Rig of the Month
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PRODUCED AND PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.120 MAXIMUMPC OCTOBER 2004
Glass hinges and glue hold the many individual pieces of Plexiglas
together. Two of the Pyramid’s sides open for access to the parts.
Internal clutter is managed with metallic-blue wire wraps.THISTHIS MONTH MONTH:: David Prudenti’s Pyramid PCDavid Prudenti’s Pyramid PC
Prudenti was determined to keep the PC
small, and it is, measuring 14.1 inches
on each side and just 12.9 inches
high. Still he took precautions:
“I decided to work on the case
from the inside out. I figured
if I made a measuring
mistake, it would be
easier to make the
outside bigger
than the inside
smaller.”A Plexiglas base beneath the Pyramid is able to house the
majority of the PC’s components in a stacked configuration.A vented, detachable capstone
forms the tip of the Pyramid. It
allows an interior fan at the top
of the PC to pull hot air up and
out of the case.W
hat’s the story behind
Egypt’s pyramids? How
were they built? Who
built them? Do they represent some
mysterious power source? And
what does any of this have to do
with David Prudenti? The first four
questions are up for debate; as
for Prudenti, the subject of Egypt’s
ancient monuments is of great per-
sonal interest and one he sought to
embody in his first custom-built rig.
Look closely, and you can see
why Prudenti calls the PC “an artistic
tribute to radical beliefs.” The to-
scale Plexiglas replica of Giza’s Great
Pyramid is guarded over by alien-
head fan grills, and affixed to each
side of the case is a decal bearing
the image of an actual crop circle.
But the Pyramid PC also repre-
sents another philosophy: an adher-
ence to careful planning. Prior to
constructing the real deal, Prudenti
created detailed blueprints in an
illustration program, followed by a
full-scale prototype made of card-
board. A good thing, too—as he puts
it: “When the prototype was about 90
percent complete, I discovered that I
had miscalculated the pyramid!”