LEGO PC? Total Geekdom will build it.

[werto165]

 

"And there’s no one more fit for that task than Mike Schropp, the Total Geek behind the Total Geekdom website. Schropp has been building Lego computers for years, from small home systems to massive multi-system farms. But for his first foray into constructing a saleable system, Schropp really outdid himself, going through many design iterations before settling on a compact 7.5″x 7.5″x 5.5″ system—practically as small as he could go and still fit the motherboard inside. His goal, he says, was to build something portable, endlessly customizable, and packed with the power of a full desktop computer."

 

 

"The base system, which starts at $999, comes with an Intel i3-4360 Dual Core processor, 8 GB of memory, a 120 GB SSD, and an Intel HD4600 graphics card. Three different cases (shown above) are currently available, each featuring a user-controlled LED light bar that encircles the top of the case and displays up to 20 different colors. You can learn much more about Schropp’s design process, and check out the full specs and pricing for several different builds over at Total Geekdom. " 

 

 

You wont be fitting in a Titan X or an r9 295x2 but personally I think it's really awesome, working lego buttons, well placed LED strips makes this case look really cool. Look at the second link to see more awesome pictures, they also do bio computers and they've made a folding rig out of lego too, however that one is 4 years old at this point, but still really amazing. 

 

 

Source: http://gizmodo.com/a-customizable-computer-built-entirely-from-legos-1695674879?utm_campaign=socialflow_gizmodo_twitter&utm_source=gizmodo_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow 

 

http://www.totalgeekdom.com/

http://www.totalgeekdom.com/?p=1725

http://www.totalgeekdom.com/?page_id=1694

[Sidiox]

@legopc ?

 

This is cool though, reminds me of that knex build

[Derangel]

Those specs for $1000? What the fuck are they smoking?

[Lazmarr]

Those specs for $1000? What the fuck are they smoking?

Ikr, doesn't even come with a GPU lol

Essentially paying a apremium for some dude to put lego blocks together -___-

[totalgeek]

Those specs for $1000? What the fuck are they smoking?

 

Here is the breakdown on costs-

 

I buy all the components through either Amazon or Newegg. I’m just a regular dude, so I buy at retail. Here is a brief run down of components

Motherboard = $150

CPU i3-4360 = $150

Memory = $70

SSD = $80

DVD/CD Drive = $35

CPU Cooler = $50

Wireless card = $30

Power Supply = $70

Case Fan = $20

LEDs + Controller = $25

USB Extensions + Wiring + Antennas =$35

Computer Parts Total = $715

+

Lego Bricks = $150

Grand Total = $865

For $50 more you can get a i5-4590s quad core CPU instead, and an i7-4790s is also available. . I only went with the i3-4360 option for those that didn't need much processing power.

 

[totalgeek]

Ikr, doesn't even come with a GPU lol

Essentially paying a apremium for some dude to put lego blocks together -___-

 

Correct, no dedicated GPU. The system wasn't designed for gaming really, it's targeted more towards general users that want something with more than enough processing power and capabilities to handle the majority of user needs. The HD4600 isn't magic, I understand, but it's surprisingly capable of playing a fair amount games, albeit at reduced settings and resolutions. There is more information on my site that talks about gaming and some of the games you can play and what you can expect. But like I said, it's not designed as a gaming system.

[cesrai]

- snip -

It's okay do have discussions in news threads unless it's against the CoC which maybe I missed.

He said it doesn't have a GPU and he explained why, he also replied to guys saying it's over priced.

Edited April 5, 2015 by alpenwasser
removed quote content

[Guest]

$1000 for an i3 ahahaahahah

[werto165]

I would never personally buy one, I think it's more for the "lego enthusiasts", I see countless lego sets going for ridiculous amounts of money on sites such as ebay.  People where money is no problem for them, would buy it in an instance. I think it would be cooler if they provided the lego and the PC parts and some instructions that would be more enticing. 

[EpicGeekonFire]

I can build one of these right now wtf. How hard is this to make for an actual Lego fan kid? 

[totalgeek]

Just to clarify, in case my above reply didn't.

 

I'm not a sales rep, I'm totalgeek, I designed and built this Lego system. I don't have a company really, this is my hobby, though it's become more of a full time hobby as the years have gone by. My day job is engine building.

 

I'm a geek, I love tech, computers, games, Lego. 

 

If anyone has any questions feel free to ask.

[werto165]

I can build one of these right now wtf. How hard is this to make for an actual Lego fan kid? 

Not everyone would have the time, I would build my own but it would end up looking like a mess due to having a lack of the same colour. 

[BrianPena]

I can build one of these right now wtf. How hard is this to make for an actual Lego fan kid? 

You can do whatever you want. Do you have the motivation to do it is the real question. If it's so easy then I will be here waiting for screenshots of your build .

 

Judging from your attitude though I feel like I am going to be a bit disappointed.

[SteveGrabowski]

Correct, no dedicated GPU. The system wasn't designed for gaming really, it's targeted more towards general users that want something with more than enough processing power and capabilities to handle the majority of user needs. The HD4600 isn't magic, I understand, but it's surprisingly capable of playing a fair amount games, albeit at reduced settings and resolutions. There is more information on my site that talks about gaming and some of the games you can play and what you can expect. But like I said, it's not designed as a gaming system.

