The $363 19-inch dual-core all-in-one LCD PC
by George Ou | November 26, 2007 5:14pm PST | Image 1 of 8
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This is the new all-in-one Intel dual-core E2180 19" LCD PC computer I built for the family. The shocker is that I did it for less than $363 in parts (not including keyboard and mouse). The 19" LCD was on sale for $140 and the dual-core Intel CPU/Motherboard/graphics was on sale at Fry's for an eye-popping $88 and I just couldn't resist the temptation to build a nice all-in-one for the kitchen/dining area. I got a 300 GB hard drive for $50 and 1 GB of RAM for $30 (with an additional $20 rebate) and I used a $50 energy efficient "80 plus" 220 watt 1U power supply. For the chassis, I used some scrap wood I had left over and spent 4 hours on a Sunday afternoon building this computer.
For more details, see George Ou's Real World IT blog.
For more details, see George Ou's Real World IT blog.
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You might want to line the inside of the box with some shielding. A couple layers of foil and ground it, at least.
Brilliant! Love the rough wooden case - hi-tech geekdom meets backyard capentry. Superb!
Markus
Markus
Paint that sucker black and it will be perfect!
Ordinarily, I prefer Macs over PCs but I must admit that I just love George's all-in-one!
Riiiight. This could be part of a side by side comparison to the iMac with a "Redneck Computer" title. All that is missing is the possum powered fan system.
Great stuff George. You should look into some of the slim micro-atx cases out there. You could probably add that and a mini CDRW/DVD drive and stay well under $500.
Great stuff George. You should look into some of the slim micro-atx cases out there. You could probably add that and a mini CDRW/DVD drive and stay well under $500.
Personally, I think it's ugly as all hell! I would have housed the guts on the back of the desk! Out of sight, yet functional. I realize it's no longer an All-in-one at this point, but it's too ugly in it's current state.
Or at the very least find some more attractive material to house the motherboard etc.
Doug Wong
Or at the very least find some more attractive material to house the motherboard etc.
Doug Wong
I agree. I think what would help this thing is if he had painted the wood black or something with some glossy paint. That would alleviate much of the ugly nature of the material he chose. I think the material itself is a fine choice, just needs to be painted.
You won't even be able to see the thing sitting in front of the display. It will essentially be an invisible computer. Something that is invisible can't be ugly by definition.
Well that's nifty but how do you install cards into the expansion slots...cut out the back cover and wrap a small box over them ?
"Wired Ethernet was used but I have enough room to plug in a PCI wireless LAN adapter using a 90 degrees PCI adapter."
Reading comprehension > you.
Reading comprehension > you.
Good job George.You might want to gut an old VCR and use that case to install everything.It would weigh less and look better,not that it looks bad,but a gutted VCR case would really look nice,and its the right size for a mobo.
Stan
Stan
As is, I did not see a single Drive CD,DVD or any kind which will also cost besides the keyboard and mouse chosen. Nice to see the parts he has all work together! I wish George would advise where he bought each item from, since I don't see hard drives that size for $50 as an example. Bob
r.c.walsh@snet.net
r.c.walsh@snet.net
try this page they have some really good deals on hard drives
http://www.driveguys.com/Modern/items.asp?CartId=936231-ACCWARE-4HTOOD301&Cc=80GB%2DUP
http://www.driveguys.com/Modern/items.asp?CartId=936231-ACCWARE-4HTOOD301&Cc=80GB%2DUP
I think with the roll out of Solid state hard drives, its going to bring the prices of magnetic hard drives way down.
If you had to order it without the special sales, you're looking at $400 for the same build.
Awesome inovation, you probably sell this one to ebay. Good job and i agree need painting. I give it 4 stars..
Yikes! This is the same guy that I have grown to trust on tech issues? Holy crap! When I make stuff like this at my house, I try not to show it to anyone! I hope George never has to diagnose ground loop or RF interference problems.
The motherboard is grounded to the power supply, and the components are FCC approved so I don't see what the problem is.
The people who are talking crap George are just Jealous that they did not come up with this idea. They just wanted to come up with the Idea themselves and couldn't so they got to throw off on someone else's Ideas. You done a great job George.
