The Fallout Collector usually focuses on highlighting his impressive collection of memorabilia for the post-nuclear RPG series, but recently he has tried PC built inside plastic nuclear warhead that came with the Bethesda Fallout Anthology released in 2015. The tasteful faux plastic pump was made to hold the DVDs that come with the anthology, but it’s also roomy enough to fit some silicon and a power supply.
It is a project similar to a compilation by Linus Tech Tips back to the anthology release, but with a few key differences. LTT’s Luke opted for a more traditional PC build, elongating the case with a 3D-printed sheath and stuffing a then-top-of-the-line i7 6700K and R9 Fury Nano into the heavily modified mini nuke.
The Fallout Collector opted for a smaller, lower-powered system that required fewer chassis modifications. He relocated a NUC, a small form factor PC from Intel with an especially compact motherboard, into the new housing. Fallout Collector modified the insert intended to hold games to a base to mount the motherboard, with a power supply at the bottom of the case and holes on the sides for IO ports.
The end result leaves the main components of the system just below the nose of the pump, with its main body housing the power supply and cable management. Fallout Collector installed a single case fan in the nose above the motherboard, with a pattern of perforated holes to allow airflow. It also repurposed the mini nuke’s sound effect button to serve as a power switch, similar to the LTT version, and as a final touch modified the BIOS to display a cheeky RobCo splash image at boot.
As it stands, the build performance is better than you might expect from a 6th Gen i3 system in a rigged case. While Fallout 3 is currently giving Collector problems, New Vegas and Skyrim are both releasing a playable 30fps with acceptable thermals, while handling the original 2D inputs without breaking a sweat.
Fallout Collector isn’t satisfied with the build performance just yet – he hopes to solve the remaining compatibility issue with Fallout 3, improve the system’s thermal performance, and possibly insert a high-end or newer NUC to actually load it.
Wherever The Fallout Collector is next to build, it’s always gratifying to see enthusiasts make computers work where they absolutely never should, and it already runs New Vegas at least as well as the PlayStation 3.