casemod invitational Completed "Replicant" (Blade Runner 2049) CaseMOD Invitational

[Envious Mods]

 

5.5" PSU Shroud Monitor:
Not only does this fit well with the Blade Runner 2049 theme but it's also very useful since I can use it for system monitoring and I won't need to hook up to a full size monitor at shows to configure or troubleshoot potential issues that may arrise. Being able to reconfigure the extensive custom lighting is a massive plus if I want to change the overall look of the build. I decided to make it look like a screen from the world of Blade Runner 2049 with buttons to control different settings like launching the drone.

 

Motherboard Tray Beauty Panels:
I could have left the black metal panels as is in the case but I really wanted to give it a more immersive look. I made them adjustable so that they'll fit flush with the top of the PSU shroud.

 

Passthrough Surround:
I didn't need to build a surround panel for the passthroughs but it'll look killer once the motherboard and cables get put in. I'm a big believer that small details like this are the ones that can take an awesome build and make it epic.
 

[Envious Mods]

 

Thermaltake Ring Plus Fan Grill:
I wanted to try and come up with a new looking fan grill which I really hard to do. I ended up designing one with the origami horse from Blade Runner. Using a couple layers I came up with a really neat design that'll look amazing once it's edge lit. The combination of semi opaque white and clear acrylic will light up well.

Sanding Tons of Acrylic:
Most of my case mods are made up of lots of individual pieces but the Replicant build is more then I've ever had. I couldn't even count how many individual pieces. In order to paint the parts I decided to put a long table in the shop so that I could organize them by the color they'll be painted. This also allows me to show you the 1st batch. There is still a 2nd batch to go but I wanted to show the 1st portion.

[Envious Mods]

 

Sleeving Pump Cables & Passthrough:

I ended up choosing a combination of 3 colors for the pumps cable colors. They are a bit tricky to sleeve as the cables comes up to a flat piece on the back so there's no room for error. I won't heatshrink the pump side as it doesn't look as good. Since the plug side won't be seen I'll heatshrink it to keep it in place.


Final Hinged Mounted Front Panels:

I decided to mount The angled front panels on hinges because it not only allows me to adjust the angle but it also allows me to fold them inward which saves a considerable amount during shipping. It also helps then to stay protected during shipping as well. It took more effort to do it this way but the benefits outweigh the effort and cost.

[Envious Mods]

 

LED Placement & Concept:
RGB LEDs don't have to be in rainbow or obnoxious mode. Some people are apprehensive but, I want to show how they can be used to set a scene in a case or mod. So far I've placed Thermaltake Plus LED strips along both sides of the top where they can illuminate the interior without being seen.

Envious Mods Badge:
Instead of doing my typical styled badge I decided to give it a bit more detail using 2 layers of acrylic. It really makes it pop and I'm glad I took the extra time to design and cut it.

 

[Envious Mods]

 

New Thermaltake Trio Fans Arrive:
I was fortunate to get a set of the new Thermaltake Trio addressable fans which will fit in perfectly with the Replicant look. I'm using a lot of different Thermaltake addressable leds so that I can use them to help set the scene or feel that I'm going for. I will post videos showing the Voice Controlled Thermaltake app and what can be done when all this RGB is tastefully used in order to set a scene in a mod.

Quad Thermaltake R11 Reservoirs Arrive:
The 4 small Thermaltake reservoirs arrived and now I can get a better idea of of placement. I'm came up with a neat idea by combining 2 reservoirs to make one epic and original looking reservoir. Since I have a dual loop it'll have a matching setup next to it.
 

[Envious Mods]

 

Lian Li Strimer RGB Cables:
I decided to use the Lian Li Strimer RGB cables for the 24-pin. The Blade Runner 2049 theme fits these cables perfectly. I can't wait to try them all out for sure.

Reassembling Painted Panels:
Due to always liking to be exact I have to do some added sanding in order to get everything to fit perfectly after paint. Made it a little tricky and definatly ate up a bunch of time.

[RuffRuffmcgruff]

I've got no idea how I managed to miss this, I've read through the last two pages with me mouth open! This is going to be a slick looking build when it's finished. 10/10 so far from me. I'm loving the part porn

[Envious Mods]

On 8/14/2018 at 3:16 AM, RuffRuffmcgruff said:

I've got no idea how I managed to miss this, I've read through the last two pages with me mouth open! This is going to be a slick looking build when it's finished. 10/10 so far from me. I'm loving the part porn

Thank you soo much. That really means a lot to me. This is definitely my most detailed mod yet. There won't be much that hasn't been touched by the time I'm done. Happy to hear your coming along for the ride. The best parts are coming up soon.

[Envious Mods]

Hardware is starting to arrive.....

