The exciting conclusion of the ThermalTake modding competition, also known as the CaseMOD academy, is near, which means it’s time to check in on the teams taking part to see how their projects are coming along. For the uninitiated, this competition sees five two-person teams take on exciting and ambitious custom PC builds with the winner ultimately being the team judged to have designed and executed the best PC build. Teams have been building their PCs since August, and now the final submissions have been made and there is no going back. The teams are competing for a first prize of $2,500, with second place earning $1,500 and third place taking home $1,000.
Who’s taking part?
As a reminder, the five teams taking part in this CaseMOD academy competition are;
- 2 Guys 1 Case – Richi and Daniel aren’t short of experience, but could complacency be a factor when the chips are down?
- Artificer & Neophyte – Enthusiasts Tom and James laid their cards on the table early, revealing plans for a Warhammer-themed build, but is it enough to secure the title?
- Nerds & Noobs – Michael is bringing his cousin Cheryl along for the ride, and as the team name suggests, one-half of this team is new to the modding game.
- Team AML – Father and son duo Richard and Lucas are using this competition as a way to bond over a shared hobby. Will the master and apprentice dynamic serve them well?
- Team IST – Family is the name of the game again in this father-and-daughter team. Jason has over 16 years of PC building experience, and even a previous win in a Thermaltake competition, but can he repeat this achievement with his daughter in tow?
The Final Builds
The build period for this competition ended on November 1, and the submissions from each team are in. We have five incredible custom gaming PCs, all built using the same pool of components comprised of Thermaltake gear and parts from the competition sponsors. Each PC can use the following components:
- Intel Core i7-14700K
- Zotac Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 AMP AIRO
- Asus Strix Z790-F gaming WiFi II motherboard
- Thermaltake TOUGHRAM XG RGB D5 5,600MT/s
- 2TB Samsung Evo 990 Pro SSD
- TOUGHFAN EX Pro fans
- SWAFAN EX RGB cooling fan
- Thermaltake Toughpower GF A3 1,200W ATX3.1 PSU
- Thermaltake CTW E600 MX, CTE C700, CTE C750, or CTE T500 case
- Pacific Tough C360 DDC Hard Tube Kit
As for the final builds themselves, here’s what each team has turned in.
2 Guys 1 Case – Never Just Drive
This build is a classic car-inspired battle station, using the Hyundai Ioniq 5 as the vehicle of influence. In such a clean display as this, there is no hiding any mistakes, and both your cable management and liquid cooling need to be first class, and this team delivered that without a doubt.
Artificer & Neophyte – MK.V1 Battlestation
This team promised a Warhammer PC build, and boy did they deliver. This stunning Space Marine build is instantly recognizable, even to those who aren’t necessarily fans of the Warhammer hobby. This build is worthy of an audience with the emperor himself.
Nerds & Noobs – TT Burlesque
In a completely unique take on a custom gaming PC, this burlesque build takes strong influence from Moulin Rouge, even featuring the iconic Lady Marmalade song lyrics printed within the case. The design is bold and could have easily left more up to the imagination, but the effort to go the extra mile, including having the burlesque dolls, is such a nice touch.
Team AML – High Voltage
One advantage of not tying a PC build to a notable brand or hobby is that you have a lot more creative freedom, and this sci-fi-looking build leaves plenty of room for imagination to run wild. Clean yet vibrant, this build is brought to life thanks to subtle lighting and a clever choice of colours.
Team IST – Project Pandora (Avatar)
This stunning Avatar PC build would make James Cameron himself blush. If you’re going to tackle such a well-known and popular property to build a gaming PC around, you need to make sure you do it justice, and this final product is certainly breathtaking.
How to vote
If you’ve got a favourite build from the above options, you can vote for your winner between November 1 and December 5 at 12PM GMT. You can head to the competition Facebook page to check out each team’s journey, and the final builds in more detail, then cast your vote. Don’t forget, everyone that places a vote will be entered into our Intel Core Ultra 7 Processor Worldwide Giveaway.
If you can’t make it down to the London store, you can still enter here.
Vote Here: http://bit.ly/2024CASEMODACADEMYVOTING, or scan the QR code in the image below:
Voting / Giveaway ends December 15 at 12pm. One lucky winner will be chosen at random from all of the votes received.
The winning team will be announced on December 7, 2025. Better still, by voting in the competition, you earn yourself the chance to win some exciting prizes.
Check the builds out IRL!
If you want to get a closer look at any of the builds featured in the competition, you can head to the Intel Future Store at 95 Oxford Street, London, W1D 2AD. All five of the entries will be on display to the public from November 3.
The finale of this event will take place at the Scan Computers store in Bolton on December 7, starting at 11AM. Intel will be there hosting a speed-building competition with the chance to win a brand new Intel Core Ultra 7 CPU, and there will also be a special F1 driving challenge, with prizes up for grabs.
For more information on the event and to follow the journey of our teams so far, head over to Thermaltake’s official site.