Exotic computer game in Vietnam

A toy car, a household item or just something that can be recovered from industrial waste can become a computer case. With the "mod case" people, the computer is not merely a working tool.

Car-computer.Photo: ITConnect .

"Mod case" or "case case" is a computer fanatic way of fixing or customizing the case according to its own unique design, or merely for convenience when working. In the world, this hobby is quite popular among technology players and has just appeared in Vietnam recently. The community of mod case hobbyists is still small, often communicating with each other at information technology forums such as Amtech-VN.com, VozForum.com or Xtremevn.com.

" People who play computer are often divided into 2 types: playing toys or making poison, " said Vu Thanh Cong, Company Director of XSoft Game selling "case" in Hanoi. " In general, the brand is expensive, mainly for high-income people. There are cases of up to hundreds of dollars compared to the usual 10-20 dollars at computer stores. In return, they are designed. beautiful, available space to attach more items so it does not take much time to manipulate, playing poison is self-made from beginning to end, very time consuming and requires a lot of effort. Young people are skillful and creative ".

According to the mod case people, about four years ago, a man named Phuong "PC Toys" (Hanoi) used to make a fully-encrusted wooden mosaic computer case shaped like a tea cabinet. This is considered one of the first handmade shells in Vietnam. Unfortunately, this case has traveled to Germany according to one of Phuong's customers and the author no longer holds any pictures of it.

Model of "Atomic power plant".Photo: ITConnect .

The well-known computer in the current mod case is the Nguyen Thuy Linh Atomic Power Plant (Hanoi), who won the first Crazy PC mod case contest in June.

" The case was started before Linh had the computer. It was too short at that time, so I thought of making the case myself. But when the money was enough to buy the machine, the case was not done ," Linh said.

This fourth-year student of Hanoi Architectural University said that he had many times with his friends to go to the industrial landfill in Bac Ninh to find the engine. The first reason is that it's easy to get unique things there. The second is to buy those things at the landfill is cheap. However, everything purchased must be "manipulated" to be used. After 6 months of "construction", Linh's "nuclear power plant" also shaped from the scraps. Despite such savings, when calculating the "miscellaneous shopping" for the case up to more than 3 million.

Also owning a computer "unique", Mr. Nguyen Trong Hung (Hanoi) said he edited the computer case according to his needs. Famous in gamers with the name Hung Warcraft for specializing in distributing this CD key game in the South and the North, he often had to swap and swap the hard drive to get data. Therefore, Hung decided to change almost the entire design of the case, turning the hard drive into a horizontal slide.

"My case is definitely not beautiful, but I like it because I made it from the beginning to the end. Investing 100 thousand VND and 1 week, it's very convenient for work, " Hung said excitedly. He said he was processing the shell of the camera with images from Warcraft III.

Also playing very sophisticated craft

Computer ready to take apart.Photo: HH

If classified, the case player will have 3 groups. The first is the "map", buy expensive case and then buy more components to install. Some famous mod accessories brands such as Thermaltake, CoolerMaster . have a distribution representative in Vietnam. From the specialized case for mod to each screw has a special shape, reflective cable to decorate the computer. There is even an oil used for water radiators that are colored to show different colors under ultraviolet light. This group of players is not very much because the price of cases and accessories is quite expensive.

The second group requires more elaboration, making the original computer case from beginning to end completely from raw materials such as bamboo, wood, . These works are very special, requiring players to have Design mind and mechanical skills. This is the most professional style and also the most difficult, in Vietnam less popular because of the lack of materials as well as implementation tools.

Another group seeks to save more, fixing old computer cases according to their own design. The old server shells are most favored by the mod case people because of their large size, plenty of space for "drawing" inside. Old server shells are often sold for about 100,000 VND each. There were already standard slots and screw holes to mount the board and accessories. Players only need to revise the "facade", add lights, travel cables and add a fan to get a monstrous computer case that is "unlike anyone".

Special components for mod case people.Photo: HH

Most mod case experts think that the third type of play is the most economical and popular in Vietnam because it is suitable for both economic and technical conditions. Players can step by step "upgrade" the case according to their conditions. The first step is simply to redo the side door (side-windows) of the mica computer, attach the lamp, fan, etc.

Reaching harder designs requires a lot of skill for players. The first is to have an industrial design mind to arrange components such as boards, chips, fans . into a special space while ensuring easy circulation of airflow to dissipate heat. Also mechanical skills play an important role when implementing designs because each computer component has a standard available. This is particularly important in the absence of specialized tools.

" When starting to play mod cases, the reference in the forums is very necessary. There are many foreign websites that provide thorough instructions on new operations until the completion of a product like Bit-Tech.com, FrozenCpu.com or SideWinderCompter.com , "said Cong.

According to Mr. Cong, currently the mod mod movement in Vietnam is still at the beginning stage. The models are mainly repainted color, redraw the door, play the lamp, attach the radiator fan, the special source to the case is available but not really impressive works. Even Thuy Linh's model, which won the first prize, CrazyPC, did not meet the requirements for how to get the wires in the machine, although Linh's design and ideas are excellent.

The author of the first mosaic wooden case argued that the most important thing was to have an idea to deploy. " Although there are difficulties in materials and tools, but if you have a unique idea, you can still get products that are not inferior to foreign countries ," Phuong said. He said that he is currently deploying a new project to put the computer into his scooter, which is expected to be completed by October.

Thao