Skip to main content
PC Gamer PC Gamer THE GLOBAL AUTHORITY ON PC GAMES
UK EditionUK US EditionUS CA EditionCanada AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
  • Hardware
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Guides
  • Video
  • Forum
  • More
    • PC Gaming Show
    • Software
    • Movies & TV
    • Codes
    • Coupons
    • Magazine
    • Newsletter
    • Affiliate links
    • Meet the team
    • Community guidelines
    • About PC Gamer
PC Gamer Magazine Subscription
PC Gamer Magazine Subscription
Why subscribe?
  • Subscribe to the world's #1 PC gaming mag
  • Try a single issue or save on a subscription
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$32.49
Subscribe now
Don't miss these
Starforge Systems Path of Exile 2 PC
Gaming PCs Gear up for Path of Exile 2 with Starforge's custom gaming PC
A collage of gaming desks from Ikea and Secretlab against a gradient green background, with a PC Gamer Recommended logo in the corner
Gaming Desks Best gaming desk in 2025: my top picks for standing, sitting and everything in between
Two PC cases on a yellow background with the PC Gamer recommends badge in the upper right corner.
PC Cases The best PC cases in 2025: These are the chassis I'd use for my next gaming build
An iBuyPower gaming PC on a blue Cyber Monday background.
Gaming PCs I tried to build a high-end AMD gaming PC out of Cyber Monday deals but RAM prices make prebuilts better value for money
An iBuyPower Y40 Pro gaming PC on a Cyber Monday background.
Gaming PCs Behold, another RTX 5080 gaming PC for under $2,000 this Cyber Monday, and this one's got a whopper of a CPU to boot
Two of the best PC cases with the PC Gamer Recommended badge in the top right.
PC Cases The best fish tank PC case in 2025: I've tested heaps of stylish chassis but only a few have earned my recommendation
Three gaming PC cases underneath badges showing the Editor's Pick, Best Value, and Ridiculous Power categories
Gaming PCs Best gaming PC builds: budget, mid-range and high-end recommendations
A gaming PC on a Cyber Monday PC Gamer branded image
Gaming PCs Cyber Week gaming PC deals 2025: discounts across Nvidia GeForce and AMD Radeon rigs
PC case, monitor, and mouse on an abstract pink background
Hardware The 29 best PC gaming deals you can still pick up from Cyber Week
Three gaming PCs on a Cyber Monday background
Gaming PCs There are still some great gaming PCs under $2,000 as Cyber Week rolls on—here are the best I've found after scouring around
A motherboard and GPU on a blue Cyber Monday background.
Hardware I build multiple PCs a month and these are the best Cyber Monday deals on components for your next gaming PC
A gaming mouse and gaming PC with the PC Gamer Black Friday live branding
Hardware Black Friday gaming deals live - I'm digging out the hottest PC gaming tech deals because that's how I always wanted to start my 21st year in the job
Tech creator 黃小潔Jerry assembles a gaming PC built inside a 2 metre tall statue of Vocaloid character Miku Hatsune.
Hardware This 2-meter tall statue of Hatsune Miku is actually a gaming PC—the gaming PC of my dreams, that is
HG 1/144 GQuuuuuX kit.
Hardware Cyber Monday is a great time to give yourself a first dose of Gunpla brain poison with $18 Gundam kit deals and 20% discounts on hobby supplies
An Alienware Aurora gaming PC on a blue and red Cyber Monday background
Gaming PCs Alienware has knocked it straight out the park with this beastly $1,680 RTX 5070 Ti gaming PC deal this Cyber Monday
Popular
  • PC Gaming Show
  • Best PC gear
  • All the deals
  • Arc Raiders
  • Quizzes
  1. Hardware
  2. PC Cases

Build of the week: Project Eris

Features
By James Davenport published 4 April 2016

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

This week we're taking a long, luxurious look at Project Eris, a custom build from Adam Braithwaite of modder collective Darwin PC. Project Eris a small but powerful mini ITX computer housed in an open frame. Braithwaite says everything in the project is custom, form the fully acrylic watercooling loop to the handmade cables. He described his process to me over email:

"For the theme, I wanted to get as close as possible to pure red and black, which meant anything that wasn't black or red would be removed, covered or painted. So the first mod I did for the build was a custom laser-cut motherboard tray. This black plexi piece was designed to cover the silver backplate of the case, as well as giving a good surface to mount the pump and to add detailing work.

The other custom plexi parts I had cut are the cover for the power supply compartment, and the I/O shield for the motherboard to hide the metal sockets. The I/O shield was made from three plexi pieces, which I glued together. I used a vinyl cutter to make the detailing work to match the MSI red PCB-style graphics, which I think really adds a unique style to the build."

I think Braithwaite is on point. Project Eris is a slick, small build with a bold personality that can hold its own against the bulkiest systems out there (seriously, the D-Frame cae is one sturdy chassis). Nice work, Adam.

Check out the Darwin PC projects page for more information on Project Eris and other builds.

Components:

Mobo: MSI Z170I Gaming Pro AC
GPU: MSI NVIDIA GTX 980Ti Gaming 6G
Chassis: In Win D-Frame Mini
CPU: Intel i5-6600K
RAM: 16 GB Corsair Vengeance LPX
PSU: Corsair HX750
SSD: Crucial MX200 M.2 250 GB
Cooling: Full EK Water Blocks water loop, Mayhems Havoc 240mm radiator, Mayhems X1 Red coolant
Misc: E22 Teleois custom sleeved cables

Mods:

- Full custom acrylic watercooling loop with Mayhems X1 red
- Custom laser cut motherboard tray with vinyl detailing
- Custom IO shield with vinyl detailing
- Custom PSU compartment cover with vinyl detailing
- Under motherboard RGB LED lighting
- Coldzero custom GTX 980 Ti backplate
- Custom cables featuring E22 Teleios sleeving
- Black painted thumb nuts for EK CPU water block
- Custom EK logo badge for CPU water block
- Black vinyl stickers for motherboard capacitors
- Red vinyl pin-striping on GTX 980 Ti PCB edge
- Black plexi WLAN card cover

Page 1 of 24
Page 1 of 24

This week we're taking a long, luxurious look at Project Eris, a custom build from Adam Braithwaite of modder collective Darwin PC. Project Eris a small but powerful mini ITX computer housed in an open frame. Braithwaite says everything in the project is custom, form the fully acrylic watercooling loop to the handmade cables. He described his process to me over email:

"For the theme, I wanted to get as close as possible to pure red and black, which meant anything that wasn't black or red would be removed, covered or painted. So the first mod I did for the build was a custom laser-cut motherboard tray. This black plexi piece was designed to cover the silver backplate of the case, as well as giving a good surface to mount the pump and to add detailing work.

The other custom plexi parts I had cut are the cover for the power supply compartment, and the I/O shield for the motherboard to hide the metal sockets. The I/O shield was made from three plexi pieces, which I glued together. I used a vinyl cutter to make the detailing work to match the MSI red PCB-style graphics, which I think really adds a unique style to the build."

I think Braithwaite is on point. Project Eris is a slick, small build with a bold personality that can hold its own against the bulkiest systems out there (seriously, the D-Frame cae is one sturdy chassis). Nice work, Adam.

Check out the Darwin PC projects page for more information on Project Eris and other builds.

