I imagine it would be annoying to have to do it yourself. I don't know about your old engine, but with mine, everything is just barely squeezed in there and you can't replace part (a) without removing part (b) first.
I don't think it's a turbo-only thing (could be wrong), but having a turbo definitely made it easier for me to hear the problem before it became much worse. I knew my turbo hadn't been that loud for 10 years, so something had to be up. Although I am far from a mechanic, I at least am in tune with my car.