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Water-Cooled Half-Life 2 Case Mod
Takara writes "In an enormous from scratch project, piloux has recreated the HL feel in his LAN PC. This UV reactive watercooled case features 7 fans along side the meticulously texture painted contents. Take a look at the finished product images."
Cool, but that keyboard looks like it'd mutilate your wrists...
I like the look, I don't think I've ever seen a PC grunged-up like that. Looks pretty industrial to me.
The keyboard looks like it has lots of sharp edges though, don't know how comfortable it would be for long-term use.
N.
"Nothing strengthens authority so much as silence." - Charles de Gaulle
That keyboard looks just like mine, except mine wasn't case-modded. I just didn't clean it in ages ;-)
Ahhh...the great dumpster continuum. Many a free computer will be found there. -- sowth (748135)
This guy did an absolutely amazing job on this case mod job. Kudos!
Trent Polack
www.polycat.net
I do believe that's the coolest case mod I've ever seen. Hell, I make fun of case modders because they remind me of ricers.
But damn.
This is a work of love - no doubt about it. The mouse looks as though it would sand off your fingerprints after about three rounds, though. But it is an impressive case mod, make no mistake of that. I feel sorry for his web page -lots of pictures ...
is it that bad seein a hot chick again? if i see a hot chick walkin down the hall i dont say "repost"
I don't know what's more impressive, the case mod, or the way his server has thus far withstood the slashdotting with so many images on that page.
"But I trust in the people's capacity for reflection, rage and rebellion." -Oscar Olivera
...especially the keyboard and the glowing liquid containers in the case.
Loading...
Who wanna bet this one is NOT gonna burn?
Anyone?
Hello?
The system had the verbosity of HTML combined with all the readability of compiled assembly viewed as bitmap images
here's the freecache.org link [Freecache/Post Link]
Like 7 fans was at all noteworthy in this case... *sigh*
(Like it was spectacular anywhere anymore, for that matter.)
It's a really painstaking mod, though, and deserves all the applause. (Check out piloux' "Dark Crystal", too: how to make a composite wood/plexi case look like matte plastic, and for a change it looks damn good with blue UV lighting.) Unfortunately the BitTech thread is impossible to read through because of the abysmal signal/noise ratio (bazillion "me too" posts each with a handful of "cool" headbanger smileys).
lots of pretty pictures...
:D
let the slashdotting begin
Cool mod, not sure how he would explain computer plastic rusting, but whatever. I'd be interested to see what a Counterstrike case mod would look like. Oh wait, it would just be an eight year old machine that everybody uses anyway even though there are better machines readily available.
Ohhh, feel the burning cynicism!!
Yup...
how about no life?
It doubles as a Fallout modded case...
Mod me down and I will become more powerful than you can possibly imagine...
it gets stolen.
Save yourself some time.
http://pcdb.overclockers.com.au/view.php?name=Pilo ux71&page=pics
Has some additional pics of this case that showoff the keyboard and some of the lighting a bit better.
Harpo Tunnel Syndrome--my wrist feels funny.
I'm not usually impressed by wacko case mods but I have to admit that this is one mean looking machine. Too often you see a case mod where the maker just bought a bunch of mod kits and threw them on a new box without regard for the overall result or theme. This, which shows originality, creative talent and attention to details is really refreshing. Good job!
Oh, I can't help quoting you because everything that you said rings true
I don't think the question is how would plastic rust, you aren't supposed to think that it is plastic. Overall, that is a damn good job. In any other case mod, the bottles for the coolant would be an easy centerpiece, but the whole mod is perfect.
Then again, I probably don't want to case mod the family pc, so my only other options are modding my 400 MHz Linux box . . . or my PC Jr. ;)
...to put that many images up without even the smallest bit of explination as to what's going on. If he wanted to post finished photos of his great mod, fine, but don't give me the 'in between' photos unless you're going to be kind enough to explain the process that you've used.
"Infants flesh will be in season throughout the year." -Swift
talk about voiding a warranty...
-- it's ridiculous how many people misspell ridiculous... (damn, damn, damn...)
He needs to be careful though. The rust job is so good that should he go away for the weekend and leave it in plain view, his mother might well put it out with the trash!
Man, that's impressive.
Has anyone ever tried to recreate William Gibson's Sandbenders computers? There has to be a market for hand-crafted computers/computer cases...
I wonder how long it will be before we start seeing computer cases in those Oxfam/Fair Trade shops?