Components:

Mobo: MSI Z170I Gaming Pro AC
GPU: MSI NVIDIA GTX 980Ti Gaming 6G
Chassis: In Win D-Frame Mini
CPU: Intel i5-6600K
RAM: 16 GB Corsair Vengeance LPX
PSU: Corsair HX750
SSD: Crucial MX200 M.2 250 GB
Cooling: Full EK Water Blocks water loop, Mayhems Havoc 240mm radiator, Mayhems X1 Red coolant
Misc: E22 Teleois custom sleeved cables

Mods:

- Full custom acrylic watercooling loop with Mayhems X1 red
- Custom laser cut motherboard tray with vinyl detailing
- Custom IO shield with vinyl detailing
- Custom PSU compartment cover with vinyl detailing
- Under motherboard RGB LED lighting
- Coldzero custom GTX 980 Ti backplate
- Custom cables featuring E22 Teleios sleeving
- Black painted thumb nuts for EK CPU water block
- Custom EK logo badge for CPU water block
- Black vinyl stickers for motherboard capacitors
- Red vinyl pin-striping on GTX 980 Ti PCB edge
- Black plexi WLAN card cover

Page 2 of 24
Page 2 of 24

This week we're taking a long, luxurious look at Project Eris, a custom build from Adam Braithwaite of modder collective Darwin PC. Project Eris a small but powerful mini ITX computer housed in an open frame. Braithwaite says everything in the project is custom, form the fully acrylic watercooling loop to the handmade cables. He described his process to me over email:

"For the theme, I wanted to get as close as possible to pure red and black, which meant anything that wasn't black or red would be removed, covered or painted. So the first mod I did for the build was a custom laser-cut motherboard tray. This black plexi piece was designed to cover the silver backplate of the case, as well as giving a good surface to mount the pump and to add detailing work.

The other custom plexi parts I had cut are the cover for the power supply compartment, and the I/O shield for the motherboard to hide the metal sockets. The I/O shield was made from three plexi pieces, which I glued together. I used a vinyl cutter to make the detailing work to match the MSI red PCB-style graphics, which I think really adds a unique style to the build."

I think Braithwaite is on point. Project Eris is a slick, small build with a bold personality that can hold its own against the bulkiest systems out there (seriously, the D-Frame cae is one sturdy chassis). Nice work, Adam.

Check out the Darwin PC projects page for more information on Project Eris and other builds.

Components:

Mobo: MSI Z170I Gaming Pro AC
GPU: MSI NVIDIA GTX 980Ti Gaming 6G
Chassis: In Win D-Frame Mini
CPU: Intel i5-6600K
RAM: 16 GB Corsair Vengeance LPX
PSU: Corsair HX750
SSD: Crucial MX200 M.2 250 GB
Cooling: Full EK Water Blocks water loop, Mayhems Havoc 240mm radiator, Mayhems X1 Red coolant
Misc: E22 Teleois custom sleeved cables

Mods:

- Full custom acrylic watercooling loop with Mayhems X1 red
- Custom laser cut motherboard tray with vinyl detailing
- Custom IO shield with vinyl detailing
- Custom PSU compartment cover with vinyl detailing
- Under motherboard RGB LED lighting
- Coldzero custom GTX 980 Ti backplate
- Custom cables featuring E22 Teleios sleeving
- Black painted thumb nuts for EK CPU water block
- Custom EK logo badge for CPU water block
- Black vinyl stickers for motherboard capacitors
- Red vinyl pin-striping on GTX 980 Ti PCB edge
- Black plexi WLAN card cover

Page 3 of 24
Page 3 of 24

This week we're taking a long, luxurious look at Project Eris, a custom build from Adam Braithwaite of modder collective Darwin PC. Project Eris a small but powerful mini ITX computer housed in an open frame. Braithwaite says everything in the project is custom, form the fully acrylic watercooling loop to the handmade cables. He described his process to me over email:

"For the theme, I wanted to get as close as possible to pure red and black, which meant anything that wasn't black or red would be removed, covered or painted. So the first mod I did for the build was a custom laser-cut motherboard tray. This black plexi piece was designed to cover the silver backplate of the case, as well as giving a good surface to mount the pump and to add detailing work.

The other custom plexi parts I had cut are the cover for the power supply compartment, and the I/O shield for the motherboard to hide the metal sockets. The I/O shield was made from three plexi pieces, which I glued together. I used a vinyl cutter to make the detailing work to match the MSI red PCB-style graphics, which I think really adds a unique style to the build."

I think Braithwaite is on point. Project Eris is a slick, small build with a bold personality that can hold its own against the bulkiest systems out there (seriously, the D-Frame cae is one sturdy chassis). Nice work, Adam.

Check out the Darwin PC projects page for more information on Project Eris and other builds.

Components:

Mobo: MSI Z170I Gaming Pro AC
GPU: MSI NVIDIA GTX 980Ti Gaming 6G
Chassis: In Win D-Frame Mini
CPU: Intel i5-6600K
RAM: 16 GB Corsair Vengeance LPX
PSU: Corsair HX750
SSD: Crucial MX200 M.2 250 GB
Cooling: Full EK Water Blocks water loop, Mayhems Havoc 240mm radiator, Mayhems X1 Red coolant
Misc: E22 Teleois custom sleeved cables

Mods:

- Full custom acrylic watercooling loop with Mayhems X1 red
- Custom laser cut motherboard tray with vinyl detailing
- Custom IO shield with vinyl detailing
- Custom PSU compartment cover with vinyl detailing
- Under motherboard RGB LED lighting
- Coldzero custom GTX 980 Ti backplate
- Custom cables featuring E22 Teleios sleeving
- Black painted thumb nuts for EK CPU water block
- Custom EK logo badge for CPU water block
- Black vinyl stickers for motherboard capacitors
- Red vinyl pin-striping on GTX 980 Ti PCB edge
- Black plexi WLAN card cover

Page 4 of 24
Page 4 of 24

This week we're taking a long, luxurious look at Project Eris, a custom build from Adam Braithwaite of modder collective Darwin PC. Project Eris a small but powerful mini ITX computer housed in an open frame. Braithwaite says everything in the project is custom, form the fully acrylic watercooling loop to the handmade cables. He described his process to me over email:

"For the theme, I wanted to get as close as possible to pure red and black, which meant anything that wasn't black or red would be removed, covered or painted. So the first mod I did for the build was a custom laser-cut motherboard tray. This black plexi piece was designed to cover the silver backplate of the case, as well as giving a good surface to mount the pump and to add detailing work.

The other custom plexi parts I had cut are the cover for the power supply compartment, and the I/O shield for the motherboard to hide the metal sockets. The I/O shield was made from three plexi pieces, which I glued together. I used a vinyl cutter to make the detailing work to match the MSI red PCB-style graphics, which I think really adds a unique style to the build."

I think Braithwaite is on point. Project Eris is a slick, small build with a bold personality that can hold its own against the bulkiest systems out there (seriously, the D-Frame cae is one sturdy chassis). Nice work, Adam.

Check out the Darwin PC projects page for more information on Project Eris and other builds.

Components:

Mobo: MSI Z170I Gaming Pro AC
GPU: MSI NVIDIA GTX 980Ti Gaming 6G
Chassis: In Win D-Frame Mini
CPU: Intel i5-6600K
RAM: 16 GB Corsair Vengeance LPX
PSU: Corsair HX750
SSD: Crucial MX200 M.2 250 GB
Cooling: Full EK Water Blocks water loop, Mayhems Havoc 240mm radiator, Mayhems X1 Red coolant
Misc: E22 Teleois custom sleeved cables

Mods:

- Full custom acrylic watercooling loop with Mayhems X1 red
- Custom laser cut motherboard tray with vinyl detailing
- Custom IO shield with vinyl detailing
- Custom PSU compartment cover with vinyl detailing
- Under motherboard RGB LED lighting
- Coldzero custom GTX 980 Ti backplate
- Custom cables featuring E22 Teleios sleeving
- Black painted thumb nuts for EK CPU water block
- Custom EK logo badge for CPU water block
- Black vinyl stickers for motherboard capacitors
- Red vinyl pin-striping on GTX 980 Ti PCB edge
- Black plexi WLAN card cover

Page 5 of 24
Page 5 of 24

This week we're taking a long, luxurious look at Project Eris, a custom build from Adam Braithwaite of modder collective Darwin PC. Project Eris a small but powerful mini ITX computer housed in an open frame. Braithwaite says everything in the project is custom, form the fully acrylic watercooling loop to the handmade cables. He described his process to me over email:

"For the theme, I wanted to get as close as possible to pure red and black, which meant anything that wasn't black or red would be removed, covered or painted. So the first mod I did for the build was a custom laser-cut motherboard tray. This black plexi piece was designed to cover the silver backplate of the case, as well as giving a good surface to mount the pump and to add detailing work.

