NationStates Jolt Archive

I'm bored with my current PC and feel the need to do something awesome with the case so I've been perusing the interwebs and have decided to go with a steam punk style case. For those who don't know it's something like this:

http://www.geeky-gadgets.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/steampunk-brewery-pc-casemod_1.jpg

So here are my questions to you guys. Does anyone here have a modded case or a generally cool setup? Any advice before I start? Will this project finally cement my geek status?

I hope your room is well ventilated for all the steam that thing is going to make.

Why ruin a perfectly good computer?

Why improve a perfectly good computer?

Fixed. :)

http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/5439/yodap.jpgsee the point, Yoda does not

Kiss goodbye to a sex life if you decide get that done to yer PC.

Go read BoingBoing; Cory and Xeni fap over that stuff all the time.

I think it's pretty cool. Don't forget to do your keyboard (http://steampunkworkshop.com/keyboard.shtml).

It looks spectacular, and I would love to have one, though I have not the patience to modify mine.

http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/5439/yodap.jpgsee the point, Yoda does not

I have artistic urges and I can't draw, paint or take photos. The only thing I'm good at is playing with PCs so I figured I'd go that way.

Also, it looks cool.

Kiss goodbye to a sex life if you decide get that done to yer PC.

What sex life?

So is this purely cosmetic or....what?

So is this purely cosmetic or....what?

Purely cosmetic.

I built my PC so I already have most of the components inside it that I want, although I do intend to upgrade the cooling to liquid cooling as part of the mod.

Better:

http://www.ronnierocket.com/blog/uploaded_images/v8_mod_2-714597.jpg

Purely cosmetic.

I built my PC so I already have most of the components inside it that I want, although I do intend to upgrade the cooling to liquid cooling as part of the mod.

Ahh ok. Looks kinda neat, something you would find in a Sci-Fi film that's taking place back in the 1800's.

Better:

snip

That does look good but I have no interest in cars so I wouldn't really want my PC to look like a V8.

Pretty!

I would like to artdeco my stuff......I miss the 50's.

Kiss goodbye to a sex life if you decide get that done to yer PC.

I find this comment fairly hilarious in light of the fact that the females posting in this thread so far have been far more enamored of the spiffy-looking mod than the males. I suppose it depends what sort of sex life you have in mind. :p

I find this comment fairly hilarious in light of the fact that the females posting in this thread so far have been far more enamored of the spiffy-looking mod than the males. I suppose it depends what sort of sex life you have in mind. :p

As godless and kinky as possible with current technology.

That does look good but I have no interest in cars so I wouldn't really want my PC to look like a V8.

For being a male with no interest in cars, you will be banished henceforth from humanity, to live out your life in the cold solitude of the moon.

I'm bored with my current PC and feel the need to do something awesome with the case so I've been perusing the interwebs and have decided to go with a steam punk style case. For those who don't know it's something like this:



So here are my questions to you guys. Does anyone here have a modded case or a generally cool setup? Any advice before I start? Will this project finally cement my geek status?
I see no reason to go to such absurd lengths for something purely cosmetic.

But then--if I were living by myself--my home would be completely barren of any sort of decoration whatsoever, so that's just me being me.

For being a male with no interest in cars, you will be banished henceforth from humanity, to live out your life in the cold solitude of the moon.

I'm lucky enough to own a little piece of paper that allows me to get on many different forms of transportation and be taken wherever I want to go, leaving me to contemplete much more weighty issues, like how to make my PC look like something from a Jules Verne book.

I see no reason to go to such absurd lengths for something purely cosmetic.

But then--if I were living by myself--my home would be completely barren of any sort of decoration whatsoever, so that's just me being me.

I live in the luxury that my home is a reflection of my creative tastes, therefore I would absolutely take the time to make something look like I want it to for no other purpose except I have to look at it daily.

I find this comment fairly hilarious in light of the fact that the females posting in this thread so far have been far more enamored of the spiffy-looking mod than the males. I suppose it depends what sort of sex life you have in mind. :p

To be fair, the girls in this thread are the more PC literate, and generally literate, types who would probably find this kind of thing interesting. The girls I meet in the pub, probably not so much.

I see no reason to go to such absurd lengths for something purely cosmetic.

But then--if I were living by myself--my home would be completely barren of any sort of decoration whatsoever, so that's just me being me.

