Down the line, if things go well, this
should probably be high on your
shopping list.
INSPIRATION
If it’s just another Lian Li O 11
Dynamic build with ten fans and
an AIO, then I have some news for
you, there are thousands of people
doing that already. That’s where
you need to read between the lines,
find that extra something that at
first glance makes your work stand
out from every other system.
Looking at what is already
out there is a great point of
research, one that sometimes
gets overlooked. Trawl through the
various forums and social media
to see what the current trend is
(pcpartpicker is a great place to
start, along with builds.gg), what’s
emerging, and what no one else
is doing. If people are not building
what you have in mind, that could
be for a couple of reasons; it isn’t
viable and the end result will be
poor, or it could be that no one has
thought about doing it yet. That’s
where you take the limelight and
potentially set the next big trend.
For example, if you are
a carpenter by trade, your
experience working with wood can
lead to concepts and ideas that
someone without such knowledge
will overlook. Metalworkers might
view industrial themes and ideas
for builds more favorably because
it’s an area they know in-depth.
Whatever your passion, whether it’s
cars, sports, films, games, brands,
there’s something for everyone.
Transfer elements over to PC
building and do something new,
original, maybe exotic. There is
inspiration all around us, every day,
in every walk of life. Don’t be scared
to try something new. At first, it
might feel absurd, but the reward
generally outweighs the risk of
trying something new. If you have
the hardware to hand, especially
when it comes to water cooling,
then why not use two reservoirs,
three, or even four? From a
performance aspect, there’s a
diminishing return, naturally, but
aesthetically, depending on the
plan, it can make or break a build.
I remember placing a small
Alphacool reservoir mid loop,
above a GPU and thinking, nope,
but once the loop filled up, it looked
great, and so was the feedback (and
actually the reason Zak hired me).
The question I was asked most was
‘Why?’ My answer was why not? It’s
different, it fits the boldness of the
build and it looked fantastic.
BUILDING SYSTEMS
This right here is what it’s all about.
Modding PCs doesn’t have to use
the latest and greatest parts.
Depending on your circumstances,
you can start with older hardware.
This makes it less expensive should
you make a mistake and there’s
less pressure too. Be creative, even
if it means cutting up a $ 30 case, it’s
not the end of the world if it doesn’t
turn out as expected. Sometimes
the most effective mods involve the
simplest of ideas.
There’s an assumption that
modders have access to all the
hardware they could ever dream
of, and while that’s true for a small
minority, for most it’s a little more
limited. I’ve built a number of
totally different-looking systems
that recycle the same hardware,
essentially building one system
and then stripping it down as soon
as the project has been completed,
ready for the next one.
Start small, if you already
have a PC, use this as your first
project. Look at what you have and
what potential it has in terms of
modifications. Some cases are so
modder-friendly that some simple
alterations immediately make them
stand out. The local second hand
Modding is part
trial-and-error.
When it works,
it just works.
HOL 2021 MAXIMUMPC 29
©^
MO
D^8
3 .C
OM