The other custom plexi parts I had cut are the cover for the power supply compartment, and the I/O shield for the motherboard to hide the metal sockets. The I/O shield was made from three plexi pieces, which I glued together. I used a vinyl cutter to make the detailing work to match the MSI red PCB-style graphics, which I think really adds a unique style to the build."

I think Braithwaite is on point. Project Eris is a slick, small build with a bold personality that can hold its own against the bulkiest systems out there (seriously, the D-Frame cae is one sturdy chassis). Nice work, Adam.

Check out the Darwin PC projects page for more information on Project Eris and other builds.

Components:

Mobo: MSI Z170I Gaming Pro AC
GPU: MSI NVIDIA GTX 980Ti Gaming 6G
Chassis: In Win D-Frame Mini
CPU: Intel i5-6600K
RAM: 16 GB Corsair Vengeance LPX
PSU: Corsair HX750
SSD: Crucial MX200 M.2 250 GB
Cooling: Full EK Water Blocks water loop, Mayhems Havoc 240mm radiator, Mayhems X1 Red coolant
Misc: E22 Teleois custom sleeved cables

Mods:

- Full custom acrylic watercooling loop with Mayhems X1 red
- Custom laser cut motherboard tray with vinyl detailing
- Custom IO shield with vinyl detailing
- Custom PSU compartment cover with vinyl detailing
- Under motherboard RGB LED lighting
- Coldzero custom GTX 980 Ti backplate
- Custom cables featuring E22 Teleios sleeving
- Black painted thumb nuts for EK CPU water block
- Custom EK logo badge for CPU water block
- Black vinyl stickers for motherboard capacitors
- Red vinyl pin-striping on GTX 980 Ti PCB edge
- Black plexi WLAN card cover

Page 6 of 24
Page 6 of 24

This week we're taking a long, luxurious look at Project Eris, a custom build from Adam Braithwaite of modder collective Darwin PC. Project Eris a small but powerful mini ITX computer housed in an open frame. Braithwaite says everything in the project is custom, form the fully acrylic watercooling loop to the handmade cables. He described his process to me over email:

"For the theme, I wanted to get as close as possible to pure red and black, which meant anything that wasn't black or red would be removed, covered or painted. So the first mod I did for the build was a custom laser-cut motherboard tray. This black plexi piece was designed to cover the silver backplate of the case, as well as giving a good surface to mount the pump and to add detailing work.

The other custom plexi parts I had cut are the cover for the power supply compartment, and the I/O shield for the motherboard to hide the metal sockets. The I/O shield was made from three plexi pieces, which I glued together. I used a vinyl cutter to make the detailing work to match the MSI red PCB-style graphics, which I think really adds a unique style to the build."

I think Braithwaite is on point. Project Eris is a slick, small build with a bold personality that can hold its own against the bulkiest systems out there (seriously, the D-Frame cae is one sturdy chassis). Nice work, Adam.

Check out the Darwin PC projects page for more information on Project Eris and other builds.

Components:

Mobo: MSI Z170I Gaming Pro AC
GPU: MSI NVIDIA GTX 980Ti Gaming 6G
Chassis: In Win D-Frame Mini
CPU: Intel i5-6600K
RAM: 16 GB Corsair Vengeance LPX
PSU: Corsair HX750
SSD: Crucial MX200 M.2 250 GB
Cooling: Full EK Water Blocks water loop, Mayhems Havoc 240mm radiator, Mayhems X1 Red coolant
Misc: E22 Teleois custom sleeved cables

Mods:

- Full custom acrylic watercooling loop with Mayhems X1 red
- Custom laser cut motherboard tray with vinyl detailing
- Custom IO shield with vinyl detailing
- Custom PSU compartment cover with vinyl detailing
- Under motherboard RGB LED lighting
- Coldzero custom GTX 980 Ti backplate
- Custom cables featuring E22 Teleios sleeving
- Black painted thumb nuts for EK CPU water block
- Custom EK logo badge for CPU water block
- Black vinyl stickers for motherboard capacitors
- Red vinyl pin-striping on GTX 980 Ti PCB edge
- Black plexi WLAN card cover

Page 7 of 24
Page 7 of 24

This week we're taking a long, luxurious look at Project Eris, a custom build from Adam Braithwaite of modder collective Darwin PC. Project Eris a small but powerful mini ITX computer housed in an open frame. Braithwaite says everything in the project is custom, form the fully acrylic watercooling loop to the handmade cables. He described his process to me over email:

"For the theme, I wanted to get as close as possible to pure red and black, which meant anything that wasn't black or red would be removed, covered or painted. So the first mod I did for the build was a custom laser-cut motherboard tray. This black plexi piece was designed to cover the silver backplate of the case, as well as giving a good surface to mount the pump and to add detailing work.

The other custom plexi parts I had cut are the cover for the power supply compartment, and the I/O shield for the motherboard to hide the metal sockets. The I/O shield was made from three plexi pieces, which I glued together. I used a vinyl cutter to make the detailing work to match the MSI red PCB-style graphics, which I think really adds a unique style to the build."

I think Braithwaite is on point. Project Eris is a slick, small build with a bold personality that can hold its own against the bulkiest systems out there (seriously, the D-Frame cae is one sturdy chassis). Nice work, Adam.

Check out the Darwin PC projects page for more information on Project Eris and other builds.

Components:

Mobo: MSI Z170I Gaming Pro AC
GPU: MSI NVIDIA GTX 980Ti Gaming 6G
Chassis: In Win D-Frame Mini
CPU: Intel i5-6600K
RAM: 16 GB Corsair Vengeance LPX
PSU: Corsair HX750
SSD: Crucial MX200 M.2 250 GB
Cooling: Full EK Water Blocks water loop, Mayhems Havoc 240mm radiator, Mayhems X1 Red coolant
Misc: E22 Teleois custom sleeved cables

Mods:

- Full custom acrylic watercooling loop with Mayhems X1 red
- Custom laser cut motherboard tray with vinyl detailing
- Custom IO shield with vinyl detailing
- Custom PSU compartment cover with vinyl detailing
- Under motherboard RGB LED lighting
- Coldzero custom GTX 980 Ti backplate
- Custom cables featuring E22 Teleios sleeving
- Black painted thumb nuts for EK CPU water block
- Custom EK logo badge for CPU water block
- Black vinyl stickers for motherboard capacitors
- Red vinyl pin-striping on GTX 980 Ti PCB edge
- Black plexi WLAN card cover

Page 8 of 24
Page 8 of 24

This week we're taking a long, luxurious look at Project Eris, a custom build from Adam Braithwaite of modder collective Darwin PC. Project Eris a small but powerful mini ITX computer housed in an open frame. Braithwaite says everything in the project is custom, form the fully acrylic watercooling loop to the handmade cables. He described his process to me over email:

"For the theme, I wanted to get as close as possible to pure red and black, which meant anything that wasn't black or red would be removed, covered or painted. So the first mod I did for the build was a custom laser-cut motherboard tray. This black plexi piece was designed to cover the silver backplate of the case, as well as giving a good surface to mount the pump and to add detailing work.

The other custom plexi parts I had cut are the cover for the power supply compartment, and the I/O shield for the motherboard to hide the metal sockets. The I/O shield was made from three plexi pieces, which I glued together. I used a vinyl cutter to make the detailing work to match the MSI red PCB-style graphics, which I think really adds a unique style to the build."

I think Braithwaite is on point. Project Eris is a slick, small build with a bold personality that can hold its own against the bulkiest systems out there (seriously, the D-Frame cae is one sturdy chassis). Nice work, Adam.

Check out the Darwin PC projects page for more information on Project Eris and other builds.

