Case Mod turns vintage NES into ION 2 Packing HTPC

Crispy

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As computers continue to decrease in size, the home theater PC becomes less of an imposing contribution to the entertainment center… and the case modding possibilities become exponentially more enticing.
Take, for example, this little two-toned gray box. You might recognize it by its bright red letters on the cartridge lid, or by the big springy “Reset” and “Power” buttons: it looks exactly like a circa 1986 vintage Nintendo Entertainment System console. But don’t try to slam a cartridge in the slot: while this little computer will let you play Legend of Zelda on your HDTV, you’ll have to do it through emulation.
Yes, this NES is a fully functioning home theater PC, shoved into the hollowed chassis of a vintage NES. Inside, it’s pretty standard: based on a Zotac IONITX-A-U motherboard, it packs a dual core 1.6GHz Intel Atom N330 CPU, an NVIDIA GeForce 9400M powered by an ION chipset, 2GB of DDR2 RAM, and a 4GB flash drive with Ubuntu and XBMC installed. On the outside, though, you’ll find an Ethernet port, six USB 2.0 ports, eSATA, HDMI, DVI and VGA connectors.
It’s a snazzy little mod. Better yet, even the lazy like me can own one: it’s being sold over on Etsy for just $475.
[via Technabob
 

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At a glance

Windows 7 Ultimate x64 Service Pack 1 (Build ...Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 (G0 Kentsfield) LGA77...Corsair TW3X4G1333C9A 4GB PC-10600 (2x XMS3 2GB)ASUS nVIDIA GeForce 560
OS
Windows 7 Ultimate x64 Service Pack 1 (Build 6.1.7601)
CPU
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 (G0 Kentsfield) LGA775 (FC-LGA6)
Motherboard
GIGABYTE GA-EP35C-DS3R (Rev. 2.1)
Memory
Corsair TW3X4G1333C9A 4GB PC-10600 (2x XMS3 2GB)
Graphics Card(s)
ASUS nVIDIA GeForce 560
Sound Card
RealTek ALC885/889A/890
Monitor(s) Displays
ChiMei CMV CT-730D 17inch (LCD Monitor)
Screen Resolution
1280-1024 60Hertz (Ture Colour 32bit)
Hard Drives
2x Barracuda 7200.10 SATA 3.0Gb/s 160-GB Hard Drive ST3160815AS (AHCI)
PSU
ANTEC 750w Earthwatts
Case
Thermaltake Shark (VA7000SWA ATX) Full Tower
Cooling
Front 120mm fan (1400 RPM) /Rear 120mm (1400 RPM) blue LED
Keyboard
Labtec Media Desktop Y-SAD65
Mouse
Razer DeathAdder 3G Infrared Sensor (1800DPI)
Internet Speed
Telstra BigPond Elite Liberty ADSL2+ 24Mbps/256kbps
Other Info
ASUS PCE-N13 802.11n Wireless LAN card
I love when people build these types of machines. I keep thinking about doing something like this for myself, just to bring back some of my old childhood memories when I look over at the tv.
 

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At a glance

Windows 7 Ultimate x64 SP1AMD Phenom II 1090 3.2 six core16 gig DDR3MSI R6950 2gig
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Custom Build
OS
Windows 7 Ultimate x64 SP1
CPU
AMD Phenom II 1090 3.2 six core
Motherboard
MSI 890FXA-GD65
Memory
16 gig DDR3
Graphics Card(s)
MSI R6950 2gig
Sound Card
on board
Monitor(s) Displays
Acer 23inch led
Screen Resolution
1900x1080 widescreen
Hard Drives
Seagate 1tb SATA6
2x 1tb HITACHI Deskstar
PSU
CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 750W
Case
CoolMaster HAF 922
Cooling
Box AMD Heatsink/Fan
Internet Speed
Cable 12Mbps/3Mbps
I like that, would love to do a MITX build for HTPC but only just built our current one :(
 

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At a glance

Windows 7 Professional X64Intel Core i7 950 @ 4GHz [watercooled]12GB Corsair Dominator 1600 [Watercooled]GTX470 3 way SLI [watercooled]
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
800D Black Hole
OS
Windows 7 Professional X64
CPU
Intel Core i7 950 @ 4GHz [watercooled]
Motherboard
EVGA X58 Classified 3 [watercooled]
Memory
12GB Corsair Dominator 1600 [Watercooled]
Graphics Card(s)
GTX470 3 way SLI [watercooled]
Monitor(s) Displays
3X Acer X233H 23"
Screen Resolution
5760X1080
Hard Drives
OCZ Vertex 2 60GB
PSU
Silverstone ST1500
Case
Corsair 800D
Cooling
2X 480 Rads|10X 120MM|3X 140mm + AE5
Keyboard
Das Ultimate
Mouse
Razer Mamba
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