Discussion Unconventional PC cases

[Nightblade]

So this thread is a mainly a discussion about unconventional PC cases that make you think/say "They put a PC in that?"

For example, the Lego PC case made out of lego, or a PVC pipe skeleton open air case, or even mounting laptop parts in a pizza box.


I've seen people scoff at the "trash can" PCs that major manufacturers were making in the early 2012s, but why not build one in an actual trash can? You can cut holes for extra ventilation and the i/o shield.

Eh, but on second thought, while you could do that, unless it was a metal trash can, you would suffer from structural integrity and it just wouldn't look great? Besides, using a trash can as a pc case just seems weird and impractical.

After all, if you're going to use an unconventional case, it has to be at least practical. If you can make it stylish, then that is another plus.



Now, you've probably heard of making a case out of a pvc pipe skeleton frame, such as this ITX build, but what about inside an actual 10" diameter pvc pipe? I guess probably because a PVC pipe that big is hard to find and not readily available. But, I think it would make a cool case, just stick a large fan on each end and have the air flow through from one end to the other.


There's actually some manufacturers and plumbing supply companies near where I live that make larger size pipes and one actually makes clear plastic/acrylic tubing that I could use. I'd just have to come up with a metal frame that would slide in and out of the tubing.

What are some unconventional pc case ideas you've had in the past?

 

[Nightblade]

It seems this has already been done.

 

[lozza_c]

This is by far my favourite.

 

[Nightblade]

This is by far my favourite.

The only problem I have with that build is that they weren't able to mount the radiators internally. Not a fan of the "hotrod" design. At least for me, something that small I'd want to carry it around, and the likelyhood of it getting damaged is greatly increased because it is outside the case.

 

[Mashndrow]

You can heat your food and play games in this. They made a version 2 almost a year ago.

 

[REVOCCASES]

You can heat your food and play games in this. They made a version 2 almost a year ago.

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[ignsvn]

...unconventional PC cases that make you think/say "They put a PC in that?"

I like the definition, sweet & simple

 

[FreshGnar]

The only problem I have with that build is that they weren't able to mount the radiators internally. Not a fan of the "hotrod" design. At least for me, something that small I'd want to carry it around, and the likelyhood of it getting damaged is greatly increased because it is outside the case.

I didn't really build that pc with portability in mind. The idea was for it to be more of an art piece. This one might be more your flavor.

After all, if you're going to use an unconventional case, it has to be at least practical. If you can make it stylish, then that is another plus.

I think you've got it backwards. The whole point of building a pc in something unconventional is style and practicality is something you try to make work if you can.

 

[Nightblade]

I think you've got it backwards. The whole point of building a pc in something unconventional is style and practicality is something you try to make work if you can.

Not unless you're going for some kind of art piece, otherwise it should be practical.

You rebuild a laptop into a pizza box, not because it looks cool, but because it is practical and it works.

You build a PC in a PVC pipe not really as an art piece, but maybe it looks cool...if done right, you might get superior airflow, might not. you don't know until you try it.

 

[FreshGnar]

Not unless you're going for some kind of art piece, otherwise it should be practical.

You rebuild a laptop into a pizza box, not because it looks cool, but because it is practical and it works.

You build a PC in a PVC pipe not really as an art piece, but maybe it looks cool...if done right, you might get superior airflow, might not. you don't know until you try it.

I had a long rebuttal typed up but I didn't want to be mistaken for losing my cool since this is something I'm passionate about.

I'll just say that I recommend doing some more research and maybe take a shot at building one yourself.

 

[aromachi]

What are some unconventional pc case ideas you've had in the past?

I have a big list. Mortgage, wife, child and many other hobbies keep me from actually building them.

It'd be cool to build a (sleeper) PC in a large book (or a trilogy?), or do a concrete case (found this guy who already sort of did it, but it's laughable.. Very little creativity went into it). I might start working on another twisted wire frame later this year. Bamboo box pc could be cool. Acrylic cases can be made water tight, so it'd be cool to have a case where reservoirs make up most of the outer walls. I have many more.

Not unless you're going for some kind of art piece, otherwise it should be practical.

It's almost never that black and white around these parts. Most people go for a mix of both. SFF is all about the epic fight between form & function; or cool vs "thermally-throttled-but-it-looks-so-BA" if you like haha.

 

[Nightblade]

It's almost never that black and white around these parts. Most people go for a mix of both. SFF is all about the epic fight between form & function; or cool vs "thermally-throttled-but-it-looks-so-BA" if you like haha.

Theres only so much cool factor before the cons out weigh it. In the end, I still want it to work. Even if its not the best performance, it should still do a decent job for it to pass. Otherwise, its getting taken apart and put to other use.

 

[hrh_ginsterbusch]

So .. pulling out this old dead thread from its grave: The idea with wooden boxes has given me much inspiration
I'm planning a "sleeper" build for the bed room, so it has to fit in the overall visual theme and be as non-obtrusive as possible.

FYI: The theme of my new bed room is primarly light colors (cream white, beige, light brown, flax, light wood etc.) with a few splashes of technicolor, ie. sun yellow, yellow orange, "normal" orange, magenta / strawberry, purple, and a bit of dark red.

My first idea was getting something like the Fractal Design Mood or the HGC Osmi, but that just didnt feel right. Next idea was going for an old radio casio, but most of these are much longer than your average nightstand, so that idea was of the table, literally, too. Then I remembered somebody talking about that the S400 / S300 in black looked very similar to a Marshall Amp - so thats the current plan.

Now, lets combine! Wooden box + leftover S300 parts (from the S396 build) = some kind of ITX case. Could be turned into a vintage / 1950s / 1960s radio, or some other kind of utensil. Maybe even just a harmless looking box.

A few interesting ones - for me, that is - that I found on Amazon:

• https://www.amazon.de/Aufbewahrungsbox-mit-Deckel-PinJet-Black/dp/B0DF2Y748D/ref=sr_1_39?th=1 - "Storage box with cover", actually its a wooden, painted storage box with a hinged cover, different sizes, ranging from roughly 8 L to 25 L
• https://www.amazon.de/KIRIGEN-Dekorative-Handwerk-Andenken-gelb-braun/dp/B09H6NKF3Z/ref=sr_1_9 - "Storage box with cover - Wooden box with rolling tablet" - yeah, Chinese to German always are a bit .. adventurous; I'm also fond of the translation of "high storage capacity" as "high data storage capacity" (hohe Speicherkapazität); roughly 6.1 L
• https://www.amazon.de/Kunstversteck-Schatztruhe-Schatzkiste-Mangoholz-Handarbeit/dp/B07K6TQ1LF/ - apparently a "treasure chest" to hide "artworks" ("kunstversteck"). Never heard that word in German before, but I'm certain that the Bernsteinzimmer wont fit in there, so .. probably some made-up word that came into existence by some garbled up translation failure
• https://www.amazon.de/Buchkiste-Aufbewahrungsbuch-Aufbewahrung-Verpackung-Dekoratives/dp/B083SFTGZ5/ - "fake book box", basically a box with an outer shell that looks like several books stacked on each other .. now lets find this in a proper size, et voila! perfect for the night stand!
• https://www.amazon.de/Kistenkolli-Altes-Land-Regalkiste-Ablagekiste/dp/B07HB45Y6N/ - a roughly put together wine box?

cu, w0lf.