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Weirdest Case Mod You've Ever Seen

mattman writes: "Here's the stangest case modification you've ever seen. Someone assembled a pile of computer parts, hooked them up without a case and covered the lot with quick-dry spray foam. The result is a light-weight computer ready for LAN parties." This is wrong.

35 of 375 comments (clear)

  1. This is wrong by Monsieur_F · · Score: 5, Funny

    This is wrong

    I really like when there is a good explanation like that because...

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    McCartney fans pay bus tickets. [...] Lennon fans too, with discretion.
    1. Re:This is wrong by TedCheshireAcad · · Score: 4, Funny

      This is wrong
      Yeah, it runs Windows.

  2. hair gel? by underactive · · Score: 5, Funny

    looks like he's been looking at too many pr0n sites. =)

    --
    my other computer is your Windows(tm) box...
  3. inflammable by seanadams.com · · Score: 5, Funny

    It's heat resistant up to 100C and more or less inflammable.

    This is such an unfortunate word...

    1. Re:inflammable by Chris+Mattern · · Score: 4, Informative

      Can *you* say "inflammable" means "easily set on fire" and not the opposite?

      Chris Mattern

    2. Re:inflammable by Gulthek · · Score: 5, Funny

      "Inflammable means flammable?! Boy, what a country."

      - Dr. Nick Riviera, The Simpsons: "A Trilogy of Error"

  4. another one by selderrr · · Score: 5, Funny

    me and the family just dissimilated my PC and started crapping all over it. By the end of the month i'll be covered completely and we'll put it in the fridge to solidify.

    One hell of a case for LAN parties
    Occasional refreezing will be needed though..

  5. Leinie's by Skyshadow · · Score: 5, Funny
    Back in college, I had a case I made out of a case of Leinie's (Leinenkugal's, regional beer out of Chippewa Falls, WI).

    It was great -- everything fit in nicely and it was easy to move around. I was constantly a bit worried that it'd catch fire, but it didn't. The thing lived for about a month until I put together enough money to order my current case (a bit-ass SuperMicro with a mess of drive bays and fans).

    Oh, and I got to drink the beer, too. That was the best part.

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    1. Re:Leinie's by squaretorus · · Score: 4, Funny

      My next work machine is going to reside within a big flower pot. I reckon you can easily get all the bits and bobs into the base, and still have room for 3 or 4 inches of compost to grow something in - maybe some grass!

      a nice bit of heat at the roots should bring it on a treat. Have to be careful not to overwater though

  6. Mineral oil by Gogo+Dodo · · Score: 3, Interesting
    Way back in 1998, this guy tried mineral oil.

    It was covered in on Slashdot However, use the previous link, the story's link is no longer valid. You've been warned.

  7. Imagine a Beowulf cluster of these by CrazyJim0 · · Score: 5, Funny

    You could mount them in a wall of your house and it'd double as insulation.

  8. Bringing that case to LAN Parties by LordOfYourPants · · Score: 5, Funny

    I would LOVE to see him try to get that computer through the airport in one piece. It looks about as non-suspicious as a wooden gun.

  9. this is just the beginning by NFW · · Score: 5, Funny
    Seems to me that you could mold in some ductwork to get good cooling (with directed flow, you could maybe even do better than a standard case), and mold in some spars to allow more interesting shapes (not blob-like), and use the longest cables you can find (again, more interesting shapes), and sand the thing to to get rid of the brain/sheep/whipcream/meringue look, and then fiberglass the exterior... You could put Chihuly to shame!

    (assuming that's possible (the part about Chihuly having a sense of shame (I know Seattlites will understand me here, but I've heard he's left his mark elsewhere in the world too (and on behalf of all Seattle, I apologize))))

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  10. Not water... by Chasing+Amy · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The heavy equipment needed for water cooling would defeat the purpose of having a light foam case, so I was thinking a series of ducts.

    Picture a thin plastic duct leading from one end, to the CPU, to the GPU, and to anywhere else on a given modern system that would get particularly hot--northbridge on some systems, perhaps. *Then* with the ducts in place, one could encase the whole thing in foam and have an intake on one side and an out-take on the other, with a high-capacity fan on each side to keep the air moving and pump the heat out quck.

