Case Tweaking 336
A reader writes "I don't know what they were smoking, but these guys decided that the G4 case makes for a great LAN party box. Of course, without the G4 and all that yucky Mac hardware -- just the aesthetics. They go about hacking and modding the case, turning a low power (aka, weak) x86 box and toss it into the G4 casing, and don't end up destroying the case to make everything fit. Lotsa pictures and explanations of every step in the process"
No need to wonder (Score:5, Informative)
Separately sold cases, which have to be compatible with a wide variety of motherboards, have a hard time replicating Apple's designs. In particular, in a tower case, the internal devices are all above the motherboard, so the cable connectors are at the top. A swing out design, like in the G4, is hard to do because the cables will get in the way. Take a look ColorCases [colorcases.com] to see what "niche" case manufacturers are doing despite these limitations.
On the other hand, companies like Compaq, Sony, and Gateway already ship their computers with custom motherboards and cases, and so have fewer limitations. They do offer their own takes on PC case design, just not exact copies of Apple's design for legal reasons. I mean, check out Compaq's Ipaq [compaq.com] and Sony's Vaio Line [sonystyle.com] and tell me they're ignoring design considerations.
As for computer enthusiasts who actually prefer compatibility, performance, and value to fancy design, we typically opt for the kind of cases listed here [coolcases.com]. (My specific case isn't listed there; it's an Antec [antec-inc.com] S830.) They offer better cooling, more expandibility, and better access than most of the cases that tend to form before function. We're not immune to the concerns of aesthetics either; we just prefer to take matters in our own hands [virtual-hideout.net]. Granted, some of the mods are of questionable taste and talent, but there are as many clean, professional jobs as bad jobs. And every one is the pride and joy of someone, no matter what you think of them.
Expensive (Score:5, Informative)
And doubtful if they would sell it to you if you told them what you planned to do with it...
G4 is by far the nicest consumer case I've ever us (Score:4, Informative)
The G4 case is a work of beauty. I'd love to see a PC version for the next time I decide to buy a PC (probably not for a while, it seems my Athlon will last me a while). Here is what I think is very slick about it:
* To do maintenance, you pull a handle on the side, the side swings out (as shown on the site). The motherboard pulls out with the side panel, meaning you no longer have to dig inside the machine to add memory or put in PCI cards, and you don't have to worry about using tools to open it. For an example shot, see the first few photos at http://profile.sh:81/Collection/Apple_G4_and_Cine
* All of the cables for IDE and such are very taught, and held onto the edge. No mess of cables to worry about accidentally loosening up when you add RAM.
* Handles are very convienent for moving it around. As a hidden feature, your machine is actually elevated slightly, rather then completely on the table. You don't have to worry about scratching the beautiful case, just the corner handles.
* The CD burner is nicely hidden from view, with a blue spring-loaded bezel over it. You hit the little blue eject button, and out pops the white cd-rom inside of it. No more worrying about color matching.
* Suprisingly good built-in speaker for the newer models
* Power light is nice bright & white, which fades in and out during sleep mode. This is just a cutesy thing though
Overall, it's of very high quality, I'd love to see a similar 3rd party type case for my Athlon. It's got a nice ColorCase brand casing right now. Any ideas on a similar case?
Re:Better things to do with G4 hardware (Score:2, Informative)
Better than real-time DVD encoding
Superfast MP3 encoding
Lightning fast high res Photoshop work
Playing StarCraft
and lots of other useful and not so useful things. I still don't understand this lack of software on Mac's idea. There's more out there than I'm ever going to use!
Blah. (Score:5, Informative)
Now THIS is a cool case (Score:3, Informative)
Thanks, Jethro
Re:Expensive (Score:2, Informative)
Making do without flippy floppy (Score:5, Informative)
a man's case (Score:3, Informative)
Invalid form key iTXPURWLGP
Same mod a while ago - here's a link (Score:1, Informative)
I don't see a date right away, but this was done months if not a year or more ago.
Re:Oh for goodness sakes! (Score:2, Informative)
1) Obtain a floppy disk
2) Carefully disassemble the disk
3) Obtain several matches
4) Carefully remove the sulfur compound from the matchheads and collect
5) Apply a very thin layer of Elmer's glue to the floppy disk media (it may help to add a small amount of water to the glue)
6) Liberally dust the media with sulfur compound
7) Let dry
8) Reassemble disk
Now this disk is ready to make flames shoot out of the floppy drive. Just insert and access.
DISCLAIMER: If you try this, you are an idiot and the consequences of doing so are entirely your fault