Components:

Mobo: MSI Z170I Gaming Pro AC
GPU: MSI NVIDIA GTX 980Ti Gaming 6G
Chassis: In Win D-Frame Mini
CPU: Intel i5-6600K
RAM: 16 GB Corsair Vengeance LPX
PSU: Corsair HX750
SSD: Crucial MX200 M.2 250 GB
Cooling: Full EK Water Blocks water loop, Mayhems Havoc 240mm radiator, Mayhems X1 Red coolant
Misc: E22 Teleois custom sleeved cables

Mods:

- Full custom acrylic watercooling loop with Mayhems X1 red
- Custom laser cut motherboard tray with vinyl detailing
- Custom IO shield with vinyl detailing
- Custom PSU compartment cover with vinyl detailing
- Under motherboard RGB LED lighting
- Coldzero custom GTX 980 Ti backplate
- Custom cables featuring E22 Teleios sleeving
- Black painted thumb nuts for EK CPU water block
- Custom EK logo badge for CPU water block
- Black vinyl stickers for motherboard capacitors
- Red vinyl pin-striping on GTX 980 Ti PCB edge
- Black plexi WLAN card cover

Page 9 of 24
Page 9 of 24

This week we're taking a long, luxurious look at Project Eris, a custom build from Adam Braithwaite of modder collective Darwin PC. Project Eris a small but powerful mini ITX computer housed in an open frame. Braithwaite says everything in the project is custom, form the fully acrylic watercooling loop to the handmade cables. He described his process to me over email:

"For the theme, I wanted to get as close as possible to pure red and black, which meant anything that wasn't black or red would be removed, covered or painted. So the first mod I did for the build was a custom laser-cut motherboard tray. This black plexi piece was designed to cover the silver backplate of the case, as well as giving a good surface to mount the pump and to add detailing work.

The other custom plexi parts I had cut are the cover for the power supply compartment, and the I/O shield for the motherboard to hide the metal sockets. The I/O shield was made from three plexi pieces, which I glued together. I used a vinyl cutter to make the detailing work to match the MSI red PCB-style graphics, which I think really adds a unique style to the build."

I think Braithwaite is on point. Project Eris is a slick, small build with a bold personality that can hold its own against the bulkiest systems out there (seriously, the D-Frame cae is one sturdy chassis). Nice work, Adam.

Check out the Darwin PC projects page for more information on Project Eris and other builds.

Components:

Mobo: MSI Z170I Gaming Pro AC
GPU: MSI NVIDIA GTX 980Ti Gaming 6G
Chassis: In Win D-Frame Mini
CPU: Intel i5-6600K
RAM: 16 GB Corsair Vengeance LPX
PSU: Corsair HX750
SSD: Crucial MX200 M.2 250 GB
Cooling: Full EK Water Blocks water loop, Mayhems Havoc 240mm radiator, Mayhems X1 Red coolant
Misc: E22 Teleois custom sleeved cables

Mods:

- Full custom acrylic watercooling loop with Mayhems X1 red
- Custom laser cut motherboard tray with vinyl detailing
- Custom IO shield with vinyl detailing
- Custom PSU compartment cover with vinyl detailing
- Under motherboard RGB LED lighting
- Coldzero custom GTX 980 Ti backplate
- Custom cables featuring E22 Teleios sleeving
- Black painted thumb nuts for EK CPU water block
- Custom EK logo badge for CPU water block
- Black vinyl stickers for motherboard capacitors
- Red vinyl pin-striping on GTX 980 Ti PCB edge
- Black plexi WLAN card cover

Page 10 of 24
Page 10 of 24

This week we're taking a long, luxurious look at Project Eris, a custom build from Adam Braithwaite of modder collective Darwin PC. Project Eris a small but powerful mini ITX computer housed in an open frame. Braithwaite says everything in the project is custom, form the fully acrylic watercooling loop to the handmade cables. He described his process to me over email:

"For the theme, I wanted to get as close as possible to pure red and black, which meant anything that wasn't black or red would be removed, covered or painted. So the first mod I did for the build was a custom laser-cut motherboard tray. This black plexi piece was designed to cover the silver backplate of the case, as well as giving a good surface to mount the pump and to add detailing work.

The other custom plexi parts I had cut are the cover for the power supply compartment, and the I/O shield for the motherboard to hide the metal sockets. The I/O shield was made from three plexi pieces, which I glued together. I used a vinyl cutter to make the detailing work to match the MSI red PCB-style graphics, which I think really adds a unique style to the build."

I think Braithwaite is on point. Project Eris is a slick, small build with a bold personality that can hold its own against the bulkiest systems out there (seriously, the D-Frame cae is one sturdy chassis). Nice work, Adam.

Check out the Darwin PC projects page for more information on Project Eris and other builds.

Components:

Mobo: MSI Z170I Gaming Pro AC
GPU: MSI NVIDIA GTX 980Ti Gaming 6G
Chassis: In Win D-Frame Mini
CPU: Intel i5-6600K
RAM: 16 GB Corsair Vengeance LPX
PSU: Corsair HX750
SSD: Crucial MX200 M.2 250 GB
Cooling: Full EK Water Blocks water loop, Mayhems Havoc 240mm radiator, Mayhems X1 Red coolant
Misc: E22 Teleois custom sleeved cables

Mods:

- Full custom acrylic watercooling loop with Mayhems X1 red
- Custom laser cut motherboard tray with vinyl detailing
- Custom IO shield with vinyl detailing
- Custom PSU compartment cover with vinyl detailing
- Under motherboard RGB LED lighting
- Coldzero custom GTX 980 Ti backplate
- Custom cables featuring E22 Teleios sleeving
- Black painted thumb nuts for EK CPU water block
- Custom EK logo badge for CPU water block
- Black vinyl stickers for motherboard capacitors
- Red vinyl pin-striping on GTX 980 Ti PCB edge
- Black plexi WLAN card cover

Page 11 of 24
Page 11 of 24

This week we're taking a long, luxurious look at Project Eris, a custom build from Adam Braithwaite of modder collective Darwin PC. Project Eris a small but powerful mini ITX computer housed in an open frame. Braithwaite says everything in the project is custom, form the fully acrylic watercooling loop to the handmade cables. He described his process to me over email:

"For the theme, I wanted to get as close as possible to pure red and black, which meant anything that wasn't black or red would be removed, covered or painted. So the first mod I did for the build was a custom laser-cut motherboard tray. This black plexi piece was designed to cover the silver backplate of the case, as well as giving a good surface to mount the pump and to add detailing work.

The other custom plexi parts I had cut are the cover for the power supply compartment, and the I/O shield for the motherboard to hide the metal sockets. The I/O shield was made from three plexi pieces, which I glued together. I used a vinyl cutter to make the detailing work to match the MSI red PCB-style graphics, which I think really adds a unique style to the build."

I think Braithwaite is on point. Project Eris is a slick, small build with a bold personality that can hold its own against the bulkiest systems out there (seriously, the D-Frame cae is one sturdy chassis). Nice work, Adam.

Check out the Darwin PC projects page for more information on Project Eris and other builds.

Components:

Mobo: MSI Z170I Gaming Pro AC
GPU: MSI NVIDIA GTX 980Ti Gaming 6G
Chassis: In Win D-Frame Mini
CPU: Intel i5-6600K
RAM: 16 GB Corsair Vengeance LPX
PSU: Corsair HX750
SSD: Crucial MX200 M.2 250 GB
Cooling: Full EK Water Blocks water loop, Mayhems Havoc 240mm radiator, Mayhems X1 Red coolant
Misc: E22 Teleois custom sleeved cables

Mods:

- Full custom acrylic watercooling loop with Mayhems X1 red
- Custom laser cut motherboard tray with vinyl detailing
- Custom IO shield with vinyl detailing
- Custom PSU compartment cover with vinyl detailing
- Under motherboard RGB LED lighting
- Coldzero custom GTX 980 Ti backplate
- Custom cables featuring E22 Teleios sleeving
- Black painted thumb nuts for EK CPU water block
- Custom EK logo badge for CPU water block
- Black vinyl stickers for motherboard capacitors
- Red vinyl pin-striping on GTX 980 Ti PCB edge
- Black plexi WLAN card cover

Page 12 of 24
Page 12 of 24

This week we're taking a long, luxurious look at Project Eris, a custom build from Adam Braithwaite of modder collective Darwin PC. Project Eris a small but powerful mini ITX computer housed in an open frame. Braithwaite says everything in the project is custom, form the fully acrylic watercooling loop to the handmade cables. He described his process to me over email:

"For the theme, I wanted to get as close as possible to pure red and black, which meant anything that wasn't black or red would be removed, covered or painted. So the first mod I did for the build was a custom laser-cut motherboard tray. This black plexi piece was designed to cover the silver backplate of the case, as well as giving a good surface to mount the pump and to add detailing work.

