Two 27" Planar displays ( http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/planar-pxl2790mw-review,... ). I bought mine from Tiger Direct for about $450 each in March or April, but I can't find them there anymore.

I've no issues at all w/ my Yamakasi 30" IPS ($300~400). Got it on ebay, straight from Korea, looks a lot like my old iMac's IPS but it's matte (and not 27"). 2560x1600 :). I've had it just a few months now, not quite a year. I've also got 3 thinkpads but I can't recommend those screens :(.

Also, if you haven't seen fonts on a glossy Retina display, visit an Apple store. Fonts at that resolution just look different/perfect in a way that's hard to express.

I've had all kinds of multiple monitors setup. My last setup was a 27" iMac plus a 30" Dell monitor. However, since I got my retina MacBook Pro I find myself more and more exclusively programming on the laptop. The screen is great and the text quality superb so I enjoy it more.

Which size of MacBook Pro are you using? I am considering 13" because of its lighter weight (compare to 15").

The biggest you can afford. I have 3 27 inch monitors and it's awesome to have that much real estate.

Apple Thunderbolt Display (27-inch) - http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC914LL/B/apple-thunderbol...

I use 2x Dell UltraSharp U3014 (2560x1600 at 60Hz), I would recommend this monitor only if you want a big resolution and great, rich, vivid colors, it’s IPS though. Avoid any version previous to A03.

2x HP LP2475w. They are 1920x1200 / 16:10 IPS panels with pivot/tilt/rotate stands and a bunch of inputs.. They're a bit old, but look great and can find them used for ~$150.

2 Dell UltraSharp 24" IPS panels U2412M (1600x1200) (side by side, in landscape)

2 Dell 2007FPW 21" IPS panels (1680x1050) (one on each end, in portrait mode)

I use one 22 or 24 inch monitor, and I usually dock my window at half width in an editor or similar, fullscreen for IDE and Browser only.

Can't think about a specific model but a good programming screen for me is one which can rotate 90 degrees in portrait mode.

Forget the model, but Dell IPS 2560x1440 27" its a great combo of size and pixel density.

If you have the budget, IPS displays are much easier to look at all day compared to TN panels.

Yeah I would definitely go for a nicer IPS display vs. a larger TN one. I switch between a cheap TN monitor and nice IPS MacBook display a lot and the IPS display is so much easier on the eyes. The TN panel looks really harsh, especially with white on black text.

Would you recommend this? http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B1IAL7W

You can usually get 23" for around $150 on sale.

I actually just received this one. It was listed for about $150 by Amazon with supposedly damaged packaging but everything is perfect and I love it! Thank you.

Seiki 4k 39". 3850 x 2150 px Good forma programming... bad for games. $ 400 - 450 USD

27 inch mac cinema display...never looked back

Bigger is better.

Asus PB278

2560x1440 for ~500$

The 1600x900 14" display in my T430s, plus the Cinnamon desktop environment.

It's amazing how much a good DE makes up for a small screen.