In the early days of PC gaming, before flat screens became the norm, bulky CRT monitors were everything. Now, an entire gaming PC, including the display, can fit inside one, like a modern version of the original iMac.

This nostalgic creation comes from PC modder János Kerekes, who hollowed out an old Sony Trinitron CRT monitor to house a water-cooled gaming PC with a 24" display.

János told Custom PC (opens in new tab) that the mod was commissioned by a friend who runs a company that sells monitors and asked him to convert an old CRT monitor into a retro all-in-one PC.

You won't be surprised by the specs of the Oazis ROG (these components were chosen for their size, not their performance), but what impressed me was that the modder found space to build a Mini-ITX gaming rig inside a Sony Trinitron Not only was he able to do so, but he was also able to install a water cooling block with custom hard tubing.

Perhaps even more impressive is the fact that they were able to install a 24" LCD at the same height as the CRT monitor frame. There are two power supplies inside the case, providing power to both the PC and the display.

János added air slits around the PC for better airflow and red and black ROG accents around the monitor; the windows added around the CRT are cut out so that the components can be seen; and the LCD is mounted on a 24" LCD monitor frame, which is also the same height as the PC. Speaking of which, János had to have all the component mounts custom made, including the water cooling.

He used rigid tubing to "create a harmonious arrangement between the tubing and the hardware."

Here's what the Oazis ROG looks like inside:

The radiator and PSU mounts were custom made from sheets of aluminum; the CRT is front-heavy due to the glass, so weight distribution had to be considered or the monitor could tip over.

As one can imagine, according to János, the most difficult part of the fabrication was dismantling the 50 kg monitor, which he admits "required a bit of brute force," and integrating the Asus display's control panel inside the Sony monitor's control panel.

He said he "worked on this project for a month without a break." Dedication.