The other custom plexi parts I had cut are the cover for the power supply compartment, and the I/O shield for the motherboard to hide the metal sockets. The I/O shield was made from three plexi pieces, which I glued together. I used a vinyl cutter to make the detailing work to match the MSI red PCB-style graphics, which I think really adds a unique style to the build."

I think Braithwaite is on point. Project Eris is a slick, small build with a bold personality that can hold its own against the bulkiest systems out there (seriously, the D-Frame cae is one sturdy chassis). Nice work, Adam.

Check out the Darwin PC projects page for more information on Project Eris and other builds.

Components:

Mobo: MSI Z170I Gaming Pro AC
GPU: MSI NVIDIA GTX 980Ti Gaming 6G
Chassis: In Win D-Frame Mini
CPU: Intel i5-6600K
RAM: 16 GB Corsair Vengeance LPX
PSU: Corsair HX750
SSD: Crucial MX200 M.2 250 GB
Cooling: Full EK Water Blocks water loop, Mayhems Havoc 240mm radiator, Mayhems X1 Red coolant
Misc: E22 Teleois custom sleeved cables

Mods:

- Full custom acrylic watercooling loop with Mayhems X1 red
- Custom laser cut motherboard tray with vinyl detailing
- Custom IO shield with vinyl detailing
- Custom PSU compartment cover with vinyl detailing
- Under motherboard RGB LED lighting
- Coldzero custom GTX 980 Ti backplate
- Custom cables featuring E22 Teleios sleeving
- Black painted thumb nuts for EK CPU water block
- Custom EK logo badge for CPU water block
- Black vinyl stickers for motherboard capacitors
- Red vinyl pin-striping on GTX 980 Ti PCB edge
- Black plexi WLAN card cover

Page 13 of 24
Page 13 of 24

This week we're taking a long, luxurious look at Project Eris, a custom build from Adam Braithwaite of modder collective Darwin PC. Project Eris a small but powerful mini ITX computer housed in an open frame. Braithwaite says everything in the project is custom, form the fully acrylic watercooling loop to the handmade cables. He described his process to me over email:

"For the theme, I wanted to get as close as possible to pure red and black, which meant anything that wasn't black or red would be removed, covered or painted. So the first mod I did for the build was a custom laser-cut motherboard tray. This black plexi piece was designed to cover the silver backplate of the case, as well as giving a good surface to mount the pump and to add detailing work.

The other custom plexi parts I had cut are the cover for the power supply compartment, and the I/O shield for the motherboard to hide the metal sockets. The I/O shield was made from three plexi pieces, which I glued together. I used a vinyl cutter to make the detailing work to match the MSI red PCB-style graphics, which I think really adds a unique style to the build."

I think Braithwaite is on point. Project Eris is a slick, small build with a bold personality that can hold its own against the bulkiest systems out there (seriously, the D-Frame cae is one sturdy chassis). Nice work, Adam.

Check out the Darwin PC projects page for more information on Project Eris and other builds.

Components:

Mobo: MSI Z170I Gaming Pro AC
GPU: MSI NVIDIA GTX 980Ti Gaming 6G
Chassis: In Win D-Frame Mini
CPU: Intel i5-6600K
RAM: 16 GB Corsair Vengeance LPX
PSU: Corsair HX750
SSD: Crucial MX200 M.2 250 GB
Cooling: Full EK Water Blocks water loop, Mayhems Havoc 240mm radiator, Mayhems X1 Red coolant
Misc: E22 Teleois custom sleeved cables

Mods:

- Full custom acrylic watercooling loop with Mayhems X1 red
- Custom laser cut motherboard tray with vinyl detailing
- Custom IO shield with vinyl detailing
- Custom PSU compartment cover with vinyl detailing
- Under motherboard RGB LED lighting
- Coldzero custom GTX 980 Ti backplate
- Custom cables featuring E22 Teleios sleeving
- Black painted thumb nuts for EK CPU water block
- Custom EK logo badge for CPU water block
- Black vinyl stickers for motherboard capacitors
- Red vinyl pin-striping on GTX 980 Ti PCB edge
- Black plexi WLAN card cover

Page 14 of 24
Page 14 of 24

This week we're taking a long, luxurious look at Project Eris, a custom build from Adam Braithwaite of modder collective Darwin PC. Project Eris a small but powerful mini ITX computer housed in an open frame. Braithwaite says everything in the project is custom, form the fully acrylic watercooling loop to the handmade cables. He described his process to me over email:

"For the theme, I wanted to get as close as possible to pure red and black, which meant anything that wasn't black or red would be removed, covered or painted. So the first mod I did for the build was a custom laser-cut motherboard tray. This black plexi piece was designed to cover the silver backplate of the case, as well as giving a good surface to mount the pump and to add detailing work.

The other custom plexi parts I had cut are the cover for the power supply compartment, and the I/O shield for the motherboard to hide the metal sockets. The I/O shield was made from three plexi pieces, which I glued together. I used a vinyl cutter to make the detailing work to match the MSI red PCB-style graphics, which I think really adds a unique style to the build."

I think Braithwaite is on point. Project Eris is a slick, small build with a bold personality that can hold its own against the bulkiest systems out there (seriously, the D-Frame cae is one sturdy chassis). Nice work, Adam.

Check out the Darwin PC projects page for more information on Project Eris and other builds.

Components:

Mobo: MSI Z170I Gaming Pro AC
GPU: MSI NVIDIA GTX 980Ti Gaming 6G
Chassis: In Win D-Frame Mini
CPU: Intel i5-6600K
RAM: 16 GB Corsair Vengeance LPX
PSU: Corsair HX750
SSD: Crucial MX200 M.2 250 GB
Cooling: Full EK Water Blocks water loop, Mayhems Havoc 240mm radiator, Mayhems X1 Red coolant
Misc: E22 Teleois custom sleeved cables

Mods:

- Full custom acrylic watercooling loop with Mayhems X1 red
- Custom laser cut motherboard tray with vinyl detailing
- Custom IO shield with vinyl detailing
- Custom PSU compartment cover with vinyl detailing
- Under motherboard RGB LED lighting
- Coldzero custom GTX 980 Ti backplate
- Custom cables featuring E22 Teleios sleeving
- Black painted thumb nuts for EK CPU water block
- Custom EK logo badge for CPU water block
- Black vinyl stickers for motherboard capacitors
- Red vinyl pin-striping on GTX 980 Ti PCB edge
- Black plexi WLAN card cover

Page 15 of 24
Page 15 of 24

This week we're taking a long, luxurious look at Project Eris, a custom build from Adam Braithwaite of modder collective Darwin PC. Project Eris a small but powerful mini ITX computer housed in an open frame. Braithwaite says everything in the project is custom, form the fully acrylic watercooling loop to the handmade cables. He described his process to me over email:

"For the theme, I wanted to get as close as possible to pure red and black, which meant anything that wasn't black or red would be removed, covered or painted. So the first mod I did for the build was a custom laser-cut motherboard tray. This black plexi piece was designed to cover the silver backplate of the case, as well as giving a good surface to mount the pump and to add detailing work.

The other custom plexi parts I had cut are the cover for the power supply compartment, and the I/O shield for the motherboard to hide the metal sockets. The I/O shield was made from three plexi pieces, which I glued together. I used a vinyl cutter to make the detailing work to match the MSI red PCB-style graphics, which I think really adds a unique style to the build."

I think Braithwaite is on point. Project Eris is a slick, small build with a bold personality that can hold its own against the bulkiest systems out there (seriously, the D-Frame cae is one sturdy chassis). Nice work, Adam.

Check out the Darwin PC projects page for more information on Project Eris and other builds.