    Then of course one could power on the PC and hope the thing doesn't overheat anyway. :-) The duct idea is one I think would be most reasonable, if someone were crazy enough to relly want to try this with a modern PC. The foam idea is kind of neat, though, in a weird way--you could probably sculpt it into just about any shape. Just imagine, you could show up at a big LAN party with a PC-sculpture of the Q3 logo... ;-)

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    (We all chase Amy...)
    "The more corrupt the state, the more numerous the laws"-Tacitus
    1. Re:Not water... by JabberWokky · · Score: 5, Insightful
      so I was thinking a series of ducts.

      So was he. Only he used cardboard to set up the duct system instead of plastic. Why are there so many "bet it overheats, he-yuck!" comments here when he very clearly states that he considered that and took steps to prevent it.

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    2. Re:Not water... by Pathwalker · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I was thinking of just having the heat exchange on the cpu, with two hoses hooked up (with the incoming hose run past other components that might overheat), and to just leave the ends of the hoses sticking out of the block of foam.

      You could hook up to a common water source (if some maniac builds a party sized water chiller) or just hook one to a faucet, and let the other run down the drain if you don't mind being wasteful when you have the system away from your normal water source.

      Then again, I'm not the person to pntificate on overclocking/cooling techniques. I've tended to underclock processors more than I've overclocked them...

    3. Re:Not water... by larien · · Score: 3, Insightful
      Why are there so many "bet it overheats, he-yuck!" comments here when he very clearly states that he considered that and took steps to prevent it.

      Well, I'm applying Occam's razor (simplest answer is usually right) and assuming they're idiots. That and the fact they probably didn't read the article.

      I can see it now; in years to come, we'll no longer have the phrase "shoot first and ask questions later" it'll be "post first read the article later".

    4. Re:Not water... by JabberWokky · · Score: 3, Interesting
      despite all of that, it still looks like a cyborg hocked a lugie.

      I've seen this material airbrushed to look like organtic "Aliens Cocoons" or "Metroid walls" stuff - including a really nifty wall at a comic book store with mannequin parts embedded in it. It can really look good with some paint - but it's still pretty fragile and crumbles with a relatively light poke of a finger.

      --
      Evan

      --
      "$30 for the One True Ring. $10 each additional ring!" -- JRR "Bob" Tolkien
  11. Heat-Conducting Carbon Foam from last Friday by t0qer · · Score: 3, Informative

    Would work nicely if they used the foam from this
    article.


    1. Re:Heat-Conducting Carbon Foam from last Friday by HerringFlavoredFowl · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Carbon is an electrical conductor (at least when it's in the form of graphite). The foam in the article you mention is talking about a graphite foam. Hence I would be willing to bet it would cause all sorts of havoc with the electronics in the system ...

      Now what would be cool would be someone running a system in a fish tank full of pure de-ionized water (hint : that doesn't conduct electricity)

      TastesLikeHerringFlavoredChicken

      --
      TastesLikeHerringFlavoredChicken
  12. Odds are good... by I.T.R.A.R.K. · · Score: 3, Funny

    ...he didn't pay for that extra Windows license.
    Let's hope the Microsoft gestapo doesn't get wind of his little project and decide to investigate.

    --

    "Adequacy.org: Where congenital stupidity is not an option, but a requirement."

  13. chia 'puter by ninjalex · · Score: 5, Funny

    Now all he needs to do is order a chia pet and put a layer of dirt and seeds on the foam.

    The only computer that requires a weedeater for maintance.

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  14. Re:Insulation by FyRE666 · · Score: 5, Funny


    I'd hope it would be obvious to most people, but I wouldn't want to use this for any mission critical computers


    Oh no! I wish I'd read your comment earlier; I've just moved our high-traffic e-commerce sites across to these (it was a real bitch pushing them into the rack, I can tell you!) So you think the dual celerons overclocked to 1.9GHZ might overheat when serving 500,000 hits per day??

    Back to the drawing board...

