Modding: An impressively modded case by a surprisingly young modder!
We're big fans of modding here at Atomic, and it always warms our big nerdy hearts to see something original being applied to something that actually improves its function as well as form.
That's why we were so taken aback when we caught wind of this mod by James Ellen (aka dingdong555 over at OCAU), with some beefy hardware already proving to show something interesting was going on but that's not all - he's only fifteen.
We asked him about his experiences with modding, and this is what he had to say:
"After seeing my TJ07 next to me running very quietly, I saw some of the spray paint starting to scratch. This really annoyed me, "Hey! Why don't I rebuild it?!?!" That day, I stripped it down and laid out all the parts, sold most of my liquid cooling stuff and began to order some new items. This time around, I wanted my build to be something visually stunning. John (Jab-tech.com) took great care of me holding parts for me - I ordered about $400USD of liquid cooling parts which at the time was $750AUD. Meanwhile, I bought a second hand 4870X2 off OCAU. I also decided to re-do my sleeving as I wasn't happy with it. I spoke to Charles (murderMod.com) and got some new sleeving but I didn't stop there, I got a murderMod top plate/Back plate/mid plate/Custom made front plate (as I have an external DVD drive). Charles is an awesome guy to speak too, his amazing TJ07 builds are what I'm inspired by, not only that but his photography and attention to detail is perfectionist. When the parts arrive, I drilled some holes and went off to the powdercoaters. Once it all got back, it was FINALLY time to start putting it together. I'd never tested the 4870X2 to see if it'd work, instead I bit the bullet and installed the liquid cooling block without testing it. I'd also done many modifications like cutting into my PSU, making a fan plate for the back of the case and of course, lots of sleeving. Once it was all together, it was time to start it, my palms were sweating and I was very nervous,..............IT BOOTED! I was so happy, all that work that took weeks finally paid off. It was running and it was running like a champ, 21011 in 3Dmark 06, cool temperatures and very quiet. At the age of 15/2weeks, I'm not stopping."
"After seeing my TJ07 next to me running very quietly, I saw some of the spray paint starting to scratch. This really annoyed me, "Hey! Why don't I rebuild it?!?!" That day, I stripped it down and laid out all the parts, sold most of my liquid cooling stuff and began to order some new items.
This time around, I wanted my build to be something visually stunning. John (Jab-tech.com) took great care of me holding parts for me - I ordered about $400USD of liquid cooling parts which at the time was $750AUD. Meanwhile, I bought a second hand 4870X2 off OCAU. I also decided to re-do my sleeving as I wasn't happy with it.
I spoke to Charles (murderMod.com) and got some new sleeving but I didn't stop there, I got a murderMod top plate/Back plate/mid plate/Custom made front plate (as I have an external DVD drive). Charles is an awesome guy to speak too, his amazing TJ07 builds are what I'm inspired by, not only that but his photography and attention to detail is perfectionist.
When the parts arrive, I drilled some holes and went off to the powdercoaters. Once it all got back, it was FINALLY time to start putting it together. I'd never tested the 4870X2 to see if it'd work, instead I bit the bullet and installed the liquid cooling block without testing it. I'd also done many modifications like cutting into my PSU, making a fan plate for the back of the case and of course, lots of sleeving.
Once it was all together, it was time to start it, my palms were sweating and I was very nervous,..............IT BOOTED! I was so happy, all that work that took weeks finally paid off. It was running and it was running like a champ, 21011 in 3Dmark 06, cool temperatures and very quiet. At the age of 15/2weeks, I'm not stopping."
From the laser-etched paneling, complete cable sleeving, UV-reactive watercooling and a custom-mounted fan controller this is one incredibly cool build (pun not quite intended)!
What's next for James? He's going to keep building:
"I hope to be building systems for customers, it's something I love and I don't think I'll ever stop."
Head to his thread for pics of the mod, and feel free to email me with any mods you've done - if they're good enough I'll write them up on the site!
Specs are as follows:
Update: We've been contacted about this mod, and it seems that it's not the first one to hit Australian shores - xtremesystems user Dangals had completed his last year. Both are incredibly suave, and worth a look.
Issue: 133 | February, 2012