This must-see 'secret base' PC mod took a year to complete

Shawn Knight

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secret found pc mod

I’ve seen some pretty incredible case mods dating back to the day I saw the very first window cut into the side panel of a beige box well over a decade ago but I’m not sure I’ve witnessed one as detailed as this piece of work from Japanese designer Hiroto Ikeuchi.

secret found pc mod

Known only as the “secret base” and inspired by mecha anime like Gundam and Macross, Ikeuchi spent the past year working on the design which extends well past the traditional case mod to encompass the keyboard, monitor and even the desk it sits on. The designer even built custom accessories like the tank thumb drive shown below.

secret found pc mod

Some would argue that it’s less of a case mod and more of a full-blown miniature model. Ikeuchi said the most important thing is to think of it as a “living thing.” One thing is for sure: it’s damn cool!

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It's the first time I've seen someone make use of space inside the case. I found that interesting! But the exterior is something of a jumble. Almost like a military junkyard. I'm not sure how the Space Shuttle fits in to the design. And it doesn't look functional with the keyboard buried behind most the ground clutter. It's impressive work to say the least! I just don't think the overall design speaks to me.
 
Stock cooler, sloppy unsleeved wiring, green pcb... Hell, even his monitor is covered with streaks from a failed attempt at cleaning it. I don't see this as a case mod either. Just a guy that stacked all his toys next to his stock pc. I'm not really impressed by this, especially if it took him a year.
 
Stock cooler, sloppy unsleeved wiring, green pcb... Hell, even his monitor is covered with streaks from a failed attempt at cleaning it. I don't see this as a case mod either. Just a guy that stacked all his toys next to his stock pc. I'm not really impressed by this, especially if it took him a year.

I don’t think the idea of this mod is to go with the standard sleeved wires and high-end hardware, nor do I believe he has any problems correctly cleaning a monitor (the streaks are deliberate lol). It’s an impressive piece of artwork even if you cannot appreciate it. Yes its highly impractical but most works of art are.
 
I'm guessing if the PC worked, there may not have been a year of time to spend crafting. Or was it time spent waiting on videos to buffer with a slow ISP service? lol
 
I'm guessing if the PC worked, there may not have been a year of time to spend crafting. Or was it time spent waiting on videos to buffer with a slow ISP service? lol

Either that or he was waiting for BF4 to come out and is now waiting for it to be patched into working condition :)
 
I don’t think the idea of this mod is to go with the standard sleeved wires and high-end hardware, nor do I believe he has any problems correctly cleaning a monitor (the streaks are deliberate lol). It’s an impressive piece of artwork even if you cannot appreciate it. Yes its highly impractical but most works of art are.

I can appreciate it, but I'm just not really impressed. If the streaks were deliberate, then fine, but this just doesn't really do it for me.
 
It might not practical for most of us...

but sure it is a work of art! look at those miniature engineers working on the graphic card...

*just hoping it would self upgrade to R290 :D
 
Pretty sure this was just an art project done to an old PC that most likely doesn't even work any more. Instead of just throwing it out, he turned it into an art project. Or if it does work, it was probably some dinky $100 machine he got at a garage sale or off of ebay or something.

Although I can appreciate the detail and time he took to do this, for me personally, it's just too much. It's like a robot just threw up all over the machine.
 
Although I can appreciate the detail and time he took to do this, for me personally, it's just too much. It's like a robot just threw up all over the machine.
Thats what I say about most paintings in an art gallery. In my mind this PC Mod has more creativity, than painting that sell for millions. At least I can connect to this build, where all I see is paint splatters on the paintings. I'm glad our games are not designed under the same rules of art, no one would need an acid fix under those conditions.
 
I don't agree with the "more creativity than painting that sell for millions", but it is creative and also fun to see. If you think it was just stacked on top of each other, check the USB stick in the MacBook in the last picture. The USB stick has been taken apart and all kinds of steam-punky toy parts have been added.
 
WTF, looks like a pile of trash to me. I can get one up in minutes, just need to take my bucket of trash and drop it on top of my computer. Hmm, may be a bit lazy at this time. Guess that's why took him 1 year ..
 
I doubt the entire year was spent working on this project. I'm guessing an hour a day or maybe an hour or two on the weekend. Go ahead and pass judgment, as a hypocrite myself I understand your need.
 
I would not play on that, way too distracting. Plus it's absolutely gorgeous art, I think I would find it more enjoyable to stare and admire all the microscopic details in the piece rather than play on it. It is absolutely beautiful, high-rez photos please ;)
 
Hey, I don't see a pc here.. it's a secret-base miniature model, right? :D
 
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