I'm building a computer case!

[ThoseSneakyFrench]

.....Out of legos....

Before I got into computers, I loved legos. I had so many, in pieces mostly, that I just made my own stuff from them. This toddler hobby of mine eventually left me with a large amount of legos that I no longer touch.

Then, it dawned on me. Why not make a computer case, out of legos. So here I am, meticulously gluing 2x4s and 2x6s and whatevers together in an attempt to do something cool with my time.

Since I deemed this topic worthy, I'm going to use this as a work log.

First pic of the base.

[Proottalfain]

Legos are full of air inside, which means it's a good insulator. Compare this to usual computer cases who are often made of metal... I'd advise good ventilation or low-heat components.

[Killing-joke]

Thats an awesome idea, beat it'd look cool when you've finished it
and noodles is a moron

[Ironosaur]

Good luck fitting the motherboard and all the ports, graphics cards, etc. Honestly, good luck. This is a really cool project, and would probably turn out to be one of the coolest computer cases I've ever seen.

[Vociferousmime]

At 2/17/09 08:02 PM, Killing-joke wrote: noodles is a moron

I would have to agree.

[ThoseSneakyFrench]

At 2/17/09 08:01 PM, Proottalfain wrote: Legos are full of air inside, which means it's a good insulator. Compare this to usual computer cases who are often made of metal... I'd advise good ventilation or low-heat components.

Nothing special, just my dad's 5 year old Vaio. If something like this is successful, I would think I could make a business out of LEGOizing computers.

At 2/17/09 08:04 PM, Ironosaur wrote: Good luck fitting the motherboard and all the ports, graphics cards, etc. Honestly, good luck. This is a really cool project, and would probably turn out to be one of the coolest computer cases I've ever seen.

I have a dremel, and plan on gutting parts of the original case where absolutely needed.

Bottom of the base

[awerz]

It won't work well unless you insulate it with a faraday metal. There would be a lot of electromagnetic interference that would screw up the computer. There is a reason cases are usually stainless steel. This isn't to say that you can't make one out of legos, but you should have tin foil or something on the inside to block electromagnetic interference.

[Alpha-Critik]

Seriously, good luck with that... Make sure you post pics of finished product, mm'kay?

[Shreddy]

if you find ways to mount fans in this badboy then i can see it being awesome!

[Ironosaur]

At 2/17/09 08:08 PM, ThoseSneakyFrench wrote:

At 2/17/09 08:01 PM, Proottalfain wrote: Legos are full of air inside, which means it's a good insulator. Compare this to usual computer cases who are often made of metal... I'd advise good ventilation or low-heat components.

Nothing special, just my dad's 5 year old Vaio. If something like this is successful, I would think I could make a business out of LEGOizing computers.

I'd buy one, but actually a high-powered Alienware mod. I'd love to see an Alienware in legos. That would be hilarious!

At 2/17/09 08:04 PM, Ironosaur wrote: Good luck fitting the motherboard and all the ports, graphics cards, etc. Honestly, good luck. This is a really cool project, and would probably turn out to be one of the coolest computer cases I've ever seen.

I have a dremel, and plan on gutting parts of the original case where absolutely needed.

You could probably just use the dremel and a jig saw to cut out specific sections of your lego case and fit them in with some glue...

Bottom of the base

Cool.

Also, what kind of specs does this Vaio have?

[TropicalPenquin]

If you pull this off, this will be 10 times more epic than the life size lego santa i saw at christmas time.

[awerz]

At 2/17/09 08:11 PM, awerz wrote: It won't work well unless you insulate it with a faraday metal. There would be a lot of electromagnetic interference that would screw up the computer. There is a reason cases are usually stainless steel. This isn't to say that you can't make one out of legos, but you should have tin foil or something on the inside to block electromagnetic interference.

Seriously, this guy is right. If it isn't a Faraday cage it won't work properly.

[Shreddy]

id superglue them together also, you dont want it falling apart and crashing components into eachother

[ChocEliteBar]

Whatever you do, put a Newgrounds sticker on it to show your support for NG! ... That is if you have one, of course.

But yeah, I have a bunch of Legos, want some?

Lots of them. I mean lots.

