Hello, I'm pretty annoyed that my friend says that he will defo be a much more amazing modder than me straight away just becuase he's a better artist than me (except in PS (jokes) ), even though he has never modded anything before. I think that modding is not just art, i think modding incorporates lots of other things like electronics for example... to cheer me up (lol) what do you think modding is?
He may be a better artist, but that doesn't mean he's better with a saw, or a drill, or router, or any other tool. Drawing it on paper is one thing, making it a reality is another. What's modding? If you've taken a power tool to your PC and cut holes in it, then you're on the modding path... if you're added a non standard component that's not meant to be in there... wired it up, and got it to work... you're also modding. Adding custom water or phase cooling is probably modding to I suppose. Do all three of those and you're truly modding. What's NOT modding? Buying a pre windowed case... adding some cathodes, and spraying a few bits and pieces in UV reactive paint. You may be making a nice PC, but it's not modding. Tell you're mate to shut up until he's started cutting.. then see who's best.
modding is like watching en episode of macGyver, you take one thing, such as a old car remote, and make it control the internal lighting, thats a mod, you take an lcd from a ps1, and mount it infront of ur case to display stats, thats a mod, you CUT a window in your case, thats a mod.... modding is anything you do to your case taht makes it stand out, i dont exactly agree that adding cathodes isnt a mod, of course when i added mine in my old case, i had them digitally controlled through my parallel port and were reactive to system stats, volume levels, and heat... i guess the difference is the word mod comes from MODIFICATION, not PREFABRICATION
I agree on all points. I would add one more: You are a Modder if, in the interest of making something work better/look cooler/set you apart, you risk total destruction of some crucial feature of your PC. I like to think one of the most important parts of Modding is the progression towards solving unique design criteria that the PC industry hasn't yet seen a need for. The first LED fans were mods, but not anymore. Part invention, part redesign. IMO, this would cover: Voltage Mods-can ruin a $500 GPU Cutting holes in cases-can ruin a $200 LianLi Watercooling-accident could, if not careful, ruin an entire PC PSU mods-accident could ruin the PC, and maybe shock you to death Monitor mod-see PSU mod above... Just adding lights-unlikely to ruin much of anything Just painting-can be sanded and repainted, loss of paint cost and sandpaper only. Adding fans-see lights above. Ordering it all done by a shop, does not make you a Modder IMO. I still balk at the thought of ordering a laser etched window. I would much prefer to learn to do it with a dremel. I don't mean to imply that an artist who is good at painting can't make a totally amazing case out of a stock beige monster. But I would call him a Painter. When he busts out the soldering iron to assemble a VUE meter, and then cuts new faceplates for his drives from chrome diamondplate...Modder. I think the Artist will never be as good a Modder as the Shop guy. Call it stereotypes, call it assumption...just my 2C.
modding is different things to different people. There's no rigid definition, the only decisive thing I've concluded is that a mod is something you in some way built or put together, whilst a pre mod was bought that way. as far as who would be better, what ever. I was trained in classical fine arts, but then switched got and I have a degree in welding and I'm working on machining and cad. The thing that will help most in modding is just good general knowledge in all facets and much planning. Most of these things are learned skills so being a crappy drawer or sculptor doesn't mean you can make a good case.
modding is to change appearance by yourself . it can be with electronic stuff or just painting . any kind of thing that will make appearance changes is modding .
so if i take a piss on my psu and mother board while its running, and it lights on fire and turns black, is that modding it?
except far more easily, considering they store a hundred times as much power. I'd call modding any sort of aesthetic change to the case; anything nonstandard. Arguably even a non-stock heatsink would be a mod provided you can see it (windowed case, naturally). Artistic abilities are irrelavent. I can't photoshop for beans but I'd like to think I've done a pretty good job with Frozenfire. It's about planning, executing those plans, and fixing whatever goes wrong, then repeating that until your bank account has been sucked dry. Though, I'd say it's no longer modding if it kills you. IMO a mod isn't good for a whole lot if it puts you six feet under, as you won't be too around to enjoy it. So, as for taking a piss on a PSU... you'd be lucky to survive that one (or have any remaining genetalia if you do survive). Of course, that would take us into successful and failed modding. imo if installing a waterblock kills the chip I'm cooling, it's still a mod, but a failed one. A dead mobo or 6800gt isn't good for a whole lot, I'll tell ya firsthand. But if your goal is to kill the card, by all means...
