We went around the web’s most dedicated build communities and contests to pick out 15 of our favorite PC builds ever, from case mods to custom desks to…well, one of them’s a Transformer. ‘Nuff said.
Image via Reddit user GoodAtIt
This rig is one of the most impressive wall-mounted machines we’ve ever seen. It features an Intel Core i7 950, Asus Rampage III Extreme mobo, 2x AMD HD7970 GPUs, 6x 2GB Corsair Dominator RAM, 4x 120GB Corsair Force GT SSDs, and an extensive watercooling setup. GoodAtIt estimates the total cost for the build at around $4,000 — $2,500 for hardware and $1,500 for the watercooling and miscellaneous parts. Check out this post on Overclock.net for an extensive build log.
Created by modder Etienne Hostein, his “Green Way” project is how we imagine Nvidia as a company would manifest itself in computer form. It uses a 3-way SLI setup of GTX 970 GPUs, watercooling, and an overall aesthetic inspired by Nvidia’s black and neon green colors.
Image via Reddit user darwinfishohio
This battlestation uses a repurposed medical arm as a super-flexible monitor stand!
Image via Redditor L3pje
Here we have the “L3p D3sk”, one of the most famous PC mods of all time. So famous, in fact, that it inspired a commercial product: the Cross Desk from Red Harbinger. In its most recent incarnation, the L3p D3sk has received a few major upgrades, namely a pair of ASUS GTX 980 graphics cards and the 34-inch widescreen monitor seen above.
Image via modders-inc.com
Everyone loves a good game-themed casemod, and this Fallout 3 behemoth from Dewayne Carel is one of our favorites. It modifies a Thermaltake s41 Urban case into something straight out of the Capital Wasteland, Pip-Boy and all.
This battlestation from redditor Dr_Nic_T61 features seven monitors and several laptops, but our favorite part is the custom Pink Floyd keyboard.
Redditor Grey_dit claims this battlestation was set up as a joke. Joke or not, it’s an excellent use of space.
Image via modders-inc.com
Dubbed the Cosmos Cruizer, this casemod from Brian “Boddaker” Carter won the case mod contest at PDXLAN 2015, the largest LAN party in the Northwest. The build modifies a Cooler Master Cosmos case into a retro-styled hotrod with a screaming orange paintjob. We like.
Images via Ben Lzicar
This build repurposes an Anheuser-Busch beer keg as a cylindrical computer chassis. Created by modder Ben Lzicar, the keg ditches beer for glowing PC innards, but not without a handy bottle opener mounted on the outside!
Images via modders-inc.com
This custom build is one of the most elegant portable PCs we’ve ever seen. It’s designed to fill the gap between desktop and laptop — it has all the advantages of a full-size PC, but plugs in with a single cord and and is built inside a sleek wooden briefcase.