Components:

Mobo: MSI Z170I Gaming Pro AC
GPU: MSI NVIDIA GTX 980Ti Gaming 6G
Chassis: In Win D-Frame Mini
CPU: Intel i5-6600K
RAM: 16 GB Corsair Vengeance LPX
PSU: Corsair HX750
SSD: Crucial MX200 M.2 250 GB
Cooling: Full EK Water Blocks water loop, Mayhems Havoc 240mm radiator, Mayhems X1 Red coolant
Misc: E22 Teleois custom sleeved cables

Mods:

- Full custom acrylic watercooling loop with Mayhems X1 red
- Custom laser cut motherboard tray with vinyl detailing
- Custom IO shield with vinyl detailing
- Custom PSU compartment cover with vinyl detailing
- Under motherboard RGB LED lighting
- Coldzero custom GTX 980 Ti backplate
- Custom cables featuring E22 Teleios sleeving
- Black painted thumb nuts for EK CPU water block
- Custom EK logo badge for CPU water block
- Black vinyl stickers for motherboard capacitors
- Red vinyl pin-striping on GTX 980 Ti PCB edge
- Black plexi WLAN card cover

Page 16 of 24
Page 16 of 24

This week we're taking a long, luxurious look at Project Eris, a custom build from Adam Braithwaite of modder collective Darwin PC. Project Eris a small but powerful mini ITX computer housed in an open frame. Braithwaite says everything in the project is custom, form the fully acrylic watercooling loop to the handmade cables. He described his process to me over email:

"For the theme, I wanted to get as close as possible to pure red and black, which meant anything that wasn't black or red would be removed, covered or painted. So the first mod I did for the build was a custom laser-cut motherboard tray. This black plexi piece was designed to cover the silver backplate of the case, as well as giving a good surface to mount the pump and to add detailing work.

The other custom plexi parts I had cut are the cover for the power supply compartment, and the I/O shield for the motherboard to hide the metal sockets. The I/O shield was made from three plexi pieces, which I glued together. I used a vinyl cutter to make the detailing work to match the MSI red PCB-style graphics, which I think really adds a unique style to the build."

I think Braithwaite is on point. Project Eris is a slick, small build with a bold personality that can hold its own against the bulkiest systems out there (seriously, the D-Frame cae is one sturdy chassis). Nice work, Adam.

Check out the Darwin PC projects page for more information on Project Eris and other builds.

Components:

Mobo: MSI Z170I Gaming Pro AC
GPU: MSI NVIDIA GTX 980Ti Gaming 6G
Chassis: In Win D-Frame Mini
CPU: Intel i5-6600K
RAM: 16 GB Corsair Vengeance LPX
PSU: Corsair HX750
SSD: Crucial MX200 M.2 250 GB
Cooling: Full EK Water Blocks water loop, Mayhems Havoc 240mm radiator, Mayhems X1 Red coolant
Misc: E22 Teleois custom sleeved cables

Mods:

- Full custom acrylic watercooling loop with Mayhems X1 red
- Custom laser cut motherboard tray with vinyl detailing
- Custom IO shield with vinyl detailing
- Custom PSU compartment cover with vinyl detailing
- Under motherboard RGB LED lighting
- Coldzero custom GTX 980 Ti backplate
- Custom cables featuring E22 Teleios sleeving
- Black painted thumb nuts for EK CPU water block
- Custom EK logo badge for CPU water block
- Black vinyl stickers for motherboard capacitors
- Red vinyl pin-striping on GTX 980 Ti PCB edge
- Black plexi WLAN card cover

Page 17 of 24
Page 17 of 24

This week we're taking a long, luxurious look at Project Eris, a custom build from Adam Braithwaite of modder collective Darwin PC. Project Eris a small but powerful mini ITX computer housed in an open frame. Braithwaite says everything in the project is custom, form the fully acrylic watercooling loop to the handmade cables. He described his process to me over email:

"For the theme, I wanted to get as close as possible to pure red and black, which meant anything that wasn't black or red would be removed, covered or painted. So the first mod I did for the build was a custom laser-cut motherboard tray. This black plexi piece was designed to cover the silver backplate of the case, as well as giving a good surface to mount the pump and to add detailing work.

The other custom plexi parts I had cut are the cover for the power supply compartment, and the I/O shield for the motherboard to hide the metal sockets. The I/O shield was made from three plexi pieces, which I glued together. I used a vinyl cutter to make the detailing work to match the MSI red PCB-style graphics, which I think really adds a unique style to the build."

I think Braithwaite is on point. Project Eris is a slick, small build with a bold personality that can hold its own against the bulkiest systems out there (seriously, the D-Frame cae is one sturdy chassis). Nice work, Adam.

Check out the Darwin PC projects page for more information on Project Eris and other builds.

Components:

Mobo: MSI Z170I Gaming Pro AC
GPU: MSI NVIDIA GTX 980Ti Gaming 6G
Chassis: In Win D-Frame Mini
CPU: Intel i5-6600K
RAM: 16 GB Corsair Vengeance LPX
PSU: Corsair HX750
SSD: Crucial MX200 M.2 250 GB
Cooling: Full EK Water Blocks water loop, Mayhems Havoc 240mm radiator, Mayhems X1 Red coolant
Misc: E22 Teleois custom sleeved cables

Mods:

- Full custom acrylic watercooling loop with Mayhems X1 red
- Custom laser cut motherboard tray with vinyl detailing
- Custom IO shield with vinyl detailing
- Custom PSU compartment cover with vinyl detailing
- Under motherboard RGB LED lighting
- Coldzero custom GTX 980 Ti backplate
- Custom cables featuring E22 Teleios sleeving
- Black painted thumb nuts for EK CPU water block
- Custom EK logo badge for CPU water block
- Black vinyl stickers for motherboard capacitors
- Red vinyl pin-striping on GTX 980 Ti PCB edge
- Black plexi WLAN card cover

Page 18 of 24
Page 18 of 24

This week we're taking a long, luxurious look at Project Eris, a custom build from Adam Braithwaite of modder collective Darwin PC. Project Eris a small but powerful mini ITX computer housed in an open frame. Braithwaite says everything in the project is custom, form the fully acrylic watercooling loop to the handmade cables. He described his process to me over email:

"For the theme, I wanted to get as close as possible to pure red and black, which meant anything that wasn't black or red would be removed, covered or painted. So the first mod I did for the build was a custom laser-cut motherboard tray. This black plexi piece was designed to cover the silver backplate of the case, as well as giving a good surface to mount the pump and to add detailing work.

The other custom plexi parts I had cut are the cover for the power supply compartment, and the I/O shield for the motherboard to hide the metal sockets. The I/O shield was made from three plexi pieces, which I glued together. I used a vinyl cutter to make the detailing work to match the MSI red PCB-style graphics, which I think really adds a unique style to the build."

I think Braithwaite is on point. Project Eris is a slick, small build with a bold personality that can hold its own against the bulkiest systems out there (seriously, the D-Frame cae is one sturdy chassis). Nice work, Adam.

Check out the Darwin PC projects page for more information on Project Eris and other builds.

Components:

Mobo: MSI Z170I Gaming Pro AC
GPU: MSI NVIDIA GTX 980Ti Gaming 6G
Chassis: In Win D-Frame Mini
CPU: Intel i5-6600K
RAM: 16 GB Corsair Vengeance LPX
PSU: Corsair HX750
SSD: Crucial MX200 M.2 250 GB
Cooling: Full EK Water Blocks water loop, Mayhems Havoc 240mm radiator, Mayhems X1 Red coolant
Misc: E22 Teleois custom sleeved cables

Mods:

- Full custom acrylic watercooling loop with Mayhems X1 red
- Custom laser cut motherboard tray with vinyl detailing
- Custom IO shield with vinyl detailing
- Custom PSU compartment cover with vinyl detailing
- Under motherboard RGB LED lighting
- Coldzero custom GTX 980 Ti backplate
- Custom cables featuring E22 Teleios sleeving
- Black painted thumb nuts for EK CPU water block
- Custom EK logo badge for CPU water block
- Black vinyl stickers for motherboard capacitors
- Red vinyl pin-striping on GTX 980 Ti PCB edge
- Black plexi WLAN card cover

Page 19 of 24
Page 19 of 24

This week we're taking a long, luxurious look at Project Eris, a custom build from Adam Braithwaite of modder collective Darwin PC. Project Eris a small but powerful mini ITX computer housed in an open frame. Braithwaite says everything in the project is custom, form the fully acrylic watercooling loop to the handmade cables. He described his process to me over email:

"For the theme, I wanted to get as close as possible to pure red and black, which meant anything that wasn't black or red would be removed, covered or painted. So the first mod I did for the build was a custom laser-cut motherboard tray. This black plexi piece was designed to cover the silver backplate of the case, as well as giving a good surface to mount the pump and to add detailing work.

