Copied from my posts:
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...d.php?p=994461
As per R19 "No individual item shall have a value of over $400.00. The total cost of COMPONENTS purchased in bulk may exceed $400.00 USD as long as the cost of an individual COMPONENT does not exceed $400.00."
It says VALUE not cost. If you jack this $200 dollar laptop with $1000 of software in my eyes this would put the value of the laptop at $1200 and would be over the limit as per R19.
In response to:
"Technically one can buy a very low end, but upgradeable laptop priced just below $400 and buy the upgrades necessary to make it more like a $600 laptop. There were no rules about that. Just buy them in separate orders."
Section 4.3.5 of 2011 Rulebook
"G. If the item is part of a modular system that can be assembled in several possible configurations or applications, then each individual module must fit within the price constraints defined in Rule <R19>. If the modules are designed to assemble into a single configuration, and the assembly is functional in only that configuration, then the total cost of the complete assembly including all modules must fit within the price constraints defined in Rule <R19>. "