Yet Another PC-Mac Case Mod

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Posted by pudge on Thursday March 11, 2004 @12:01AM from the but-this-one-is-cool dept.

JayPee writes "Fortunately, this mod doesn't involve destroying a brand new G5 for its shell. (And yes, I know the G5 was a "hoax"). Instead, the modder used an old Macintosh SE case for his gaming computer. While I'm sad that he wasn't able to use the old black and white display in conjunction with the LCD, I'm still amazed that he was able to deal with the heat issues that I'm assuming would pop up by stuffing a higher end PC and video card in a Mac SE case." This mod is technically impressive, and looks great.

31 of 91 comments (clear)

First Mod by X-wes · 2004-03-11 00:07 · Score: 5, Insightful

This article says that the designer of this case mod is actually doing his first ever mod. Considering how unique this idea is, it's amazing it went so well. It really looks quite amazing.
1. Re:First Mod by Anonymous Coward · 2004-03-11 00:22 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  I really like the retro look. Except the blue light, which is ugly retro. So two years ago.
risky HD placement? by inio · 2004-03-11 00:10 · Score: 5, Informative

I would have second thoughts before strapping the HDD to the side of the PSU...
1. Re:risky HD placement? by Anonymous Coward · 2004-03-11 01:25 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  Yup. Attaching magnetic field sensitive device to magnetic field generating gizmo is never good idea. He will figure it out the hard way.
2. Re:risky HD placement? by Anonymous Coward · 2004-03-11 04:48 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  Why? Your psu isn't going to bother it, honestly nobody seems to know anything about magnetic fields OR their computer components anymore. Have you ever taken apart a hard drive? There are EXTREMELY powerful magnets in there. It's true that you can't leave a floppy next to a magnet, it's not true for hard drives.
3. Re:risky HD placement? by Greedo · 2004-03-11 04:53 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  I also got the shivers from this part:
  
  I got a 400W power supply that I spray-painted black ...
  
  That's just asking for trouble, I think. Unless he used some heat-resistant paint, this machine is going to make some nasty fumes.
  
  --
  Tuus crepidae innexilis sunt.
Akihabara by jetfuel · 2004-03-11 00:14 · Score: 5, Interesting

I came across something similar in Akihabara a couple of years ago: http://context.metalbat.com/index.pl?671 The i/30 is an SE/30 fitted with a G3 mobo and with the B&W CRT replaced by a TFT. Excellent.
1. Re:Akihabara by Mad_Fred · 2004-03-11 00:40 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  That's the real deal! I don't get all that impressed when people don't integrate the screen into a machine like this. Sure, it's good work getting everything into an enclosure of specific dimensions, but if you don't get a screen in it's still just that: an odd box.
2. Re:Akihabara by ChuyMatt · 2004-03-11 03:38 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  seeing as the site is called vHacks (Virtual hacks) i would think it would be obvious...
From the looks of it by freaksta · 2004-03-11 00:27 · Score: 4, Informative

It would appear he is running WindowsXP.

--

Hrrm... I usually just sign my name.
Nice job, except for ESD controls by Halvard · 2004-03-11 01:11 · Score: 3, Funny

Appearance: wow, great job! But it looks like you want a static display piece! Nice job laying out all your hard work on the carpet. Next time, uh, lay it out on a work bench, ESD matt, etc. It'll last longer, you'll hopefully have fewer problems, etc.
What is this, by Stigmata669 · 2004-03-11 01:21 · Score: 5, Funny

a reverse rice rocket?
I guess the owner wants to shock you with his very slow looking Yugo that can do a 10 second quarter mile.
369 fps on Quake3 may not be enough to brag to your buddies, but maybe it just looks that much better when it comes from a case that held a 30mhz mac.

--
Yawn.
1. Re:What is this, by tiktokfx · 2004-03-11 03:36 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  Actually, the SE was only 8 MHz.
2. Re:What is this, by redJag · 2004-03-11 07:39 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  by the way, the term for "reverse rice rocket" is sleeper. Lot's of people do it (cars that are wicked fast but don't look it).
3. Re:What is this, by tiktokfx · 2004-03-11 09:02 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  No, it isn't. The mod is clearly of an SE. There are two floppy slots. The SE/3000 refers to the fact that it has a 3GHz processor in it. Also, even if it were an SE/30, it's still not an original 30MHz computer. SE/30's were 16 MHz 680THIRTIES.
4. Re:What is this, by insmod_ex · 2004-03-11 12:37 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  The SE/30 ran at only 16Mhz.
Interesting, but... by quecojones · 2004-03-11 03:34 · Score: 3, Funny

I would've been more impressed if he'd managed to put a dual G5 in there (to keep the whole Mac thing going). :)

--
"PROFANITY is the inevitable literary crutch of the inarticulate MOTHER FUCKER." -- some PC user
1. Re:Interesting, but... by mgs1000 · 2004-03-11 03:45 · Score: 4, Interesting
  
  This was pretty cool
  Some guy took the guts of a G4 cube and put it in a Color Classic
Nice peripherals, sort of by Stargoose · 2004-03-11 04:18 · Score: 3, Informative

The Apple monitor and keyboard sort of make sense, if you reason that he wants to make a Windows box look like a Mac, but I kind of think the theme gets muddled: PC in old Mac case, with new Apple monitor and two-year-old Apple keyboard.