Well, since I am specific and since "mod" stands for modification I would think anything that is changed and succesfully does what you want it to should rightfully be called a mod. Wether it be adding an LED to a fan, or a heatsink to a graphics card, anything that wasn't there in the first place when you bought it/got it is a mod. And don't feel bad because you're freind is a good PSer, just because he's good on a monitor DOESN'T mean he is good on a chasis.
lol i was thinking that and i google defined it Modding is a slang expression for the act of modifying a piece of hardware or software to perform a function not intended or authorized by the original manufacturer. (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modding) got one for case modding to Case modding or Case modification is the modification of a computer chassis (often just referred to as the case). Modifying a computer in any non-standard way is considered a case mod. Many people, particulary hardware enthusiasts use case mods to illustrate a computer's power, and for aesthetic purposes. Modified computers are often found at LAN parties where their owners display them. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Case_modding. (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Case_modding)
To me modding is just adding to your PC. Sure some mods suck (as I stare at the Baker Snowboard sticker on the side of my emachine) and some mods are tight (ORAC 3). But I think the main difference bewteen a good modd and a bad mod is the time invested. A good modder will take all day to cut a perfectly straight bezel for 1 single insignifigant cd drive while a bad modder whips out a dremel and matches up a piece of plexi as fast as he can. They both succesfully completed a mod, but ones is perfectly straight and adds to the aspect of the case while the others is crooked and mishapen, drawing all the attention to the crappy half-asses bezel on the front of the case.
Modding, a term heard very, very often these days. although all of these are true, one thing that really makes a modder is the ability to risk everything you have to make a change to your computer. If someone makes a window in his case or puts a few lights in and spiffs it up thats all good and well but a true modder is original and daring. He is willing to take risks and go beyond the standard boundaries that is modding today and push further. My views are that a case is not complete until it has one thing that no one else has. that original piece makes the difference in every modded case. that original piece makes the modder because it states that he did not use a guide or someone elses idea to make it, it means that he used his own intuition and came out with something that has made his work worth while.
Thats crap. You dont have to risk a damn thing for a good mod. Some of the best work has come from turning a $10 POS generic case and making it into something people would rather have than a $200 Lian-whatever. And if you think voltage mods make you a "1773" modder, wrong again. It just shows how obsessive you are (I'm one myself). The fact that someone states 'taking a risk' is part of modding doesn't dsound like someone who has ever even tried to perform a mod. A good mod means taking the risk out of the equation not introducing it. I tinker alot with self-made electrical contrl equipeent. I make sure each circuit is tested beyond a doubt before ever putting one into a case. rant over.
Well I do not agree, some mods have risks involved. For example, in order to fit the atx psu in my shuttle, the psu now sits without a full cover, its easily dangerous, and on top of that I watercooled the thing with the pump above the psu, one leak and poof. I believe It was a big risk on my end to fit a fully internal loop and atx psu inside my small case. I think a good mod includes some artistic touch, engineering, good craftsmanship, and a lot of attention to detail. I think if you got the eye for spotting a good idea, and the ability to finish it, then you got something going for you, but if you have neither, then you are stuck just trying.
just thought i'de say to pookyhead, art doesnt need to apply to just pen and paper- most modders, of any significant worth will make decisions based on an artistic sense of sorts when it comes to aesthetics, whether they know it or not. If it was purely utilitarian, ghetto mods would be far more common. Of course technical design still plays a major role, making sure that everything fits and will work in the end- an 'artist' who has never touched a tool before that dives into modding will very likely make a fool of himself Any changes made to a case, even adding a cathode to a pre-mod case could be argued to be modding, just as someone who plays freecell and solitair obsessivly is technically a gamer. Kinda but yeah, all of this has allready been said- maybe this is just a poorly vieled attemp to raise post count- i do know what a dremmel is after all
Modding is a very umbrella statement for different kinds of mods IMO. We could be talking about case mods, custom cooling, volt modding, processor modding (removing IHS is the only thing that comes to mind), customizing components (windows in hdds), etc, blahblah the list goes on. I'd say any of those would be modding as long as there's a significant change in the computer from the point before you started modding. (example: Buy a non windowed beige case, then cut windows in it, then add handles, then paint it gloss black, then build an acrylic res, mod pump for 5/8" intake, remove IHS and install watercooling. The case would be significantly different from where you started.) Buying a pre-modded case doesn't mean you're a modder at all, that just means you can buy stuff. Installing watercooling on something like a dell or gateway would also be modding since there's no way in hell those would come WCed stock. lol, I play freecell and spider solitaire obsessively and i'm a gamer! (I play CS and console games too)
i can't rember who said it, but someone once said- "The spirit of modding is unleashing your creativity in the pursuit of individuality."
IIRC, it was Pug that said that To me, modding is just that! The sky is the limit how far you take it. IMO; if it still looks like a computer then it's modded, it's only a true Custom PC when every bit of the case is constructed yourself.
A modder, is a person who can take something that everyone got, and make it look unique.. that's true modding..
modding is a bit of evey thing. but it can really be anything. althogth i still hate these berk (and i met a hell of a one) who think stuffing their £100 case with blue fans means their a modder (met this one guy put 15 in his case. i coulden't figure out were). but still it's many things to many people. as long as you enjoy it and make it diffrent it's modding in my opinion. ok it might not always go well but that means you get betterwith the next mod.
