This is the PC we entered in Nvidia’s ION contest and won! It’s a fun and creative design. I hope it inspires future builders and modders. Everyone who entered my workshop during the construction was immediately drawn to it. “What is that?! Cool!”

I want to thank everyone at Modders-Inc, Nvidia, CPU for organizing this contest. It was a pleasure participating with some of the best modders in the world. I would also like to thank Corsair and Logic Supply for sponsoring everybody!

I’m convinced our design is the best representation of Nvidia’s exciting ION ITX platform. Whether our design won the contest or not, I guarantee it’s fun and creative design will inspire future builders and modders. Everyone who entered my workshop during the construction was immediately drawn to it. “What is that?! Cool!”

The concept reminded me of when LEGOS started incorporating UV Green parts into their “Space” sets in the late 70s and continue to today.

LEGO Cyber Saucer kit, 1997

The Zotac Nvidia ION 330 ITX A-U Motherboard is nearly ready-to-run out of the box. All you add is memory, hard drive and O.S. This makes it less intimidating to first time PC builders and more affordable to d-i-y enthusiasts. If you’re planning to build a HTPC. It produces a crisp picture @ 1080p HDMI. It has 1.3 output support, optional dual monitor, 7.1 channel uncompressed audio output. Coaxial and optical audio output and Blu-ray decode acceleration. Yes!!

Spider-like fan blades shroud the top 120mm Logysis intake fan.

The NVIDIA logo on the base is laser cut from 1/4″ thick UV Green transparent cast acrylic.

Powered by ZOTAC 330 ION Mini-ITX motherboard

Left side of NVIDIA Cube with Power Button

The Zotac Nvidia ION 330 ITX A-U Motherboard is nearly ready-to-run out of the box. All you add is memory, hard drive and O.S. This makes it less intimidating to first time PC builders and more affordable to d-i-y enthusiasts. If you’re planning to build a HTPC. It produces a crisp picture @ 1080p HDMI. It has 1.3 output support, optional dual monitor, 7.1 channel uncompressed audio output. Coaxial and optical audio output and Blu-ray decode acceleration. Yes!!

Cheapskate’s conceptual drawing

If you’re PC Modder like me, the ION 330’s small size opens the door to your own creativity. You don’t have to be a professional modder to imagine multiple ideas for your own PC. The 6.7″ x 6.7′ motherboard allows you to mount it in something fun like an R/C car body or a toolbox. I’ve seen people install ITX computers in their car.

You don’t need to make an enclosure from recycled cardboard or incorporate a plant for your ION PC to be considered “Green” or low power. The ION is already low power. Our ION PC is very simple. A 90 watt power brick powers the Zotac 330 ION motherboard, LG DVD optical drive, Corsair x64 SSD HD, Logisys 120mm led cooling fan, and four 4″ cold cathode lights. The lights are not a necessity, but they look cool! You don’t need to add anything else. Check out the specs below, you’ve got [b]six USB 2.0 ports[/b], eSATA, PS2 port, Gigabit Ethernet port. Plus, our pedestal design allows you to rotate the cube 360 degrees, so you can access all of these ports easily. We’re using the 5-pin molex connector on the board to power the Corsair x64 SSD drive and lighting.

Specification list of ION ITX-A-U Motherboard

ION ITX-A-U Specifications
Processor 1.6 GHz Intel Atom 330
533 MHz FSB
Chipset NVIDIA MCP7A-ION
System Memory, Dual channel DDR2 667 DIMM slots
Up to 4 GB of memory
VGA Integrated NVIDIA GeForce 9400M Graphics
Supported Resolution 1920 x 1440 (VGA)
Expansion Slots PCI Express Mini Card (wireless card pre-installed)
Onboard IDE None
Onboard Serial ATA 3 SATA (3 Gb/sec.) connectors (RAID 0, 1, 0+1)
Onboard USB 10 USB 2.0
Onboard LAN Realtek RTL8211C GbE 10/100/1000
Onboard Audio Realtek ALC662 5.1 channel HD codec
Back Panel I/O 6 USB 2.0 ports
1 VGA port
1 DVI-I port
1 HDMI port
1 eSATA port
1 LAN port
1 PS2 keyboard port
2 S/PDIF-out ports (coaxial/optical)
3 Audio jacks: line-out, line-in, mic-in
1 DC jack
Onboard I/O Connectors 3 SATA connectors
4 USB 2.0 via 2 pin headers
1 RS-232 COM pin header
1 Front panel audio pin header
1 Front panel pin header
2 Fan pin headers
4-pin Molex connector (for peripheral power)
BIOS AMI BIOS 8 Mb flash memory
System Monitoring & Management: System power management, RTC timer
Operating Temperature 0ºC ~ 50ºC
Power DC 19 V @ 4.74 A
Form Factor: Mini-ITX (17 x 17 cm)
Includes Driver CD

Backplate
CPU fan
90 W AC adapter & cord
Wireless antenna
3 SATA cables
1 SATA power cable

“The mind of cheapskate must be a very wild and strange place.”