  15. Not really... by Chasing+Amy · · Score: 5, Informative

    from the looks and description it's just a simple ventilation space for the CPU with just one opening. I was thinking more along the lines of a real duct system, specifically designed for maximum airflow over the CPU, GPU, northbridge and anything else that may get toasty on a modern system. What I mean is much like the pre-made duct system they sell for overclockers--I forget what the thing is called, but it's specifically designed to direct the airflow from the intake, over the CPU, and out of the case, unlike with just slapping a fan in the front and back which isn't nearly as efficient.

    If airflow is directed very efficiently and driven by both an intake fan and an exhaust fan, even a modern CPU and GPU should be cool-able, whereas with this design the guy specifically warned against just doing the same with a newer, hotter machine. The hard part would be configuring a system of ducts to provide the most efficient airflow possible for at least 3 and possibly 4 components, but it could be done.

    --

    Chasing Amy
    (We all chase Amy...)
    "The more corrupt the state, the more numerous the laws"-Tacitus
  16. Almost there... by inimcus · · Score: 5, Funny

    I was thinking, since it is running windows and has the right shape and texture, why not just finish it with a coat of brown paint?

    1. Re:Almost there... by SpinyNorman · · Score: 5, Funny

      ... or just do it right and spray it with hot liquid manure so it steams, smells right and attracts hoards of flies.

      WinTurd computers - "we're #2 in computing"

  17. hahaha by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    looks like a sheep.

  18. Take it to the next level by ClockworkPlanet · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Neat idea, but the execution is horrible.

    Surely the next step is to create a nice mould for the case, and inject the mould with the foam. I've done pretty much the same thing using cans of insulation foam (used to fill large holes in walls). I took large balloons and filled them full of foam, then cut the balloon away from the foam. This gave a really nice teardrop of hard foam, that was very light.

    Off the top of my head, I fugure the same thing can be done using a styrofoam cooler box with a PC in it, fill the thing full of foam after blanking off the internal guts with card, and when it's set crack the case off and shape with carving tools.
    The beauty of doing this is that you could, with some serious planning, create some amazing looking designs that had built in air ducts that forced the cool intake air to spiral around heatsinks and hot components. I imagine a nautilus shell would be easy to do - you'd end up with a PC that looked really cool and would be built with great cooling capabilities from a single fan or set of fans.

    Shell shaped quiet PC anyone?

    --
    Now wash your hands.
  19. Laptops by Faux_Pseudo · · Score: 5, Interesting

    This has been brewing in my mind for some time now. I have seen transparant cases, transparent harddrives, tacks and now foam cases. Where are the laptop mods. Please post any links you have to laptop mods that are not stickers and spraypaint. This has been bugging me for some time. I want in on the mod action.

  20. Re:another one by rickthewizkid · · Score: 4, Funny

    Gives a new meaning to the word "shitbox"

    -Rick

  21. Re:Laptops by FaRuvius · · Score: 5, Informative
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  22. Umm... by Justen · · Score: 3, Funny

    Is this the new iMac?

    jrbd =)

  23. Better yet..... by Y-Crate · · Score: 4, Funny

    I've seen places use excessive fire-proofing as a decorative feature.

    I wonder if it gets them better insurance rates?

  24. Looks like by teslatug · · Score: 4, Funny

    the Trapper Keeper has merged with his computer

  25. Re:wonder if it over heats? by ahfoo · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Yeah, I don't think it's a major issue.
    I make racks out of hand formed portland cement and newspapers mushed together into a slurry and then pressed into shape with nothing but gloved hands. I can easily stack four PC units along with room for a few audio amps in this kind of rack that goes up to the ceiling taking up the floor space that one ugly ol' PC case would take up.
    I just lay the boards out on the racks with the PSUs and HDs off to the side and the ethernet cables dripping off of one end. It's a far cry from portable, but if you tend to collect quite a few machines, a rack is the way to go. I have way less problems with boards laying out open on my hand made racks than I do with the few machines I still have in conventional cases. And, when I do have problems they're way easier to fix and swapping parts is a breeze. Cheap cases suck and expensive ones are . . . expensive. I say build your own racks.
    By the way, I got inspired to make these racks after I made a squashed spheroid sub-woofer encloscure out of the same cement/newspaper mixture about three feet in diameter and weighting at least a hundred pounds. It's the funky jelly donut from hell. This thing thumps big time. I highly recommend it although my downstairs neighbors mourn the day I built it.