[tlug] Epson LX7700 w/Turbo Linux - Good Idea?

["Lyle H Saxon" <llletters@example.com>]

I'm not extensively familiar with Epson's computers, but the few I have seen seem to have been put together well with quality parts, and been designed for easy parts swapping.  I'm thinking of buying a new computer and I see that 
Epson Direct has one model (the Endeavor LX7700) with 
Turbo Linux   preinstalled.  The basic price of Y51,450 is not bad, but the initial specs are not impressive (40GB HDD, 256MB RAM, Celeron CPU, plain CD-ROM...), and their prices for upgrading it are about triple what the parts regularly retail for in Akihabara, so I'm thinking of maybe buying the basic model, and then heading over to Akiba with a list of of parts to upgrade.

Does it make any sense to take this approach?  Or would it be best to just get a completed no-brand box from one of the Akiba shops?  I've bought a lot of computers, but nearly all of them were used, so I'm not sure of the best way to go about buying a new box.

Lyle