Drive to be the coolest puts PCs on cutting edge

Kawika Uechi of Cambridge hacks computers, literally.

His favorite tool is an electric rotary handsaw made by Dremel, with a blade that slices neatly through the thin metal of a computer case. But when he was a student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Uechi also used the school's water-jet cutter, a supersonic water pistol that can rip through hardened steel.

Uechi used the water jet to cut the image of a Decepticon, an evil robot from the children's cartoon show "Transformers," into one side of the case. Then he covered the opening with clear plexiglass and added a lamp that glowed an eerie blue.

When it comes to computers, Uechi favors the personal touch, "that feeling you've done something yourself, rather than buying something from the store." Like the designers of custom cars on the MTV program "Pimp My Ride," computer geeks like Uechi, known as "case modders," transform generic PCs into unique artistic visions.

And they spend lavishly on gadgets to spiff up their boxes, from inexpensive fans that twinkle as they spin to complex liquid cooling systems selling for hundreds of dollars. These days, even mainstream computer stores stock esoteric parts and accessories designed for case modders looking to "pimp" their PCs.

The origins of case modding go back at least as far as the original Apple I computer, created by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak in 1976, which was basically a circuit board. Buyers cobbled together their own wood or metal cases.

Of course, cases became standard equipment on later Apples and all other PCs. Most featured a bland, beige look, which tempted a few daring users to daub on a more colorful paint scheme. But when computers sold for $3,000 or more, few people were interested in gutting their cases and starting over.

That began to change when PC prices fell below $1,000 for machines that often skimped on computing power. Computer processors can be made to run much faster than their rated speed, a process called "overclocking."

But overclocking makes the processor run much hotter, hot enough to burn it out. Hobbyists began cutting holes in their cases to make room for extra cooling fans. Next they bolted elaborate heat sinks onto the processors to draw off more wasted heat.

These customized machines didn't just run cooler; they looked cooler, at least with the hood open. Soon the hobbyists began cutting holes in the cases, covering the openings with plexiglass. To show off the goodies inside, they added cold-cathode light tubes, which impart a soft neon glow. For a growing number of case modders, high-performance computing took a back seat to style.

For instance, Russ Caslis, a computer systems administrator in Santa Clara, Calif., likes building unique PCs using small, low-powered components. That's how he was able to convert a model of the Millennium Falcon spaceship from the "Star Wars" films into a desktop PC.

"I've always been a 'Star Wars' buff," said Caslis. "When I was thinking of a mod . . . I said, hey, I can make that into a computer."

It cost him $700 to buy the needed parts and modify the Falcon with ports for plugging in a keyboard, mouse, and monitor. Later, Caslis ran across a toy "Star Wars" X-Wing fighter. In no time, he had converted it into a mouse.

The Millennium Falcon is stylish but slow. It's good for Web surfing and not much else. For high-powered work, Caslis relies on a machine he calls the Scientist. With a case etched and painted to resemble a crumbling brick wall and crammed with high-end components, this machine took him a month to build, at a cost of $1,300.

That's chicken feed to Paul Capello, one of the few who have turned case modding into a career. Capello, a 38-year-old former carpenter and website designer in Brooklyn, repainted his first computer in 1994. He tinkered with other modifications over the years, finally becoming a serious modder in 2000. But it was the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, that persuaded him to turn pro.

"Life is so short," Capello said. "Do what you want to do. Don't waste any time."

So Capello got serious, launching a case-modding company called The Best Case Scenario. Within a year, he had produced a striking computer case inspired by the sci-fi film "Alien." Pictures of the case posted on the Internet attracted worldwide attention.

Soon technology companies were hiring him to create original PCs for trade shows. Chipmaker Intel Corp. ordered a blue-tinted humanoid machine called Silicon Rising to show off its Pentium 4 Extreme Edition chip.

"They wanted something that didn't look like a PC at all," Capello said.

Much of Capello's effort of late has gone into a personal project, a souped-up computer inspired by the popular outer space action game Doom 3. He plans to spend about $13,000 building the machine, which is festooned with Martian boulders, a working airlock, and a flat-panel display screen that will flash scenes from the game.

Like many modders, Capello publishes a photographic worklog on the Internet so other modders can follow his progress. "I can't believe how popular this one is," he said of his Doom 3 project.

He has received hints that id Software, the producers of the computer game, might consider buying it once he is finished. Although Capello is building the machine for himself, he's keeping an open mind.

"If there are enough zeros on the check," he said, "it's theirs."

Hiawatha Bray can be reached at bray@globe.com.