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Rig of the Month: 8-bit Black Mage

The Maximum PC Staff — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 12:43:45 -0500

Some people want their rigs to be an approximation of what computers will look like at some point in the far-off future. Richard Clinton, though, wanted to look back to a simpler time: the 8-bit era. But while computer technology was less complex back then, building the Black Mage was anything but easy.

In order to re-create his favorite Final Fantasy II character type, Richard organized, glued, and painted 2,000 1”x1” cubes. All told, it took four months to assemble the Black Mage. To see the process shortened to 10 minutes, check out Richard’s build video at www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoUVgK65FI A.

Rig of the Month

Tom Edwards — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 14:40:36 -0600

If your laptop needs are limited to email and epic rounds of Bookworm on cross-country flights, plenty of machines will do the job. However, if you need to do something a bit more power intensive, your options are much more limited.

Will Urbina couldn’t find a desktop replacement that suited his needs for video editing; everything available was lacking in some area—so he built the CinematographHD. And although this 82 lb. rig may stretch the definition of portable, we salute his no-compromises approach. The images here give a hint of what Will created, but to get the full picture, check out his build video at http://www.vimeo.com/1847710.

Will took the do-it-yourself aesthetic to the extreme, doing all his own welding.

The CinematographHD includes five hard-drive bays, a full ATX mobo, an HDMI capture card, and a Blu-ray burner.

Does Your PC Have What it Takes to be the Rig of the Month?

The Maximum PC Staff — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 14:45:18 -0600

Have you spent countless hours shedding blood, sweat, and tears into your Kick Ass mod? Does your mod have your friends and family drenching you in compliments? If so, have your rig shine alongside the elite crew of modders by submitting your rig to MaximumPC’s Rig of the Month contest! Every month, one talented modder and his rig will be featured in the magazine before the entire world to see, as well as rewarded with a $250 gift certificate! We know you’re interested, so read on for contest rules and details.

TO ENTER: Your submission packet must contain your name, street address, and daytime phone number; no fewer than three high-res JPEGs (minimum size 1024x768) of your modified PC; and a 300-word description of what your PC represents and how it was modified. Emailed submissions should be sent to rig@maximumpc.com. Snail mail submissions should be sent to Rig of the Month, c/o Maximum PC, 4000 Shoreline Court, Suite 400, South San Francisco, CA 94080.

The judges will be Maximum PC editors, and they will base their decision on the following criteria: creativity and craftsmanship.

ONE ENTRY PER HOUSEHOLD. Your contest entry will be valid until (1) six months after its submission or (2) the contest ends, whichever date is earlier. Each month a winner will be chosen from the existing pool of valid entries and featured in the Rig of the Month department of the magazine. Each of the judging criteria (creativity and craftsmanship) will be weighed equally at 50 percent. By entering this contest you agree that Future US, Inc. may use your name and your mod’s likeness for promotional purposes without further payment. All prizes will be awarded and no minimum number of entries is required. Prizes won by minors will be awarded to their parents or legal guardians. Future US, Inc. is not responsible for damages or expenses that the winners might incur as a result of the Contest or the receipt of a prize, and winners are responsible for income taxes based on the value of the prize received. A list of winners may also be obtained by sending a stamped, self-addressed envelope to Future US, Inc. c/o Maximum PC Rig of the Month, 4000 Shoreline Ct, Suite 400, South San Francisco, CA 94080. This contest is limited to residents of the United States. No purchase necessary; void in Arizona, Maryland, Vermont, Puerto Rico, and where prohibited by law

Rig of the Month: Project FiveWood

Tom Edwards — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 19:15:37 -0600

Chris Cook comes from a long line of artists and explains that “it is this great gene pool that I am abusing here.” While Chris may make light of his own skills, it’s evident from these photos that he is an able successor to his forebears.

Project FiveWood utilizes nine types of wood, including mahogany, cherry, pine, and cedar. Chris’s goal was to create not a wooden shell but rather a case made entirely of wood—without a single screw! This project took more than 350 hours to complete—not including design time. We find the result well worth the effort.

The 3.5-inch and 5.25-inch drive bays were constructed three times—each iteration used a different type of wood

Although some people have questioned the rig’s thermal integrity, Chris asks, “Why would a wood case be hotter than an aluminum case? Designed properly, a wood rig would get no hotter than a standard machine.”

