This alien-inspired PC case mod exposes powerful innards in the most sci-fi way

PC case mods and the intricacies of a custom CPU build never seize to intrigue enthusiasts like me who are always eager for that freshest eye-popping creation. While it’s been a long time coming, this PC case by seasoned builders AfterShock PC is on a whole new level.

The PC case like all times brings forth a unified sensory and tactile experience with unbeatable performance. But that killer look is nothing I’ve seen in previous case mods. The flowing pattern depicting the intensity of motion, and the futuristic feel that’s unmatchable.

Designer: AfterShock PC

The creators define it as race ready, and I totally second that vibe as it seriously looks in motion. No wonder this will be the perfect PC alibi for a geeky desk set up with all the RGB lights and bias lighting ambiance. The powerful monster is built upon the request of a customer, and one thing that stands out here is the cableless look. This comes courtesy of the open loop system which compliments the gorgeous angular edges.

Aftershock has left no corner untamed by the futuristic aura of the star pattern. There’s a custom-made GPU stand crafted to absorb the light. The refractions on the CPU build give it an RGB backlighting effect and that’s absolute dope. The liquid cooling pipes, GPU and all the hardware components are left bare exposed to bring out the play of light and the sharp forms.

This PC build will be bliss for designers and gamers who like those cool colors matched with the edgy form factor of their den’s theme. It’s almost like a xenomorph alien ready to evolve into a superior form at the push of a button.

The post This alien-inspired PC case mod exposes powerful innards in the most sci-fi way first appeared on Yanko Design.

Voltron Castle of Lions PC Case Mod: Activate Interlock!

There are good ideas, and then there are great ideas. And modder Robdp82 building a gaming PC (mostly emulation with some light e-gaming) into a 1984 Voltron Castle of Lions playset transcends even a great idea, and we can only hope when aliens finally visit earth this is the first thing they see so they don’t just immediately death-ray us all.

Photos by Robd82

The computer is powered on by opening the jaws of the Black Lion emerging from the front of the castle to access the power button. The entire PC is built into the middle of the castle, with a wing that opens on each side. The wing on the left opens to expose the Blue, Green, Yellow, and Red Lion M.2 SSD cards and Yeston RX550 GPU, and the right side opens to reveal the Gigabyte H370N motherboard (with onboard Black Lion M.2 SDD) and two Corsair Dominator 8GB RAM sticks. The Dominator RAM was chosen specifically “for the ability to individually address the lights for the colors of Voltron (RGBY) and went with pink for the 5th color to represent Princess Allura.” Now that’s dedication to a build!

What a glorious computer. And to think I still use the same Dell Dimension desktop I got in college back in 2006. Granted I only use it as a footrest, but still. The wired mouse also makes a great doorstop. Reduce, reuse, recycle – that’s my motto. Captain Planet even sent me an ‘Honorary Planeteer’ sticker last Earth Day.

[Robd82’s Voltron PC Project via Kotaku]

Logitec LHR-2BRHU3 2-Bay External HDD Case

Logitec LHR-2BRHU3

Logitec is bringing you their latest 2-bay external HDD case, the LHR-2BRHU3. Measuring W80mm x D145mm x H171mm and weighing 490 grams, this ultra compact aluminum case comes with a USB 3.0 connection interface, TV recording support and a built-in silent cooling fan at the back.

Corresponding to Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 7 and Mac OS X (10.8 or later) operating systems, the LHR-2BRHU3 supports for multiple RAID setups including RAID 0, RAID 1 & JBOD, and can house a total of two 3.5-inch SATA3.0 HDDs (up to 16TB).

The Logitec LHR-2BRHU3 is available now for a retail price of 5,680 Yen (about $55). [Product Page]

The post Logitec LHR-2BRHU3 2-Bay External HDD Case appeared first on TechFresh, Consumer Electronics Guide.

Power Mac G5 Polished Case Mod: Shiny Apple

Michael Rick came up with a brilliant mod for the Power Mac G5 Quad’s handsome metal chassis. He spent between 150 to 250 hours sanding, polishing and waxing the exterior by hand to give it a mirror finish.

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But the case is just part of this revived PC, which Michael rechristened as “Fookushima.” While most would gut the Power Mac’s contents and replace them with up-to-date hardware, Michael retained the G5 Quad’s two PowerPC CPUs as an homage to the bygone era. He did add a UPS, a pair of SSDs, a pair of 1TB HDDs, 16GB RAM and a GeForce 6600GT. He also overhauled its cooling system.

As Michael mentioned in the video, Fookushima now serves as his website’s server. Head to his website or to The Mod Zoo for more on how he overhauled the G5 Quad.

[via Hack A Day]

Atari Flashback 2 Stuffed Inside Atari 2600 Cart: Pocket Atari

We’re big fans of Sharon aka lovablechevy’s portable console mods, so we were very happy when she pointed us to her latest creation. She crammed the Atari Flashback 2 – an Atari 2600 variant with 42 games built-in – inside a 2600 cartridge.

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Sharon said she’s had this case mod in her sights for the past 8 or 9 years. One of her friends failed to do this same transplant and told her that it’s impossible. So I guess this is a special project for her as well.

