The M4 Mac mini might need earned plaudits for its pleasingly petite redesign, however one proprietor has determined to reverse that call and set the machine up in a big clear case within the model of a Energy Mac G4 Dice.

Posted on Reddit (with disappointingly little accompanying rationalization) by a pal of the DIYer, the challenge is easy however hanging. The Mac mini has been positioned in a thick plastic case which extends down beneath the system as a hole stand, elevating it as much as greater than twice its regular top. Much less handy on the desktop, maybe, however cool-looking in a retro vibe.

The case has one massive cutout for the again ports and smaller particular person cutouts for the ports on the entrance, so it appears completely usable. However commenters on the thread are much less satisfied concerning the thermal effectivity of the mod, due to the best way the stand part of the case has been designed: there’s a pleasant large aperture on the again, however no openings within the aspect or entrance panels. As Apple explains on its Mac mini web page, the machine takes in cool air from the entrance (by means of the vents in its base), then expels scorching air out of the again. The best way the modified “M4 Dice” is about up, due to this fact, would seem to inhibit one-half of its cooling operation.

Apple

Then once more, the raised profile may counteract that drawback. The stand means there’s open air beneath the Mac mini, in a method that wouldn’t ordinarily be the case when it’s positioned on a desk; even when this air is circulated through the again solely, this association may nonetheless be as thermally environment friendly as regular use. At any fee, this isn’t a business product (a minimum of not but… maybe the Reddit publish is guerrilla advertising for a product that may launch in the end) so the one threat being taken is with the DIYer’s personal Mac.