Case Mod -- Engadget

case mod posts

Mission-style PC casemod easily slides into your La-Z-Boy collection

by Darren Murph posted Sep 18th 2009 at 2:08AM

Jeffrey Stephenson is to case mods what Benjamin Heckendorn is to console mods. There, we said it. After watching the former pump out wood-grained mod after wood-grained mod, Sir Jeff has issued yet another -- wait for it -- wood-grained mod. The black walnut mission-style side table is actually a full-blown PC in disguise, with a standard ATX mid-tower within that's equipped with an Intel Core i7 CPU, NVIDIA graphics and dual stage temperature-controlled exhaust fans. He notes that it'll be available next Spring for those with fine tastes, though we're sure he'd customize it to fit your living room suite for the right price.

Xbox Micro makes the Wii look overweight

by Vladislav Savov posted Aug 15th 2009 at 4:08PM

Welcome to Micro Saturday at Engadget! In the absence of hard hitting stories and shocking exposés, we thought we'd turn to the lighter -- and thinner -- side of the news. Enter the Xbox Micro, a 1-inch thick celebration of all that is good and holy about the world of DIY mods. It took six months to make, with a few clever design decisions along the way, but it looks good enough to make even the ninja-black Wii suck its gut in. Comparison pics with the original behemoth are after the break, and hit the read link to see the exposed guts of this little beauty.

[Thanks, Matt and Jesse]

Continue reading Xbox Micro makes the Wii look overweight

SNES PC Case Mod scores endless style wins; can never bring back your childhood

by Paul Miller posted Jun 15th 2009 at 9:22PM

Face it, not all mods are created equal. Take this SNES PC Case Mod, for instance, built by quangDX and DuPPs (their real names? we think not). Sure, they could've just crammed some PC guts in there and called it a day, but with love, care and some Lego spacers, they've crafted a true piece of art. The gutted Super Mario World cartridge acts as a slot-loading CD drive, there's a perfect lineup of connectivity in the back, and the real piece of magic: USB extenders disguised as regular controller plugs, and a reworked SNES controller to plug into 'em. The main guts are courtesy of an Acer Aspire One, and even the webcam and mic have been crammed into the front of that poor shredded cartridge. This is how it's done, folks.

[Via Gossip Gamers]

ECS stuffs Atom, ION and Blu-ray into a vase for all the right reasons

by Paul Miller posted Jun 2nd 2009 at 10:26AM

This is really more of what we'd expect out of some slightly deranged basement hacker, not a company like ECS at a major tradeshow, but we'll take any entrants in the burgeoning "nettop in a vase" space we can get. To be serious for a moment, this is actually a pretty interesting illustration of the future afforded by small, low-power components: ECS has stuffed a full Intel Atom 230 system, including NVIDA ION graphics, 1GB of RAM, a 2.5-inch HDD and a Blu-ray drive into what looks like a family heirloom. There's even room for a couple USB ports, Ethernet and HDMI plugs on the bottom, which keeps the main body uninterrupted other than the tray-loading drive. Basically, we're floored.

Gallery: ECS stuffs Atom, ION and Blu-ray into a vase for all the right reasons

Aliens PS3 case mod is staggeringly ugly to non-fans

by Darren Murph posted Mar 8th 2009 at 10:52PM

Adding even more credibility to the whole "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" mantra is this... masterpiece / abomination. Inspired by the iconic Aliens films, this completely over the top PlayStation 3 case mod is about as ridiculous as it gets. We're not really told how the modder went about crafting this lovely interpretation, but we are given a few more snapshots to gawk at in the read link -- which you won't visit unless you too are an Aliens freak, but hey, that's cool.

[Thanks, Jeremiah]

Project Monolith case mod takes water cooling to unbelievable extremes

by Darren Murph posted Jan 11th 2009 at 7:23AM

It's not often that pictures truly are worth a thousand words, but this is one of those rare exceptions. We won't even bother explaining what kind of hardware is packed within Project Monolith, but it's clear that its creator is at least partially off his rocker -- not that said condition is a bad one. Hit the read link for loads more images, but don't expect it to get any easier to comprehend.

