case mod
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Caption contest: PS3 Rainbow Six Vegas diorama
This one's really bringing us back to eighth grade. Except, you know, replace dinosaurs with terrorists, and replace a real-live-working volcano with a PS3. Other than that it's exactly the same. Chris: "PlayStation Park, Las Vegas' latest theme hotel, has left much of the Strip uninhabitable thanks to the 800 degree Fahrenheit stream of air continually emitted from the side of the building." Josh: "Finally, something more gaudy and depressing than the actual Las Vegas." Nilay: "Note: Beds do not vibrate." or "We never noticed how much the Wynn looked like a Foreman grill." Paul: "I'll be in the garage if you need me, honey. Working on the, uh... car." Richard: "Ok, who left the Allspark next to the PS3?" Ittousai: "Vegas-based terrorist group with micropulse bomb is demanding backwards compatibility; more at 11." Steve: "Kutaragi: 'This hotel is probably too cheap'"Ross: "Voted loosest memory card slots on the Strip!" or "I'm putting all my Cell chips on Blu!" or "Yeah, it may have nine processing cores but are they synchronized to dancing fountains?"[Via technabob]
Knight Rider case mod does K.I.T.T. proud
Not everyone can afford to buy their own K.I.T.T. or K.I.T.T clone off eBay, but that doesn't mean you can't show your Knight Rider affection in other entirely non-subtle ways, as evidenced by this elaborate PC case mod by Thomas Fan (which we can only assume is not an alias for the 'Hoff himself). As you can see in the video after the break, the red LEDs faithfully mimic K.I.T.T.'s faint glimmer of intelligence and, while you can't carry on a conversation with it, you can at least make believe thanks to some familiar start-up and shutdown sounds. Sadly, Thomas hasn't provided any plans for building you own, though we're guessing that when it comes to something like Knight Rider, most fans would prefer to put their own personal touch on things anyway.
The Weighted Companion PC isn't bitter or anything
Got that song stuck in your head? You know, the song. Go ahead, hum a few bars, nobody's going to notice. "This was a triumph..." Bet it's in there now! Now, while you spend the next 6-8 weeks trying wrench that beautiful melody from you head, you can concentrate on the harm you've caused to innocent weighted companion cubes over the world, and think about making restitution. Take this homage built by Magnus Persson, for example: it allows the cube to fulfill a higher calling as a case for a VIA Epia EX1500G, and it looks pretty too -- it's almost like that little incident never happened!
Cardboard case mod comes ready to ship
Calling that thing pictured above a "case mod" is a near travesty, but we're at a loss for words outside of that. This box is almost devoid of specifications entirely, but judging by the artwork on the "chassis," it's powered by a totally rare Intel Pentium 3 CPU, hums along on Ubuntu and features a curiously placed fan, audio in / out, VGA output, a power supply and lots of fasteners tape. Truth be told, we're not even certain this concoction is capable of processing anything, but at least it's primed for a shipping label should the creator opt to cut his / her losses.[Via Technabob]
Big damn NES controller is really a big damn PC
var digg_url = 'http://www.digg.com/mods/Big_damn_NES_controller_is_really_a_big_damn_PC_2'; We may have seen a giant NES controller that can actually be used to play the system, but some Swedish students have just given us an entirely new reason to want such an oversized object in our homes. This time, the giant controller is being used as a case mod for a working PC. The students put this together for 1500 Kronor (about $300 USD), so we imagine that the specs aren't all too great, but it's still over 9,000 times cooler than anything we've ever done. Nerd your way past the break to see more pics of this giant wonder.
