LIVE from NVISION 08: The Art of Case Modding

There’s nothing more satisfying to a case modder than to have someone look at their work of art, and not be able to identify it as a computer. Either that, or they just prey on people’s reaction when they first lay eyes on their work of art. Regardless, case modding has become more and more popular within the gaming community. Here at NVISION 08, we’ve taken a close look at a few shining stars (or computers, however you want to look at it).

First off is Richard Surroz, A.K.A. DarthBeavis. His largest masterpiece, DayWalker, based upon Blade, stood higher and wider than its creator. In an interview he said, “DayWalker is capable of not only high-performance gaming, but also capable of hosting a LAN.” The case mod consists of 5 parts making up a cross. The top of the cross is where the server is capable of running all the latest games, flawlessly. One of the arms holds 2 LCD monitors for gaming, and the other arm holds fans and a decorative skull. The body of the computer consists of a PC with Tri-SLI GTX 280 GPU and an Intel Quad-Core CPU. It’s all topped off with a custom paint job courtesy of Smooth Creations. The entire thing would cost anywhere between 12-14k retail. Sadly, after this event, DarthBeavis must take DayWalker apart so he can use the parts for his next creation. Also on display was his other case mod, Autopsy, a computer inside a human form. Just Google his name and check out all of his other works of art.

One especially out of the ordinary case mod was Chris Hayward’s Obelisk. His mod was inspired by Warhammer 40k art. Most of the case consists of acrylic plastic, and is entirely water cooled. Probably the most unique part is the peak of the Obelisk. The pyramid is filled with water, pearl flakes, and a magnet. Below is a fan with a magnetic strip so when the fan spins, so does the magnet and the water show begins. Besides the ominous green glow and black plating, the case has the latest high end technology optimized for gaming. Despite all that, the biggest attraction sat right behind the GotGame headquarters.

Anyone who owns Steam knows this next one: The Sentry Gun from TF2. In the actual turret, a shuttle PC rests upon the top, and in the Provisions Dispenser is the LCD monitor. The entire case is made out of blue metal and wreaks of the Team Fortress 2 cartoonish style. Just for realism, he’s included real ammo in the dispenser and turret. And much like all of its predecessors, it is optimized for gaming.

These, by all means, are not all. Check out the rest of the case mods that are worthy of recognition.