Maximum PC - USA (2021-Holiday)

GETTING TO KNOW

YOURSELF

My life is average; I’m married and

have two children, a mortgage, and

all the responsibilities that come

with everyday life. There are bills

to pay every month, activities and

days out to go on with the family,

and the small matter of working

48 hours a week. I’ve always been

handy, capable, inquisitive and

functional, in terms of having a

hands-on approach to learning.

It’s how I do things, take something

apart, put it back together, rinse

and repeat. It’s why I started out as

a mechanic for Volvo, moving on to

Audi, and Buick before following in

the family footsteps and joining the

Fire Service at 23.

What I am getting at here is

there’s already a lot of commitment

in life, commitments that come

first, before even starting to look

at taking on a modding career. The

first thing you need to know is that

modding takes three things; time,

commitment, and perseverance.

Once you are prepared to give

all those three things in equal

measure, it’s time to have a chat

with yourself and be honest.

Are you competent in building a

standard DIY PC? I’m talking about

simply fitting components to a case,

adding an AIO and the mother of all

tasks, the number one, and most

asked question I ever see, where

do these wires go? It’s fine wanting

to become a modder, and we all

have to start somewhere, but if at

this first step you are unsure, this

is where you need to start reading,

following tutorials, and getting

hands-on, even with the most basic

projects to learn the trade.

It’s all about building from a

foundation, being comfortable and

competent. At this stage, some

might even find that it’s more

involved than they first expected,

the time commitment can’t be met,

and so on. It’s better to know now

that it’s not for you, rather than six

months down the line when you

could potentially have invested both

precious time and finances into the

field. If this isn’t for you, then that’s

fine, but if the above doesn’t faze

you then read on.

We’ll assume you can build a

standard PC, install Windows and

download the latest drivers. So,

now it’s time to get involved.

From here, things start to get

more complicated. Now you need to

look at why you want to venture into

the modding scene. Is it because

you enjoy building PCs, want to

show off your work to others, have

some great ideas and a creative

mind? There are a thousand

reasons I can think of, but probably

another thousand credible ones

too. Once you have a reason, you

need a plan, a direction, a road

map, or whatever you want to call it.

Think of this stage like a job

interview; ask yourself why you

want to do this, and where you

see yourself in five years’ time.

For some, it simply is the love

of building PCs, others use it as

a stepping stone to bigger and

better things. Some may have

a background in one particular

specialist area, be it overclocking,

great at taking photos, have access

to all the machinery needed to

create custom distro plates or

props. Think about what you are

good at, and what you can bring

to the scene, and use that to your

advantage.

BEING PREPARED

What do you actually need to start

producing epic mods? This can

vary from a couple of rattle cans to

a vinyl cutter, tools, consumables,

and, of course, hardware. There

is little chance of being sponsored

without a history, so you need to be

clear in your mind that things won’t

fall into place straight away.

Depending on your background,

you might already have a nice

complement of tools at your

disposal, use this to your advantage.

A modder needs tools, it doesn’t

have to be a workshop full of the

latest machinery, and modding can

be as simple as having a jigsaw and

a file to hand. It’s better to start

with hand tools, refine your craft to

a point and then, when things start

getting too complex or require such

precision that it can no longer be

achievable by hand, expand your

equipment gradually.

In terms of more advanced tools,

here’s a couple of suggestions that

might be worth considering:

DREMEL A modder’s favorite that

has so many uses. A beginner

set is cheap and perfect for those

delicate operations, and also helps

to get into small spaces within a

case for mods, cutting panels,

trimming edges, and much more.

Don’t leave home without one.

VINYL CUTTER Relatively inexpensive

and can transform even the

blandest case into something

special. Most vinyl cutters can be

found relatively cheaply with small

ongoing costs for consumables.

Vinyl cutters can be used for a

number of things, adding graphics

and small details, but they can

also cut stencils for using to add

your airbrush designs to cases and

parts. Stencils are also needed

for glass etching, another way

of adding a custom touch with

relatively little consumable cost.

3 D PRINTERS Probably the best thing

in my tool kit, and one of the most

fun things I have ever used. I did

have a CNC, but the 3D Printer can

do so much more. In terms of cost, a

3D Printer is also more accessible.

Some of my recent projects

needed adapters for mounting

Alphacool reservoirs to a case, and

I also had four Corsair Commander

Pros to fit too, cue some

measurements, Sketch Up, and

three hours later, I had all the parts

I needed. It’s great for prototyping,

and I’m finding that I am using it for

things even I didn’t think it would be

useful for. Its best quality, though?

It saves precious time so that you

can concentrate on other issues.

There are some epic case mods

using 3 D printed parts, and even

fully 3 D printed cases out there,

the only limit is your imagination.

become a PC modder

28 MAXIMUMPC HOL 2021

©^

DR

EM

EL

.C

OM

A 3 D printer

could be the

most useful

item in your tool

kit, but don’t

forget to get a

Dremel too.