Well you make a good point and I don't disagree at all. I'll counter with 3 things that may make this case an exception:

• I feel demotivated to do much in the office (due to the lack of screen resolution real estate) which causes me to sometimes slack off at work and end up bringing work back home to do in the evenings (work flexibility is both a blessing and curse).

• I am the youngest person in the department and I'm hoping to climb the ladder fast (there seems to be a clear path and lots of opportunity in my company. If I'm still with them in the next few years, I plan to get them to transfer me to an office in the country of my dreams). Actual and perceived productivity are important to me right now - I need to look like I'm really busy and also deliver more/better results than expected so I can get access to raises faster and an eventual transfer.

• $800 isn't so bad considering how well 'business class' monitors from HP, Dell, etc retain their value (speaking from ownership experience). I'd be happy to get $400 if I sold it in 5 years (which is a realistic value). It would also make me happier to go to work and even stay longer (I'm single, under 30, living in a city with fuck-all social life for anyone who doesn't dress emo, enjoy 2nd hand indoor smoke in bars, etc).