You want this thing to look NICE and not look like some ugly hack job. What I found to work really well was a trophy case from Hobby Lobby. These things are a few inches deep, somewhat sturdy, and have a convenient slot already cut in them where the clear plastic cover slides out - which is PERFECT for ventilation.

If you go this route, you will probably also need to find some wood to add support for the LCD screen - but we will get to this later.

Finally, while you are in the framing department, have them cut you a matt that will fit the frame and expose the exact dimensions of your screen.

First you’re going to need a mini-ITX format motherboard. These little guys are only 170mm on each side, but they can come feature-packed. Generally speaking, mini-ITX boards are overpriced because they are a niche product. Make sure it has an onboard pinout for whatever connections you wish to expose, as that will make for a much more elegant case.

VIA’s EPIA models are good because they are somewhat quiet (or silent), produce little heat and are feature-packed. Unfortunately they’re not very fast either. If you are going to go with VIA I would suggest making sure you get the one with the best graphics option, and mpeg decoder built in as well.

If your budget can swing it and you want to use this computer for other things, go for a Core 2 Duo mini-ITX board, since it will be essentially equivalent to new laptop in power.

Whatever your choice, make sure that it is one that is powered by a DC connector, not an ATX power connector. Usually they will accept DC 12v, which is ideal actually. I'll tell you why below.

Go with a widescreen (I wish I had). Also, pay particular attention to excellent viewing angles, color fidelity, black levels, and so on. Make sure that it will fit in your frame. Also, I would suggest finding one that has an external power brick so that you can wire it up to have only 1 heat-producing power supply inside which powers everything. If you can't swing that, you can always wire up A/C to the power circuitry on it, it just means you are adding more heating elements and circuitry to your design.

Also, if you get one with built-in speakers, then you get the added bonus of audio. Those little speakers aren't the highest quality, but they're compact.

If your case can accomidate it, you could add a laptop-sized, slot-loading slim combo drive. Although not necessary, it will make using it much easier in certain scenarios, such as playing a DVD, installing the OS, etc. $150 will get you a black, slot loading, dual-layer multi-format drive known as the Pioneer DVR-K04L. It’s quite an amazing device. I also wish I had done this - maybe I will go back and do it!

Not that you need me to explain this to you, but decide on a laptop-sized 2.5” model that balances size, price, and performance. If you get a motherboard that supports SATA, then you should consider a drive that supports this, as the cabling is cleaner. If you have a hard drive from a dead laptop, then hey, you're in luck!

Get at least 512 MB. That will be plenty to run a pictures screensaver.

For noise reasons, you might want to replace the one that came packaged with your CPU/motherboard. Get a rheostat as well, so that you can control the fan speed with a simple dial. This is the secret to a quiet machine. You should also get a fan for the case to push air thru it. That is quite important actually.

Your electonics superstores have all kinds of general-purpose multi-output power supplies. I chose one that has both 12v and 5v outputs if you are going to be powering your LCD and your motherboard from it, as one or the other will need both. Actually my mobo wanted 12v and my LCD wanted 5v. I picked a 200 watt psu but honestly I could have gone smaller - live and learn. Also, If you can get one with a auto-switching input rather than a manual switch, you will save yourself not only the trouble of cutting a hole for it, but the potential hazard of having it switched wrongly when you plug it in!

• One Slimline DVD drive to IDE adaptor like this model.
• One notebook hard drive to IDE adaptor like this model.

You want to send files wirelessly, right? Get a slimline networking card. I found a $15 wifi card that was super thin and would fit in the PCI slot while still leaving me room for the LCD screen. If that is not an option, go with USB.

• Dremel tool with cutting wheel and small drill bit
• Shoe Goo
• Superglue
• Double-sided tape
• Tin snips
• 22 awg wire for wiring to power
• small wires for wiring power, reset, and LCD options
• Leftover screws and studs from other case and motherboard products
• Thin Sharpie-type permanent marker
• Needle-nosed pliers
• Screwdrivers
• Electrical connectors appropriate for your power/reset buttons and power connectors.
• Wire crimpers for those electrical connectors.
• Hardware to hang your picture frame (warning, it's heavy!)
• flexible thin plastic - used for routing your air thru the box
• Power cable & plug - I'd suggest a male grounded one, and an un-bent power cable so as to look clean when hung. I picked up an off-white one from a Mac-OSX server which has no memory in it so it looks great.
• Fan hole finger guard
• wood glue
• Shortie video cable (makes wiring much easier).
• Wire ties