Build of the week: YT-1300 Millennium Falcon

Every Monday, Build of the week highlights a unique rig from the web's most dedicated PC building communities. Send your own projects or those you find to James@pcgamer.com with "Build of the week" as the subject for a chance to be featured.

For the uninitiated, Star Wars is an obscure series of ‘science fiction’ films set in a galaxy far from our own and a long time ago. The most recognizable of the series’ icons are the small furry anthropomorphic bear creatures called Ewoks, and a lovable jokester fish man called Jar-Jar. But for those willing to whip out their space spectacles, today’s build of the week is a fairly deep cut that only real Star Wars fans will recognize.

Enter the YT-1300 Millenium Falcon rig, an ode to the strange-looking Star Wars vehicle, piloted by Han Solo and fur man Chewbacca. Modder Manuel Vega used the actual Hasbro toy as a chassis, forcing an impressive amount of power into such a ‘hunk of junk.’ (Only true Star Wars fans will get that quote.) Without much space to work with, Vega had to get creative. In the cockpit, a wire is actually run in plain sight, made to blend in with the cluttered aesthetic of the ship.

I’m into projects like this: simultaneously a tribute to pop culture while presenting a unique challenge. The space allowed is antithetical to convenience, requiring the modder to puzzle out how they’ll use the maximum amount of space without a massive compromise in power. I think another little known Star Wars character named Yoda said something to the effect once, “Do. Or do not. There is no try,” which was undoubtedly a nod to the modding community. In no other context does that quote make any sense.

The build seems like the perfect system to play Star Wars: Battlefront on when it comes out tomorrow. See more more pictures and read about the process in Vega’s Facebook photo album.

Nice work, Manuel!

YT-1300 Millennium Falcon components:

Chassis: Hasbro 2008 Legacy Collection Millennium Falcon
GPU: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 OC Mini-ITX
RAM: Corsair Vengeance low profile 8GB DDR3-1600
SSD: Sandisk 128GB
HDD: Seagate 3.5" Barracuda 2TB 7200rpm
Motherboard: Gigabyte H97N-WIFI
CPU: Intel core i7 4790 3.6 GHz
PSU: 1U Mini ITX 350W
Cooling: 80mm Cooler Master 2000 rpm exhaust fan, 90mm hydraumatic LED silent CPU cooler

YT-1300 Millennium Falcon components:

YT-1300 Millennium Falcon components:

YT-1300 Millennium Falcon components:

YT-1300 Millennium Falcon components:

YT-1300 Millennium Falcon components:

YT-1300 Millennium Falcon components:

YT-1300 Millennium Falcon components:

YT-1300 Millennium Falcon components:

YT-1300 Millennium Falcon components:

YT-1300 Millennium Falcon components:

YT-1300 Millennium Falcon components:

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.