Take the 2-minute tour ×  At work, I was given a reasonably-
spec'ed machine (dual quad 2GHz, 4GB RAM, 160GB 7200RPM drive,
Win7), but it was lacking in a few places (HDD / RAM). The IT
staff was OK with me replacing hardware with my own, so now I'm
sporting an SSD and an extra 8GB of RAM (so I can run multiple
Visual Studios & virtual machines). I realize it was the
company's business decision to pick the machines they did, but
at the same time faster hardware made me happier and more
productive at work.  I guess my question is, am I the only one
(self-employs not withstanding :) who's willing to spend
personal money on their work hardware for a better quality of
life, and should I approach it in a different way? Is it
possible to retroactively say "I think you should reimburse me
for this $500 in hardware because [blah]"?  share|improve this
question If I am an employee, and not a consultant, contractor
or business owner, I expect my employer to bear the full cost of
any necessary hardware. Since the employe