By this point this iMac had seen many iterations of items used as a computer case for one length of time or another: a wooden board, a shelf, and then a drawer from a tossed out table. Why not a proper open air style case?

There’s nothing particular which makes this case more or less compatible with an iMac’s logic board, I just said to myself I’d make it work. While there were some unusual workarounds, the end result is a far more compact, cleaner look.

Getting unpacking

It seemed simple but effective, and for $25. There was a bag included with a good amount of screws, a few zip ties, and some metal pieces to be assembled together. Assembly was simple, and the bottom plate certainly adds structural rigidity to this. The way the case was designed, allowed me to tuck the wires away underneath.

Getting started

It took the better part of the entire afternoon crafting it all together, fitting parts into the right spots. At some points I wasn’t sure I was gonna be able to get it done today, much less even write about it. The logic board seemed too wide and I even considered mounting it underneath. I thought of another solution, to sandwich the SSD + GPU onto the metal bracket meant for PCIe devices while keeping the board on top.

The logic board is essentially held into place by two screws, one on each side. It’s firm enough to where it doesn’t feel loose as it is a light board, and if anything, I only have 2 screws to undo for diagnostics/connecting other stuff. I forgot to connect the speakers.. or maybe I didn’t. The internal ones don’t work in Yosemite, they have yet to receive kext patches, so I just use bluetooth.

All done!

Now assembled, now to test.. was anything broken in the process of building this FrankenMac? I had my jitters, but by this point I knew this computer would fire right up – and it did.

Now that it’s all packed up into a new case which isn’t so massive and bulky, that old wooden drawer can be thrown out – and this computer can be carefully set aside, packed away or setup among my creations. Feels a little more complete. Onto the next project!