 

That's pretty cool. I can imagine it being a problem with a discrete GPU dumping heat into the case, as I doubt Lego bricks can take much, but for a low power system that looks pretty sweet. Even better when Broadwell desktop comes out with Iris Pro Graphics at 65W TDP.

[EpicGeekonFire]

You can do whatever you want. Do you have the motivation to do it is the real question. If it's so easy then I will be here waiting for screenshots of your build .

 

Judging from your attitude though I feel like I am going to be a bit disappointed.

 

Yea I don't play with Legos anymore. I would do it if I had another ITX board lying around. 

[EpicGeekonFire]

Not everyone would have the time, I would build my own but it would end up looking like a mess due to having a lack of the same colour. 

 

I like the rainbow effect lol Might would be like that too. 

[Guest]

Lego and a PC. Two of the best things, put together.

 

 

@Redheadsrule13 This is what you should've built.

[totalgeek]

That's pretty cool. I can imagine it being a problem with a discrete GPU dumping heat into the case, as I doubt Lego bricks can take much, but for a low power system that looks pretty sweet. Even better when Broadwell desktop comes out with Iris Pro Graphics at 65W TDP.

 

Thanks!

 

Yeah, in a system this small the discrete GPU would add another element of heat into play. I would have to design accordingly to account for the added heat. The Lego bricks are surprisingly quite robust, they're made from ABS plastic, which holds up extremely well. My other Lego based system that I still have and have been using as my daily system is comprised of over 2000 bricks, and has 3 complete systems inside (motherboards x3, CPU x3 etc.) This system has discrete graphics cards and all 3 CPUs are quad i7 (Sandy Bridge, Haswell) and are all overclocked. I've been using this system for almost 4 years now with all 3 CPU crunching at 100% usage 24/7 on World Community Grid. So it's been an excellent test rig for development. The Lego pieces are just as tight as they were when I put them together all those years ago. Here is a link if you want to see more info on that system - http://www.totalgeekdom.com/?p=572

 

This smaller form factor system has held up really well in testing too. With an i7-4790s and 8 threads going at 100% during an XTU stress test for 24 hours the processor only gets to around 66c, and the case air temp isn't that much hotter than ambient.

 

I'm really looking forward to when Broadwell comes out in desktop form, the Iris graphics will probably offer a decent boost.

[Lazmarr]

Correct, no dedicated GPU. The system wasn't designed for gaming really, it's targeted more towards general users that want something with more than enough processing power and capabilities to handle the majority of user needs. The HD4600 isn't magic, I understand, but it's surprisingly capable of playing a fair amount games, albeit at reduced settings and resolutions. There is more information on my site that talks about gaming and some of the games you can play and what you can expect. But like I said, it's not designed as a gaming system.

Forgot it was in USD lol in GBP it would be like £670 which isn't totally bad tbh the USD made it seem super expensive for what it had

[totalgeek]

Forgot it was in USD lol in GBP it would be like £670 which isn't totally bad tbh the USD made it seem super expensive for what it had

Ahh, that makes sense. No problem

[prolemur]

@legopc ?

 

This is cool though, reminds me of that knex build

http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/6392-knex-server/ @MG2R

[Ostwind]

-bloop-

How many design iterations did the case go through before you thought it was ready to be sold?

[Guest]

Thread reopened - if you have an issue, report it - don't complain about it for 3 pages publicly. 

[totalgeek]

How many design iterations did the case go through before you thought it was ready to be sold?

 

I went through about 7 iterations in total. The first couple iterations were large changes in form factors, with each successive becoming smaller. From there each iteration was usually a change in the way that a feature worked (moving the front USB ports around, changing case buttons). Beyond that there were changes based on my findings during thermal testing. In total I spent around 4 months designing, testing, changing and re-testing again before I settled in on the design that exists today. The final week involved a 170 hour CPU/GPU/Memory test at max utilization, just to ensure the thermals were okay and that everything seemed completely stable. Since then it's been being used as daily system to make sure there are no bugs or things that need to be changed. System testing with both Windows and Linux during that time.

[Ostwind]

I went through about 7 iterations in total. The first couple iterations were large changes in form factors, with each successive becoming smaller. From there each iteration was usually a change in the way that a feature worked (moving the front USB ports around, changing case buttons). Beyond that there were changes based on my findings during thermal testing. In total I spent around 4 months designing, testing, changing and re-testing again before I settled in on the design that exists today. The final week involved a 170 hour CPU/GPU/Memory test at max utilization, just to ensure the thermals were okay and that everything seemed completely stable. Since then it's been being used as daily system to make sure there are no bugs or things that need to be changed. System testing with both Windows and Linux during that time.

Do you have pictures of the other iterations? I would be very interested in seeing the evolution of the design. Have you considered doing a model with a dedicated GPU with a PCIe riser cable? It shouldn't be that hard the reign in the thermals for something like a 750 Ti.