Project Name: Exsectus
About this mod / project:
I’d like to present “Exsectus”. This was my entry into the Thermaltake UK Modding Trophy. Exsectus in this case meaning cut from, which I thought appropriate given how much of the structure and watercooling is cut from a thick acrylic plate and from the original case.
Back in February I was approached by Thermaltake and asked whether I was interested in competing in the new UK Modding Trophy alongside 4 other top UK modders. We would be supplied the hardware and then given carte blanche to do what we wanted with it by the deadline of the 27th April.
I had a real blast with this build. It features my most complete system waterblock yet that incorporates the pump, motherboard, GPU, SSD and cabling. This was a real mental challenge to design and then machine. The cutting itself was done by Parvum Systems, I’ve been working with them for a while and am very grateful they were able to help out on such short notice.
The case itself began life as a Thermaltake Core X31, believe it or not. It’s a fun mid-tower with lots of ventilation and some pretty decent internal features, but the look really didn’t do it for me. In the end I made it 80mm narrower and replaced the front, back, side and half of the top/bottom panels. So in reality there isn’t much of the original case left, but it still carries some of the case themes.
Photos:










Hardware
CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz
Motherboard: Asus ROG MAXIMUS VIII HERO ALPHA
Memory: Kingston FURY 8GB (1 x 8GB)
Storage: Kingston Savage 240GB
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX
Case: Thermaltake Core X31
Power: Thermaltake SMART DPS G 750W
Mods:
– Custom motherboard tray with pump / res
– Case cut to fit custom motherboard tray
– Custom-built radiator housing
– Riing fans cut in half
– Custom cover on SSD
– Custom fabricated top and front of case
– Graphics card moved to backside of case
– Custom sleeved cables
– Custom cover on PSU
– Custom accents / cover on motherboard and CPU block
Build Log: Bit-tech
Builder: Maki role