Will Your Next Computer be Made of Lego Blocks?

I have a modular computer. It's called a "Desktop." Pick a case (aka "box") CPU & Motherboard, power supply, storage device of your choice, optional disk burner, keyboard, mouse, display, etc.
If you don't want to put it together yourself, there are many that will do it for you - some even for free.

I would buy one for the convenience of adding extra USB ports, DVD drives or whatever new storage hardware is invented in the future.

Thanks again Bob for a very interesting article

I'd like to see a module for either a surge suppressor or a UPS.

It would be nice if they were "stackable," in layers so that the unit just gets a little taller with each slim layer, with a sleek look.

If you could add multiple "internal" hard drives (not USB), there could be an external switch to select the drive you want to boot from. There could even be a remote switch to make it easier to select the boot drive. That way, the same computer could either be a Windows or Linux system at your choice, without having both operating systems on the same hard drive.

Also, a switch setting to turn off unused drives would be handy to reduce wear and tear, and prevent corruption of a drive.

And of course backup drive modules would come in handy.

I've been buying the components and assembling (or having assembled) my computers for the last 10 years or so. I can get higher quality components and better performance for less money than brand name computers with similar specifications through careful shopping for the components. Some were based on components recommended by Bob in his articles. They typically worked out well.

@Jack, I like your thinking. I would add one more thing: A shock-dampening cage (or similar), for the inevitable times when it's gonna get dropped.

I read an article recently that stated that the first google server was housed in a lego case.

Lego is a very underused component of modern life. I only discovered this recently when I needed to make a caddy to hold securely a water bottle, pills container and oral dosing syringe for my wife who is disabled and needs secure compartments that are easily accessible.

I discovered a quite large underground AFOL (Adult Fans Of Lego). The colours are not just the white and red of my youth but many hues and tints, including variations of purple loved by wives.

Yes I like the idea of modular computers, but, no I think my next 'project' will be a lego cased beauty.

Just think of it - fans where needed and no fans where they are not - being able to 'compensate' for the shape of drives without buying another case - adding extras by just building an 'extension'.

Doesn't it sound like the fun we used to have?

Thanks for the post about my Micro Lego Computer! Appreciate it. It was primarily built for those that just needed a basic computer, but wanted something different looking than just the standard metal box.

Since I wanted to add easy expandability, as well lower the price for those that just needed the base system, I designed the system to be modular in respect to adding future modules to expand the system further.

I've had a lot of interest of course from Lego fans, but also a surprising amount of young kids that are not very familiar with desktop computing and more interested because of the alternative system design and Lego case. It's been interesting to see, but eye opening when you think about the sheer number of kids that really are not at all familiar with desktop computers, as they were born into an age of tablets and smartphones.

Thumbs up to bb... seems that all my Dell PC's for at least the past decade have been essentially modular... I chose the parts and underpaid Dell employees assembled it!
Hopefully we are all satisfied, in not happy!

Modular is an idea that has been around for awhile. Convergent CTOS NGEN workstations back in the 80's provided a networked system that was not based on a main frame and could be customized for each user.

We are currently planning to acquire 1-3 laptops.
Currently we are using Dell HDD 1000 gb
Memory 8 gb
We may change from HDD to SSD with relevant storage capacity. Will Acer Revo Build be competitive with price speed and storage capacity?
What about power consumption and durability.
It seems that there is no monitor but the displacement appears to be high. What is the displacement of a cube (PC) like this?

I think Acer has definitely found the next "desktop" configuration. I expect we'll go through a period where each brand wants to build their own proprietary system that will only accept their add-ons. The first manufacturer to publish a well-thought-out set of standards for aftermarket suppliers to follow can be the next IBM. That is when prices will drop into the really affordable range.

As Mark Smith pointed out, Convergent Technologies CTOS was used thruout the USCG in the 1980/90 era. The modules were called "slices". They measured roughly 10 inches deep by 10 inches high. The width was dependent on the contents of the slice. They latched together horizontally, and I've seen systems that were almost three feet wide. Add, subtract, or replace modules as required; power supply, hard drive, floppy drive, modem, tape drive, etc. Below is a Wikipedia link for a picture of a set of six basic modules, with monitor and keyboard. The operating manuals always exceeded the width of the completed system!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convergent_Technologies_Operating_System#/media/File:CTOS-B25.JPG

Why can't they build a laptop where the hard drive snaps in and out as easily as the battery?