The other custom plexi parts I had cut are the cover for the power supply compartment, and the I/O shield for the motherboard to hide the metal sockets. The I/O shield was made from three plexi pieces, which I glued together. I used a vinyl cutter to make the detailing work to match the MSI red PCB-style graphics, which I think really adds a unique style to the build."

I think Braithwaite is on point. Project Eris is a slick, small build with a bold personality that can hold its own against the bulkiest systems out there (seriously, the D-Frame cae is one sturdy chassis). Nice work, Adam.

Check out the Darwin PC projects page for more information on Project Eris and other builds.

Components:

Mobo: MSI Z170I Gaming Pro AC
GPU: MSI NVIDIA GTX 980Ti Gaming 6G
Chassis: In Win D-Frame Mini
CPU: Intel i5-6600K
RAM: 16 GB Corsair Vengeance LPX
PSU: Corsair HX750
SSD: Crucial MX200 M.2 250 GB
Cooling: Full EK Water Blocks water loop, Mayhems Havoc 240mm radiator, Mayhems X1 Red coolant
Misc: E22 Teleois custom sleeved cables

Mods:

- Full custom acrylic watercooling loop with Mayhems X1 red
- Custom laser cut motherboard tray with vinyl detailing
- Custom IO shield with vinyl detailing
- Custom PSU compartment cover with vinyl detailing
- Under motherboard RGB LED lighting
- Coldzero custom GTX 980 Ti backplate
- Custom cables featuring E22 Teleios sleeving
- Black painted thumb nuts for EK CPU water block
- Custom EK logo badge for CPU water block
- Black vinyl stickers for motherboard capacitors
- Red vinyl pin-striping on GTX 980 Ti PCB edge
- Black plexi WLAN card cover

Page 20 of 24
Page 20 of 24

This week we're taking a long, luxurious look at Project Eris, a custom build from Adam Braithwaite of modder collective Darwin PC. Project Eris a small but powerful mini ITX computer housed in an open frame. Braithwaite says everything in the project is custom, form the fully acrylic watercooling loop to the handmade cables. He described his process to me over email:

"For the theme, I wanted to get as close as possible to pure red and black, which meant anything that wasn't black or red would be removed, covered or painted. So the first mod I did for the build was a custom laser-cut motherboard tray. This black plexi piece was designed to cover the silver backplate of the case, as well as giving a good surface to mount the pump and to add detailing work.

The other custom plexi parts I had cut are the cover for the power supply compartment, and the I/O shield for the motherboard to hide the metal sockets. The I/O shield was made from three plexi pieces, which I glued together. I used a vinyl cutter to make the detailing work to match the MSI red PCB-style graphics, which I think really adds a unique style to the build."

I think Braithwaite is on point. Project Eris is a slick, small build with a bold personality that can hold its own against the bulkiest systems out there (seriously, the D-Frame cae is one sturdy chassis). Nice work, Adam.

Check out the Darwin PC projects page for more information on Project Eris and other builds.

Components:

Mobo: MSI Z170I Gaming Pro AC
GPU: MSI NVIDIA GTX 980Ti Gaming 6G
Chassis: In Win D-Frame Mini
CPU: Intel i5-6600K
RAM: 16 GB Corsair Vengeance LPX
PSU: Corsair HX750
SSD: Crucial MX200 M.2 250 GB
Cooling: Full EK Water Blocks water loop, Mayhems Havoc 240mm radiator, Mayhems X1 Red coolant
Misc: E22 Teleois custom sleeved cables

Mods:

- Full custom acrylic watercooling loop with Mayhems X1 red
- Custom laser cut motherboard tray with vinyl detailing
- Custom IO shield with vinyl detailing
- Custom PSU compartment cover with vinyl detailing
- Under motherboard RGB LED lighting
- Coldzero custom GTX 980 Ti backplate
- Custom cables featuring E22 Teleios sleeving
- Black painted thumb nuts for EK CPU water block
- Custom EK logo badge for CPU water block
- Black vinyl stickers for motherboard capacitors
- Red vinyl pin-striping on GTX 980 Ti PCB edge
- Black plexi WLAN card cover

Page 21 of 24
Page 21 of 24

This week we're taking a long, luxurious look at Project Eris, a custom build from Adam Braithwaite of modder collective Darwin PC. Project Eris a small but powerful mini ITX computer housed in an open frame. Braithwaite says everything in the project is custom, form the fully acrylic watercooling loop to the handmade cables. He described his process to me over email:

"For the theme, I wanted to get as close as possible to pure red and black, which meant anything that wasn't black or red would be removed, covered or painted. So the first mod I did for the build was a custom laser-cut motherboard tray. This black plexi piece was designed to cover the silver backplate of the case, as well as giving a good surface to mount the pump and to add detailing work.

The other custom plexi parts I had cut are the cover for the power supply compartment, and the I/O shield for the motherboard to hide the metal sockets. The I/O shield was made from three plexi pieces, which I glued together. I used a vinyl cutter to make the detailing work to match the MSI red PCB-style graphics, which I think really adds a unique style to the build."

I think Braithwaite is on point. Project Eris is a slick, small build with a bold personality that can hold its own against the bulkiest systems out there (seriously, the D-Frame cae is one sturdy chassis). Nice work, Adam.

Check out the Darwin PC projects page for more information on Project Eris and other builds.

Components:

Mobo: MSI Z170I Gaming Pro AC
GPU: MSI NVIDIA GTX 980Ti Gaming 6G
Chassis: In Win D-Frame Mini
CPU: Intel i5-6600K
RAM: 16 GB Corsair Vengeance LPX
PSU: Corsair HX750
SSD: Crucial MX200 M.2 250 GB
Cooling: Full EK Water Blocks water loop, Mayhems Havoc 240mm radiator, Mayhems X1 Red coolant
Misc: E22 Teleois custom sleeved cables

Mods:

- Full custom acrylic watercooling loop with Mayhems X1 red
- Custom laser cut motherboard tray with vinyl detailing
- Custom IO shield with vinyl detailing
- Custom PSU compartment cover with vinyl detailing
- Under motherboard RGB LED lighting
- Coldzero custom GTX 980 Ti backplate
- Custom cables featuring E22 Teleios sleeving
- Black painted thumb nuts for EK CPU water block
- Custom EK logo badge for CPU water block
- Black vinyl stickers for motherboard capacitors
- Red vinyl pin-striping on GTX 980 Ti PCB edge
- Black plexi WLAN card cover

Page 22 of 24
Page 22 of 24

This week we're taking a long, luxurious look at Project Eris, a custom build from Adam Braithwaite of modder collective Darwin PC. Project Eris a small but powerful mini ITX computer housed in an open frame. Braithwaite says everything in the project is custom, form the fully acrylic watercooling loop to the handmade cables. He described his process to me over email:

"For the theme, I wanted to get as close as possible to pure red and black, which meant anything that wasn't black or red would be removed, covered or painted. So the first mod I did for the build was a custom laser-cut motherboard tray. This black plexi piece was designed to cover the silver backplate of the case, as well as giving a good surface to mount the pump and to add detailing work.

The other custom plexi parts I had cut are the cover for the power supply compartment, and the I/O shield for the motherboard to hide the metal sockets. The I/O shield was made from three plexi pieces, which I glued together. I used a vinyl cutter to make the detailing work to match the MSI red PCB-style graphics, which I think really adds a unique style to the build."

