6 unique PC mods to make your battlestation stand out more

PC builders might face many challenges when building a new PC, but perhaps the trickiest one to overcome is making their rigs stand out. With nearly everyone defaulting to the same overused PC components, crafting something that looks unique or has a sense of personality is genuinely difficult. Although you can enhance your PC’s looks to an extent by mounting your GPU vertically or adding a few figurines, even that is not enough these days.

However, there’s a solution if you’re willing to put in more effort than most. Since the majority of builders will be content with using quick and simple tips, you can one-up them by going the extra mile. These unique PC mods can range from a simple accessory and a minor paint job to full-blown table saw shenanigans, so take your pick, depending on how much time, money, and effort you’re willing to put in.

6

RGB accessories for the GPU, SSD, and case

A little RGB never hurt anyone (maybe)

Let’s start with the simplest mods to add some flair to your PC. These are actually ready-to-install accessories for your graphics card, NVMe SSD, and the case itself. For instance, you can grab a cool RGB anti-sag stand for your hefty GPU to give it some much-needed protection against GPU sag as well as beautify your build without going overboard. Combine this with an aftermarket RGB heatsink for your SSD, and you’re off to a great start.

You can end your modding journey here, for starters, but there’s another simple mod you can make that doesn’t cost much — LED strips. I know they’re ancient by PC standards, but a couple of well-placed, well-hidden RGB strips can infuse your PC with the kind of glow that isn’t always possible only with RGB components, especially if you don’t have a lot of them.

With multiple software programs for RGB syncing compatible with numerous LED strips, you can easily find one that can be synced to the overall RGB theme of your PC.

Related

10 crazy yet useful PC accessories you can actually buy

The accessories you didn’t know you needed.

5

LCD screen for monitoring and graphics

Install a dynamic monitor inside your PC

By now, you would have seen multiple PCs fitted with LCD screens, and even retail cases shipping with built-in displays. That said, a large 5-inch or 7-inch LCD remains one of the best PC mods to set your PC apart. In percentage terms, not many users make the effort to find an appropriate display that can be easily installed inside their PCs, so you can still beat them to the punch.

Just go to Amazon and get a well-reviewed 5-inch or 7-inch screen, depending on the space available inside your case. There are multiple areas to choose from when installing the screen inside the case, but the rear exhaust panel and the PSU shroud are the most popular options. For the latter, you’ll need enough space between the side of the shroud and the side panel.

These screens usually need only a USB port for power and an HDMI port for display. You can remove one of the PCIe slot covers at the back of your case to route the USB and HDMI cables to the respective ports. You can now display system stats like CPU temperature, GPU temperature, fan speeds, real-time FPS, and more on your secondary display. What’s more, you can even display cool animations, GIFs, wallpapers, and anything else to add to your PC’s visual appeal.

Related

5 non-essential parts every PC builder should care about

These parts might not increase your PC performance, but they still bring some much-needed oomph to your build.

4

RAM heatsink paint job

Create your dream memory sticks

Moving on from parts that you can buy and install as-is on your PC to more DIY mods, let’s talk about paint jobs, starting with the RAM sticks. You might already have a gorgeous RGB kit or one of the best white RAM in your all-white PC, but that isn’t enough to make it unique. Thousands of other users would be using the same memory kit. So, what you can do is remove the heatsinks from your DIMMs, and paint them with a striking theme in mind.

For instance, you can get some spray paint and create Cyberpunk 2077-themed RAM, as shown by the YouTuber Designs by IFR. All you need to do is remove the heatsinks (be patient with this process), clean them with isopropyl alcohol (IPA), mask any areas you don’t want to paint with painter’s tape, and then spray the closest color you can find to the signature yellow of Cyberpunk 2077 (or any other color based on your chosen theme). You can paint any text or graphics you want with appropriately printed stencils.

Let the paint dry, remove the masking tape, put the heatsinks back on the RAM, and you’re back in business. Make sure you refer to some tutorials on removing RAM heatsinks without damaging the memory chips. This mod works best if you’re matching the overall theme with some of the other components inside the case or the exterior of the case itself (more on that below).