Wood is not flame retardant. Also it won't block RFI. So you can forget about getting UL and FCC approval. Also ESD may be a problem, many people rely on contact with the case to to equalize potential before touching the motherboard, though they may not realize it. The open design is bad, too easy for stuff to drop into the works. I guess it's OK to mount modern hard drives head down, but it still makes me queasy looking at it.
All this reminds me how little regard there is these days for good mechanical design.
All this reminds me how little regard there is these days for good mechanical design.
Not the most stylish bit of kit, why not spend another $10 or less and put it in a real case????
What is a "real" case? A real MicroATX case is too big. My chassis is minimalist and even that barely fits behind the LCD.
I think it is obviously not finished. There are many options
to finish off the housing.This is an exciting article.I am motivated to try the same thing, except use my existing "tower".
Good Job George
to finish off the housing.This is an exciting article.I am motivated to try the same thing, except use my existing "tower".
Good Job George
"The box needs to be mounted to the LCD before the motherboard is installed. To figure out where to mount the motherboard, place the motherboard and power supply on the wood and m"
Great idea, but I beat you to it by 6 years. 6 years ago I built a very similar system as a display for a store. Instead of wood I used Acrylic, Acrylic is much lighter and you can see through it.
By the way your doing it the hard way. Next time try using a keyhole bit in a router to make the VISA mounting holes. This way you can simply lift the PC off the back of the monitor any time you like. The way you built it you need to take the computer completely apart just to simply remove it from the monitor..
The other problem IS RFI !!!!! Wood is not a good choice of material for constructing an efficient Faraday Cage. This case will cause a lot of RFI.. Since plastic windows have become popular in PC cases RFI complaints have sky rocketed.
I have personal filled FCC RFI complaints on over 30 computers owners in my neighborhood as their computers were interfering with TV, shortwave and Ham radio reception.. The monetary fine for ignoring an FCC order to eliminate the interference can be as high as $10,000.. In some cases it can be $10,000 per occurrence. Normally the FCC will do everything it can to avoid issuing a notice of apparent liability (FINE) but if you ignore the complaints you can expect problems. IN one case the FCC actually confiscated the computer after the owner failed to resolve the interference complaint and ignored the FCC for over 2 years.
A computer is known as an incidental radiator. It's not designed to be a transmitter but if not properly shielded can cause harmful interference to licensed users in multiple RF services.. I'm sure you have read the little sticker that says this device must not cause harmful interference to licensed services but must accept all interference.
Well It's up to the builder to insure that the Computer fully complies with FCC regulations. What this little statement means is that you are responsible for any interference your computer causes and that you have absolutely no protection from interference caused to you. In other words if your computer cause's interference to a neighbors TV or radio it's your fault and you must fix it. But if your computer is receiving interference from say a Ham radio station down the street it's still up to you to fix. Assuming that the Ham radio operator is using his equipment properly then Ham radio operator is not responsible for the interference to your unlicensed equipment.
So if you plan on building this project I highly recommend painting the inside of the wood case with an RF shielding/absorbing paint. http://www.lessemf.com/paint.html
As for the Acrylic windows in most newer PC cases. A piece of aluminum screen door or window material from you local hardware store placed on the inside of the acrylic window and grounded to the computer chassis will greatly reduce the harmful emissions while still allowing you to see the inside of the computer.
If you don't like the idea of using aluminum screen over your precious computer windows then you can use a product called "Clear shield" Clear Shield is a clear RF absorbing film that can be placed on the inside of the computer window.
http://www.lessemf.com/plastic.html#1210
By the way next time seriously consider making the mounting holes with a Keyhole bit
http://www.cheyennesales.com/catalog/cmtkey.htm
Great idea, but I beat you to it by 6 years. 6 years ago I built a very similar system as a display for a store. Instead of wood I used Acrylic, Acrylic is much lighter and you can see through it.
By the way your doing it the hard way. Next time try using a keyhole bit in a router to make the VISA mounting holes. This way you can simply lift the PC off the back of the monitor any time you like. The way you built it you need to take the computer completely apart just to simply remove it from the monitor..
The other problem IS RFI !!!!! Wood is not a good choice of material for constructing an efficient Faraday Cage. This case will cause a lot of RFI.. Since plastic windows have become popular in PC cases RFI complaints have sky rocketed.