On the other hand, using a PC monitor and keyboard probably wouldn't have looked any nicer. Anyone know how PC hardware handles the special keys (command, option) on Apple keyboards?
1. Re:Nice peripherals, sort of by prockcore · 2004-03-11 04:37 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  Anyone know how PC hardware handles the special keys (command, option) on Apple keyboards?
  
  I have an Apple Pro Keyboard hooked up to my PC. Option is Alt, Command is the Windows Key.
2. Re:Nice peripherals, sort of by dbirchall · 2004-03-11 07:19 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  My wife took her Pro Keyboard to work, since she couldn't stand the craptastic one on the PC there. Works fine. I suspect the volume up, down, and off keys, eject key and F13-F16 on my G5's keyboard would be confusing to a PC, though.
  Oh, and since prockcore didn't spell it out, the "Command" key is the one with the apple and the cloverleaf on it, if anyone's confused.
3. Re:Nice peripherals, sort of by prockcore · 2004-03-11 07:42 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  I suspect the volume up, down, and off keys, eject key and F13-F16 on my G5's keyboard would be confusing to a PC, though.
  
  Actually, volume up,down,off and eject all work under Linux. I think volume up and down work in Windows, but eject doesn't.
  
  And F13-F15 map directly to Print Screen, Scroll Lock, and Pause.
  
  It does take some getting used to though, because the "windows" key and alt are swapped.
Re:G5 was a "hoax"? by Nick+of+NSTime · 2004-03-11 04:23 · Score: 4, Informative

The G5 wasn't a hoax. The submitter was referring to the recent brouhaha about a guy who stripped the internals out of his G5 and replaced them with not-so-great PC components. It turned out to be a hoax.
Re:G5 was a "hoax"? by b-baggins · 2004-03-11 05:13 · Score: 3, Funny

Yeah, right. Snotty kid brags about turning a G5 into a PC, gets about 30,000 emails, many of them variations on the theme of: You are a total idiot, and a few days later, said kid comes out and says: Uh, it was just a hoax, guys, I didn't really do it.

Uh-huh. Sure.

--
You can tell a great deal about the character of a man by observing those who hate him.
Speaking of mods by Pope · 2004-03-11 09:14 · Score: 4, Interesting

Not so much a casemod, but a guy over on MacNN put a neon kit in his G5 and runs with the panel off. Linky
Can't say I'm a fan of people who make their cases light up ( I think it's a waste of time and money, frankly), but why not try something no one else has?

--
It doesn't mean much now, it's built for the future.
nice rendering by tholomyes · 2004-03-11 13:38 · Score: 4, Interesting

either they took a lot of time and care with the photos, or they're very nice renderings. either way, it looks nifty. but, somehow, unreal.

it'd be nice if it didn't light up, too, and you could just tuck its nice small case away to do be a file/print server. good size for that sort of thing.

--
When did the future switch from being a promise to a threat? -C. Palahniuk
Puts my computers to shame! by kingLatency · 2004-03-11 16:22 · Score: 5, Funny

Not only was this a very impressive casemod (and not super-tacky like many are), the computer inside puts all of mine to shame, especially my still-functioning Macintosh SE. ;)

--
"I've got to stop masturbating! It makes me too lazy! Stop it, Albert. Stop it." -- Albert Einstein
Re:How sad... by Anonymous Coward · 2004-03-11 17:16 · Score: 5, Funny

If a mac SE is a piece of history, I got a museum in my basement.
Re:How sad... by oldosadmin · 2004-03-12 00:52 · Score: 4, Funny

I know at least three people who would kill to have a Mac Classic...

Now just give me your name and address, and I'll send them after you with axes!

--
Jay | http://oldos.org
Re:How sad... by capmilk · 2004-03-12 04:54 · Score: 3, Informative

Remember "Back to the Future" part 2? There was a Mac Plus in the antiques shop, right next to Gray's Sports Almanac. I can't remember the price tag, but it did not seem to be awfully valuable. But hey, that was only 2015. :)
Re:How sad... by Myopic · 2004-03-13 11:27 · Score: 3, Insightful

lighten up, man. one fewer SE in the world is not trashing history. there are millions of computers in dumps around the world. you may be a proud owner of a Classic which will not be destroyed, but instead it'll die a lonely death in the corner of a closet.