Ever had an old monitor you never knew what to do with? Specifications so old and a panel so mediocre that you’d likely be better off using an external makeshift display. That being said, a monitor is still a monitor, and there are multiple ways to repurpose an existing one from being sent into the EWaste bin. No number of fancy HDMI cables can make up for a terrible panel, so this won’t be your primary display.

Using an older monitor as a secondary display

An upgrade to your existing setup

Before you throw that old monitor you have lying around, try to use it to upgrade your existing setup first. No matter how old or terrible a display might be, an extra display is still a display you can use, and it’s a lot cheaper than going out to buy a newer one that might not even be all that amazing.

Just add it to your existing display as a secondary. There are many ways to do this, and the easiest way, by far, is to reuse the original monitor stand (if you still have it lying around) and place it beside the current display. If you don’t have one, do know that there are a ton of compatible third-party stands on sites like Amazon that you could use as a drop-in replacement.

Of course, a stand eats up a ton of space on its own. The fancier the stand, the larger it is. Which is where something like a monitor mount comes into play. Most monitors have VESA mounting plates built-in, which makes attaching a mount as simple as adding four screws. The other big advantage of a mount is its flexibility, or a wider range of motion.

Simply put, you can swivel the monitor or even turn it upright, which I’ve found especially useful for document-related work. A vertical monitor can be transformative for your workflow when done right.

There is still a lot more you can get out of an older display

Some tweaks and adapters to make the experience a bit “modern”

If you happen to have an ancient display and lack modern ports, there might still be a few ways around it. HDMI is your go-to way to connect to these, even if they support a much older version of it. All you have to do is plug in an HDMI cable, and it should just work. If you have the curious misfortune of having a laptop with no HDMI ports, you might want to consider getting a USB-C-to-HDMI cable or a USB-C dock with an HDMI output.

If your monitor only supports something like VGA, it might still be salvageable. There’s a myriad of HDMI to VGA adapters on sites like Amazon and AliExpress, and they’re usually not too picky about the hardware. These adapters are usually enough to get an HDMI output working with the VGA input port.

Overclocking a monitor for higher refresh rates

Standard 60 Hz? Not anymore

Yes, it is possible to overclock a monitor (and even a TV!). Most monitors run at a “safe” refresh rate which can be slowly boosted by attempting a hardware overclock. It might sound scary at first, but overclocking a display rarely does any harm to it (if you stay within reasonable limits) — if the display doesn’t support the new refresh rate, it will simply not display any output. Either that, or you’ll be seeing a garbled mess of an output, which can thankfully be reversed to stock settings quite easily.

On Windows, this is as simple as downloading CRU (Custom Resolution Utility) by ToastyX. Run the application as an administrator, select your display, and from here try a few random refresh rates (you’ll have to add these in manually!) — you’ll know if it works immediately. The image should be stable, as-is and not desaturated. Just no general funkiness.

If it works, congratulations! You now have a much higher refresh rate for absolutely free. However, your mileage may vary here. Not all displays are created equally, and it’s best to push refresh rates by 5Hz each time and see how it pans out.

This boils down to trial and error, and you’ll have to keep at it to get it working. Unfortunately for Linux users, the process is a lot more complicated, involving custom EDIDs and several reboots.

A few additional tips and tricks

There are also a few extra tweaks to get the most out of your monitor. Most monitors support some form of image calibration, so it would be wise to enter the OSD settings menu and tweak some parameters to your liking. This is especially true for multi-monitor setups.

There’s no “correct” way of tuning an image, and you’ll largely be leaving everything to personal preference during the process. Still, it is worthwhile and can make a massive difference when done right.

Some monitors also support multiple refresh rates and, for some reason, default to 60Hz out of the box. Remember to peek into your OS’s display settings menu and set a refresh rate manually for a smoother user interface.