I tend to do things just to have done them, I figure life is a collection of experiences and I would be poorer for never having tried.

I'll probably be bored of it 3 weeks after finishing.

I think it's brilliant! I'd totally consider doing something like that if I had the time and money.

I would like to artdeco my stuff......I miss the 50's.

When I played Bioshock, whenever I came to a new area I spent a while just looking at the architecture.

On-topic, I don't know is that really lame or really awesome.

see the point, Yoda does not

Making things look prettier than a standard gray box ?
What was that quote again ? Something about how we are completely obsessed by making technology more efficient, while completely neglecting the fact that it does not have to look fugly ?

I would like to artdeco my stuff......I miss the 50's.

You should do it, and then get one of these as a desk for it:

http://www.insitumanchester.com/show_image.php?prodid=2575

Found it while looking at local second hand places for bits.

Ahh ok. Looks kinda neat, something you would find in a Sci-Fi film that's taking place back in the 1800's.

Given that the idea is to steampunk it, that's really kindof the point.

OT: Nifty, and good luck. I would recommend poking around on Brass Goggles (http://brassgoggles.co.uk/forum/index.php), as there's a good, solid, helpful community there. Depending how far you want to go, Steampunk Magazine (http://steampunkmagazine.com) has articles on doing acid etching and casting, although that may be more danger and dedication than you want to go for (and I wouldn't blame you if that's the case). Jake Von Slatt's Steampunk Workshop (http://steampunkworkshop.com/) may also prove informative. Good luck, and post pictures when you're done.

Edit: The Alma Mater, that sounds like this (http://prof-calamity.livejournal.com/277.html), at least w.r.t. aesthetics.

I'm bored with my current PC and feel the need to do something awesome with the case so I've been perusing the interwebs and have decided to go with a steam punk style case. For those who don't know it's something like this:

http://www.geeky-gadgets.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/steampunk-brewery-pc-casemod_1.jpg

So here are my questions to you guys. Does anyone here have a modded case or a generally cool setup? Any advice before I start? Will this project finally cement my geek status?Bonus points if it also makes espresso ;)

Better:

http://www.ronnierocket.com/blog/uploaded_images/v8_mod_2-714597.jpg

Boring.

The one pictured in OP is awesome. WANT!!!

The car engine one....zzzzzzz

The one pictured in OP is awesome. WANT!!!

The car engine one....zzzzzzz

Make one, I've just won a bid for an old pressure gauge from a train on ebay so I'm on the way.

I never realised how hard it would be to source brass locally.

http://www.geeky-gadgets.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/steampunk-brewery-pc-casemod_1.jpg
Is that a real water cooling system? If so, subzero.


What was that quote again ? Something about how we are completely obsessed by making technology more efficient, while completely neglecting the fact that it does not have to look fugly ?
It's not all ugly. I have a case like this, it's a masterpiece in silent cooling design, and it actually looks awesomely stylish.

http://techgage.com/reviews/antec/p182/antec_p182_03_thumb.jpg

If you wonder: Yes, that is actual gun metal black finish, not paint. Remind yourself of the Second Amendment at all times.

Is that a real water cooling system? If so, subzero.



It's not all ugly. I have a case like this, it's a masterpiece in silent cooling design, and it actually looks awesomely stylish.

http://techgage.com/reviews/antec/p182/antec_p182_03_thumb.jpg

If you wonder: Yes, that is actual gun metal black finish, not paint. Remind yourself of the Second Amendment at all times.

No thanks, I have a penis?

Is that a real water cooling system? If so, subzero.

That is water cooling but I must stress it's not mine. Mine will be better. :p

This is my current case:

http://www.aria.co.uk/dynres/cHJvZHVjdF9pbWFnZS53aWR0aD0yMDA=/bWFpbmltYWdlcy9DU0UtTUlELVNINTAwLmpwZw==.jpg

Not hideous but not exactly exciting.

No thanks, I have a penis?

The sweet smell of flamebait.

I have artistic urges and I can't draw, paint or take photos. The only thing I'm good at is playing with PCs so I figured I'd go that way.