Related

4 unique and exciting cooling components that will give your PC the chills

Never skimp on cooling components while building a PC.

3

PC case paint job

The curious case of taking a theme to the limit

Painting memory sticks with a custom theme is cool, but things get really interesting when you bring the case into the fold. You can start small by applying a large sticker of your choice on the acrylic or glass side panel. This can be something from your favorite video game or anime, or an extension of the theme chosen for your custom-painted RAM heatsinks.

To really heighten the unique personality of your build, you can remove the case fans and spray-paint them too. Removing the graphics card and the motherboard to paint the top of the PSU shroud and the other internal surfaces of the case can be time-consuming, but it will guarantee the best results. Bathing the entire case in the same visual theme is an elaborate process that will take some brainstorming, but this still leaves out the GPU and motherboard (coming up next).

Related

5 unique PC cases you can buy to make your setup stand out

Consider these cases for your next PC build

2

GPU backplate and shroud customization

Why leave the graphics card out in the cold?

The graphics card is probably the highlight of your PC, at least before you’ve painted over your case, fans, and other components. So, it makes sense to customize the backplate and/or the fan shroud of the card to have a uniform theme going inside and outside your PC case. You can start by uninstalling the graphics card and then the shroud by removing all the necessary screws keeping it in place.

Clean it with IPA and use the spray paint of your choice to apply multiple thin coats to arrive at a smooth finish. You can also remove the backplate from your graphics card and paint it similarly. If you’ve mounted your card traditionally, i.e., horizontally, you can get away with just a backplate paint job.

Some modders go one step ahead and create a custom backplate using a 3mm-thick acrylic sheet. You’ll naturally need a table saw to do this right, so it might be for advanced users alone. Once you have cut the acrylic sheet to the right size, you can paint and design it the way you like, and you’ve got yourself a brand-new GPU backplate. Some users report slightly higher GPU temperatures with painted or acrylic backplates, so keep that in mind.

Related

How to lower your GPU’s temperature

Keeping your GPU’s temperature in check can extend its lifespan and enhance your overall gaming experience simultaneously.

1

Acrylic covers for the motherboard and PSU shroud

A visual makeover for your PC’s internals

If you happen to have a table saw in your backyard, and like the idea of an acrylic GPU backplate, you’ll love this mod as well. The motherboard is the largest component inside the PC, and its looks have a huge impact on the overall aesthetic. Hence, if you’re painting your RAM, case, and graphics card, having the motherboard conform to the theme could be critical, depending on the theme you choose.

One thing you can do is cut acrylic sheets to create covers for the various parts of the motherboard. Think of high-end motherboards or the ones from NZXT’s N7 range that have minimalist metal covers, giving the board a slick look. You can create your own covers once you have a theme in mind, and this won’t have any thermal impact either. The sheets can be attached to your motherboard using double-sided tape.

Lastly, you could even craft an acrylic cover for the PSU shroud or simply spray-paint it to match the rest of the theme of the PC. For the acrylic covers, you’ll also need to bend a sufficiently large sheet after heating it evenly with a heat gun, so that you can cover both the top and side of the PSU shroud. Post that, all that remains is painting the cover and attaching it to the PSU shroud.

Related

5 things you will not get by spending more on a high-end motherboard

High-end motherboards can do a lot for your build. But these 5 things are not some of them

PC modding is easy to get into and hard to get out of

Modding your PC to make it stand apart is fairly easy to get started with. You can buy some RGB accessories to add some style to your build or do a small paint job on your case side panel or RAM heatsinks. Once you become more comfortable, however, it might be hard to stop yourself from getting into serious mods like crafting custom acrylic covers and backplates.

You can go even further and engage in some woodworking, creating a custom front panel for your case. These ideas are just scratching the surface of what’s possible with PC mods. If you’re serious about distinguishing your battlestation from others on the internet, it’s time to get your creative juices flowing.