I have personal filled FCC RFI complaints on over 30 computers owners in my neighborhood as their computers were interfering with TV, shortwave and Ham radio reception.. The monetary fine for ignoring an FCC order to eliminate the interference can be as high as $10,000.. In some cases it can be $10,000 per occurrence. Normally the FCC will do everything it can to avoid issuing a notice of apparent liability (FINE) but if you ignore the complaints you can expect problems. IN one case the FCC actually confiscated the computer after the owner failed to resolve the interference complaint and ignored the FCC for over 2 years.
A computer is known as an incidental radiator. It's not designed to be a transmitter but if not properly shielded can cause harmful interference to licensed users in multiple RF services.. I'm sure you have read the little sticker that says this device must not cause harmful interference to licensed services but must accept all interference.
Well It's up to the builder to insure that the Computer fully complies with FCC regulations. What this little statement means is that you are responsible for any interference your computer causes and that you have absolutely no protection from interference caused to you. In other words if your computer cause's interference to a neighbors TV or radio it's your fault and you must fix it. But if your computer is receiving interference from say a Ham radio station down the street it's still up to you to fix. Assuming that the Ham radio operator is using his equipment properly then Ham radio operator is not responsible for the interference to your unlicensed equipment.
So if you plan on building this project I highly recommend painting the inside of the wood case with an RF shielding/absorbing paint. http://www.lessemf.com/paint.html
As for the Acrylic windows in most newer PC cases. A piece of aluminum screen door or window material from you local hardware store placed on the inside of the acrylic window and grounded to the computer chassis will greatly reduce the harmful emissions while still allowing you to see the inside of the computer.
If you don't like the idea of using aluminum screen over your precious computer windows then you can use a product called "Clear shield" Clear Shield is a clear RF absorbing film that can be placed on the inside of the computer window.
http://www.lessemf.com/plastic.html#1210
By the way next time seriously consider making the mounting holes with a Keyhole bit
http://www.cheyennesales.com/catalog/cmtkey.htm
A PC interfering with radios down the street? You've GOT to be kidding right? I don't even have interference problems with a radio sitting next to this box let alone the next house or down the street (inverse square law anyone). A bare motherboard with NO shielding still has to pass FCC regulation.
I didn't use a keyhole bit on purpose because I wanted the thing to be simple and securely mounted to the LCD. Now I can pretty much grab the box and pick it up and the monitor will go along for the ride. I can even strap a handle on the case and it will be strong enough to move the entire unit.
I didn't use a keyhole bit on purpose because I wanted the thing to be simple and securely mounted to the LCD. Now I can pretty much grab the box and pick it up and the monitor will go along for the ride. I can even strap a handle on the case and it will be strong enough to move the entire unit.
WELL I CAN TELL YOU ITS DIFERENT BRITY SMART
LIKE THE WAY HE MADE COMPAC COOL
LIKE THE WAY HE MADE COMPAC COOL
George I think you did a fantastic job!
I realize you will get the pros and cons from everyone, because people read too much into things!
The point of this article wasnt how beautiful of a all in one system you can do for less than 400 bucks or if you can follow osha's laws in building a computer.
The point was the man made a very good, cost eff all in one system. He thought outside the box, he used scrap wood found lying around to house his componets. Who cares if it looks pretty and if I, or anyone else would of just gathered some pieces together and came up with the same concept to use the wood just lying around, none of us would change it because we would be proud of ourselves and our newly created conversation piece.
I do however have to ask, where did you find a 300gb Harddrive for 50 bucks, because im ready to load up on some of those.. but other than that im sure it will eventually be properly grounded, and im sure he will fix any and all other issues.
Once again, I like the article and i like the wooden frame I must admit, its kinda made me want to do a all in one with a wooden frame....
Nothing wrong with diff...
I realize you will get the pros and cons from everyone, because people read too much into things!
The point of this article wasnt how beautiful of a all in one system you can do for less than 400 bucks or if you can follow osha's laws in building a computer.
