Objects in Flux - RMIT Research Repository - RMIT University

this scene sought to increase the speeds of their personal computers
through overclocking the system’s processor, they were faced with
the problem of heat dispersal – typically, the computer’s original
case could not adequately handle the excess heat being generated by
the faster processor speeds. Overclockers resorted to cutting holes in
their cases, installing additional fans, and re-routing internal cables to
increase air flow. What emerged out of necessity quickly developed
into a dedicated practice. Many overclockers chose to showcase their
system modifications by installing transparent windows in the sides of
the computer case and adding internal lighting effects. This early focus
on cooling, internal cabling, case windows and lighting still dominates
much of the case modding scene today.
The case modding community often refers to un-modified computer
cases as ‘beige boxes’. This term references a dominant trend among
personal computers manufactured during the 1980s and ’90s where
computer cases were predominatly beige in colour (often ranging from
cream to a warm grey colour). 29 ‘Beige box’ is a derogatory term used
to conjure up an image of blandness and conformity. Many computer
case modders define their modding projects and general attitudes in
opposition to this perceived blandness within the personal computer
industry (Farivar, 2002). In this respect, case modding can be seen as
an act of non-conformity motivated by a desire to distinguish one’s
own computer (and oneself) from generic mass-consumption. The
recent appearance of the term ‘grey box’ parallels a shift in commercial
PC styling toward a grey colour palette and indicates that case
modders are reacting to the dominate style within the marketplace and
not a particular choice of colour (jmke, 2004).
Case modders’ opposition to the mass market has been complicated
in recent years by the increased availability of off-the-shelf modding
accessories and the introduction of ‘windowed’ cases by leading PC
manufacturers. Modders discuss the implications of these developments
on case modding forums and propose new structures for attributing
value to their modding practices (Andreou, 2007). In an online
forum post entitled ‘Are people modding or accessorizing, silhouette
comments:
‘I always thought that modding does mean adding to the boring
beige case to make it more interesting. But since in this day and age,
Hacking, Modding and DIY
24/ Alternative meanings for the term
‘mod’ include the British subculture
movement of the 1950s, a Gaelic
festival dating back to 1892, and a
mathematical operation. These mean-
ings appear unrelated to the modding
practices discussed here. More closely
associated, although with no clear link
to modding practices, is a notorious
New York-based hacker group operat-
ing in the early 1990s under the name
MOD, an acronym for, amongst other
things, Masters of Deception, Masters
of Destruction, and Millions of Dollars
(Dibel, 1990).
25/ An early account of ‘mod’ being
used to describe hardware modifica-
tions comes from the Popular Mechan-
ics story in which Gregory Pope states
‘mods’ is ‘NASA lingo’ for hardware
modifications (Pope, 1992).
26/ http://www.bodymod.org/ ac-
cessed 24 February 2010.
27/ http://www.mightycarmods.com/
accessed 24 February 2010.
28/ Overclocking is the practice of
increasing the clock speed of a com-
puter’s microprocessor beyond the
manufacturers specifications with the
goal of increasing the computers per-
formance. Overclocking may be carried
out on a computer’s central processing
unit (CPU), graphics processing unit
(GPU), random-access memory (RAM),
or other motherboard chipsets.
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