 

Hardware Specs:

• Motherboard: Asus X470 Crosshair VII

• CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 2700 
• Graphics Card: Asus Strix GTX 1070
• Ram: Gskill RGB TridentZ DDR4 (16gb)
• Storage: Plextor 512gb NVM PCIE SSD
• Power Supply: Thermaltake iRGB 850w
• Cables: Lian Li Strimer & Thermaltake black and white sleeved extensions
• Fans: Thermaltake 120mm Trio RGB, Ring Plus & Pure Plus.

• Watercooling: Thermaltake dual pumps, 4 reservoirs, 480mm copper radiator, 4 X 120mm radiators, Pacific W4 Plus CPU block, GPU waterblock, 3 digital led controllers, Sync controller, 2 X inline digital temp sensors and white 16mm C-Pro fittings

 

[Zando_]

Damn that hardware looks sweet! Also I approve of the hardware choices, I'm running an R7 2700X on an ASUS B450-F (since I'm not overclocking) and it's amazing. Can't wait to see how this all comes together!

[Envious Mods]

On 8/16/2018 at 7:23 AM, Zando Bob said:

Damn that hardware looks sweet! Also I approve of the hardware choices, I'm running an R7 2700X on an ASUS B450-F (since I'm not overclocking) and it's amazing. Can't wait to see how this all comes together!

Thank you very much and I really appreciate it. We didn't get to pick the hardware since it's part of the CaseMOD Invitational. I am doing another build with an X470 and a 2700x. I matches it up with 2 X Vega 64s. I'm really excited for the motherboard to arrive. It'll be the Asus Rog X470 Crosshair VII wifi. 

[Envious Mods]

Trying Out Different RGB Settings:
Thermaltake offers a large line of various led products. I will be using a good majority of them. I decided to get a jump on learning how to program them. The new Ring Trio Fans are pretty awesome. I like how you can custom layer colors and effects. Most digital leds I've used are pretty limited but these really allow you to do all sorts of things. So far the best setting is with both putter rings all White and the inner ring purple to match the build. I'll try out more combinations once I get the motherboard installed.

 

VID_331890317_053058_384.mp4

Plextor M9Pe PCIE SSD Mods:
I really wanted to take the opportunity to mod as much as I could in order to show my versatility. I've never modded a pcie SSD so I took the chance to mod the Plextor M9Pe. Since the gpu is inverted in my build I want to mount the SSD as high as I could so that it can be seen. The stylistic heatsink on the M9Pe inspired me to make a backplate. Due to the tight tolerances of the backplate it was very time consuming to get perfect. I can't wait to see what it looks like once it's totally finished.

[Zando_]

5 hours ago, Envious Mods said:

Thank you very much and I really appreciate it. We didn't get to pick the hardware since it's part of the CaseMOD Invitational. I am doing another build with an X470 and a 2700x. I matches it up with 2 X Vega 64s. I'm really excited for the motherboard to arrive. It'll be the Asus Rog X470 Crosshair VII wifi. 

Oh dang, the Crosshair mobos are amazing. And lemme know how the Vega 64s perform, I’ve been contemplating saving up for one because IMO they’re just reappy cool. 

[Envious Mods]

16 hours ago, Zando Bob said:

Oh dang, the Crosshair mobos are amazing. And lemme know how the Vega 64s perform, I’ve been contemplating saving up for one because IMO they’re just reappy cool. 

Will do buddy. The Crosshair VII is a beautiful board for sure. Curious to see how the software side matches up to other ones I've had. 

[Envious Mods]

 

Asus X470 Crosshair VII wifi Motherboard Arrives:
I've got to say this is a killer looking motherboard. Asus has design cues in most of their products that match my natural design style so it's a good fit. I took the opportunity to start mounting the Gskill RGB TridentZ DDR4 like, AMD Ryzen 7 CPU and Thermaltake W4 CPU block that I've already modded earlier on in the competition.

Thermaltake GPU Waterblock Arrival & Mods Planned:
The Series 10 GPU block arrived so that I can start designing the mods for it. These GPU blocks look great right out of the box but I wanted to take it to the next level. To start out I took measurements so that I could start designing the custom pieces that would make up the new plates.

[PrinnyExplodes]

Holy shit is this amazing. Can't wait  to see the finished pictures

[Envious Mods]

On 8/19/2018 at 7:40 AM, PrinnyExplodes said:

Holy shit is this amazing. Can't wait  to see the finished pictures

Thank you very much! Lots of updates coming soon!

[Envious Mods]

 

Finishing up Plextor M9Pe Mods:
Now that all the acrylic is glued it's time to paint it all flat black. It looks someone dark in the photos but the interior leds will make it easily viewable once finished. I also decided to custo. The Plextor logo out in white and purple vinyl which brings it all together.

