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]

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]

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]

We’re now one month into the new year.  When it comes to computing, this year’s CES was largely uneventful and uninspiring.  We feel that, in spite of its slow start, the coming year can be a big year for the evolution of the personal computer.  In the last few months, subtle changes have been happening that when paired together make for an exciting moment in the world of computing.  Just how good can this year be for the PC?  Here’s our list of the 10 big developments that could go from early adoption to market domination in the year ahead.  I, for one, welcome our new 4G, SSD, dual-screen, 3D touch-screen overlords…

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Really, this is just a case mod of a Powerbook inside an Xbox 360, but it looks as though the two mortal enemies of personal computing have found a way to get along. The Xbox G4 was one of the top picks in MacMod’s “best of 2008″ awards, and uses a regular Xbox 360 painted black to look like the Elite model. The “Ring of Light” is fully functional, and even turns red to give you that momentary RROD panic attack. Negative points are given for using an alternate DVD slot instead of the console’s existing tray, but we’ll award those right back for creating a mod that both companies would so clearly despise. [MacMod]

Using a laser cutter at a Brooklyn hacker collective, flickrer “revolvingdork” etched the entire world map of Super Mario Land onto the back of his Eee PC. This is no joke; you can even see the shading under the clouds and the detail on the platforms. The laser was set at 70 percent speed and 40 percent power, in raster mode, in case you’re wondering. Apparently NYC Resistor, which hosted this etching, will take on other projects as well. By the way, what happened to Super Mario Land? Nintendo, bring back Tatanga, Daisy and the superball. It’s time for a Wii-make. [Flickr via Boing Boing Gadgets]

It’s hard to pick the coolest thing about Jeffrey “SlipperySkip” Stephenson’s “Ingraham” case mod. Maybe it’s his insistence on building this and all his other retro computers without power tools. Or perhaps it’s his dedication, as he spends roughly 300 hours to complete each one. For those with thousands of dollars to spare, the most interesting fact might be that you can buy these things. In any case, this mod’s a keeper, and visitors to last week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas might have seen it at the VIA booth on the showroom floor. Modeled after the 1946 Stromberg Carlson radio with Ingraham cabinet, Stephenson’s creation has a black walnut shell and burl back panel, finished with 10 coats of lacquer. A Silverstone LC06 mini-ITX case sits inside. Sadly, there’s no actual radio attached; the “volume knob” is actually the gas cap from a Harley Davidson. [SlipperySkip via Ars Technica]

If your PC is going to pop open to reveal its innards, it might as well fan out like the dilophosaurus from Jurassic Park in the process. Bill Owen’s mod replaces the mundane hinged doors of the Thermaltake Sword M PC — which use pneumatic shock absorbers to safely open and close — with slick metal panels that clasp on top of one another. And of course, what case mod is complete without glowing parts? The Thermaltake Sword M itself is a limited edition model, so this is truly a rarity. [via Million Dollar PC]

It’s sad when all the cheeriness of Christmas recedes and all you get for the next few months is cold weather. To cheer you up, here are few shots of the “Ginger Bread PC.” A case modder at Envador used hardboard for the walls and weather-stripping caulk for the icing. The hard drive, DVDrom and PSU are mounted underneath the snowy ground. This case mod is completely non-perishable, which unfortunately means it can’t be eaten. [Envador]