NES PC up for auction, emulation addicts rejoice
Yeah, the NES PC is old hat, but if you just can't find the time to create one for yourself, why not pay some diligent soul for their hard work rather than living another month without one? Available via eBay, this finely crafted piece of art won't crank through any of the latest PC titles, but it comes with plenty of horsepower (and peripherals) to handle all the emulation you can stand. Granted, Americans will have to fork over additional coinage to have it shipped in from France, but flooring a room full of nerds at your forthcoming holiday bash will most certainly make it worthwhile. Check out the auction along with an in-action video at the read link below.[Via Technabob]
Media center meets piano, results are questionable
We've all ideas the creator of the Compiano thinks that it's pretty hot stuff, but we're not sure the end result is what we'd deem elegant. Nevertheless, it's hard to argue with the utility here -- after all, it's not everyday that you can sit at one bench and play a few measures of Chopin while watching the Hiphopapotamous vs. Rhymenoceros clip that you recorded months back. The 1904 Chickering Upright Grand Piano may not seem all that unique at first glance, but hidden behind its mahogany frame is a 26-inch Philips LCD HDTV and a full-blown Media Center PC complete with a half terabyte of storage space and 1GB of RAM. The bidding will start on this interesting mishmash at just under seven grand, but if you're not keen on waiting it out, you can make this your own for just $19,998. Click on through for a video of the display being hidden from view.[Via GearDiary]
66-fan case mod exemplifies overkill
We've seen some pretty questionable case mods involving additional fans, but this one will likely hold top honors until something even more extravagant comes around. The "Super Cooler" straps a grand total of 66 fans around the tower, which probably doesn't do a whole lot of good when all's said and done. Truth be told, we've all ideas that this thing was created more so for people to gawk at than to actually enable users to run uber-overclocked CPUs and graphics cards without the use of water, but whatever the case, it's an interesting (if not cacophonic) take on cooling. Hit the read link for lots more images, and keep those fingers a safe distance away, k?[Via Uber-Review]
Maid PC handles everyday computing, shuns housework
We're not quite sure what type of individual would actually enjoy having that thing pictured above sitting prominently in any room of their domicile, but for those too lazy to come up with their own case mod, this pre-fabricated alternative ain't half bad. The M4125 Maid PC would admittedly be much more of a woman if she actually came with a top half, but all aesthetics aside, users looking at this PC purely for shock value will find a mini-ITX motherboard, room for a trio of 3.5-inch HDDs, a single optical drive, DVI out, a number of USB ports, audio in / out and what appears to be a set of PS/2 connectors for a mouse and keyboard. Sadly, we've no idea what type of CPU or graphics set this fair lady comes bundled with, but let's be honest, you'll be plunking down the ¥35,800 ($304) regardless of what's inside if you're digging the exterior.[Via Hobby Blog]
Hulk PC mod smashes expectations, makes us green with envy
For common Hulk collectors, performing "plastic surgery" on one of your favorite figurines may not sound reasonable, but then again, not too many of 'em have tried to make a 13-inch poseable monster lug around a PC. Enter the Hulk PC mod, which ranks up there pretty high among the most astounding rigs we've ever seen. The project began with a simple store-bought Raging Hulk, a micro-ATX motherboard, lots of tools and a vision. Some 14 months later, the final creation was complete. We can't begin to describe how much work was actually put into this thing here, but feel free to click on through for a couple more shots and hit the read link to visit the beast's dedicated site.[Thanks, John]
DialUp PC case mod with old-school rotary phone for VoIP
PC case modders will tear up anything in search of a bit of novelty, especially if it happens to reek of old school. Ancient telephones -- we hear they were called rotary phones, or something -- happen to fulfill the old school criteria, with one modder surrounding his PC in cracked wood, and hooking it up to an old phone. The phone now works with Skype and other VoIP solutions, with the owner presumably waiting in anticipation for all the calls to tell him how awesome / clever he is. [Via MAKE]
Xbox 360 modded to look more like... an Xbox 360?
Yeah, we too are a bit miffed at why you'd want your Xbox 360 to look more like, well, itself, but a modder over at Xbox-Scene apparently felt that Microsoft simply stopped short of the goal. The customized machine sports an Xbox 360-themed grill insert, a host of internal green LEDs, an Xbox 360 controller emblem, and an internalized WiFi adapter. Click on for a few more snapshots, and don't be surprised if this guy hears from Redmond about a future in console design.[Thanks, Christian]
Tumbler Batmobile modded to house PC
For those of you still enamored by the Optimus Prime PC case mod, here's yet another transformation to keep you in awe. A self-proclaimed Batman fanatic happened upon an RC iteration of the Tumbler Batmobile, and as any true nerd would do, he wondered if a PC could be stuffed within. Sure enough, with a healthy amount of dedicated modding, the RC Tumbler was finally equipped with an AMD Sempron 2800+ CPU, a 40GB hard drive, and a basic DVD drive, but considering the main purpose is to race around the web and look sexy, we'd say it's potent enough for that. Click on through for a few more shots that even Bruce Wayne would approve of.[Via Digg]
Optimus Prime PC case mod stands nearly seven-feet tall
It's one thing to create a Transformers-themed machine that doesn't actually, you know, transform, but to assemble a fully customized Optimus Prime PC case that morphs from a menacing computer into a full-fledged robotic destroyer deserves extra kudos. Pennsylvania's own John Mangus spent some 300-hours over the course of a year building his Optimus Prime machine, which amazingly stands in at six-feet, ten-inches in height and weighs 125-pounds. It's so big, in fact, that the backs of its legs actually house lockable compartments large enough to cram keyboards (and probably printers) into. Quite honestly, this thing would be impressive without a hint of PCB residing within, but be sure and click through for another angle of what's possibly the most coveted case mod we've seen in recent memory.
