GearCrave » Casemods

Wooden iPod Mini, Retro in More Ways Than One

Jared Newman — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 15:00:06 +0000

The iPod Mini is an outdated model, so it’s only fitting that Jozaeh’s MP3 player is encased in the wood of a stately old Australian red cedar tree. Camphor Laurel comprises the click wheel, and brass plates and screws hold everything together. Says the creator: “I was given a new iPod Mini for Christmas and I just couldn’t leave my trusty old mini to sit unused somewhere.” Sounds like it was his first stab at a wooden iPod mod, and we say he did an admirable job. Sadly, it’s only a matter of time before the battery kicks the bucket and this wooden iPod becomes a true antique. [Flickr via BB Gadgets]

Acer Hornet Nettop, Inspired by Wii

Jared Newman — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 15:00:16 +0000

Leaked info is flowing for Acer‘s Hornet nettop, to the point that we know enough to genuinely get excited. The home theater PC supports 1080p playback over HDMI, running on Intel’s Atom N230 processor. The basic model will pack 1 GB of RAM, a 80 GB hard drive and Vista Home Basic, while both the “Deluxe” and “Media Center” models will include 2 GB of RAM, 120 GB of storage, Vista Home Premium and a “Boxshell” quickboot user interface. Only the deluxe model will include Wi-Fi, a wireless keyboard and the funky controller you see above, for all those motion-sensing PC games you’ve been dying to play. The Hornet will reportedly launch in China next week for less than $299, but exact pricing and overseas release dates are unknown. [via Engadget and DigiTimes]

CaseCrave: Old-School, New-School Edition

Jared Newman — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 18:30:02 +0000

As Nintendo celebrates it’s 100 millionth shipped DS handheld, it’s only fitting to pick a DS mod for this week’s CaseCrave — and one with a Nintendo theme to boot. The Game and Watch Donkey Kong mod has metal casing on the outside and is pretty close to the real thing, right down to the tacky orange paint job and metal screws on the top screen. It’s funny how much the DS actually resembles the old Game and Watch handhelds to begin with. The modder, Kotomi, has also created a Zelda-themed Game and Watch case mod, if Donkey Kong isn’t your thing. We’ll take barrel-jumping over dungeon-crawling any day. [via Le Blog De Kotomi]

BMW, Thermaltake Team Up for PC Case

Jared Newman — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 18:00:57 +0000

PC cases often look pretty dull out of the box, leaving most of the aesthetic appeal to intrepid modders who custom-build their own designs. Not so with Thermaltake’s Level 10 case. Teaming up with BMW’s Designworks USA consulting firm, Thermaltake — which is celebrating its 10th anniversary — created a PC case that drops the typical gigantic shell in favor of seperate compartments for the motherboard, hard drives, optical drives and PSU. Built from aluminum, the result kind of looks like a computer chip, with everything stacked vertically on a pedestal. Pricing and availability haven’t been announced yet. [via PC Games Hardware]

[Editor's Note-- Check out more awesome PC Case Mods in our weekly CaseCrave column]

CaseCrave: Big Empty Canvas Edition

Jared Newman — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 19:00:37 +0000

It appears that Corsair is getting ino the PC case game with this yet-unnamed monstrosity. It’s got cut-outs for water cooling and four hot-swap SATA trays for a variety of hard drive configurations, plus three 120mm fan ports on top to keep the heat rising right out of there. Best of all, this thing is screaming for a makeover. I envision some sort of Darth Vader theme, with the hot-swap door made to look like that weird control panel on his chest. At the very least, someone’s got to throw some LED lights and fluorescent water cooling tubes in there. [Tom's Hardware via CrunchGear]

Abee Japan’s new PC Case Looks Like a Table

Emily — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 19:00:13 +0000

Abee Japan has released a new PC case that looks a bit more like a table than a computer. The casing is available in either silver or black and is created completely out of aluminum. What makes this case peculiar is that it’s designed to be sort of a raised platform that you can put your monitor on and store your keyboard under. The casing supports both Micro ATX and Mini ITX motherboards, can hold a 2 3.5-inch HDD and one additional 2.5-inch HDD, and has an eSATA and DUAL USB port on its front panel. Currently, the case is available in Japan only for the equivalent of about $300 US. [via AkibaharaNews]

CaseCrave: Ultra-Violent Dystopia Edition

Jared Newman — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 18:00:38 +0000

Inspired by Stanley Kubrick’s masterpiece “A Clockwork Orange,” the “Overclocked Orange” case mod by David Penfold is built off a Silverstone TJ07 case. The paint job is powder-coated and the body includes a crystal layer of vinyl behind the face and a triple ultra bright white LED to light up the insides. For hardware, there’s an Intel Nehalem i7 920 CPU, an Asus Rampage II Extreme motherboard, 3 Nvidia GeForce GTX 280s, an X-Fi Fatal1ty sound card and 6 GB of DDR3 RAM, with plenty of water cooling to go around. Penfold’s work was recently featured in a BBC story on case modding, and he told the news channel that Overclocked Orange took months of his spare time to build. “It’s a cross between performance and aesthetics,” Penfold said. Agreed, and it’s perfect for getting ultra-violent with some Farcry 2. [via CustomPC]

