Imagine a beige desktop tower on its side with a bulky monitor, CD-ROM drive, and a floppy disk slot beneath it. This tiny, boxy PC looks like it was plucked straight from the early ’90s when my dad first set up a leftover computer for me. But here’s the kicker: it’s only six inches tall.
This incredible creation comes from YouTuber Salim Benbouziyane, who caught the attention of PCGamer and Yanko Design. He meticulously built this miniature wonder by 3D-printing a case for a Raspberry Pi 4 and integrating an LCD screen into the monitor. He even crafted a custom breakout board to make the power button and MicroSD card slot accessible from the front.
The MicroSD card, which holds the OS and storage, slides neatly into the tiny CD-ROM drive—a brilliant feature that spares you the hassle of taking the whole thing apart to install new software.
The craftsmanship here is top-notch. Although the screen is part of the case, Benbouziyane designed a bezel that cuts off part of the LCD to recreate the boxy shape of old CRT monitors. The resolution, at 720×720, is far crisper than anything from the ’90s, and the monitor even tilts on its axle, providing that satisfying plastic-on-plastic feel.
The side-mounted speakers may not match the authenticity of the glow-pipe LEDs, but they’re a welcome upgrade over the separate speakers or headphones we had to use back in the day. Plus, you won’t have to deal with those awful old speaker wires that always seemed to tangle or snap.
Details like the molded Dell logo and the monitor adjustment dials really hit the nostalgia sweet spot. Benbouziyane even included processor and OS decals that match the actual internals of the Raspberry Pi. And yes, there’s a dedicated volume wheel on the CD-ROM drive!
Although it’s no bigger than a tin of Altoids, the Raspberry Pi 4 inside can easily outperform any ’90s PC, even considering the differences between x86 and Arm architectures. The system is skinned to resemble Windows XP (complete with Winamp and the classic Pipes screensaver), but it’s actually running Twister OS, a PiOS variant with an XFCE interface.
Naturally, it can run Doom, but I’m more excited about Space Cadet 3D Pinball for that authentic “I’m done with my book report, and class isn’t over yet” feeling. Benbouziyane uses Bluetooth to control the programs and games, though you can also remote in if you want to transform this mini marvel into a more functional network tool.