This Gorgeous Wooden Gaming PC WIll Leave You Pining For Your Own
Most DIY PC builders are guys, and we reckon that's probably why the overwhelming majority of PC hardware is designed like the latest Decepticon. Such styles typically have extremely low Wife Approval Factor, though, and that might be part of why some case builders have been experimenting with more natural-looking aesthetics, like Fractal Design's North case that features wooden slats in the front, for example.
What if we took the North aesthetic and went all the way with it, though? What if you made the entire exterior of the case out of smooth oak? That's exactly what builds.gg user "modfoller" from Denmark did with his custom build, "The Scandinavian". The interior of the chassis is quite familiar, scavenged from an old Chieftec case. The exterior, on the other hand, is quite novel, with absolutely no visible "computer" features on five sides of this rectangular box.
The only thing on the front of the case is the power button, lit by a white LED that glows softly when the machine is on. The sides of the case are covered in aluminum mesh that slots into narrow grooves cut into the wood of the chassis; the top plate comes off to reveal the inside. The top plate doesn't latch or lock into the rest of the chassis at all, but modfoller did apply two aluminum struts to the underside anyway to keep it from sliding around and help guard against warping.
The creator modfoller is from Denmark, and the case is known as "The Scandinavian", which represents not only his own origins but also the inspiration for the chassis: the "golden age" of Scandinavian furniture design, which apparently lasted from the 1930 to the 1970s. The chassis is made to resemble a side table or similar small piece of furniture, and we have to say, with the feet attached, it certainly does.
According to the modder, one of the key goals for the build was to make sure that the system—which packs in a Core i7-11700K and a GeForce RTX 3070—was whisper quiet. This was a challenge, considering that it makes no use of liquid cooling. He says he spent a long time sketching out different solutions for the internal assembly. In the end, the machine is cooled by three 140-mm fans and two 80-mm fans, taking in cool air from one side and exhausting it out the back and the other side.
A truly custom case like this is a lot of work, but the results look absolutely fantastic. Hats off to modfoller for his excellent work on a gorgeous custom PC. We imagine his spouse is pleased, too.
