- A Reddit user built a PC chassis with Lego bricks
- Computer houses converted cryptocurrency mining rig
- It also includes a monitor and an integrated keyboard
Computer enthusiasts can be a creative bunch, with PC builders whipping up intriguing custom rigs built to all sorts of interesting specifications. But few have designed a gaming computer from Lego pieces, as one intrepid Redditor has done – and it could redefine what we mean by the term “smart bricks.”
Posting on Reddit, user OkDebate6649 documented his attempt to build a working gaming PC housed entirely in a Lego brick chassis. The computer was “designed in a modular way,” its creator explained, “so it can be used with monitors I’ve made before” and includes a screen and built-in keyboard.
The device is centered around an AMD BC-250 motherboard. These products were originally designed for cryptocurrency mining and feature what is essentially a scaled-down PlayStation 5 APU that includes six Zen 2 CPU cores, 24 RDNA2 compute units in the GPU, and 16GB of memory.
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Its performance is roughly on par with an Nvidia GTX 1660 Ti graphics card, making it suitable for 1080p gaming at medium to high settings. “It’s not a very powerful PC,” concedes OkDebate6649, before adding that “it runs stably around 75°C (45°C at rest).”
It’s far from being the beefiest gaming PC around. But when it looks as cool as this, I’m sure many people wouldn’t mind. Indeed, the Reddit comments are full of enthusiastic admirers, with some calling it “ridiculously wild” and “an absolutely sick construct.” User Lorenzo_95 was full of praise, saying: “I’m afraid you have to stop posting, you’re so cool, it’s unfair to the rest of us.”
Runs Linux, looks like a Mac
Interestingly, if you want to use this motherboard in a computer like OkDebate6649 did, you need to run your system under Linux, as the board is not compatible with Windows 11. And it seems the Redditor has leaned in the anti-Windows direction by applying a Linux skin that mimics Apple’s macOS operating system.
And they didn’t stop there. The entire Lego chassis was designed to look like an old-fashioned Macintosh of the type sold by Apple in the 1980s and 1990s. The computer itself sits in a cuboid Lego box with the monitor – whose casing is also made of Lego bricks – sitting on top. An old Apple logo and a rainbow sticker signal another link with the Cupertino company.
Since the BC-250 is a converted mining board, OkDebate6649 had to make some adjustments. Traditional CPU coolers didn’t fit, so the creator had to remove the heatsink from the motherboard and install a 120mm fan on it. With the included keyboard and monitor, the whole system weighs 25 pounds, so it’s not particularly portable either.
If you’re wondering if the Lego case can withstand the heat of a powered-on gaming PC, OkDebate6649 is confident it’s possible. As they explained: “I added protection measures in areas exposed to heat. If you look at the third photo, you can see that I applied protection where the motherboard backplate contacts.”
With creative builds like this floating around, there’s plenty of inspiration to be found if you want to put together your own custom PC. Combined with the recent Noctua “Superdome” computer, it’s a good time to be a fan of this kind of work.
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