, structured cabling, and robust disaster recovery planning CompTIA Server+ (SK0-005) Master server management, administration, and security Practical skills for server hardware installation, disaster recovery & enhancing data security CompTIA Pentest+ Course (PT0-003) Gain demonstrable capabilities in penetration testing, security testing & risk assessment Hands-on pentest labs online and real-world deliverables CompTIA Security+ Certification Course (SY0-071) Essential skills in security concepts, threats & risk management Compliance considerations & authentication mechanisms, with a practical lens to implement them in real-world networks CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst CySA+ (CS0-004) Hands-on experience in threat modeling, vulnerability assessment & incident response Effective security measures that protect networks & data Tangible outcomes you'll achieve Validated hands-on skills across operating systems, networks, cloud, and security Confidence to pass multiple certification exams on or before your target dates A versatile toolkit for diagnosing, securing, and optimizing IT environments Ability to communicate technical concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders Who is this course for Aspiring IT technicians and support professionals who want a clear, practical pathway to multiple industry‑recognized CompTIA certifications IT learners looking to build real‑world skills in hardware, networking, cloud, security, servers, and penetration testing Those aiming to qualify for roles like help desk technician, junior network engineer, system administrator, security analyst, or cloud administrator by earning key certificates efficiently About Vision Training Systems Since 2012 and more than 100,000 students, Vision Training Systems has been delivering expertly crafted online IT training courses to help you earn industry-recognized certifications like CompTIA A+, Network+, Security+, Cisco CCNA, Project Management, CEH V13, Microsoft Azure, AWS, and more. Plus dive into the world of AI, IT Leadership, and core soft skills needed to excel in an IT Career. Whether you’re launching your IT career or looking to grow into a senior role, our flexible, on-demand platform empowers you with the skills and certifications employers demand. Good to know Length of access: lifetime Redemption deadline: redeem your code within 30 days of purchase Access options: desktop or mobile Maximum number of device(s): 1 Available to BOTH new and existing users Certificate of Completion ONLY Experience level required: all levels Closed captioning NOT available NOT downloadable for offline viewing Here's the deal The Complete 2026 CompTIA Certification Training Bundle normally costs $199, but you can pick it up for just $40, that's a saving of $159. For terms, specs and license info, click the link below. Deal Price $40.00 with code SAVE20 (was $199) Although priced in U.S. dollars, this deal is available for digital purchase worldwide. Support queries If you have queries or need support for any of the Neowin Deals, please use the contact form here. Neowin Deals are managed and sold by StackCommerce who represent Neowin on an affiliate basis. Why we post these deals We post these because we earn commission on each sale so as not to rely solely on advertising, which many of our readers block. It all helps toward paying staff reporters, servers and hosting costs. So for those that keep moaning and complaining, be thankful we're still online for you to even do that. Other ways to support Neowin Whitelist Neowin by not blocking our ads Create a free member account to see fewer ads Make a donation to support our day to day running costs Subscribe to Neowin - for $14 a year, or $28 a year for an ad-free experience Disclosure: Neowin benefits from revenue of each sale made through our branded deals site powered by StackCommerce.
    • AMD RX 9070 GRE AI, Blender benchmarks vs 9070 XT, 7800XT, Nvidia RTX 5070, 4070