The point was the man made a very good, cost eff all in one system. He thought outside the box, he used scrap wood found lying around to house his componets. Who cares if it looks pretty and if I, or anyone else would of just gathered some pieces together and came up with the same concept to use the wood just lying around, none of us would change it because we would be proud of ourselves and our newly created conversation piece.
I do however have to ask, where did you find a 300gb Harddrive for 50 bucks, because im ready to load up on some of those.. but other than that im sure it will eventually be properly grounded, and im sure he will fix any and all other issues.
Once again, I like the article and i like the wooden frame I must admit, its kinda made me want to do a all in one with a wooden frame....
Nothing wrong with diff...
I connected a metal wire from the motherboard mount to the PSU mount to ground the motherboard. I'm going to paint the box black so that it will blend in with LCD. Obviously I bought all the hardware at heavily discounted prices but there are deals to be had. Any drive from 250 to 500 GB can work so you just need to find one that is on sale.
Reminds me of a PC I built back when the Pentium 233 Mhz was top of the line. I have a 22 wide screen and this gave me an idea on where I will put my CPU case the nextime I rearrange my desk to hide a few wires. Good job!
I think this computer is so cool! I think I'm going to give it a shot. Looks like fun. Good Job.
Is it non-flammable?
seriously, a computer in a wood box on the back of a monitor?
seriously, a computer in a wood box on the back of a monitor?
If your system gets hot enough to start wood on fire, you have bigger problems. Wood becomes combustible at temperatures around 450F degrees. There have been government tests that show wood that has been exposed to 107C degrees for more than three years had barely darkened, and when exposed to 125C degrees for four years had become dry and brittle but at no time did it ever get to a point where it could have become combustible.
PC for a reason (those Intel fans are noisy as hell, even at less rpm's). I am sorry but bingo hall welfare people don't even do something this stupid. >:-P
It's kind of neat if yer just foolin' around with some junk parts but you actually wasted money on this stuff, pah hah hah!
It's kind of neat if yer just foolin' around with some junk parts but you actually wasted money on this stuff, pah hah hah!
opinions it might be a waste, but in many others and Georges opinion, it is something that was very functional and fantastic. If you think it is a waste, obviously you won't be attempting something like this. Hmmm you could just be spouting your hate because you have no capability to do this yourself. If you can't contribute, read another thread.
If he didn't want to spend money on the OS he can get a free Linux OS and install that and it would be a good little web surfing and homework machine for kids. I use fedora Linux and and open office on my emergency web surfing machine in case my Windows comp goes down. I also use open office on my windows computer. My emergency computer I built from old parts for less than NZ$100 and most of that cost was the case and power supply the only brand new parts.
It's a hillbilly's attempt at building his own Mac only to find out he/she is stuck runnin' Windhose. Roflmfao! XD
Why does EVERYTHING have to do with a MAC? Get over yourself.. And MAC wasn't even close to being the first self contained computer.. you MAC heads make me laugh..
Ursulus
Ursulus
if you know so much about AIO computers, Enlighten us as to what was the first AIO
computer.
computer.
was a joke, just like the contraption that George slapped together. >:-]
Aren't there some cases that you could have used and still been under $400? It's a bit silly isn't it to have a wooden case these days?
Why would you waste valuable ($$$) time to put that thing together. I am sure you could have received a deal on a real case somewhere. Truth be told, i do admire your effort, but i was wondering if the monitor didn't topple, is it balanced?
did you not turn the removeable drives to the side where they can be easily accessed?
.
.
I think the wood add on looks cheap and shoddy. You could have got a nice black plastic box for about $5 to $10 and fitted the stuff into that and it would have looked way more pleasing to the eye. For a DVD/CD drive I would buy one of those nice cheap 5.25" external drive cases and put a standard cheap DVD/CD writer into it and mount it under the LCD screens stand to brig it up more to eye level.
George has stated that the design of this unit was not complete and that he intended to clean it up and paint it black. As for your other ideas, maybe something like that will be considered for this or other units he creates in the future.
I didn't see the cost of an operating system...that screen looks to be running Windows?
Here in the Dominican Republic, the cost of the Windows operating system is 50% of the cost of any computer system.
KH
Here in the Dominican Republic, the cost of the Windows operating system is 50% of the cost of any computer system.
KH
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