Thom Davis Has the Best Seizure Ever

Tom Edwards — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 18:09:20 -0500

A man needs a place of his own, and when Thom Davis found using the family computer for his gaming pursuits to be less than ideal, he set about building the Seizure, the ultimate form-follows-function gaming rig. His goal was to create a rig that was gaming friendly, had no exposed wires, and looked good in the living room. We think he succeeded on all three counts.

While building the Seizure, Thom discovered that connector manufacturers definitely tend to think “inside the box,” and typically don’t make cables suitable for such a large rig, but with the assistance of a local electronics supply store, he was able to create the 6-foot cables he needed to complete the job.

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The two front LED panels were inspired by ROC, the computer featured in Airplane II.

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These switches aren’t merely for show, each controls a different function, including monitors, audio, lighting, and the minifridge. A universal power supply guarantees mission-critical components will keep humming for 20 minutes after a power outage.

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Thom and his wife spent many a night hot-gluing 1,500 LEDs to the front panels—nothing spells romance like a little candlelight, a bottle of wine, and a glue gun!

To enter the Rig of the Month contest, your submission packet must contain your name, street address, and daytime phone number; no fewer than three high-res JPEGs (minimum size 1024x768) of your modified PC; and a 300-word description of what your PC represents and how it was modified. Emailed submissions should be sent to rig@maximumpc.com. Snail mail submissions should be sent to Rig of the Month, c/o Maximum PC, 4000 Shoreline Court, Suite 400, South San Francisco, CA 94080.

This Mod Goes HawgWild

Tom Edwards — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 17:55:21 -0500

V ic McGuire found a diamond in the rough when he set out to build his latest mod. While browsing through a computer store, he found a custom case with chrome-plated front air grills in the junk pile and an idea came to mind. After arduously sanding the rust off the grills, Vic had the basis for the HawgWild U.S.A.

The side of the case originally held an 8cm fan. After a little work with a scroll saw and a dremel, Vic created a window to show off the rig’s parts.

After simulating several paint designs in Photoshop, Vic decided on this black and orange motif with a hammered metal finish as a texture coat. (click for full)

Vic purchased a model Harley, stripped it, painted it to match the case, and planted it in the window.
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The difference is in the details. These official emblems complete the rig’s look.

Vic and his rig.

For submitting this month’s winning entry, Vic has won a $250 gift certificate.

We Love the Weighted Companion Cube Case, Not Sure If It Loves Us Back

Tom Edwards — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 20:21:57 -0500

Scott Dacus is such a big fan of Portal his ringtone is the game’s theme song, “Still Alive.” However, an even bigger fan of the game commissioned Scott to build this case as a gift for his wife. We think this man is a genius or headed for divorce court—either way, he’s our new hero!

The Weighted Companion Cube took about 60 hours to complete, and Scott says he didn’t face any major problems during the build. For his next rig, he plans to work on a grander scale—re-creating an IBM mainframe, with operational tape-to-tape reels!

The Weighted Companion Cube sports all the ports a media center PC needs—the only thing it can’t do is offer you delicious cake!

Although we’d never recommend this, the Blu-ray drive is held in place with four refrigerator magnets—with no apparent adverse effects to the rig.

For submitting this month’s winning entry, Scott has won a $250 gift certificate!

For another take on a Weighted Companion Cube mod, check out Magnus Persson's Weighted Companion PC over at Mod Shop.

Sheldon Bright's Project13

Tom Edwards — Wed, 28 May 2008 18:40:09 -0500

Sheldon Bright loves going to LAN parties, but dragging around a full-size rig can be a hassle. So he decided to design and build a compact but powerful machine that he could easily transport—and that would garner a lot of attention.

One necessity was that the rig had to fit a full-size ATX board, and after fiddling with the design, Sheldon discovered that a 13-inch cube provided a perfect combination of space for components and portability. He then carried throughout the design of the case the idea that 13 is an unlucky number.

The details on the sides of the rig include a row of flames, the number 13, a pentagram, and a devilish lass.

Project13’s coolest feature is its pullout mobo tray. To create it, Sheldon purchased kitchen-drawer side rails from the hardware store and affixed them to the sides of the case.

Red transparent Plexiglas, red anodized paint and red LEDs: When this rig is powered up it glows like a Cylon helmet!

While built to hit the road, Project13 also looks great when set up in a home environment.

For submitting this month’s winning entry, Sheldon has won a $250 gift certificate.