How My Roommates Affect My Decision Making

Earlier this year I was presented with the opportunity to purchase a new computer. I was previously working on a five year old HP laptop that was running a Linux distribution because Linux just gets along with older computers. I had high MAO, I was unhappy with the old computer because I couldn't do half the things I wanted on it do to lack of equipment inside, I had just received a refund from student loans, so I was able to set myself a limit on what I would spend.

Thus began the decision making process.

I started by deciding what brand, Mac or PC. I work on Macs by vocation, so I know all the dirty little secrets that Apple tends to hide about their products. Even with that information in mind, Macs were not totally counted out. I've been working with PCs for nearly ten years, so I hold more than adequate operational knowledge about both. What narrowed it down is that while I was searching for a laptop, I considered how much it would cost if something broke. I'm an economical person, so that narrowed the decision down to PC, just plain easier to work on, mechanically speaking.

My price limit was set at $1,500.00, obviously this opened up a lot of options. I had it narrowed down to a Toshiba Qosmio X775 and an Acer DFJ9200M. The specifications were nearly the same with the exception of the processor type, which is inherently the most expensive part of a computer. I was leaning toward the Acer mainly because the Toshiba landed outside my spending limit ringing in at roughly $1,600.00. My brother, who is also my roommate, was with me at the time. I was thinking about taking the conservative approach, keeping in mind that if it was cheap enough, I could just straight out replace it.

My brother then said something to me that ultimately swayed my decision. He said, "Dan, you're the best technological person I've ever seen, don't settle for something because of price, buy quality, you always get what you pay for". I had considered that viewpoint and actually had it in my head that my brother would be disappointed if I settled for anything less than the best. I ended up going with the Toshiba, which is an absolute beast of a machine and only $1,734.85 after tax (ha).

When we started talking about the TORA model and specifically how a person that holds significance in our lives plays into our decisions, it clicked and I realized that I make no compromises on technology based on the fact that I am the tech geek in my circle of friends.