OCZ Neutrino DIY Netbook

Picky netbook buyers can literally build the systems they want with this partially assembled shell.

Unless you consider a tacky paint job and tangle of USB accessories “modding,” the arena of portable computing doesn’t hold much promise for creative, tinkering types. Or traditionally hasn’t, anyway. Mod-friendly manufacturer OCZ hopes to change that with its Neutrino DIY netbook.

Though you won’t exactly be able to outfit this little guy with neon lights and a GeForce card, OCZ will basically allow buyers to pick their hardware from the factory, and have the Neutrino delivered as a box of parts requiring do-it-yourself assembly.

The basic specs look familiar: 1.6GHz Intel Atom CPU, 10-inch LED-backlit LCD, Intel graphics, a 1.3-megapixel webcam, and 4-cell 2200maH battery. But the memory, hard drive and operating system are up to the end user. The shell will accommodate 2.5-inch drives up to 250GB and up to 2GB of DDR2 memory.

Why bother? Besides allowing you to choose the specs of your notebook for yourself, OCZ claims the system saves money, since it doesn’t have to employ assembly workers to put together the notebooks, and those savings can be passed on the consumer. The $269 price tag certainly makes it look like a bargain, but factoring in memory and a hard drive could certainly boost it to factory-built price levels, if you’re not careful.

OCZ hopes to debut the new netbook in mid-April. More details, including photos, are available on the company’s Web site.

OCZ Neutrino DIY Netbook