I think Braithwaite is on point. Project Eris is a slick, small build with a bold personality that can hold its own against the bulkiest systems out there (seriously, the D-Frame cae is one sturdy chassis). Nice work, Adam.

Check out the Darwin PC projects page for more information on Project Eris and other builds.

Components:

Mobo: MSI Z170I Gaming Pro AC
GPU: MSI NVIDIA GTX 980Ti Gaming 6G
Chassis: In Win D-Frame Mini
CPU: Intel i5-6600K
RAM: 16 GB Corsair Vengeance LPX
PSU: Corsair HX750
SSD: Crucial MX200 M.2 250 GB
Cooling: Full EK Water Blocks water loop, Mayhems Havoc 240mm radiator, Mayhems X1 Red coolant
Misc: E22 Teleois custom sleeved cables

Mods:

- Full custom acrylic watercooling loop with Mayhems X1 red
- Custom laser cut motherboard tray with vinyl detailing
- Custom IO shield with vinyl detailing
- Custom PSU compartment cover with vinyl detailing
- Under motherboard RGB LED lighting
- Coldzero custom GTX 980 Ti backplate
- Custom cables featuring E22 Teleios sleeving
- Black painted thumb nuts for EK CPU water block
- Custom EK logo badge for CPU water block
- Black vinyl stickers for motherboard capacitors
- Red vinyl pin-striping on GTX 980 Ti PCB edge
- Black plexi WLAN card cover

Page 23 of 24
Page 23 of 24

This week we're taking a long, luxurious look at Project Eris, a custom build from Adam Braithwaite of modder collective Darwin PC. Project Eris a small but powerful mini ITX computer housed in an open frame. Braithwaite says everything in the project is custom, form the fully acrylic watercooling loop to the handmade cables. He described his process to me over email:

"For the theme, I wanted to get as close as possible to pure red and black, which meant anything that wasn't black or red would be removed, covered or painted. So the first mod I did for the build was a custom laser-cut motherboard tray. This black plexi piece was designed to cover the silver backplate of the case, as well as giving a good surface to mount the pump and to add detailing work.

The other custom plexi parts I had cut are the cover for the power supply compartment, and the I/O shield for the motherboard to hide the metal sockets. The I/O shield was made from three plexi pieces, which I glued together. I used a vinyl cutter to make the detailing work to match the MSI red PCB-style graphics, which I think really adds a unique style to the build."

I think Braithwaite is on point. Project Eris is a slick, small build with a bold personality that can hold its own against the bulkiest systems out there (seriously, the D-Frame cae is one sturdy chassis). Nice work, Adam.

Check out the Darwin PC projects page for more information on Project Eris and other builds.

Components:

Mobo: MSI Z170I Gaming Pro AC
GPU: MSI NVIDIA GTX 980Ti Gaming 6G
Chassis: In Win D-Frame Mini
CPU: Intel i5-6600K
RAM: 16 GB Corsair Vengeance LPX
PSU: Corsair HX750
SSD: Crucial MX200 M.2 250 GB
Cooling: Full EK Water Blocks water loop, Mayhems Havoc 240mm radiator, Mayhems X1 Red coolant
Misc: E22 Teleois custom sleeved cables

Mods:

- Full custom acrylic watercooling loop with Mayhems X1 red
- Custom laser cut motherboard tray with vinyl detailing
- Custom IO shield with vinyl detailing
- Custom PSU compartment cover with vinyl detailing
- Under motherboard RGB LED lighting
- Coldzero custom GTX 980 Ti backplate
- Custom cables featuring E22 Teleios sleeving
- Black painted thumb nuts for EK CPU water block
- Custom EK logo badge for CPU water block
- Black vinyl stickers for motherboard capacitors
- Red vinyl pin-striping on GTX 980 Ti PCB edge
- Black plexi WLAN card cover

Page 24 of 24
Page 24 of 24
James Davenport
James Davenport
Social Links Navigation

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. 

Read more
A gaming PC in the process of being built, using Radeon and Ryzen components and an Asus Pro Art PA401 PC case.
I build multiple gaming PCs a month and this is my favorite so far this year—here's what you'd need to build it yourself
 
 
A gaming PC in the process of being built, using Radeon and Ryzen components and an Asus Pro Art PA401 PC case.
Moody and wooden, this PC and I have a lot in common: Asus ProArt Case PA401, Ryzen 7 9800X3D and RX 9070 XT build
 
 
A custom DIY walnut wooden ITX PC case by MXC Builds
If anything were to convince me to try out carpentry it would be this gorgeous DIY mini walnut PC case housing an Asus ProArt RTX 5080
 
 
Arctic's Xtender PC case on a white desk with various parts being installed to build a functional gaming PC.
I build loads of gaming PCs and this is the first to make me regret my decisions with my own personal rig—here's what you need to build it yourself
 
 
Two PC cases on a yellow background with the PC Gamer recommends badge in the upper right corner.
The best PC cases in 2025: These are the chassis I'd use for my next gaming build
 
 
The terra on a blue cyber monday backgound
Fractal's Cyber Monday Mini-ITX PC case deal is the best way to build your Steam Machine lookalike
 
 
Latest in PC Cases
A PC case on a blue Cyber Monday background.
Add a touch of classy walnut to your gaming den with this spacious and flexible Lian Li case, for just $115 this Cyber Monday
 
 
A Hyte Y70 case on a blue Cyber Monday background.
The much coveted pastel colorways for the Hyte Y70 PC case are only $180 this Cyber Monday
 
 
A photo of the Thermal Grizzly Der8enchtable test platform next to its retail packaging
Thermal Grizzly Der8enchtable review
 
 
Thermaltake View 390 Air chassis on a desk. We're building a PC into it for testing and comparison with other PC cases.
Thermaltake View 390 Air review
 
 
A screenshot of Dbrand's companion cube Steam Machine case
Dbrand has teased a render of a Portal companion cube Steam Machine case, so you can... put a case around your case?
 
 
A promotional image of the SilverStone SST-FLP02 retro-styled PC case
The age of beige is back! SilverStone's new case is a glorious nod to PCs of the 1980s and 90s
 
 
Latest in Features
A creature with eye stalks and crab claws in Everything is Crab.
After 2 hours playing this Spore-inspired roguelike, I've evolved into the best possible animal: a giant cow that grows apples on its bottom
 
 
A warrior fighting a monster in Vindictus: Defying Fate.
Here are the top 20 most wishlisted games on Steam as we charge headfirst into 2026
 
 
close-ups of players in Arc Raiders shot in a war documentary style
The best weapon against getting downed by another player in Arc Raiders is actually psychological warfare
 
 
arc raiders
Some Arc Raiders players are angry over the $5 million Expedition goal, but I think they're missing the point
 
 
Starsand Island
Starsand Island is a warm, familiar farming sim hug that comes with all of the weird jank that seems to haunt 3D cosy games
 
 
Key art for Kingdom of Knight showing six characters from the game
Five new Steam games you probably missed (December 8, 2025)
 
 
  1. MSI and Asus gaming monitors on a green background with the PC Gamer recommended logo in the top right
    1
    Best gaming monitors in 2025: the pixel-perfect panels I'd buy myself
  2. 2
    The best fish tank PC case in 2025: I've tested heaps of stylish chassis but only a few have earned my recommendation
  3. 3
    Best gaming laptop 2025: I've tested the best laptops for gaming of this generation and here are the ones I recommend
  4. 4
    Best Hall effect keyboards in 2025: the fastest, most customizable keyboards for competitive gaming
  5. 5
    Best PCIe 5.0 SSD for gaming in 2025: the only Gen 5 drives I will allow in my PC
  1. A giant stone bust of a philosopher with glowing red eyes stares down at a glass-skinned skater.
    1
    Skate Story review
  2. 2
    Beyerdynamic DT 270 Pro review
  3. 3
    Sandisk WD Blue SN5100 NVMe SSD review
  4. 4
    Kingston Fury Renegade G5 8 TB NVMe SSD review
  5. 5
    Lexar NQ780 4 TB NVMe SSD review

PC Gamer is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google
  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...