It's surprising how little you need for a truly good setup. Me?
* $1000 - One 30" monitor
* $2200 - One 15" Macbook Pro, fully kitted
* $100 - One DualLink DVI-DisplayPort adapter
* $1000 - One virtual development server running Linux
* $250 - Amortized cost of the build cluster
* $200 - Miscellany (keyboard, sound-dampening headphones)
That's, what, two weeks of salary at retail prices? And the only thing that really needs to be replaced on a regular basis is the Macbook -- two years should be fine.
Considering the potential productivity drop by making someone work on inferior hardware, I cannot understand why you would skimp here. I will tell you that if I ever work someplace that tries to hand me a nineteen inch monitor, or even two of them, I will shell out for my own thirty-incher and bring it to work with me.
ps. regarding the $100 DVI/display port adapter... you should check out MonoPrice. I get all my A/V gear from there and it's certainly comparable to overpriced AAPL and monster cables.
Considering the potential productivity drop by making someone work on inferior hardware, I cannot understand why you would skimp here. I will tell you that if I ever work someplace that tries to hand me a nineteen inch monitor, or even two of them, I will shell out for my own thirty-incher and bring it to work with me.