Case Mod - Complete ⭐ "Replicant" (Blade Runner 2049) CaseMOD Invitational

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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

 

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.



Video of New Thermaltake Trio Fan Effects:
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.

 

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.

 

Awesome MB indeed, I love your choice of hardware, great start

 

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.

 

Thank you. We didn't get to choose the hardware since it's a CaseMOD Invitational Competition but it's a good setup of gear. We got to choose all the watercooling, fans and stuff like that. Starting to get close and lots of updates coming soon.

 

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.

 

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!

 

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!

 

Testing Out Ring Trio & Ring Plus Color Schemes:
Before I pulled it apart to do wiring I wanted to test out different color schemes to see if I wanted more white or more purple. It always looks different on camera. After a couple shots I could quickly tell that it looked better with more purple. Once finished there's a lot more leds that will be used in different colors but this gives me a good idea of what it'll look like.












GPU Distrobution Block:
I've always wanted to make my own distrobution block that's a bit different from what I've seen. I had one on my Dark Matter scratch build that was done about 4 years ago. I decided to take advantage an design a custom distrobution block to link the GPU to the pump. I'm working on a bolt together distrobution block method but for this application is decided to do a sealed unit. It is about an inch thick which will offer up more than enough flow. An internal piece was added to promote proper flow and reduce unwanted turbulence.

 

Running All That Wiring:
Now that I have the hardline tubing run its time to start dismantling the psu shroud so that I can run all the wiring. There's more wiring in this build then most due to all the RGB I decided to use so that I can get the Blade Runner look I'm going for. Fortunately I pre-planned some of the cable routes so it'll all fit cleanly within the custom cable management piece I built.


Custom Envious Mods GPU Insert:
I noticed a little pocket in the Thermaltake gpu block where the power plug goes so I decided to custom make an Envious Mods logo that is a perfect fit. The cool part is that I can swap in and out other ones for shows etc.

 

really beautiful,, nice design with the distribution block

 

Thank you soo much Kim! I'm glad to hear you're enjoying the build. I just started final assembly and I'll be leak testing soon!

 

Drain Ports:
Drain ports are an important part of any system. I've decided to put mine at the pump outlet which is at the bottom of the system. Once I have a chance to leak test and drain I may add another access port but this should work to get the majority of both loops drained. I wanted to add a custom made acrylic panel that holds the drain ports in postition. This is primarily for aesthetics as it keeps both ports in position and also gives it a Blade Runner look. I will paint them flat black before final assembly.






Attempt at Programming Thermaltake Addressable RGB Products:


I still need to do more research to learn how to properly program all these RGB products. If your just doing a few items it's pretty straight forward. I decided to do just about every product they own which makes it much more complicated. The reason it's more difficult is because I'm linking multiple controllers and running part of them off the Asus motherboards software through Thermaltakes new Sync controller.

So far I've got the 4 Ring Trio Fans and the Ring Plus Fan setup as well as the Lumi strips. The cool part about running some RGB devices through the Thermaltake SYNC and others through the Plus controllers is the ability to create different looks and effects. I plan on doing a video to show some of the features and voice control via an android phone. You can check out the different patterns I tried as well (video)



VID_120061207_021454_271.mp4

 

those pumps are awesome

 

Wiring Mockups of Cable Management:
I've done all the final work to the rear cable management parts. I want to wait to finish the rear wiring to the Thermaltake controllers so I can program it through the software. Once I have it in order I can assemble the controller mounts. I'll also add the shrouds after leak testing. Having them off gives me better access to the build to check for leaks.

 

Thank you very much Kim. They were a lot of fun to mod.