iBooklet server
How we love enterprising geeks. "This machine isn't dead," they say, "it's prepped for re-purposing!"Thus was Jonas' thought process (maybe not verbatim) when he came across this 500mhz G3 ibook with a busted display. Other than the screen, the computer functioned perfectly, making it a good server candidate.He removed the display, optical drive and battery. Next he whittled the case down to the bare minimum that would contain the remaining parts. Finally, he went to a used book store and found a hardcover book that was slightly larger than the resized laptop and cut out all of the pages.He then used some plastic and velcro to secure the 'book in the book, put it on the shelf and the iBooklet server was born. He claims that there have been no heat issues. Still, I wouldn't go to sleep with that thing running.[Via Make]
360 custom case lights warn of overheating
XCM's latest product is a clear Xbox 360 case that not only displays the console's temperature digitally but, get this, color codes the increasing temp too. The Hot Rock Case's digital thermometer keeps track of the internal temp and every four degrees it goes up, the LEDs change colors too. From orange to green to blue, the case is kind of like a color coded warning system. It's quite the interesting idea, but we're not sure what we're supposed to do when our console starts uncontrollably flashing red. What we do know is that calling Microsoft for help isn't going to solve anything, because they sort of look down on things like replacing your 360's case.[Via MAXCONSOLE]
Rig of the Week: The ATX G4
This week's rig features one of the best-looking G4s you'll ever see. Enterprising reader :: Jonathan transplanted the guts from his destroyed G4 into an ATX case he had lying around. Sure, the power buttons didn't line up and the had to do some sawing to make the ports accessible, but the important thing is that he saved a Mac. Good job.ATX G4 posted by :: Jonathan.If you'd like to see your own rig featured here, simply upload photos into our group Flickr pool. Each Sunday we'll comb through the most recent entries and declare a "Rig of the Week!"
Temperature-monitoring case mod for the Wii
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/mods/Temperature_monitoring_case_mod_for_the_Wii'; Evolving from the designs of Team Xtender's past mods, the ii-Hot Rock case aims to do more than just light the Wii with colorful LEDs. The $62.95 shell comes equipped with a digital thermometer that displays the console's internal temperature, and the LEDs shift with that measurement. Every 5° change pushes their hue towards either a colder or warmer glow, luminescing a light blue at sub-28°C and glaring klaxon red when temperatures over 55°C are detected. If you're paranoid about overheating consoles, a mod like this would be perfect for quickly warning you to either shut your system off or execute an emergency saucer separation, putting distance between you and the rest of the starship before the Wii's warp core breaches. Let's all hope it never comes to that. Set a course past the post break, and check out a couple more photos of Team Xtender's ii-Hot Rock case.
Sci-Fi Xbox 360 case mod is ... shiny
Zoozen is, "A creator of consumer electronics and videogame accessories" according to their website. Frankly, they could be a maker of frozen slushies and we'd still be interested in this 360 case mod.It looks a bit like Hello Kitty met your toaster and a Transformer, and some bizarre things happened behind-the-scenes, but the sleek curves of the end result sure look snazzy. We wanty. Hopefully it'll end up seeing the light of day.
Compubeaver case mod: the PC-stuffed beaver
Granted, we were admittedly taken aback when an off-kilter modder shoved a PC into a cow enclosure, but cramming a full-fledged computer into an actual animal takes things to a whole 'nother level. Animal activism aside, this bizarre creation obviously utilizes a stuffed beaver in order to house the components of a fairly respectable PC, and while we can't be sure, we're guessing the 2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 160GB hard drive, 1GB of RAM, Panasonic DVD writer, and AOpen motherboard are all enjoying their stay in the now-empty stomach region, while the 80-millimeter Tornado fan is chillin' right on the beaver's backside (shown after the break). Of course, mere text alone can't fully describe just how freakish this thing really is, so be sure and hit the read link for a barrage of construction photos if you dare.[Via Wired]
