Not sure about a particular article to point you to, but the basic problem with PCs is their shape. The lamp shape is not very efficient - there's a lot of restrike from having the two tubes right up against each other. This lamp geometry also makes it more difficult to make efficient use of a reflector.
IMO the most efficient form of fluorescent lighting is T-5s with a proper reflector. Personally I prefer MH, but if I were ever to use another fluorescent lighting system it would probably be T-5s (unless it was just a supplemental system to MH in which case I like VHO too).
After that I would choose VHO. PCs will work, but personally, I don't like them (and yes, I have used them). I also feel there are a lot of junk PC lamps out there, while there's some really high quality T-5 and VHO lamp manufacturers around.
All that said, PCs are popular, especially with smaller tanks, because they can be a cheap alternative (and they do get the job done).
JMO & HTH