The first time I looked at cheapskates his drawing, my head just spun “How will I find TIME to build it?” I started to mentally edit the design to save time, without compromising it. The biggest revision would be the huge multi-layered acrylic base. We can save time by emulating it in aluminum instead of multiple acrylic pieces. Before I start showing you everything, please understand that Mnpctech is professional modding business. We have the resources to build cheapskate’s design efficiently, but don’t let this deter you from building your own case. There is multiple online PC modding communities with members who can help you get started with PC scratch building and modding.

I apologize for not showing more in-progress photos. I simply didn’t have the time to drop what I was doing and take photos. However I do feel that I caught the best highlights when I had the time to. The is the core of the cube. It looks very simple, but it’s actually a very detailed design. It’s constructed from 10, individually laser cut 1/4″ thick acrylic pieces. Anyone besides cheapskate and myself will need to call OnStar in order to open this PC.

UV Green Acrylic Sheets used for the exterior pieces.

I chose to cnc mill a 1′ x 1′, 3/4″ thick sheet of aluminum, purchased for $50 locally. I want to take cheap’s ideas even further, I want the channels between the squares illuminated Green. My first plan was to mount 5mm Green leds around the inside of the base, but CC lights disperse more light. You need power inverters, 1 per 2x CC lights. We have a total of four 4″ cold cathode lights. I had already purchased the 3/4″ thick sheet, so the inverters would be relocated inside the cube.

Heres is the base 99% finished, after it was anodized Black, assembled with center pedestal and 1/4″ thick sheet of UV green acrylic base plate. It’s glowing from the ambient light coming in from the window. Notice the NVIDIA logo silhouette, this was the last detail to be covered with illuminated 1/4″ thick UV Green NVIDIA logo.

Our pedestal design allows you to rotate the cube 360 degrees. You can turn the PC for a different look each day!

NVIDIA ION CUBE heat sink inspired case badge.

I thought it would be cool to create a real heat sink from 6061 aluminum, with the NVIDIA logo engraved on it.

An interesting way to create and display a case badge of the NVIDIA Cube.

SEM self etching primer, Black. matches type II anodize black perfectly.

Beneath the base, the power brick cord and sleeved cold cathode wiring.

1/4″ UV Green acrylic under aluminum base

4″ cold cathode light illuminates the NVIDIA logo from beneath.

The core of the NVIDIA cube is constructed from 1/4″ thick cast acrylic pieces that were laser cut.

The NVIDIA cube’s core is mounted to the top of the pedestal base.

Laser cutting 12″ x 24″ , 1/4″ UV Green acrylic sheet. The file is a pre-outlined lay up of each part, like a model kit.

After peeling off paper backing.

I am ION man!

Assembling 5.25 optical drive & 2.5″ SSD tray with Weld-On #3

Corsair SSD!

MB tray installed, Corsair SSD and DVD fit beneath it.

2x cold cathode power inverters.

MB tray inside the Nvidia ION cube.

Trim piece on the rear of the Nvidia ION cube.

Assembly of some the cool exterior features of the Nvidia ION cube. This is the wheel located on the corner of the shell.

I use scotch green tape 233+ to temporary prop acrylic pieces together as the Weld-On #3 acrylic cement cures. I use this syringe applicator.

Spider-like blades are the grill for the top 120mm fan.

It has to be the single coolest feature of the entire PC.

Installing acrylic switch plate for 22mm Lamptron anit-vandal power switch.

Black anodized aluminum pedestal rod for Nvidia ION Cube.

Installing left front exterior trim for optical drive.

1.6 GHz dual core Intel Atom 330 processor with NVIDIA MCP7A-ION chipset and GeForce 9400M graphics.

Mnpctech’s 120mm anodized black machined aluminum fan grill. This is the first product that Mnpctech started manufacturing in 2001. For sentimental reasons, it was important we utilized a part of our product history in this build.

Purchase Logisys 120mm Green LED cooling fan

120mm anodized black aluminum fan grill installed in the ceiling of the cube. The grill’s 4-7/8″ x 4-7/8″ dimensions gives you an idea of just how small the ION cube is inside.

Vista and Zotac’s included MB driver software loaded fast & flawlessly. I have the ION connected to Acer’s P235Hbmid Black 23″ 5ms HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 50000:1

HDMI @ 1920 x 1080 on 23″ Wide screen looks real nice too!

- Bill Owen