      By hellowalkman · Posted

      AMD RX 9070 GRE AI, Blender benchmarks vs 9070 XT, 7800XT, Nvidia RTX 5070, 4070 by Sayan Sen Earlier this week, we shared the first part of our review of AMD's new RX 9070 GRE. It was about the gaming performance of the GPU, and we gave it an 8 out of 10. As a follow-up, similar to how we did with the 9070 XT and non-XT, we are doing a dedicated productivity review for the RX 9070 GRE as well, where we compare it against the 9070 XT, 9070, 7800 XT, as well as Nvidia's 5070 and 4070. This will include AI, rendering, compute, and more benchmarks. AI performance, especially, is a very important metric in today's world, and AMD also promised big improvements thanks to its underlying architectural improvements. We will be pitching it against the data we already have for the RX 9070, and RX 9070 XT, but also the Nvidia 5070 FE, MSI GeForce RTX 4070 VENTUS 2X 12G, and Gigabyte Radeon RX 7800 XT GAMING OC 16G as they are in a similar price class, but also because we do not have a comparable 5060 Ti card lying around here that we can compare it against. Before we get underway, this is a collaboration between Sayan Sen and Steven Parker, who lent me his test bed. Also, there was no editorial input from AMD. First up, the specs of the RX 9070, 9070 XT, and 9070 GRE, which were given to us by AMD: Radeon RX 9070 GRE Radeon RX 9070 Radeon RX 9070 XT Boost Clock: Game Clock: up to 2.79GHz up to 2.20GHz up to 2.52GHz up to 2.07GHz up to 2.97GHz up to 2.40GHz Stream Processors 3,072 (48 CU) 3,584 (56 CU) 4,096 (64 CU) Ray Accelerator 48 56 64 AI Accelerator 96 112 128 ROPs 96 128 Texture Mapping Units 192 224 256 Memory 12 GB GDDR6, 18Gbps Clock, 192-bit Bus 432 GB/s 16 GB GDDR6, 20Gbps Clock, 256-bit Bus Effective Memory Bandwidth: 640 GB/s Infinity Cache 48 MB (3rd Gen) 64 MB (3rd Gen) Card Bus PCI-E 5.0 X16 Output 2x HDMI 2.1b 2x DisplayPort 2.1a Power consumption 220W 304W Recommended PSU 650W 750W Slot width 2x 3x Price (SEP) $549 $599 As you can see from the specs above, it is less than the standard RX 9070 in every way that counts, except for slightly higher Boost and Game clock speed. Design Moving on, the RX 9070 GRE we were given is an XFX Swift triple-fan, dual-slot design with two 8-pin connectors. At 30cm (self-measured), it will fit in most systems easily. There is no RGB either. The AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE by XFX from all angles. Test system Our test system consists of the following: Lian Li O11 Dynamic Mini V2 Flow (Amazon|Newegg) ASUS Z890 ProArt Creator WiFi (Amazon|Newegg) Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus (Amazon|Newegg) Thermal Grizzly KryoSheet - 44x37 (Amazon|Newegg) 2x 16GB G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB (7200 MT/s in XMP) (Amazon|Newegg) Sabrent Rocket4 Plus 2TB SSD (Amazon) Windows 11 25H2 (Build 26200.8246) AMD shared a press driver based on the recently released Adrenaline 26.5.2 that we were required to use. We now move on to our benchmarks. First up, we have Geekbench AI running on ONNX. For some reason, the 9070 GRE does exceptionally well here in both half-precision (FP16) and single-precision (FP32). It manages to beat the RTX 5070 and RX 9070 non-XT, and is only behind the 9070 XT. Since Geekbench runs in short bursts instead of continuously hammering the graphics card, it seems the GRE's faster boost clocks are helping here. Next up, we move to the UL Procyon AI test suite, starting with the image generation benchmark. We chose the Stable Diffusion XL FP16 test since it is the most intense workload available on Procyon. The Nvidia cards do very well here, as even the 4070 out-muscles AMD's best fairy easily. The positive thing about the GRE is that it gets quite close to the 9070 non-XT in this test; this indicates that the VRAM does not play a very big role here, as SD XL relies on float16 (FP16). So this is something to keep in mind again. If you wish to work with float32 AI workloads, graphics cards with larger than 12 GB buffers would likely emerge as victors. Regardless, the gains are still massive on AMD's 9000 series compared to the 7000 series. Following image generation, we move to the text generation benchmark. This is one test where the 9070 GRE struggled, quite a lot. It seems that the 12 GB VRAM and lower memory bandwidth of the new Radeon 9070 GRE are hurting it quite a bit; the split is massive, especially in a test like Llama2, which packs 13 billion parameters. As such, in all the tests, the 9070 GRE is the slowest of the lot. Next, we tried Blender, and here the AMD GPUs were beaten by Nvidia. Rendering is something the Green team has always had a lead over the Red side, and it has not changed so far. On the positive side, though, the 9070 GRE shows significantly better results than the 7800 XT, which means AMD is on the right path. Catching up to Nvidia, though, will require a lot more effort. And we hope HIP and ROCm can keep improving. Wrapping up AI testing, we measured OpenCL throughput in the Geekbench compute benchmark. The RX 9070 GRE alongside the 9070 did not fare well here at all, even falling behind the 7800 XT. Interestingly, even the RTX 5070 could not beat the 4070 on OpenCL, so perhaps this suggests that OpenCL optimization may not have been a priority for either AMD or Nvidia in the modern era. Conclusion We reached the end of our productivity performance review of the 9070 GRE, and we have to say it's a mixed bag. Unlike the 9070 and 9070 XT, the GRE excels in some areas while losing ground fairly easily in others. Similar to how it happened in gaming, any time the card's memory subsystem gets hammered, it tends to fall behind the others. This was the case with text generation, wherein we saw the VRAM sometimes hit its maximum available 12 GB of usage with larger model sizes. So what do we make of the RX 9070 as a productivity hardware? It can certainly be used, but you have to know it has its limitations. For those looking for a GPU that can deal with more, AMD recently unveiled the Radeon AI PRO R9700, which is essentially a 32 GB refresh of the 9070 XT with some additional workstation-based optimizations. On a similar note, the new Ryzen AI Halo platform is something you can consider if you want to set up a local AI processing station. Considering everything, we rate AMD's Radeon RX 9070 GRE a 7.5 out of 10 for its productivity performance. Price is less of a factor for those looking at productivity cases compared to those considering the GPU for gaming, and as such, we felt it did quite decently on many occasions and can be handy if you need a 12 GB GPU and, for some reason, don't want to get Nvidia. Purchase links: RX 9070 / XT / GRE (Amazon US) As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
    • Microsoft released new Defender update for Windows 11, 10, Server ISO installations

