# Help me design a funky new computer **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 23, 2005, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-design-a-funky-new-computer/286180 "2005-01-23T01:59:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Seven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Seven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seven)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2005, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-design-a-funky-new-computer/286180/1 "2005-01-23T01:59:48Z")
For general web surfing and email I have an older laptop with wireless which I use in the living room. For what it is, it works fine. But with a 300mhz cpu, streaming music or movies can be clunky. The 13 inch LCD (800x600) makes my eyes tired and always scrolling around is becoming a pain. A friend of mine is getting rid of his micro-atx motherboard with cpu and memory. I decided I’d buy it from him. I started thinking perhaps I could mount this little motherboard in something cool and build a homemade laptop to replace my living room, lounging computer. Micro-atx boards are only 9.5 x 9.5 inches and only need about 3-4 inches in height for the CPU fan. The motherboard is self-contained with video, sound, network and all the extras. I have a little 2.5 inch 4 gig drive from an old laptop and a 15 inch LCD desktop monitor I’d be willing to alter or remove from its housing. For a computer like this I don’t think I’d need a CD-rom hooked to it all the time. I can use my USB cd-rom only when I need it. I’ve got all the parts, now I just need something cool to mount it into. My first thought was an aluminum briefcase [like this one](http://www.advanced-intelligence.com/case.html). There would be plenty of room for everything and it would have kind of a cool old school spy vs spy motif to it. But there has to be something better. What do you guys think? What common (or uncommon) item might make for a good computer housing? I’d like it self-contained so it works like a laptop, but I’m open to ideas. It has to be portable enough to pass between my wife and myself on the couch. ---
**Author:** ![Garfield226](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Garfield226](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garfield226)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2005, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-design-a-funky-new-computer/286180/2 "2005-01-23T02:06:14Z")
Personally, if I had small enough ingredients, I’d probably build myself a [NESpc](http://www.mattsclearpcs.com/nespc/gal/v1_0/v1.html). It’s a whole computer built inside of an original Nintendo. The CD/DVD drive opens out the slot on the front (where you put the games in), and some people wire up the controller ports into USB or Keyboard/Mouse PS/2 ports (heh, PS/2 on an NES…there’s irony). There are other pages out there on this concept too. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2005, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-design-a-funky-new-computer/286180/3 "2005-01-23T02:10:59Z")
What about putting it in a [MAME](http://www.mame.net/) [cabinet](http://www.x-arcade.com/htm/cabinet.shtml)? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Seven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Seven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seven)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2005, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-design-a-funky-new-computer/286180/4 "2005-01-23T02:25:04Z")
> [@Garfield226](#): > > Personally, if I had small enough ingredients, I’d probably build myself a [NESpc](http://www.mattsclearpcs.com/nespc/gal/v1_0/v1.html). It’s a whole computer built inside of an original Nintendo. The CD/DVD drive opens out the slot on the front (where you put the games in), and some people wire up the controller ports into USB or Keyboard/Mouse PS/2 ports (heh, PS/2 on an NES…there’s irony). There are other pages out there on this concept too. That would make a good housing, but there’s no place for the monitor. ☹ Speaking of funky things to mount computers in, I always wanted to make the Bucket PC. I have an 8 inch colour CRT monitor which came from an old point of sale system. I thought about taking one of those 5 gallon white paint buckets and mounting the computer and 8 inch monitor inside the bucket. It would be like a super-sized Mac Plus. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2005, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-design-a-funky-new-computer/286180/5 "2005-01-23T02:41:22Z")
The Mini Itx Project site A lot of weird and cool projects. I like the George Foreman Grill PC. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2005, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-design-a-funky-new-computer/286180/6 "2005-01-23T06:00:10Z")
How about an old Mac 128k, or an Apple II case? You might be able to find a small enough CRT or LCD screen to replace the original 9" screen. (You might get some more ideas from [The Cult of Mac.](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1886411832/qid=1106459714/sr=2-1/ref=pd_ka_b_2_1/102-1160428-7519352)) After that…maybe you could mount it in a skull (fake, animal, human, or whatever)? The monitor and the keyboard would, of course, have to carried seperately, which might limit it as a laptop. [The Bone Room](http://www.boneroom.com/) would be the place to show for this kind of thing. I think I’ve heard of humidors and military ammo boxes being used for custom cases. There’s at least a [couple of companies](http://www.paramountzone.com/flex.htm) that sell [waterproof, flexible keyboards](http://www.man-machine.com/keybrd1.htm). That might come in handy. Another [site on unusual case modding.](http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/) This fella even has a book, it seems. ---
**Author:** ![Vaioman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/ecccb3/32.png) [@Vaioman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vaioman)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2005, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-design-a-funky-new-computer/286180/7 "2005-01-23T07:06:28Z")
[http://www.tekforums.co.uk:81/lofiversion/index.php/t43868.html](http://www.tekforums.co.uk:81/lofiversion/index.php/t43868.html) 🆒