I would argue the chair is more important because the monitor will not break your back.
As someone who suffers from migraine, higher refresh rates may help. I get a wierd peripheral vision strobbing from my side monitor (60Hz) when a migraine sets in, the 75Hz on my main do that much later. If only >100Hz 21:9’s were less expensive…
I have a single 1440p ultra wide for programming. Love it, really have a lot of space for code. After a short while, I did lack second and third for console, documentation and the like. Grabbed two 24", rotated 90 degrees on either side of primary monitor. Now it’s perfect for me.
Indeed, a home office now, but still a decent amount of Destiny 2 happening on this PC.
I’ve been using a Herman Miller Aeron for quite some time now, but the piston is finally started to fail. 
My monitor was good (for gaming) in it’s day. It’s an Acer XB270H which was a first generation G-Sync panel, 144hz, 1ms… the only thing not so great is the fact it’s TN panel, and 27" is starting to push it for 1080p.
Interesting about the monitors triggering your migraines. I always thought the lighting at my last office gig was causing them for me, but I suppose it could have been the monitors too.
I am using a 34" Ultrawide at home for programming and I would say that it depends on your IDE-Setup. Because I cannot comfortably reduce the width of my IDE below what would be 16:9 and there is not much I need that is a good use for the remaining third of space.
Although, since I have 2 additional monitors (25", QHD) maybe I did not try hard enough to come up with different setups so I require less screen-width for my main program.
I think 2x27" is just much more cost-efficient, but, for gaming, if you cannot place the primary monitor you’ll be gaming on directly in front of you and the other slightly to the side , going ultrawide might the the next best thing…
which IDE?
I know the question wasn’t aimed at me, but I think the biggest help for me when space is a concern is auto hiding the solution explorer / team explorer etc in Visual Studio so that only the code editor is visible unless I hover over the solution explorer and team explorer tabs.
IntelliJ Idea. I do not want to sacrifice the project-view to the left, and while most code would probably fit in a narrower window, I find it more straining to read.
Hey @snowBlind623,
I think going UW would be really nice - especially that probably most should offer you the option to “customize” the work areas, or at least have some pre-built (i.e. - maximizing some window will fill out the “area” designated, not the whole screen).
Regarding the model - LG has some nice 38’’ x1600 one, which has an apparently good nano-IPS panel - but it’s ridiculously priced atm (>2k USD). Haven’t looked into the lineup, but maybe there are some cheaper alternatives, or - again, maybe - you might wait a few months and see if some “mid-range” model gets released?
Yeah, since starting this thread I’ve been lusting over some of the 38" 3840x1600 models, and I think that may be the best of both worlds scenario for me for work & gaming. Like you mentioned though, they’re expensive. The most affordable models tend to lack high refresh rates and FreeSync/G-Sync… and are still ~$1k. Still tempting though, but I’d definitely have to dump some Bitcoin to get one that would serve both work and gaming needs.
The only real downsides that I can think of are the cost, and my GTX 1080 wouldn’t like 3840x1600 too much when gaming. However, the GPU will likely get an upgrade in mid-late 2021. And technically it’d still make the back half of the desk a bit cramped left to right with ~8.25in/21cm of space to split between the monitor, computer, and two speakers. Unless I just buy some shorter speakers that will fit under the monitor. That’d give an additional 10.5in/26.7cm of space.
@snowBlind623 The only real downsides that I can think of are the cost, and my GTX 1080 wouldn’t like 3840x1600 too much when gaming. However, the GPU will likely get an upgrade in mid-late 2021.
If you’re going to upgrade the GPU further down the road, why not tie the screen upgrade to that, and save some money (instead of burning your “backup cache”, in the form of BC) in the meantime?
That way you might see if there will be any new models being introduced, at better spec (for the lower end), or just better price (high-end drizzling down into mid-end), and the GPUs might stabilize themselves as well. And with some rumours regarding an Nvidia 40xx being launched late 2021, and RDNA3 comming then as well - you might expect either the current gen to get dropped in price, unless you decide to go for the next gen anyway. 
I couldn’t resist… I just dumped enough Ethereum to pick up the Alienware AW3821DW. My guess is by the time I’m able to get the Ethereum transferred out of Gemini and into my bank account the sale on the AW3821DW will have ended, but we’ll see.
The 38" LG Ultragear is going to be my backup choice. It’s ~$75USD more expensive than the sale price of the Alienware. The caveat is the LG at this price is through Costco, of which I don’t have a membership. I read that Best Buy will price match them, so this likely isn’t a problem.
The GPU upgrade may come sooner than later. I was mainly aiming for mid-late 2021 because GPU availability is horrible right now, and late 2021 would be roughly when we see next gen cards… maybe.
I use a Dell monitor at work 21:9 (3840x1600). It has great pixel density and is a pleasant experience for development. I’ve been working from home lately where I have a 32:9 (5120x1440) monitor which has been amazing. I don’t think I’ll ever go back to multi-monitor.
I’m running Fedora 33 with Gnome.