AI-Generated PC Cases Could Give Human Designers Stiff Competition

News
By Mark Tyson
published

AI punches out PC designs at will.

AI generated PC case designs
(Image credit: Hybective / Midjourney)

A Redditor has used the Midjourney AI image generator to create some Mini ITX PC case designs that wouldn’t look out of place at a custom PC builds expo. A selection of 28 fantastically alluring case designs were shared this weekend by Hybective. Many of the designs could be great fodder to inspire modders, and others might even be practical enough for the more adventurous PC case-making firms to add to their stables.

AI is slowly but steadily making inroads into our lives, with its tentacles already firmly embedded in smart devices throughout our homes. It is also used to refine some of our favorite connected services/experiences, PC technologies like Nvidia DLSS and Broadcast, and on this writer’s Gigabyte Aero 17 laptop Microsoft Azure AI is even used to tune the GPU boosting behavior.  

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AI generated PC case designs
(Image credit: Hybective / Midjourney)

Our sample gallery of the AI-generated Mini ITX PCs embedded above features quite a few designs that are rather rotund. This isn’t a bias of the AI; instead, Hybective admits he has a fondness for Wheatley (the AI robot from the Portal franchise) and has wanted a spherical PC ever since casting eyes on the Games Sphere (a GameCube parody) in teen sitcom Drake & Josh. InWin showcased a very cool spherical PC a few years ago, showing that there are options, but admittedly not very many.

When using these AI image generator services, a user typically enters some keywords into a prompt. For his shared Mini ITX PC case images, the Redditor says he commonly used ‘spherical’ as one of the inputs into Midjourney. More specifically, at least some of the images were generated with the prompt “Sphere ITX PC build hyper realistic,” or similar.

(Image credit: Midjourney)

There are two main issues with the PC case images generated by AIs like this. The first one is the real-world practicality of the designs, with many needing bespoke glass or acrylic sections. Another complaint is in the AI’s generation of standard PC components – its unbridled imagination needs constraining with some standards for GPUs, liquid and air coolers, and so on. Airflow is obviously no on the AI's list of concerns with some of these designs. Nevertheless, these could still be inspiring designs for both individuals and companies.

Mark Tyson
Mark Tyson
Freelance News Writer

Mark Tyson is a Freelance News Writer at Tom's Hardware US. He enjoys covering the full breadth of PC tech; from business and semiconductor design to products approaching the edge of reason.

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38 Comments Comment from the forums
  • DavidLejdar
    You'd still need a designer to actually make the blueprints though. I mean, I doubt the "AI" can do that. And additionally there is the issue of copyright, as the AI may have been using parts of designs already existing and just copied it without really creating it on its own. At least from what I noticed when I did a run some time ago, such an image AI did use what already existed, as some may recognize e.g. from this pic:
    Reply
  • InvalidError
    DavidLejdar said:
    You'd still need a designer to actually make the blueprints though. I mean, I doubt the "AI" can do that.
    If you teach the AI about constraints from standards and practical real-world parts, I'm sure you can make one that will work it out.
    Reply
  • PEnns
    I bet a bunch of monekys could do as good a job as any AI designing useless and impractical cases....
    Reply
  • USAFRet
    Given enough parameters and constraints, could a "computer program" spit out a computer case?
    Sure.

    But someone has to give it those parameters, and teach it.
    Reply
  • The Historical Fidelity
    Hate to break it to you pal, the drake & josh “gamesphere” is a rip off of the 2001 Okama gamesphere from Southpark. One of the funniest southpark episodes
    Reply
  • brandonjclark
    PEnns said:
    I bet a bunch of monekys could do as good a job as any AI designing useless and impractical cases....


    Don't be a hAIter.
    Reply
  • The Historical Fidelity said:
    Hate to break it to you pal, the drake & josh “gamesphere” is a rip off of the 2001 Okama gamesphere from Southpark. One of the funniest southpark episodes
    😂😂😂 my son used to watch both of those shows
    Reply
  • thisisaname
    The pictures may look nice but the case do seem to lack any air flow for cooling.
    Reply
  • pixelpusher220
    USAFRet said:
    Given enough parameters and constraints, could a "computer program" spit out a computer case?
    Sure.

    But someone has to give it those parameters, and teach it.
    I'm sure this exact article was written about CAD. "There's no way a computer can do the intricate work our master designers do now"

    AI is a tool and the successful people/companies will learn to use it.
    Reply
  • USAFRet
    pixelpusher220 said:
    I'm sure this exact article was written about CAD. "There's no way a computer can do the intricate work our master designers do now"

    AI is a tool and the successful people/companies will learn to use it.
    CAD is just a really cool, and much better, implementation of a drafting table.

    I can't tell my CAD program "Design a landing gear for my HS720E drone"
    I've done that with my Rhino3D CAD application.

    The "AI" is being white knighted as "it makes it all by its intelligent self".
    It does not. Not yet, anyway.
    Reply