I like that a lot. Nice and rusty. It'd be nice to see a rusty old enigma casemod ;)
Snow is REALLY cold.
Here is another idea for a good looking case mod, which I think captures and contains the HL2 feel just as well. ;)
Help savingAmigaOS and a free PowerPC market
The page linked from the
Just when you thought you'd escaped this madness by closing your browser window, a Javascript message comes up to inform you how long you spent on his site! Why the funk would I want to know this information?
Holy crap. All it's missing is a 'Best viewed with Internet Explorer' tag. Jakob Nielsen would have a field day.
Disclaimer: My website's also rubbish, but at least I don't care what resolution you're running at.
C-x C-s C-x k
I know there are a lot of people on here who think that most of these case mods are overdone, and don't think highly of any modifying.
But you know what, I don't care what you think, this thing took a lot of effort and I think surpasses the point where its more art than just being cool or hip. If you think otherwise....I don't know what to say.
Blake
I realize there have been a number of case mod stories posted on /. (although the numbers seem to have declined lately) but this one truly deserves all the kudos and credits it can get. The designer/maker of this should get an award of sorts.
Live for the present, learn from the past, and dream of the future!
We played dungeons and dragons for 3 hours.....then i was slain by an elf
so cool, so cool, so cool
its like with the Enlightenment window manager, i decided to change to linux years ago because i could get the Alien skin for Enlightenment. This is the same level of cool, though i will propably not go so far in modding
There isn't much like the scent of a fresh harddisk
Most casemods just look like somebody got wild with coloured leds, some pliers and a bottle of glue but this one is absolutely amazing; wouldn't mind having me one of those. Can't wait for Discovery Channel to start with a series of "Orange County Casemods" ;)
Slashdot social media options: AIM, ICQ, Yahoo, Jabber and Mobile Text. Why no MySpace?
Though if his server stays up the way it has been and mine blows up I am going to feel sooo stupid . . .
Be careful: It might leak.
Particularly the front-side view.
And DIG that front panel.
Assume I was drunk when I posted this.
This guy is really talented - the box looks fantastic. I'd hire him to do my car if I were up to it. It'd be interesting to have my family car modded like this, it might end up looking like a high-tech urban assault vehicle :)
----- One learns to itch where one can scratch.
There is a link in top of the page for the original thread. Maker explains very clearly there how he did it and what he used to make it. Even asks help for sometimes.
Sure its bit long (was over 90 pages 2 weeks ago), but it's worth of reading.
Thanks.
My mother who died from non-hodgkins lymphoma almost 2 years now would probably agree with you.
...welcome our new case-mod overlord! (Also I bow in awe of his server)
What happens when the paint inside the computer starts to peel and flake off? I don't think fasion warants an explosion. It's still cool though
The belief that you know a thing is a most perfect way to prevent learning.
... too bad HL2 will never come out to actually run on the machine.
"We shall show mercy, but we shall not ask for it" -- Winston Churchill
While you're out begging for sympathy, spare a thought for the tortured Iraqis in Abu Ghraib. Their mothers were blown up because of the taxes you paid, and your vote.
Nice case mod. Gives me sort of a grungy feel. However, even though it looks like it came right out of Half Life, I'm not sure it's the best thing to use while actually playing it. For example, it would have been neat if he used a different style, like say a high-tech silvery clean console. However, that would not have taken as much work and looked as impressive as this one. :)
Whoah, baby! Stand by for the marriage (or just plain anonymous-sex-with-ubergeek) proposals!
[Nice work, though]
Too Bad he's going to have to wait a while to actually play the game on that thing. How much money do you want to bet his system is not top of the line by the time half life 2 ships?
check out the best blog ever:
http://oehlberg.com
Whoops. Er.. guys weren't we talking about Case Mods? That being said, this HL case mod really does kick some ass. Does anybody know what you use to get the water to glow? And is that stuff easily available? Sorry, I must be knew here...
My Favourite Meme
Just look at that guy's statistics page
What hit him so hard on 12th?
45 5F E1 04 22 CA 29 C4 93 3F 95 05 2B 79 2A B2
Damn cool mod though - I wonder if I can get him to mod my cat...
Gentoo Linux - another day, another USE flag.
He lives in the Sahara Desert, you Insensitive CLOD!
followed by
In Soviet Russia, the Case mods YOU!
followed by
Profit!!