Chiaroscuro case mod riffs on Beijing Olympics building

by Ross Miller posted Dec 20th 2008 at 12:05AM

Arboreal case modder Nick "Greensabbath" Falzone's latest creation is an Ebony and Maple Frankenstein inspired by the Beijing Digital Building. Dubbed Chiaroscuro -- meaning a contrast between light and dark -- the tower sports an AMD Phenom X4 9350e quad core, 4GB of RAM and a Radeon HD 4850. Hit up the read link for a full breakdown of the creation, with pictures galore (not pictured: the requisite wooden mouse and keyboard). Your move, Suissa.

Lego console wars: NES vs. PSX... fight!

by Paul Miller posted Dec 13th 2008 at 5:59PM

The been-there-done-that competition of the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii are a total yawn this holiday season, so we thought we'd give you a console war with a few more interlocking plastic building blocks mixed in to keep things interesting. These two otherwise-unrelated case mods each bring their own strengths to the competition: while the Lego PSX mod might be more technically impressive, it looks totally amateurish next to the classy Lego NES stylings. But, like with all things in life, there can only be one winner. This is America, after all.

Read - PlayStation in a LEGO castle
Read - Console Nintendo NES LEGO Red Project CaseMod

Xbox 360 modder adds 7-inch LCD to chassis for reasons unknown

by Darren Murph posted Dec 8th 2008 at 9:46AM

One could argue that adding an LCD monitor into the casing of an Xbox 360 would certainly make it a more viable gaming solution on-the-go, but given just how many cables are still connected here, we're wondering if it's not worth the extra effort to lug around a decent sized LCD. 'Course, we certainly commend the effort here -- though it's not entirely original or anything -- and we can't deny that it took some serious blood, sweat and lost Halo 3 time to fix it up. To that end, we present to you an emphatic golf clap and a recommendation to hit up the read link for a short demonstration vid.

[Via NowhereElse]

Continue reading Xbox 360 modder adds 7-inch LCD to chassis for reasons unknown

A tale of two Pico-ITX mods

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Dec 4th 2008 at 12:43PM

As William Gibson once wrote, "the street finds its own uses for things." Of course, the future he envisioned was populated by cut-throat characters with names like Dex Cowb0t, mercenary-types who made their money the only way they knew how: with custom cyberspace decks, hopped up on designer drugs like "splurge" and "spazz." What he never understood was that the only true measure of a technology is its ability to aid a bored populace in its pursuit of nostalgia and novelty. And by these standards, the Pico-ITX board might be one of the most important technological breakthroughs of its time (roughly 2007-2010 CE). Where would the hackers and case modders of our humble era be if it weren't for this guy? They wouldn't be shoving PCs into old Game Boy cases, that's for sure. Case in point: the Linksys Bt320g seedbox project places VIA's EPIA PX10000G mobo and a 320GB HDD in an old Linksys shell (and a 400GB HDD in a second router). The man responsible doesn't say whether or not this one was intended to thwart they copyright police in the event of a search and seizure, but on the other hand we're assuming that he isn't going to be seeding OpenOffice on the thing either. If retro computing's your bag, we've found a Timex Sinclair ZX81 case mod that should bring you considerable joy. Unfortunately the membrane keyboard's been disabled, but if you don't mind using a USB keyboard with a machine that originally sported 1KB RAM (at a whopping 3.25MHz), you might want to hit the read link and see how it's done.

