NES Custom Gaming PC

[90snostalga]

I was generally browsing at custom gaming pc items and i came across custom ones where some people made star wars gaming computers and such, and I realize instead of using a regular tower, I want a customer look.  I found out lots of people use a regular NES as a pc.  Seems really cool but I realized a lot of them are using them for emulators and such.  I want a full gaming pc where i can play old and new pc games, not for emulators at all.  i would use a hdmi port on the motherboard, mouse/keyboard, the whole nine yards.  Is this possible?  Or if you use the NES casing, does it have to be minimal for emulators and basics pc functions only?  Thanks for any help...

[ffxik]

You're going to need to consider space when dealing with a full blown rig and unfortunately an NES just doesn't accommodate, not without modification past recognition. 

A rig that runs emulators only especially pre-6th gen should be fairly small builds and could fit in a NES case.  I'm not 100% sure though so take that for what it is.

[scott]

I had plans to build a emulator NES rig years ago, but found that the space isn't really there. I shelved the idea and haven't touched it for like 4 years, instead deciding to build my bartop Centipede mame machine (which is still in a holding pattern as well).

As far as a fulll blown gaming PC, I don't see it working. Components are just too big for it to work, in my opinion.

[badATchaos]

I did a lot of research early last month into building a NES rig for myself. Other than the sheer lack of space the largest issue is cooling and venting. The more powerful the stuff you have in there the more heat you create. The question then becomes how much do you want to cut up the case in order to get air in there. The more air holes you make the less it looks like a NES. lol
Because running emulators doesn't require that much power a lot people opt for just that. I'm sure in the very near future we'll have small and efficient enough hardware available to make a NES gaming PC easier to construct.

You'll get a kick out of this thread: http://www.overclock.net/t/1332383/most-powerful-nes-computer
This guy was pretty close to putting a decent mid-range video card and liquid cooling in there. Doesn't look like he every finished the project however.

[tripredacus]

You can get a computer to fit inside an NES shell but there are certainly limitations. The biggest concern is the video card. You probably won't be able to use a double-wide video card, as most of the high end ones are.

What you want to do if you really want to research this is either you are going to re-shell a mini-PC or find an embedded class motherboard to use. You'll still need to fab a bit of the NES to get it to fit in properly. A board may be the idea one since you could use a notebook sized ODD that you can make accessable from the cart door. Mini-PCs would be more difficult to fit into there if you want to line everything up. Then again if you don't want an ODD and can get away with an external one, that would be even better.

Here is an example of a Mini-PC that would probably fit inside an NES shell
http://www.zotacusa.com/zbox-nano-id62-plus.html
http://www.aopen.com/us/shop/categories/minipc/products/mp65-di

When looking for embedded boards, these have the CPU on a chip. You couldn't actually fit a real CPU fan into an NES unless you want to do a passive system. And because you need to fit everything in, you'll probably want one that supports mSATA drives.

Example types of boards. Note they do not have ATX PSU connectors on them:
http://www.ecs.com.tw/ECSWebSite/Product/Product_Category_1.aspx?CategoryID=10&MenuID=12&childid=M_12&LanID=0

There are other brands besides Zotac, AOpen and ECS but those are the ones I am most familiar with.

[90snostalga]

Thanks for all the links and feedback.  I was afraid it would be too small which will create trouble.  I think I may just buy a gaming laptop and call it a day because I it seems that I can't customize the casing and look the way I want to.  That's really the purpose of the NES pc.  It's an NES and it's pretty small compared to a huge tower.  Do you guys know any good custom Star Wars casings or any other game consoles or anything similar that would be sufficient casing?  Additionally, any suggested laptops that I could get for under 1,000?  What I want per my gaming pc, is something I can use for old and new pc games because I have a lot of catching up to do, and something with a good hdmi 1080p output because i would probably connect it to a 32 inch or my 55 inch tv pc input and use that screen to play the games, not sure yet. 

[90snostalga]

Let me add to that.  I also want a floppy disk drive but I can probably get a USB external floppy drive too hook up so I guess that does not matter.  I searched and searched and could not find anything on a soft floppy drive so I guess they dont make those.

The thing for me is, the last pc I built was back in 2003 and things have changed since then so I don't know all the new technology or good requirements which is why I want some help with a suggested laptop.  I mean, back when I built my pc 512MB of ram was above average for a regular PC.  that was so long ago now...

[stethebubble]

not enough space for a full rig. might get a AXTmini mother board in there but if you add high powered graphics you will have to start worrying about cooling.

but if you want to make a small emulator PC the PI will fit into almost anything. and that has USB and HDMI already built into the mother board. think they cost about $30 or something.

[badATchaos]

XoticPC is a decent reseller. I bought a high-end Sager from them in 2011. The thing is still running like a beast. (15" 1080p, Core i7, 16GB RAM, HD 6970M 2GB)
Look into Sager/Clevo. They're fairly prices for what you put in them compared to bigger brands. The hardware is nice in that it's extremely easy to access CPU, GPU, RAM incase you want to swap something out. Yes their exteriors are very plain but I actually like that. I hate the over the top gaming laptops out there like Alienware; with LEDs every gosh darn place you look. Plus the plainer the laptop the less likely it's to get stolen.
I would also stick with nVidia as well. I was an ATI/AMD fan for a long time but they're drivers now-a-days are a headache. At least their mobile ones are.

As for floppy drives..... I haven't seen OEMs use those in a decade. You could probably find external USB ones no problem.

[90snostalga]

XoticPC is a decent reseller. I bought a high-end Sager from them in 2011. The thing is still running like a beast. (15" 1080p, Core i7, 16GB RAM, HD 6970M 2GB)
Look into Sager/Clevo.

Thanks.  Is Sager/Clevo a brand or a website?  And is XoticPC a website to buy them?

[badATchaos]

Sager builds laptops with Clevo chassis/case. You can by directly from them if you'd like. XopticPC buy computers in bulk then modifies and sells 'em.

[90snostalga]

Sager builds laptops with Clevo chassis/case. You can by directly from them if you'd like. XopticPC buy computers in bulk then modifies and sells 'em.

Ah snap.   Okay.  I'm at the site now checking them out    Thanks for this.  You havent had any problems with yours?

[badATchaos]

Every few months or so I have to clean out fans because they're pretty good at collecting dust and hair. It's not a big deal though because there's only 5-6 Phillips screws that are keeping you from the fans and motherboard. The second problem with it (and other high power laptops) is that the battery life is pathetic. The 8 cell battery it came with lasts about 1.5 hours, and when your playing games it's even less.

[90snostalga]

Would you guys recommend the following laptop for gaming?

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/15-6-touch-screen-laptop-8gb-memory-1tb-hard-drive/8937158.p?id=1218954926513&skuId=8937158&st=pcmcat287600050003_categoryid$abcat0502000&cp=1&lp=1#tab=reviews