I personally find something amusing about making your setup as archaic as possible.
hum when i see the img src from the freecache version it says "http://freecache.org/http://212.61.68.34/rebels/h l2/HL2_rouille.jpg"
.8 right click on properties and see image location you will see freecache prefixed.. why? bcoz the web page uses src="image.jpg" and not "http://foo.org/img.jpg"
meaning that freecache prefixes it for you...
rather the browser does it... ??? in firefox
Geez with all these liquid cooled versions, I hear rumors that Porsche will be coming out with a rear engine, air cooled model.
These are art forms but geez. Enough already.
- Zav - Imagine a Beowulf cluster of insensitive clods...
Damm thats sick, a computer should be small and silent, not look like something from a horrormovie.
does anyone know where I can get a can of rust/mold/puke-colored spray paint?
--- "To ignore race and sex is racist and sexist!" -- Jesse Jackson
I am reminded of this.
Do you or your partner snore? - Visit www.snoring.com.au
Unless it's a weekend long one or something to that affect, but then there's the worry of the case being stolen.
It is one incredible case.
If those servers die, it can also be seen here in the PCDB.
In keeping with the "Half-Life" theme, it's probably some form of radioactive waste.
Water Dye
More impressive is the fact a webpage of seveal big images doesnt explode under the rumble of thousands of geeks getting a look.
By the time HL2 is released his system will be obsolete.
Sorry about this lame question, but why i dont see any freecache.org usage in slashdot?
That project was made to avoid such problems.
Anyway here is main image.
I must admit that I'm a little saddened every time I look at a fantastic case mod... because the machine lurking within the piece of art will be obsolete before the piece can be fully appreciated. That's why the average computer user looks at me like a lost puppy dog when I mention case modding - because the art doesn't even have time to make it into the public eye before becoming scrap.
Imagine this, if you will:
Gallery owner: "Uh, I'm sorry sir, your marble is severely outdated. We have no use for it at a high-class place like this."
Michelangelo: "Aw, crap! What the hell am I supposed to do with this big-ass naked statue then?"
Gallery owner: "Well, there's 'ye old ebay' gallery right down the street - I'd try there."
Michelangelo, walking away dragging 'David' behind him grumbling: "Stupid old marble... bet it won't even fetch 20 bucks at auction. And who'd wanna keep it clean? Bah... I wonder if the chapel needs a janitor..."
What happens if Valve goes bankrupt or decides to shelve HL2?
If I point out that you are incorrect, making me a foe does not make you any more correct.
Ha, My G5 has nine fans. And that does not include the 4 fans I have on slashdot.
Nothing a for-loop and wget can't handle. (Don't ask how I got the idea. Hint: image-intensive content...).
Now rape my free webspace provider!I'm sorry if I haven't offended anyone
The user of such a machine would look out of place unless he was wearing a HEV suit.
It's Water-Cooled HL2 Casemod?
Let's hope he doesn't get any leakes - with high temperatures his PC would become Vaporware.
+++ MELON MELON MELON +++ Out of Cheese Error +++ redo from start +++
I wonder if the blue prints for his case will be leaked...
I guess I'm too old to understand why anyone would want or even care what their computer looks like. The inside don't need to be seen. Plus, pimpin' case mods these days all look like mexican low-riders or ricer cars, and the intelligence of such people that are interested in any of these inane hobbies comes into question (if it even had to be questioned initially).
Here
Close-minded comments like that just highlight the arrogance of the Americans.
No, I can't post any pictures, but it will be ready in the fall, honest.
When I am king, you will be first against the wall.
It looks like a solution of fluorescein, which is an organic fluorescent dye. It's used as an injection in angiography to allow small blood vessels in the eye to be examined, and in anti-freeze so that leaks can be found more easily.
Jon.
What happens when the paint inside the computer starts to peel and flake off?
I don't know what sorta paint the gent is using. I've had good experences with paint to metal. And long as your surface is free of dirt/grime it shouldn't be an issue at all. It's that pesky paint to plastic that I find slightly more prone to flackage. Often times a flex adhesive is added to paint to make it stick to bendy plastic. You can see examples of this in the current automobile trend to paint plastic bumpers. Older vehicels painted the steering wheel and i've seen the paint stay for about 20 years before your grip rubs off segments.
There is no sanctuary. There is no sanctuary. SHUT UP! There is no shut up. There is no shut up.
That looks just like a pc I had to test for insurance reasons that was flood damaged.
The think worked even tho there was an inch of mud on everything!
Now all he needs is the game to play it on ;)
The secret to getting modded up is to allways say i've got karma to burn in your sig..
That's a lot of work for making something look like it's been left in the woods for a couple of years.
Sort of like these
But highly impressive nonetheless.
