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The sluggish from "The Empire Strikes Back" means a lot to "Star Wars" fans, notably among them master computer modifier Sander van der Velden.
The adventuresome Dutch tinkerer, a self-confessed sci-fi addict, took apart a 2-foot-tall Hasbro AT-AT replica and inserted a powerful water-cooled computer. The results impress, but go a step further with the addition of an illuminated stand and tube lighting inside the lumbering crawler. As you can see in this image, the midsection of the Hasbro AT-AT contains the brains of the computer, with water-cooling blocks covering all the bases on the motherboard. Accessory cabling runs down into the tall legs of the toy.
Scroll through the images of the build process, leading up to the revelation of a truly epic "Star Wars"-themed computer.
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Van der Velden, who works at a national IT services provider, spent three weeks crafting his "Star Wars" machine. The AT-AT contains a Zotac Z68-ITX (Mini-ITX) motherboard running an Intel Core i7 2600k processor, SSD, and built-in Wi-Fi. The water-cooling system (radiator and XSPC pump) uses water blocks to cool the CPU, GPU, and other components.
"I really enjoyed working on this build, as it combines two of my favorite things: sci-fi and liquid-cooled computers," Van der Velden told Crave.
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Power for the computer, lighting, and water-cooling run alongside other cabling stored within the tall legs of the AT-AT toy. The legs attach to a dock that we explore further in another slide.
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This early shot of the custom base station indicates van der Velden knew early on that his mammoth AT-AT build would require some over-the-top lighting. The legs of the AT-AT dock with this section, and several fans help cool down the various components.
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A giant label for the AT-AT dock ensures that everyone knows this computer serves the Galactic Empire. Lights built into the dock illuminate the words for maximum effect -- and maximum firepower.
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The finished AT-AT computer stands proudly among hundreds of gamers and PCs at a LAN party in the Netherlands. For a true sense of scale, look at the size of the monitor on the right in comparison with the AT-AT computer. Nuff said, nerfherder.
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