PLP or PPP?

[Aquitaine]

Posted this over on anandtech but realized it's a better question for this site. So, hello. :)

The question is: 20x30x20, 24x24x24, or something else?

I do about 70/30 web development programming/gaming on my system. For the past several years I've used 2 27" screens - one an IPS and the other TN or MVA. I don't do much graphic work but it's been useful to have one "reliable" screen for color matching on the rare occasion it does come up. Right now I have a 5 year old Samsung 275T IPS that is great, and a refurb Dell 2709W that is mostly great. These are both 16:10 screens and I love 16:10.

I'm setting up a new workspace and have an opportunity to get all new hardware, or else I can keep either or both of the screens I have.

3 screens would be great for productivity but I'm not super concerned about 'surround gaming' on 3 monitors -- it'd be a nice perk but hardly a requirement. Probably I'd go for 3x of Dell's U2412M.

OR

OR - 1 30" landscape and 2 portraits, maybe 20"? Probably the Dell 30" and the 2007FPs...doesn't seem like much other choice except for HP and their 20" are a little harder to find.

GPU driving it will be either a GTX 670, 680, or 7970.

My concern about 24x24x24 is that I'd probably have to put it in PPP (too wide FOV otherwise, for me) and I don't think that layout works too well for development. At this point I don't have the space for a gaming rig and a work rig so I've got to have one setup for both. I am leaning toward PLP and then just use the center screen for gaming (or non-eyefinity across all 3)

What would you (or did you) pick, and why? If I could add a poll, I would. :)

[Aquitaine]

OR...

3x27" in LLL - this seems like too wide an FOV for me and I don't want to go SLI/Crossfire...so a 7970 or GTX 680 would have to be 'enough.' I hadn't added this before because I couldn't find a monitor stand that would do it, but right here on wsgf it looks like you have one. So please include your 27" LLL anecdotes. :)

[Haldi]

you mean 3x 27" in PPP right ? Cuz 3x 27 in Landscape are even wider than 3x 24".

What about 4:3 Monitors ? do they still exist ? Wouln'd be that Wide!

If you want do use just one single 27" Monitor and the 2 others in Portrait mode for Work only... your problem! I myself wouldn't want to miss Triple Monitor gaming!

[ugzz]

i always wanted to get a PLP with a main 27 and two 19 wings, i think the 4:3 19s in P mode line right up to a 27.
the only reason i stuck with my current 3x1 Landscape is just because all the hacks and fixes and stuff assume you have a LLL setup, and i get annoyed having to modify everyones scrips. some are simple one line changers, but some arent. so i just kinda bailed on the idea.

*sigh* maybe someday all game devs will allow games to just run at your windows desktop res without any issues, regaurless of P, L, Size etc.