I wonder if one could make a rusty case with real rust in a controlled fashion. Got me thinking:
First you get an aluminum case.
Then you iron plate it electrolytically (can this be done with iron?)
Next you give the case a nice salt water bath and let it dry in a damp environment.
Repeat.
Would it work? Toughts?
.: Max Romantschuk
You can find pictures here
http://212.61.68.34/rebels/hl2/blackmesa240.jpg
My keyboard looks like this already.
Seriously, most 'impressive case mods' are just a bunch of kit, random applications, and of course cathode ray tubes to light it up in neon.
This guy made something impressive, and beautiful, and he paid such attention to detail (like painting the whole CD rom drive, and continuing the 'rusted' theme internally as well as getting the water to glow green without getting the whole case to be bathed in green light, as such- I think it needs to be viewed as art, and no 'just another case mod'
-Millions of Monkeys, Millions of typewriters, 6 hours of sorting through faeces encrusted pages to find: This post
A lot of you seem to like this case mod while you think others are somehow lesser so. A lot of you link a kid buying premodded stuff and 'tricking' our his case as modding. Trust me when I say that case modding is all about being custom and original. I read the project logs forum at Bit-Tech somewhat regularly and there are always good things going on there.
Just my two cents for those of you who think this is the only good case mod out there.
http://epi.infodb.de/212.61.68.34/rebels/hl2/
I just don't see this kind of person putting in a solid 8 hours of game time a day...
J
... a Beowolf cluster of these.
This guy better have some serious gaming skills. Nothing would be worse than showing up at a LAN party with this rig ang getting your ass handed to you. Kinda like the kids who come out sporting the hardcore gear -- cuz their parents can afford it -- and can't play for shit.
Scroll down to the very bottom of the IP address page and find the light blue chart link - It leads to here which is a dutch? page statistic application.. As of 6:30 EST it had 46250 pageviews...
The article was posted at 2:30 AM, I'm kinda curious about the morning traffic to see if it takes another slashdotting... -B
How much did it cost all up. Those look like some expensive bits of paraphenalia. Also how long... this guy must have had ALOT of spare time... to much free time and money methinks =-)
AEnertia
Witty, tag line goes here
So that's where the half life code got to!
I've just bought a brand new case.
:)
I'm willing to bet that by the time HL2 is actually released my case will look just as rusty as his
I have no sig yet I must scream.
I went to a water based setup to get everything quiet... sounds like he missed that boat with his seven fans!..
Still, very nice mod!
Agile Artisans
The boys in Iraq could use a couple thousand of these....
God help this man when it comes time to upgrade...
--------
This isn't the sig you're looking for. Move along.
This guy clearly put a ton of work into this case. It looks great. I just can't get all that excited about what amounts to a very well decorated tower. It's still just a tower. How about changing the shape of the thing so it doesn't look like a computer so much. Still, the thing is pretty cool.
Thats why you dont to metal works near sea water!
GPLv2: I want my rights, I want my phone call! DRM: What use is a phone call, if you are unable to speak?
[pic not available]
Well, we were *almost done* with it, and someone broke into our workshop. Now we have to examine our equipment to make sure no l33t h4xx0r loaded up spyware or hacked into it or anything.
[6 months later]
[crickets chirping]
No really, now, we're *almost* done with it! You guys will see it REALLY soon!*
* Oh yeah, and that TF2 case mod we're working on is also *this* close to being done. We've been working on it for YEARS and it's really looking sweet! No, you can't see pictures. It's secret!
-Styopa
Dear Valve,
You should Hire this guy for your promo department. He could make case mods and VALVE could hold contests to win the systems!
This can't be a Half-Life 2 Case....
it was actually released in our lifetimes!
"Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one " -Albert Einstein
Phbbt. I still only play Quake MegaTF.
My beliefs do not require that you agree with them.
...(as others have said) is the utter attention to detail, case in point, the biohazard fan guard on the PSU as seen here.
I am NaN
It's a shame that by the time HL II ships, this machine will be too obsolete to play it.
The rust job is so good that should he go away for the weekend and leave it in plain view, his mother might well put it out with the trash!
:P. I have followed this thread for a few months actually, it is one of my favorites at bit-tech. He took the time to make it how he wanted it, and it is just damn well done, and quite original.
Now just because someone does a good mod, does not mean that he lives with his mother
[I can picture a world without war, without hate. I can picture us attacking that world, because they'd never expect it]
haven't played the game, have you?
