There are plenty of companies that offer cases for tiny computers with Mini-ITX motherboards. But if you’re planning to stick a PC next to your TV, or just want something nice to look at, why not make it into a work of art?
Jeffrey Stephenson (http://www.slipperyskip.com/page34.html) built a case inspired by the works of artist Piet Mondrian (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piet_Mondrian) – and it might be one of the most attractive PCs I’ve ever seen… in a not particularly geeky way (I know some folks would prefer a transparent case showing a liquid cooling system).
(http://i49.tinypic.com/2cy1yyp.jpg) (http://www.slipperyskip.com/page34.html)
Stephenson’s Mondrian case is made from wood and hand-cut acrylic tiles. It houses a computer with an Intel Core i3-2105 processor, Intel HD3000 graphics, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB solid state disk.
The components should provide decent performance without generating a lot of heat or noise, and the only fan in the system is tucked away beneath a passive heatsink to help improve air flow.
You can check out Stephenson’s photos documenting the construction of the case at his blog (http://www.slipperyskip.com/page34.html).