Thermaltake is cooking up a new PC modding competition, and if the results from its previous CaseMOD academies are anything to go by, we’re in for a real treat, with expert craftsmanship and design being poured into stunning, and often outlandish, PC builds. Of course, assembling an incredible PC isn’t just about installing the best graphics card, and the most powerful CPU – skimp on your PSU, fans, and CPU cooler, and you’ll end up with an unstable system that overheats. That’s where Thermaltake’s huge range of gear comes in.
Thermaltake is a global leader in the design and manufacture of chassis, power supplies, and cooling systems. With Thermaltake’s products you can make sure that your PC runs smoothly, getting the most out of its core components, while also looking great. The brand is passionate about encouraging its users to make the best machines possible, and that’s why it’s once again hosting its annual modding competition. Of course, PCGamesN will also be on hand to cover the event from start to finish, sharing updates on the site and social media every two weeks.
Competition format
The Thermaltake CaseMOD Academy has been around since 2019, cultivating a roster of top PC modders. The modding competition sees five teams competing to create the best build possible. This year, Thermaltake has partnered with Scan Computers, which will display the finished builds inside the store at its Bolton, UK HQ. Other partners include some huge names from the PC hardware industry, including Intel, Asus, Nvidia, Zotac, and Samsung.
Five teams will compete to win the grand prize of $2,500 cash, with $1,500 for second place, and $1,000 for third. The teams will need to use one of Thermaltake’s PC cases for the build. The applicable cases are CTE C750, CTE C700, CTE T500, and CTE E600MX. Contestants can use an unlimited amount of other Thermaltake products including fans and coolers, as well as a suite of products from sponsors. These products include the following:
- Intel Core i7 14700K processor
- Asus ROG Strix Z790-F Gaming WiFi II motherboard
- Zotac Gaming RTX 4070 AMP AIRO graphics card
- Samsung 990 Pro PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD
Entrants have from August to October to complete their builds and will post updates every two weeks on the Thermaltake website, so you can follow their progress. Voting runs from November 11 to December 7. The final winners will be decided by a mixture of Thermaltake community members, the firm’s CEO, judges, professional modders, and sponsor judges.
Meet the teams
Five teams will compete for the grand prize. Let’s get to know them.
Team AML – Team AML is a father-son team comprising Richard and Lucas Ord. Richard has been building PCs for some time, and also designs and manufactures custom parts. Now, he’s supporting his son in building his own rig.
Team IST – Jason and Katie Simm comprise this father-daughter team. Jason has over 16 years of experience building gaming PCs and even won the Thermaltake UK modding trophy in 2018.
Artificer & Neophyte – Tom Freeman is a lead software engineer from Birmingham who has been modding PCs since his teens. He’s teamed up with father-of-three James Pheasant to build a Warhammer-themed rig.
2Guys1Case – Richi Bowzer has been modding since “the old days of Pentium 1 chips”, so it’s safe to say he knows his way around a PC. He’s teamed up with fellow Londoner Daniel Gordon to attempt this year’s competition.
Nerds & Noobs – Michael Dexter has been modding for six years and believes you don’t need a lot of money to make a great PC. For the competition, he’s taken cafe-owner Cheryl Williams under his wing.
Event info
The in-person event for the competition kick-off will be held on July 20 at Scan Computers HQ in Bolton, UK. A marquee will be set up to display the machines with food and drinks provided for attendees. If you’d like to attend, follow Thermaltake on Facebook and join the Meta event.
You could walk away from the event with some prizes of your own, with the Spin the Wheel giveaway with over £5k of prizes being given away. Prizes include:
- Thermaltake cases, PSUs, coolers, and fans
- Intel Core i7 14700K CPU
- Zotac GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super graphics card
- Asus Z790 Motherboard
- Samsung 990 Evo M.2 SSDs
- Various Nvidia goodies
- Thrustmaster driving wheel and accessories
There will also be an F1 Driving Challenge, using a Silverstone racetrack simulator. Compete for the best time and you could win an epic Thrustmaster driving gear retup, to make your racing games more immersive than ever.
For more information on the event and how to take part, head over to Thermaltake’s official site.