      By skinnyJM · Posted

      Does anyone here know if these updates are integrated into the UUP dump isos?
    • Motrix Next 3.9.4

      By Copernic · Posted

      Motrix Next 3.9.4 by Razvan Serea Motrix Next is a modern, open-source cross-platform download manager built as the official next-generation successor to the original Motrix project. It has been completely rewritten using Tauri 2, Vue 3, TypeScript, and Rust, while still relying on the powerful Aria2 download engine for high-speed multi-protocol transfers. The app supports HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, BitTorrent, ED2K and magnet links, offering advanced features like multi-connection acceleration, task scheduling, bandwidth control, and batch download management. With a significantly reduced install size (around 20MB), it focuses on being lightweight, fast, and resource-efficient compared to traditional Electron-based download tools. Designed for Windows, macOS, and Linux, Motrix Next delivers a clean, modern UI inspired by Material Design 3 principles, with smooth animations and a minimal workflow. It improves usability through better download organization, system tray integration, and enhanced torrent handling including selective file downloads and tracker management. Motrix Next features: Multi-protocol downloads — HTTP, FTP, BitTorrent, Magnet, .torrent, ED2K, and Metalink tasks BitTorrent — Selective file download, DHT, peer exchange, encryption controls, metadata caching, GeoIP peer flags, and tracker probing Browser extension integration — Embedded Extension API with independent authentication, download confirmation, smart auto-submit, filename hints, referer/cookie forwarding, and real-time controls (Chrome Web Store · Edge Add-ons) Safe filename handling — Content-Disposition, RFC 2047, non-UTF-8, percent-encoded, and extensionless URL resolution with path traversal sanitization Download organization — Favorite and recent folders, optional file-type categorization, stale-record cleanup, and completed history backed by SQLite Concurrent downloads — Independent controls for active tasks, HTTP connections per server, segments per file, and BT peer limits Speed control — Global and per-task upload/download limits with day-of-week and time-of-day scheduling System integration — Tray operation, optional tray speed display, macOS Dock badge/progress, protocol handlers for magnet://, thunder://, and motrixnext:// Lightweight mode — Destroys the WebView on minimize-to-tray while Rust keeps the engine, task monitor, notifications, history, and extension routing alive Notifications and power options — Native task start/complete/failure notifications, keep-awake during downloads, and optional shutdown after completion Network controls — Scoped proxy support for downloads, app updates, and tracker updates, plus system proxy detection Auto-update channels — Stable, Beta, and Latest Across Channels policies with separate download and install phases Diagnostics — Structured logs, exportable diagnostic ZIPs, database integrity checks, automatic DB rebuild, and Linux GPU rendering fallback Personalization — Light/dark/system theme, 10 color schemes, 26 languages, and first-launch system language detection Motrix Next 3.9.4 changelog: Motrix Next 3.9.4 promotes the 3.9.4 beta cycle to stable. This release refreshes bundled engine binaries, improves task detail readability and copy actions, expands link handling for magnet and ED2K workflows, polishes responsive navigation and text wrapping, updates browser extension documentation, and refines network preference controls. New Features Task Detail copy actions — Added copyable values for task metadata and reusable render functions for long text fields. Magnet and ED2K lifecycle support — Added task lifecycle handling for magnet and ED2K links. History cleanup for deleted tasks — Deleted tasks can now remove matching history records. User-Agent management — Added user-agent management and improved related network preference controls. Browser extension documentation — Added the Firefox Add-ons link for the Motrix Next extension. Improvements Engine binaries — Updated bundled binaries for supported architectures. Task Detail readability — Long task names, URLs, tracker values, and copyable metadata now render more clearly. Deletion messaging — Refined localized task deletion text for clarity and consistency. Text wrapping — Improved URI input wrapping and task name multiline display. Navigation layout — Improved sub-navigation responsiveness. Disk allocation default — Changed the default file allocation method to trunc. Proxy controls — Improved proxy button styling in network preferences. Download: Motrix Next 64-bit | ARM64 | macOS ~20.0 MB (Open Source) Links: Website | macOS / Linux | Screenshot Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware
    • AMD 9070XT

      By Steven P. · Posted

      NVIDIA officially supports Ubuntu, as linked above with the GeForce NOW Hands on I did in collaboration with Paul Hill.

  • Recent Achievements

    • Proficient
      Eric Biran went up a rank
      Proficient
    • Dedicated
      Conjor earned a badge
      Dedicated
    • Week One Done
      Windows Guy earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Dedicated
      Mark Spruce earned a badge
      Dedicated
    • Collaborator
      conkir earned a badge
      Collaborator

  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      479
    2. 2
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      244
    3. 3
      Steven P.
      72
    4. 4
      FloatingFatMan
      66
    5. 5
      +Edouard
      66
    Show More

  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!