It always seems impossible until it's done. – Nelson Mandela
Mini Form Factor Maven
Welcome to Week Three of "The Art of Cooling," where creativity meets cooling innovation! This week, we’re showcasing a mind-blowing build by Aaron Howe from Camas, WA, who has ingeniously transformed an Xbox console into a fully functioning, water-cooled PC. Blurring the lines between gaming nostalgia and modern performance, Aaron's build packs cutting-edge hardware into a classic shell, proving that with the right vision, anything's possible in the world of custom PC builds. Check out his ideas for his next creations, we can't wait to see them!
Where do you find the inspiration for your themes?
I wanted to build the worlds first water cooled PC inside of an xbox console that was all self contained. It's a Ryzen 4700g with 32GB of Patriot Viper Memory, a 2TB Patriot NVME, and a 400W PSU all in one system.
What modifications did you make?
I mostly just had to cut out some space for the internal frame that I built to fit inside of it, which then houses the x570 motherboard and the other components.
What tips would you offer other builders?
| Don't pay attention to what others tell you is possible, just start doing the work yourself. |
What are some of the components used in your build?
Bitspower G1/4" to 3/8" Barb Fitting, 90° Rotary
Bitspower G1/4" Extender Fitting 15mm
Bitspower G1/4" to 3/8" Barb Fitting, 2 Pack
EKWB EK-DuraClear Soft Tubing, 10/13mm (3/8" ID, 1/2" OD), 3 Meter, Clear
Alphacool DC-LT 2600 Ceramic 12V Pump
Alphacool Eisstation 40 DC-LT
Alphacool NexXxoS XT45 Full Copper 50mm Dual Radiator
What are you planning for future builds?
A full custom PC inside of an electronic typewriter, with a custom keyboard, and a custom monitor where the paper tray once was (pics of the keyboard section mostly being done are on my IG (shyron.systems)-
A full scratch build of a Protoss Probe from StarCraft II, where the 'eye' of the probe and on the sides are 3 separate 120mm radiators.
A 'Demolition Man' (movie from the 90s) PC that has the interior themed like a 90s taco bell, is liquid cooled with taco bell fire sauce, and prints the 'fines' from the movie whenever someone swears near the machine (working on a language model coded on a pi that will control this)
A full PC built inside of a Nintendo Wii, already got the components that will fit (uses an STX motherboard), and now I'm tearing apart the Wii and hollowing it out!
More from Aaron
Check out more of Aaron's work on his IG account!
Congratulations to Aaron for winning $100 worth of Aqua Computer gear to further enhance this magnificent build.
Feeling inspired? Share it with us here: https://www.frozencpu.com/pages/the-art-of-cooling and get featured!"