CaseCrave: Celestial Sneaker Edition

Jared Newman — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 21:00:58 +0000

After doing some serious work on a previously lame-looking C1018 case, modder Benjamin “Benny” Franz emerged with the “Venus.” Accentuated by off-angle curves and a smooth, rounded design, this mod reminds me of a designer sneaker; it’s beautiful in an abstract sort of way, and it’s even got some “laces” in the back. I particularly like how the glass exterior continues along the top of the case from both sides. There’s no water cooling inside, but there is a massive Shogun CPU Cooler fan from Scythe, and it looks like the whole thing breathes pretty well — just like your favorite pair of kicks. [Million Dollar PC and PlexMod]

CaseCrave: New-School Arcade Edition

Jared Newman — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 16:30:49 +0000

If you’re in the camp that believes video games — particularly their controllers — have become too complicated, maybe this will help. Justin at Solomods is selling his personal Xbox 360 arcade cabinet, which consists of an old Simpsons game cabinet with the console parts stuffed inside. It’s got a 60 GB hard drive, a 27-inch standard definition monitor and arcade-style joystick and button controls, but it supports wireless controllers if you just want to sit back and play. “This is not for everyone,” Justin writes, “it’s for the hardcore gamers that enjoy the old school fun with the most current game media available.” In other words, you lame gamers with less than $2,250 to fork over need not call. Also, the cabinet is only available for local pickup in the Cleveland area, so most of us will have to admire it from afar. [Solomods via Engadget]

CaseCrave: Corporate Office Edition

Jared Newman — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 19:00:22 +0000

From the front, it’s like a skyscraper with tinted windows, complete with the glowing tentacles of a massive corporate machine inside — that, or really nifty water cooling system. The PermaFrost, by “Snipe Dogg,” uses the Lian Li PC-P80 as the base case model, and it’s fully decked out with waterblocks, cooling blocks, pumps, ports and radiators. Inside is an Intel Core 2 Quad Q9650 processor overclocking at 4.3 GHz, 4 GB of DDR3 RAM, Dual Radeon HD 4870s and an Auzentech X-Fi Forte sound card. Think it’ll run Crysis? If you really want to see some mod obsession in action, read the whole unfolding story of this stunning case mod at the Xtreme Systems forums. [via Million Dollar PC]

The Mini-Mote: Wii-Mote Modder Shrinks the Wii Down to Size

Mike Payne — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 21:35:29 +0000

Back in December, the Wii Modder extraordinare DHRECK showed us his amazing HempMote Wii-mote mod that buzzed loudly throughout the gadget/gaming blogosphere. If you were half as impressed as we were, prepare to Wii your pants. DHRECK has created a miniature version of the classic Wii-Mote and nunchuck, the Mini-Mote.

The Mini-Mote is constructed from the actual parts of the original Wii-Mote and nunchuck, some modeling clay, power glue and a handful of household tools (if your household has a surgical knife set). The build of the Mini-Mote would have been a mystery, if it weren’t for DHRECK’s detailed instructions from first slice to finished product. When your Mini-Mote is complete and ready to rock, it’ll function with the same capability of the full-size version. You might be out of luck with your Wii MotionPlus, as it surely won’t fit this one. Any plans to mod that as well, Mr. DHRECK?

Check out the full plans to build your own Mini-Mote, and more on DHRECK’s finished model. [DHRECK]

CaseCrave: Commercially Available Edition

Jared Newman — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 19:30:07 +0000

Most of the work we show on CaseCrave is created out of passion by some intrepid modder, and it’s either unavailable for purchase or it requires the sale of a kidney to pay for the commission. This week, we’ve got something you can actually buy. Silverstone’s Raven RV01 PC case slots its expansion cards vertically, due to a motherboard that’s rotated by 90 degrees from what you normally see in a desktop. This makes for cooler runnings, with fresh air coming in the bottom and exhausting out the top. Sadly, bit-tech says the case has its share of problems, like cluttered design and messy cable management, but Generation Y’ers should still be impressed because this looks like a piece of the Aggro Crag. It’s available now for $250. [bit-tech via Engadget]

GearCrave » Casemods

Wooden iPod Mini, Retro in More Ways Than One

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Acer Hornet Nettop, Inspired by Wii

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BMW, Thermaltake Team Up for PC Case

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CaseCrave: Big Empty Canvas Edition

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Abee Japan’s new PC Case Looks Like a Table

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CaseCrave: Ultra-Violent Dystopia Edition

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CaseCrave: Celestial Sneaker Edition

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CaseCrave: New-School Arcade Edition

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CaseCrave: Corporate Office Edition

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The Mini-Mote: Wii-Mote Modder Shrinks the Wii Down to Size

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CaseCrave: Commercially Available Edition

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