When building a desktop computer, usually the budget is the limiting factor. Making sacrifices on one part in order to improve another without breaking the bank is part of the delicate balance of putting together a capable PC. If you’re lucky enough to have the sponsors that [Shank] has though, caution can be thrown to the wind with regards to price for some blisteringly fast parts. Putting them in a ’90s Hot Wheels case to build the ultimate sleeper PC, though, is just icing on the top.
This isn’t quite as simple as replacing a motherboard in a modern PC case, though. The Hot Wheels PC used a mini-ITX standard and is quite a bit smaller than most modern computers outside of something like a Mac Mini. To get the RTX 3060 GPU into the computer the shrouds needed to be removed to save space, plus an unusual 92mm form factor liquid CPU cooler needed to be installed. An equally obscure power supply was included to round out the Ryzen 9 build and after a lot of tinkering eventually all the parts were fitted into this retro case including the original, working floppy disk drive. After that some additional case modding was installed such as RGB lighting, wheels with spinning rims, a spoiler, and an exhaust pipe.
The main issue with this build was temperatures, and both the CPU and GPU were topping out at dangerously high temperatures until [Shank] installed a terrifying 11,000 RPM case fan. With a series of original CRT monitors to go along with this sleeper PC he can have up to 9 displays with surprisingly high video quality thanks to the fundamental properties of CRTs. The video is definitely worth a watch and falls right in line with some of [Shank]’s other console mods that he is famous for such as this handheld Virtual Boy.
Thanks to [Fast Rock Productions] for the tip!
And there was a pink Barbie computer to match. I’m sure they had the same specs, I vaguely remember a 400MHz clock but obviously one intended for boys and the other for girls
Wow, I didn’t know one could buy USB to floppy drive adapters. Would one of those work on 5.25″?
Not really. There are a few videos on YouTube that cover it.
Reminds me when I installed a AMD K62 in a IBM XT case.
It is great fun to see such a high investment in what is really a stupid idea, just because you can (thanks to the sponsor anyway), while simultaneously doing it in a way that actually is really functional in the end – could have made the components fit and called that a victory, still be an impressive feat and with a little detuneing run just fine.
Neat! But for gaming/Windoze, a Ryzen 5 5600 would have worked just fine rather than a Ryzen 9 he used. Cut down on the heat generated significantly. 64GB of memory is a bit overkill also for the project. But hey, his box 🙂 . I actually like that case design (without the tail pipe that is!) .
Please be kind and respectful to help make the comments section excellent. (Comment Policy)
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
By using our website and services, you expressly agree to the placement of our performance, functionality and advertising cookies. Learn more