Also, it looks cool.


well, i was generalising. if you did it yourself, then it is pretty impressive metal/wood/art-working, but its just that i don't see the point in the steampunk style (i never 'got' steampunk:confused: )

now, making it like this would have been different... ;)
http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/4903/01425sz1i16567700.th.jpg (http://img11.imageshack.us/my.php?image=01425sz1i16567700.jpg)

well, i was generalising. if you did it yourself, then it is pretty impressive metal/wood/art-working, but its just that i don't see the point in the steampunk style (i never 'got' steampunk:confused: )

now, making it like this would have been different... ;)
http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/4903/01425sz1i16567700.th.jpg (http://img11.imageshack.us/my.php?image=01425sz1i16567700.jpg)

That design wasn't mine. It's merely an example of the style I wish to rip-off.

I'll post an image of mine when it's done, I've aleady bought a few bits since I posted the OP.

If I ever did a Star Trek mod I'd be forced to kill myself upon it's completion.

The sweet smell of flamebait.

Maybe, if I was saying I was opposed to second amendment rights.

It's a reference to a common comment. If the Second Amendment is relevant in a cyberpunk-PC thread, so are the stock gun-control-debate memes. No?

But seriously, who needs to be reminded of the Second Amendment? Much less when you're surfing the net?

But seriously, who needs to be reminded of the Second Amendment? Much less when you're surfing the net?

People who frequent the gun control threads on NSG?

People who frequent the gun control threads on NSG?

Who, surely, wouldn't need to be reminded.

Who, surely, wouldn't need to be reminded.

I don't know, I've seen some pretty cogent anti-2nd amendment arguements bandied around and I imagine it's comforting to have an object around to remind you of your original position once they start getting into your head.

I see no reason to go to such absurd lengths for something purely cosmetic.

But then--if I were living by myself--my home would be completely barren of any sort of decoration whatsoever, so that's just me being me.

If you see no reason to customize the look of a computer case, then don't open this link (it's a scratch built case): http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?t=76374

well, i was generalising. if you did it yourself, then it is pretty impressive metal/wood/art-working, but its just that i don't see the point in the steampunk style (i never 'got' steampunk:confused: )
I'm not the biggest steampunk fan myself, but I have to admit the case and the keyboard look awesome. They look like they're a hundred years old and will last another three hundred. They look very tasteful.

I think there could be a great market for these things, for well-off people with a passion for the Victorian look. Well, the keyboard would have to be made more ergonomic, as you actually work with it, but the case is fine. A modern computer just wouldn't look right in an old-style home - yet a steampunk mod, especially a functional one, would fit in just fine.
Eventually could have some success with certain museums, too. A wood-finished navigation terminal wouldn't look as out of place in a castle as glittering black boxes.

Not right now in the middle of a recession, but... And as computers become more and more accepted as not the sole territory of geeks, I might actually try. I have some relatives running a business making personalized decorated weapons, could use their capacities for an experiment. This doesn't seem so hard to do, but could command a lot.

I'm lucky enough to own a little piece of paper that allows me to get on many different forms of transportation and be taken wherever I want to go, leaving me to contemplete much more weighty issues, like how to make my PC look like something from a Jules Verne book.

Then make it look like the Nautilus. Steampunk mods have been done before.

Then make it look like the Nautilus. Steampunk mods have been done before.

Also already been done:

http://thehottestgadgets.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/sp17.jpg

Also already been done:

http://thehottestgadgets.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/sp17.jpg

Wow, what a spitting image! NOT!

BTW, this is the Nautilus: http://naturecoast.com/hobby/images/nautilus%20008.jpg

Wow, what a spitting image! NOT!

BTW, this is the Nautilus: http://naturecoast.com/hobby/images/nautilus%20008.jpg

Really? I had no idea the Nautilus was a submarine.

I tend to do things just to have done them, I figure life is a collection of experiences and I would be poorer for never having tried.

I'll probably be bored of it 3 weeks after finishing.

Oh, well that's as good a reason as any.

I just generally tend not to decorate anything or care what it looks like. All I usually care about is the function.

Really? I had no idea the Nautilus was a submarine.
20,000 Leagues Beneath the Sea, Jules Verne. Also the first US nuclear powered sub (the latter irrelevant to the topic)

20,000 Leagues Beneath the Sea, Jules Verne. Also the first US nuclear powered sub (the latter irrelevant to the topic)

I know. ;)

Maybe, if I was saying I was opposed to second amendment rights. [...]
But seriously, who needs to be reminded of the Second Amendment? Much less when you're surfing the net?
Geez. Why do liberals, calling themselves "pro-choice", can't accept that other people also have the right to make another choice? I like guns, so I make the choice to have a few. And I like my computer case in gun metal finish, because I like how it looks. Don't see why would anyone have a problem with these things.



