Difficulty of Putting Laptop Together Yourself?

Hi, I'm strongly considering purchasing a Compal HEL-80. However, I'm not sure whether to buy a barebones unit from MilestonePC and parts from Newegg or to just order a laptop from PowerNotebooks. The main problem I have is a limited budget, and by buying a barebones unit, I can save around $150. However, I'm a bit hesitant about putting the laptop myself, especially since I've heard good things about PowerNotebooks and their service. Can someone give me some advice regarding this? All help is greatly appreciated!

 

Have you tried mwave.com. I think its cheaper.

 

my advice is just to get it from powernotebooks.

it is a lot less hassle if something goes wrong, and knowing electronics, some minor things can always go wrong. It is also worth the extra 150$ to have that peace of mind.

Also, id say putting the computer together would take you about 3 hours, if you want everything done nicely. That would also mean that not putting it together yourself would save you 3 hours of time. If you just go find a job tutoring little kids, you can make 20$ an hour easily. 20 x 3 = 60$

which kinda puts the price down to 90$.

90$ for warrenty all in one place, and a notebook that you can be assured is well put together, is really a bargin in my opinion.

 

i'll take my chances.

 

I agree. For $150, I'd rather have the guaranteed compatible parts that were assembled and tested by experts. Not to mention an all-in-one warranty that covers all parts, not just the barebones kit with other parts being warranted by other sellers.

But the icing on the cake is the level of 24/7 lifetime support that a reseller like powernotebooks provides on the laptop after the 3-year next-business-day shipping covered warranty expires.

 

In my case $150 makes a big difference. I could always take it to the computer engineering lab in my school and there is people who could give me a hand. For the rest of us who are short in cash, a barebone solution its not so bad. I wish there was guide for those of us who take the non-powernotebooks route.