Mocked up Hardware in Replicant:
While finishing up the hardware installation I also decided to mock up the Lian LI Strimer RGB Cables. I can't wait to fire these up as they couldn't first a build much better than a Blade Runner 2049 themed build. I also allowed me to make sure I had the best location for the Plextor ssd that I modded. You will be able to see it just as I imagined. It fits the theme and hardware styling very well.

[RuffRuffmcgruff]

This is getting better with each update!

[Envious Mods]

7 hours ago, RuffRuffmcgruff said:

This is getting better with each update!

Thank you RuffRuffmcgruff! Love your SN too! Lots more epic updates incoming. Also going to start playing with hardline runs too!

[Envious Mods]

 

Thermaltake D5 Pump Mods:
I've already custom sleeved the wiring from D5 pump but, I wanted to also make some custom plates since I'm showing the back of the pumps. The design I came up with not only fits the theme of Blade Runner 2049 but it ties it into the rest of the build. The acrylic I used is matte black which gives it an original look. I custom cut purple vinyl to go behind the inserts so the it has some contrast.

 

Gskill TridentZ RGB Ram Mods:
I decided to do some mods to the Gskill RGB TridentZ DDR4. I've done custom paint before but I wanted to do something I've never seen done that'll also fit the Blade Runner 2049 theme. I made an acrylic insert and etched a Gskill logo which when lit up it'll look like the neon signs found within the movie.

 

Thermaltake Pacific 10xx Asus Strix GPU Waterblock Mods:
One of my goals for this build is to make it all look like 1 cohesive design. I could have left the waterblock stock as it already looks sweet but, I had to make it my own. I also wanted to use some special matte acrylic to give it a more industrial look. I couldn't be more happy with the mods for the waterblock and I can't wait to see what it looks like once the block I'd backlit.

[Rosinbole]

Holy shit... Subbed!!

[Envious Mods]

On 8/22/2018 at 10:49 PM, matias_a_etersen said:

Holy shit... Subbed!!

Thank you. Always happy to have another along for the ride!

[Envious Mods]

Custom Mixed Coolant Ideas:
I rarely use standard colors when deciding on coolant choices. Thermaltake makes a clear C1000 coolant and offers up a large variety of dyes to make your own colors or tint pre-made colors. The color for the GPU loop will be purple. I added a touch more blue to get the tint I wanted. For the cpu loop I've been playing with all sorts of ideas from turquoise to lime green, pink and even a more violet/red color. The advantage of going with something like lime green is that it will make the build really pop. The pink and purple really fit the Blade Runner 2049 theme though.

Running 16mm PETG Hardline Tubing:
Deciding how you run the hardline loop can make or break a build. I'm very particular when it comes to making a loop that fits the theme, layout, design and that the bends/runs are perfect. I've been known to completely redo a loop if it's not exactly what I'm looking for. I want this one to have a semi-industrial look whither some angled tubes. Since I'll be doing lots of precise bends I decided to use Thermaltake mandrels and so far they've worked great. I still have more tubing to run but I've got the main features finished.



Finishing up GPU Mods:
I decided to swap the purple ROG logo for a matte black one that gave it a more cohesive look. It'll also look much better once the gpu is powered up due to the backlights. I can't wait to fire it up!

[Envious Mods]

Painting 90 Degree Fitting Caps:
Since I'm using Thermaltakes new C-Pro white fittings I wanted to match the caps on the 90 degree ones that come in black or chrome. Once painted white they'll match the rest of the loop. I could have easily not painted then but I like to try and match up everything in the build. I tried a new Universal Bonding Primer since fittings get a lot of wear and tear. This should help give a good platform for the paint to grab on to. I will probably clear them with a matte or dead flat clear coat as well.

Custom Front Switch Panel Mods:
I could have left the top USB, headset and power switch that comes on the case but, it's a mod competition. So I went full on custom and molded it into the custom panels I built for the top. I added an anti-vandel switch to turn on the PC as well as a custom acrylic Replicant to it which does a great job of tying it all together.

 

The tiny letter that make up the Replicant logo were very hard to do. Upgrade used the negative acrylic pieces to help keep it aligned as I chemically welded it together. The switch is a halo ring so it'll illuminate white when the system is powered. I'm going to save this part to unveil in the final photos; coming soon

DIY Fitting Cap Covers:
The 2 caps on the gpus waterblock are on the outside and inside wanted to do something to give them a sharper look. I tried etching the acrylic which looked great from the back but wasn't up to my standards. I then came up with the idea to etch the Thermaltake and Envious Mods logo mirrored so I could flip them over which gives a more polished look. I'm also playing around with custom Blade Runner caps for the reservoirs. I haven't got them just right yet but I'll redo them until they're perfect.

 

Sneak Peek on Next Updates!