I don't know, I've seen some pretty cogent anti-2nd amendment arguements bandied around
Actually, I have yet to see any potentially convincing one. They all tend to revolve around "guns kill". Yes, they do, but they also kill criminals. The statistics are favorable. Outlawing something requires a solid, unquestionable, unquestioned reason, and neither guns, nor pot, nor prostitution, nor many other things have one, so they should be legal.
At least that's my position, and it's a pretty firm and consistent one.

BTW, this is the Nautilus: http://naturecoast.com/hobby/images/nautilus%20008.jpg
Isn't that the Disney's version, though?

20,000 Leagues Beneath the Sea, Jules Verne. Also the first US nuclear powered sub (the latter irrelevant to the topic)

http://www.threadbombing.com/data/media/35/CaptainObvious.jpg

Oh, well that's as good a reason as any.

I just generally tend not to decorate anything or care what it looks like. All I usually care about is the function.

I'm normally like that but I don't have a project at the moment and it isn't something I can just go out and buy (at least until Vault 10 get his business off the ground) so it seems like an interesting way of killing time.

Really? I had no idea the Nautilus was a submarine.
name of the sub in Twenty Thousand Leagues and is a name given to some ships and submarines

Then make it look like the Nautilus. Steampunk mods have been done before.

Most notably, places like here (http://www.datamancer.net/projects/engine/engine.htm). But such style is out of reach of most people, for various reasons, leaving a nice case rebuild a very good start.

I know. ;)

I guess I need to have my sarcasm detector fixed.

On topic: I like the steampunk design. I always wanted to build a computer wit all it's components mounted against the wall behind my desk, making it look like I smashed it against the wall. Probably not possible.

I guess I need to have my sarcasm detector fixed.

On topic: I like the steampunk design. I always wanted to build a computer wit all it's components mounted against the wall behind my desk, making it look like I smashed it against the wall. Probably not possible.

Easily possible if you dont intend to ever move the components. The main thing you would need to consider is the cooling of the components, a well designed case plays a very important part in cooling and just having high end components in the open air, even wih fans, will result in over-heating.

Easily possible if you dont intend to ever move the components. The main thing you would need to consider is the cooling of the components, a well designed case plays a very important part in cooling and just having high end components in the open air, even wih fans, will result in over-heating.

Cooling was my primary concern. Maybe a liquid-cooling system could be worked out. As for moving it, I could mound a backboard to my desk, and mount the components on that. Then if I need to move it I would move desk and all.

Cooling was my primary concern. Maybe a liquid-cooling system could be worked out. As for moving it, I could mound a backboard to my desk, and mount the components on that. Then if I need to move it I would move desk and all.

If I wanted to do that then I'd be tempted to use very large, old components for the visual effect and have the actual PC hidden away in a micro-atx or shuttle case.

It would make the build much easier and avoid all the effort of making such a seperated system work reliably.

Edit: Maybe use LEDs connected to the actual system to make the fake system look like it's running.

I'm not the biggest steampunk fan myself, but I have to admit the case and the keyboard look awesome. They look like they're a hundred years old and will last another three hundred. They look very tasteful.

I think there could be a great market for these things, for well-off people with a passion for the Victorian look. Well, the keyboard would have to be made more ergonomic, as you actually work with it, but the case is fine. A modern computer just wouldn't look right in an old-style home - yet a steampunk mod, especially a functional one, would fit in just fine.
Eventually could have some success with certain museums, too. A wood-finished navigation terminal wouldn't look as out of place in a castle as glittering black boxes.

Not right now in the middle of a recession, but... And as computers become more and more accepted as not the sole territory of geeks, I might actually try. I have some relatives running a business making personalized decorated weapons, could use their capacities for an experiment. This doesn't seem so hard to do, but could command a lot.

this...this is a really good idea. it'll be a niche market for sure, but i'd assume that even right now one could make a decent run at it. I mean, almost certainly there are enough people who would like the neo-victorian stylings - or other things like it - and so far the steampunk thing has been mainly the domain of artistic types building stuff for themselves.

the trick would be keeping the price down for any institutional buyers (or just people on a budget). though working just on higher end commissioned work could probably be done too, but that niche will be even smaller.

Purely cosmetic.