Read - Linksys BT320G case mod
Read - Sinclair ZX81 turned into PC

Dreamcast PC features Blu-ray, nostalgia for the late 1990s

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Nov 27th 2008 at 8:34AM

Following hot on the heals of the Sega Saturn case mod we saw last month, the gang from Akiba PC in Japan are back with the Dreamcast PC. This machine sports a Sony NEC Blu-ray drive, an AMD mini-ITX mainboard with 780G Chipset and ATI Radeon HD 3200 Graphics, HDMI output, 4GB RAM and 160GB storage. We thought that the four USB ports (previously the console's controller ports) were a particularly nice touch. Manufactured for ¥100,000 (roughly $1,045), the machine is unlikely to go on sale any time in the near future, but if you're so inclined feel free to take the long weekend and jet over for a look yourself. Be sure to tell 'em Engadget sent you. And mourn for Shenmue.

Battlestar Galactica case mod adds a touch of class and excitement to your work day

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Oct 13th 2008 at 2:31PM

Though there are few things as potentially cringe-worthy as a Battlestar Galactica-themed case mod (or toaster, or pumpkin), we must admit that this project is pretty impressive. Going beyond the realm of the expected (landing bay, running lights, engine pods and a suitable sci-fi paint job), this custom build rocks an array of ambitious features, including three 2.5-inch LCD screens, a 10-inch LCD on the left side panel and an automatic right side panel door (aka: "airlock"). The front of the case sports a laser-cut acrylic Battlestar Galactica logo that has been mounted to a slot-loading DVD drive (the disc appears to spin inside the logo) and the whole case is complimented by a suitably modified keyboard and monitor. If your curiosity has been whetted, hit the read link for a ton of images and blow-by-blow description of the build process ... and be sure to check out the videos after the break.

Continue reading Battlestar Galactica case mod adds a touch of class and excitement to your work day

CinematographHD case mod conceals monster video editing rig

by Darren Murph posted Oct 7th 2008 at 11:29PM

Oh sure, Stealth could've just phoned up NextComputing or ACME in order to acquire a beastly (albeit portable) LCD-infused desktop, but seriously, where's the joviality in that? Instead, this clearly skilled individual decided to concoct a custom rig of his own, complete with two 22-inch LCDs, lots (and lots) of diamond plate and "zero compromises." Dubbed the CinematographHD after a Lumière Brothers device from the 1980s, this massively potent video editing system also packs a Blu-ray drive, inbuilt speakers and a storage compartment for mice, keyboards and copious amounts of BAWLS. Check out the construction video just after the break.

[Thanks, Justin]

Continue reading CinematographHD case mod conceals monster video editing rig

Antec's open air Skeleton PC case is so breezy

by Darren Murph posted Sep 18th 2008 at 9:41AM

While the Acrylic Cowboy family of cases still has our hearts (okay, so maybe it's just the mascot that does it for us), Antec's latest offering is certainly worthy of praise. The aptly-dubbed Skeleton is wrongfully hailed as the "world's first open air case," but in reality, it is one of only a handful. Even with all that openness, there's still a 250mm fan up top along with a 92mm one up front, but we suppose there's no harm in being too careful. It also provides four drive bays, a layered tray design, seven expansion slots and a meager assortment of ports. You will have to provide your own power supply when the time comes, however, and you'll also have to wait a tick to find out a price and release date.

[Via BoingBoing, thanks Matt]

Toaster Computer is fine for email, useless for Pop Tarts

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Sep 15th 2008 at 3:36PM

After discovering the Scan Toaster a few days ago (and who can forget the Nintoaster?) we had really high hopes for Gordon Johnson's Toaster Computer Project. Unfortunately, though it sounds exotic (like some sort of WiFi, dual-core, programmable toaster oven), the Toaster Computer turns out to be little more than a PC housed in the classic Black & Decker Toast-It-All 4-Slice Toaster enclosure. There are a plethora of photos -- and a YouTube video -- to take you through the process (complete with a stomach churning trance techno version of "The Final Countdown" on the soundtrack). According to Johnson, the next step will be to replace the machine's "regular cooling method" (also known as a "fan") with a thermoelectric cooling process he calls the "Passive Laxative Copper Cooler Concept." We look forward to seeing how that turns out. Video after the break.

[Via Hack A Day]

Continue reading Toaster Computer is fine for email, useless for Pop Tarts