Build of the week: a cannon mounted war elephant

James is stuck in an endless loop, playing the Dark Souls games on repeat until Elden Ring and Silksong set him free. He's a truffle pig for indie horror and weird FPS games too, seeking out games that actively hurt to play. Otherwise he's wandering Austin, identifying mushrooms and doodling grackles.

Every Monday, Build of the week highlights a unique rig from the web’s most dedicated PC building communities.

Last week, we showed off another Suchao Modding & Design build. It’s a damn gun, and one of the most impressive displays of craftsmanship and unswerving commitment to concept in a custom build. So after digging into Suchao’s modding history, I’m not surprised that nearly every build is as equally ridiculous.

Take Chang Tai, for instance. It’s an ornate golden war elephant carrying a cannon—and a computer, which is also important, I suppose. Suchao and friends started out with a rough cardboard model, then heated long slats of plastic and molded them into each component. Take a close look at those segmented, slatted legs and it’s easy to imagine what a difficult process it was. Finished with a bright yellow and black and detailed in gold, Chang Tai came out looking fearsome and fancy.

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The components aren’t especially powerful, but Chang Tai was built in the waning months of 2015, and creative scratch build components are beside the point anyway. It’s a damn elephant.

For more photos, check out Suchao Prowphong’s Facebook album or head to the Suchao Modding & Design group page for newer projects.

Chang Tai components:

CPU: AMD A10 7850K
Mobo: GIGABYTE GA-F2A88X-UP4
GPU: GIGABYTE R9-270X OC
RAM: Corsair Vengeance 8GB 1600MHz (4GB x2)X2
PSU: Corsair RM Series 650W
SSD: Neutron Series GTX 120GB and Force Series LS 120GB SATA 3
CPU Cooler: Corsair H75
Fans: Corsair Air Series SP120 X 3
RAM Cooler: Corsair Vengeance Airflow