I built my PC so I already have most of the components inside it that I want, although I do intend to upgrade the cooling to liquid cooling as part of the mod.
Liquid isn't really good for cooling, just transferring heat off of certain components. You'll still need a good fan and heat sink to dump it all and if there is a leak you'll probably lose something.

this...this is a really good idea. it'll be a niche market for sure, but i'd assume that even right now one could make a decent run at it. I mean, almost certainly there are enough people who would like the neo-victorian stylings - or other things like it - and so far the steampunk thing has been mainly the domain of artistic types building stuff for themselves.

the trick would be keeping the price down for any institutional buyers (or just people on a budget). though working just on higher end commissioned work could probably be done too, but that niche will be even smaller.

I think that the jump between very small manufacturer doing it for the love and a decent sized business would be very difficult. The skills involved are so disparate that your labour overheads would be difficult to service on a small scale.

If I wanted to do that then I'd be tempted to use very large, old components for the visual effect and have the actual PC hidden away in a micro-atx or shuttle case.

It would make the build much easier and avoid all the effort of making such a seperated system work reliably.

Edit: Maybe use LEDs connected to the actual system to make the fake system look like it's running.

Good ideas. It's all theoretical anyway. My wife would have my hide if I started buying computer components (especially older ones not intended to run) right about now.

Liquid isn't really good for cooling, just transferring heat off of certain components. You'll still need a good fan and heat sink to dump it all and if there is a leak you'll probably lose something.

I understand this. There will still be case fans for general cooling but the cpu and gpus will be liquid cooled with a visually modded liquid cooling system.

I don't intend to play with the liquid cooling system outside of changing how it looks so I'm not worried about leaks.

Good ideas. It's all theoretical anyway. My wife would have my hide if I started buying computer components (especially older ones not intended to run) right about now.

If it's that bad and your wife would interfere with your pursuit of my new favourite hobby then give me a shout and I'll send you a load of old components at postage cost.

Easily possible if you dont intend to ever move the components. The main thing you would need to consider is the cooling of the components, a well designed case plays a very important part in cooling and just having high end components in the open air, even wih fans, will result in over-heating.
Actually it's quite workable in open air, as long as you don't remove the components' own fans. The CPU, the video and the motherboard (if it has a fan) have to keep them. Other than that, a good case can make the cooling much quieter or enable for overclocking, but the components are still designed not to overheat even in a hot climate in a case without fans. They work fine in open air.

I don't see how to put the video card on the wall, though, for a cable won't work with PCI-E.

Actually it's quite workable in open air, as long as you don't remove the components' own fans. The CPU, the video and the motherboard (if it has a fan) have to keep them. Other than that, a good case can make the cooling much quieter or enable for overclocking, but the components are still designed not to overheat even in a hot climate in a case without fans. They work fine in open air.

I don't see how to put the video card on the wall, though, for a cable won't work with PCI-E.

It depends on the system design. High end PCs depend on the flow through the case to reduce temperatures of their hotter components.

Taking the side of a modern PC will often result in higher temperatures.

It depends on the system design. High end PCs depend on the flow through the case to reduce temperatures of their hotter components.
Taking the side of a modern PC will often result in higher temperatures.
Yes. But not overheating. They have a lot of reserve for that.



this...this is a really good idea. it'll be a niche market for sure, but i'd assume that even right now one could make a decent run at it. I mean, almost certainly there are enough people who would like the neo-victorian stylings - or other things like it - and so far the steampunk thing has been mainly the domain of artistic types building stuff for themselves.
There are. The question is if there are enough of them who can pay the price. In the Victorian era, things were not cheap... things built like that won't be cheap today either. It's not just the price of being custom.


I think that the jump between very small manufacturer doing it for the love and a decent sized business would be very difficult. The skills involved are so disparate that your labour overheads would be difficult to service on a small scale.
Yes, so there's little point in looking at a decent scale. Just some semi-custom jobs, 1-2 grand a piece (for the case), or up to 3-5 for complex systems. Maybe at best a simple "common" model for $600-800, but that's as low as it can practically go, not even water cooled. Without turning it into a plastic fake, or being a mass producer.
It's still not going to hit the mass market. I'm just thinking the people surely have spare capacity, and I'll look if they can do cases at a reasonable expense, as a side job.

Oh, well that's as good a reason as any.

I just generally tend not to decorate anything or care what it looks like. All I usually care about is the function.