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It has a 2.5″ screen, buttons from a Wii controller that she placed on a SuperJoy III controller board and a 700mAh battery that should last around 4h per charge.

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The coolest thing about the Pocket Atari is that it looks just like a normal cartridge from the front and the top, though obviously the stickers give it away.

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Sharon also modded an Atari Paddle controller so she could hook it up to the Pocket Atari via mini-USB. Check out the tiny Atari in action:

Imagine, someday someone’s going to cram the 3DSXL into its cartridge. Or not. Head to Sharon’s BitFix thread, YouTube channel and Facebook page for more on how she made the Pocket Atari.

’90s PC Case Mod Hides Powerful Gaming Computer Inside: Beige Beast

Most PC case mods are designed to make the computer more eye-catching, but Dr.Moddnstine’s custom built PC has young blood wrapped in old bones, specifically the case of a discarded 1995 IBM Aptiva.

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It looks ancient from the outside, but open it up and it reveals a gaming-grade PC:

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Dr.Moddnstine had to heavily modify the Aptiva’s chassis so he could fit the new components inside, but as you can see he preserved the case and the outer appearance in general. He obviously had no use for the floppy disk drive, but thankfully he noticed that the drive’s connector could hold an SD card in place. So he modded the drive and the connector, adding an SD card reader such that he could tuck an SD card into a floppy disk’s shutter and the drive would align the SD card right to the card reader when the floppy disk is inserted.

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Here’s a quick demo of this clever mod:

And here’s Dr.Moddnstine’s full build log:

Man, I forgot about that My Briefcase icon. I still have no idea what that’s for.

1995 IBM Aptiva build, 66mhz 486DX2 to i7 6700k!

Just for kicks I looked up the original specs of the Aptiva, and here’s what I found via Kev009:

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And this is what Dr.Moddnstine has now:

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What a difference 21 years makes. Imagine what kind of computers we’ll have in 2037! By then modders will uses cases like this one for sleeper builds.

[via Reddit via Digital Trends]

Custom Apocalyptic Mega Man NES: Vault Man

Console modder Ryan Fitzpatrick aka Platinum Fungi shares one of his latest creations. It’s a backlit Mega Man NES with a rusted and battle damaged look.

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For this project Ryan teamed up with airbrush artist Noel McEwen and illustrator Gary Bedell, who made the kickass battle scene featuring Mega Man and Roll against several Robot Masters.

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You can see the console in person at iam8bit’s 10th anniversary exhibit. Head to Ryan’s Facebook page for more of his work.

DIY 3D Printer Suitcase: Print in a Box

It may not be as cool as Iron Man’s transforming briefcase armor, but Jean-Luc Guillemette’s Case-Rap is still a cutting edge suitcase. This portable 3D printer is ready to print within seconds of unfolding.

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Jean-Luc based the Case-Rap on the Mendel 90, one of the many spinoffs of the RepRap 3D printer. The version you see here has an MDF case, but Jean-Luc says he’ll use Russian plywood for succeeding versions to save on weight and because he doesn’t find the MDF’s look appealing. It took him a total of 12 hours and about $280 (USD) to make the Case-Rap.

Pack your browser and head to Jean-Luc’s Thingiverse page to download the Case-Rap’s schematics. You should also check out his interview with 3D Print to find out more about his build process.

[via 3D Print]

Custom Final Fantasy VII Midgar PlayStation Case Mod: Shinradical!

Console modder MakoMod gave me a blast of nostalgia with this wonderful case mod. His PlayStation case mod features a scale model of Midgar, the technological pizza that Cloud, Barrett, Tifa and Aeris call home.

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MakoMod made the case mod over an 8-month period. He made the scale model itself from scratch out of aluminum and cold-casted resin. He also used optical fiber to add lights to the scale model. Here’s MakoMod proving that the console is fully functional:

The city has a couple of tiny Easter eggs, including Aeris’ church and a tiny figure of Cloud near the train station where we first meet him in Final Fantasy VII.

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MakoMod is selling the console on eBay. As of this writing the bid is at €225 (~$255 USD)  with about a week to go. Socket a browser materia and head to MakoMod’s blog for his build log.

[via Dualshockers]

Portable VCR Turned into Raspberry Pi Media Center: Very Cool Retro Case Mod

Instructables member Mister M loves to convert old gadgets into their newer incarnations. For his latest project, he turned a 1981 Sharp VC-2300H portable VCR into a media center powered by the Raspberry Pi. Thanks to its tall boombox-like shape, Mister M was able to add a 15″ HD screen on the back of the VCR.

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Mister M removed most of the VCR’s components but chose to keep the tape eject mechanism intact for that old school charm. But he wasn’t planning on playing VHS tapes on it so he used an old tape to hide four powered USB ports. He also placed electroluminescent strips and the Raspberry Pi logo on the cassette.

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He loaded Raspbmc on his Raspberry Pi B+ as his media center software. He then mounted the Pi on the side of the VCR where a handful of ports used to be to make it easier to remove or install.

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One thing that you may have taken for granted if you’re not familiar with the original VCR is Mister M’s paint job. The Raspberry coat blends well with the gadget’s style.

Head to Instructables for more on how Mister M put this mod together.