[MercatorMap]

Terrible idea, you will need to put holes in the side of the case for fans, in which case you will need an intake hole, and unless you attach some type of air filter to that, you may as well buy stock in a company that produces canned air to clean computer components.

Not to mention that if the motherboard or what not gets too hot, the legos could possibly melt, or worse, the glue could melt and get all over your PC. Also, how are you planning on suspending a motherboard in the middle of the case so that air may flow between all of the parts, cards, hard drives etc.?

[BobbaQ]

How long d'ya think it's going to take? And are you going to make an awesome design using the masses of bricks you've got? Good luck anyway :)

[MercatorMap]

At 2/17/09 08:01 PM, Proottalfain wrote: Legos are full of air inside, which means it's a good insulator. Compare this to usual computer cases who are often made of metal... I'd advise good ventilation or low-heat components.

So is he planning to bring the case out into the arctic or maybe the Saharran desert? The PC is not made of legos, the PC case will be made of legos, in which case you want the case to transfer as much heat to the outside air as possible. The metal used in PC cases accomplishes this by having a large surface area with thin plates to allow the heat to disperse efficiently. So unless he is planning on using his PC case to hold coffee, he is better off using metal.

Also, have you not looked around the PC market recently? Unless you want to drop a grand, then everything you buy will be high heat components. Not because that they were made to produce heat, but because of the high amount of power that they need flowing through them.

Better Performance = More power
More power = More heat

[ragingfred]

build a horizontal one because it will be hard to secure the motherboard without any screws

"pun not intended"

[TheFaces]

At 2/17/09 08:25 PM, MercatorMap wrote: Better Performance = More power
More power = More heat

Just like cars.
- Cheap
- Fast
- Reliable
pick two.

[biohasard]

Will you be using this case or just have it as sort of a novelty item?

Please post the final pic when you are done.

[ThoseSneakyFrench]

Legos are the most versatile building block in the world. The power supply mount is halfway done. This is where careful planning comes into play. I was able to make the first two screw holes line up naturally.

[MercatorMap]

At 2/17/09 08:35 PM, TheFaces wrote:

At 2/17/09 08:25 PM, MercatorMap wrote: Better Performance = More power
More power = More heat

Just like cars.
- Cheap
- Fast
- Reliable
pick two.

In the computer case however, you will get all 3.

And if he is building a PC from the latest parts, he will indeed get all 3.

[TheFaces]

At 2/17/09 08:43 PM, MercatorMap wrote: In the computer case however, you will get all 3.

And if he is building a PC from the latest parts, he will indeed get all 3.

So you're telling me that you can spend half as much, and get the same results? That's what he was talking about. If you want to spend a grand on low-heat components, then go for it, but it's not going to be cheap. But if you don't, it won't work as well as if you used regular components.

[MercatorMap]

At 2/17/09 08:46 PM, TheFaces wrote:

At 2/17/09 08:43 PM, MercatorMap wrote: In the computer case however, you will get all 3.

And if he is building a PC from the latest parts, he will indeed get all 3.

So you're telling me that you can spend half as much, and get the same results? That's what he was talking about. If you want to spend a grand on low-heat components, then go for it, but it's not going to be cheap. But if you don't, it won't work as well as if you used regular components.

Eh, in the computer world, you can spend a grand on the latest parts and still get all 3.

There are extremely expensive parts that are not low heat, and there are extremely expensive parts that are low heat.

[ThoseSneakyFrench]

At 2/17/09 08:13 PM, Shreddy wrote: id superglue them together also, you dont want it falling apart and crashing components into eachother

Painstakingly doing so after each step is assembled.

The PSU mount is complete.

[BankingOntheEnemy]

That looks so cool. I am sure it will turn out great and you seem to be making some great progress! In one hour you have done quite a bit. I'm excited to see what it will look like when its finished.

[ShanyBoy-XX]

latest picture is nuts

[ThoseSneakyFrench]

I think this is all for tonight. A sneak peak of what's to come.

Yes, that is the hard drive.

[thatoneguyfromDD]

Pretty crazy stuff, must be taking a while.

[TheWolfe]

Damn dude. I understand building the case, but that PSU? Shit, thats more work than needed. Just lego the case, not the actual parts. And I'd also build the damn thing first, the superglue it later, incase you fuck up.