Agreed.

Agreed.

Ah, but do you feel the same way about your women?

Good ideas. It's all theoretical anyway. My wife would have my hide if I started buying computer components (especially older ones not intended to run) right about now.

It's too bad this thread didn't occur about 2 months ago. I had some older components (that worked) that I could have sent you, for only the cost of shipping. Alas, I threw them out.

Geez. Why do liberals, calling themselves "pro-choice", can't accept that other people also have the right to make another choice? I like guns, so I make the choice to have a few. And I like my computer case in gun metal finish, because I like how it looks. Don't see why would anyone have a problem with these things.


I didn't call myself liberal or pro-choice.

I didn't oppose your right to have another choice. I didn't even say anything about the Second Amendment. You somehow decided that a thread on steampunk pc-modding needed the gentle touch of your Second Amendment preaching, and I responded.

Interestingly, in the interim - you've recanted the earlier position.

I'm bored with my current PC and feel the need to do something awesome with the case so I've been perusing the interwebs and have decided to go with a steam punk style case. For those who don't know it's something like this:

http://www.geeky-gadgets.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/steampunk-brewery-pc-casemod_1.jpg

So here are my questions to you guys. Does anyone here have a modded case or a generally cool setup? Any advice before I start? Will this project finally cement my geek status?
Approved.

I love steampunk. I wish I could afford to steam up my stuff. I also like 18th century style -- Mechanical! Electrical! Clocks! Wheels and Gears! Looms! Calculations!

http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/2006/06.01/photos/11-franklin2-450.jpg
http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/2006/06.01/photos/11-franklin3-450.jpg
http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/images/object_images/535x535/10284559.jpg

And 1930s office/business machine style:
http://www.officemuseum.com/IMagesWWW/cb000186_1933_Office_with_Burroughs_Machines_OM.JPG
(Note the weird looking parts at the backs of the typewriters)

Check it out -- GASP! -- punch cards!!
http://history.sandiego.edu/GEN/soc/images2/office22a.jpg

Yeah, sorry, but old stuff made from nice natural wood, brass, steel, aluminium, copper, glass, ceramic, and paper -- it's just better than this plastic dreck.

That looks pretty badass...

Id like to see a functional one that actually does run on Steam...I wonder if its possible?

That looks pretty badass...

Id like to see a functional one that actually does run on Steam...I wonder if its possible?

The Science Museum have one, looks like this (http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/objects/computing_and_data_processing/1992-556.aspx).

this...this is a really good idea. it'll be a niche market for sure, but i'd assume that even right now one could make a decent run at it. I mean, almost certainly there are enough people who would like the neo-victorian stylings - or other things like it - and so far the steampunk thing has been mainly the domain of artistic types building stuff for themselves.

the trick would be keeping the price down for any institutional buyers (or just people on a budget). though working just on higher end commissioned work could probably be done too, but that niche will be even smaller.

One of the points of the whole steampunk thing is being artistic and doing it for yourself, making something distinctly and personally your own, not the same as everyone else's. There are a few people who keep themselves going on commission work and the like (Datamancer springs to mind), but they basically command that by doing very good stuff, far beyond most people's reach.

So, maybe you'll find something of a market if you tried it. I suspect you'd find more of a resistance in the subculture to it than you might expect, though - easier would be to provide more 'blank slate' stuff, such as PCs in plain wooden cases or similar ideas.

One of the points of the whole steampunk thing is being artistic and doing it for yourself, making something distinctly and personally your own, not the same as everyone else's. There are a few people who keep themselves going on commission work and the like (Datamancer springs to mind), but they basically command that by doing very good stuff, far beyond most people's reach.
Well, actually you've shown proof that it was a good idea ;) It's just that the market, or at least its top segment, is already cornered. And to make things on that level, you have to be into it, not just as a business idea. Except for that LCD mod (it screams "fake"), it's more of an art.


I was looking towards relatively tame designs anyway. Just something for the people who want a computer that would fit right between their 150-year old deck, antique bookcase, the tube amps and wood slate finished loudspeakers. With customization along the lines of engraving a coat of arms, selecting a particular veneer, et cetera, not big steam valves. Not real enthusiast/subculture stuff, rather a piece of furniture completing a certain manner of interior design. Seeing as there are cases and finishes to go with stainless steel interiors, or military-style, but nothing to complement a more classic interior.