Too bad that machine isn't even fast enough to run HL2. Otherwise it'd be XXXTREEM!
..with watercooling, I overclocked my PC Jr to a amazing 11 mhz!!! WOOT!!!!
Free Mac Mini Yeah, it's
When the day comes that I do NOT see entries in my apache log files off IIS worms I will perhaps be willing to look again at IIS. Until that day it will be proven to me that even if MS every manages to put out a decent bit of software it will still be damaged because MS users can't even run a simple patch.
Mean I know, hardly your fault that others do not patch.
Oh and I did work with IIS at a major ISP were we ran basically every OS out there in large numbers. IIS demanded the most attention. This was some years ago so perhaps the nightly reboots of the NT4 machines is a thing of the past but scars like that don't heal easily.
MMO Quests are like orgasms:
You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.
I like the cooling but the paint job and antiquing is pointless. If I've told you kids once I've told you a thousand times, "FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION!". Now clean up that mess.
Post: Sigged, for your pleasure.
*wipes away the tears* LAAAMEEEE ;)
Posting with out proof reading since 2001.
If there was such a job, this guy could run the show. This is by far one of the most thorough case mods I have seen.
I love it!
Also, this guy is doing some really nice work, not only in painting stuff, but also in fabricating the stuff he installs there (if he did the fabricating). It looks like this mod was carefully thought out and planned before any work began. Good job!
I heard about a few people working on a Duke Nukem Forever one but they had to keep restarting to keep up with the current technology. It's expected to be shown around 2006.
The only difference between genius and stupidity is genius has its limits.
Like the phone manufacturer...from 900Mhz up to 2.4Ghz :)
It looks great, but how well will it stand up to use? Is the rusting agent going to wear off on his hands, table, etc? If so, what is there to keep it from getting into the mouse or worse drives and rendering them buggy or dead?
Cool work....I'd like to see how it fares after a few intense games.
Fritz
_____________
Huh?
I'm a long-time member of Bit-tech and know Piloux pretty well. We've talked about contests some, but it seems that there aren't very many modding contests in Belgium. The link was sent to Valve a couple months ago, and they said it was passed around the office. And to those of you who are wondering why hes using that mouse and keyboard: if he knew that this mod was going to be so popular, I'm sure he would have bought someting better. This mod wasn't supposed to be an expensive one ;).
I submitted the same story like 2 weeks ago and it was rejected :(
That half-life 2 case is the epitome of themed case mods. I think the marketing department at whomever makes half-life should pay a bundle to feature that case in their booth on their trade show circuit. Sweet!
Now I feel inspired to try a case mod myself. I like to play Starcraft, so perhaps I can make a Zerg case by jamming the case into a bucket of large insects and Nickelodeon gack. That oughta do it...
You might live in a world of properly setup windows but I do not.
I live in a world of properly setup unix and nowadays linux machines who is dragged screaming and kicking into the windows world. (and why is that the unix department has more accounts, less hardware and few people yet it is the windows department who always needs our help?)
So I get to explain to PHB's why I am not coming into work on a weekend to patch my machines during the lastest worm outbreak. (A. it is a windows worm not a unix worm B. I can patch from home during the unix scares wich do happen and just as often as windows worms)
I know that windows has gotten better but the scars remain. And MS better do a whole lot more work before it convinces me.
Oh and comparing 95 to XP is not a good example. I had no end of trouble with XP and that is on a pure gaming station. 2k3 does better it might actually be usuable (not really since it doesn't have good mouse hover detection What is that? explorer two panes right? Good hover detection would make the pane scroll over wich you hold the mouse when you move the mouse wheel, simple thing that Windows just doesn't do). XP just gave me more scars.
I also still have the feeling that IIS requires more hardware per hit then Apache does. This is ofcourse purely subjective as it depends greatly on the type of site.
Still knowing all this I can't help coming down like a ton of bricks on an IIS runner. Not fair but who says I am fair? You are dealing with bitter unix people who have to deal with windows admins unlike you who don't know their job and yet at constant threat of losing our job to them.
MMO Quests are like orgasms:
You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.
I just want to record, for posterity, that some anonymous /. reader thinks this case mod is extremely awesome.
Except the mouse - can't play HL with a weird-feeling mouse. But damn, the case looks amazing.
So is it still just going to sit under the desk out of view like the majority of PC's?
...some people just have too much time on their hands
Now, that is the sickest most kickass mod i have been yet to see, but im wondering since he bothered to mod the mouse and keyboard if he'll do anything with whatever display he uses