IKONiK EDITiON:
 
I've wanted to do a special or limited edition build for a long time now. I felt that it would be fitting being that this build will be primarily high end hardware and exotic finishes. I recently finished up a new design for the Envious Mods logo which consists of an angled “EM.” The EM logo will be used in a couple minor places throughout the build. I will also be adding the, “IKONiK EDITiON” badge under the Be Quiet badge that is mounted on the front of the case. It's the little additions like these that really bring a build together.

 
 
Rear SSD Mount:
 
I more than likely won't be using the single, rear SSD mount but I wanted to do something to dress it up. I made a template for a cover piece and also placed the EM logo for Envious Mods. I intentionally made it small to help keep it within the design for the overall build.
 

 

rjohnson11
Very nice work on that.

Thanks you. I'm doing a little bit different building process on this one. Making most of the templates first and then I'll go cut out a large batch all at once. I think this process is more conducive to creativity VS stopping to cut each piece before moving on to the next. 

Excellent

 

 
EVGA Hardware Arrival:
 
The hardware from EVGA arrived at the shop today and I'm like a kid in a candy store. They sent me their Classified (known as Classy) lineup which will be integrated into the design. Below I've added a few unboxing photos so that you can see the gear first hand. As some of you know I've been a big proponent of EVGA products for a long time. My first deep dive into custom hardware was with EVGA so they will always hold a special place in my heart. Quickly after opening the boxes you can see and feel the quality that synonymous with their hardware. I haven't had a chance to dig into the PSU yet but, I wanted to post an update with the ones that I had finished. As previously mentioned I took quite a few photos of the entire unboxing process; I posted the main ones here but, soon I will post the rest of them via my social media and site. For those of you who love to see tons of product photos; they will be available soon.
 

 
 
EVGA Motherboard:
Starting off first we have the EVGA Z170 Classified K motherboard. It came unbelievably well packaged. Every heatsink was covered in a protective coating so that it would arrive perfectly to the user. A lot of time was spent on every detail of the design and it shows. I couldn't have picked a better motherboard for this build. It embodies the exact design cues that I'm putting into the IKONiK build.
 





 

EVGA GPU:
 
Next up we have the EVGA GTX 980ti Classified Edition GPUS. This too came very well packaged. Like the rest of the gear from EVGA; you can quickly tell the extremely high quality of the hardware. It came with two power adaptors and a vga adapter. The box was fully stocked with some swag from EVGA as well. This made me very happy as I am the type of person that loves this sort of stuff for the shop.
 

 

 

 

 

EVGA DDR4:
 
The EVGA Superclocked DDR4 is a perfect fit for this build. I will be doing some custom work to these as well as the other hardware sent from EVGA. Each piece will get some custom touches to put the Envious Mods style on it. In the past I've heard of a lot of people who wanted to use this ram on builds but, it was backordered at that time. I'm unsure if this is the case today but, I'm honored to get to use it in the IKONiK build.
 

 

 

Keeping It Classy:
 
The IKONiK build exudes modern design styling and reaches towards a classy sophistication. Classy is a term commonly used by enthusiasts to refer to the Classified Edition of EVGA's hardware. I felt it was important to tip my hat to this by custom designing a decal that says, “Keepin It Classy” on the cable shroud. This slogan fits the build well and will be recognized by enthusiasts everywhere. The font for this has to be perfect and I've tested out about 25 different variations. Below is a pic of the best fonts so far.
 

rjohnson11
Looking great so far.

Thank you very much!

Like the reverse mounted MB
 
I've cut acrylic under dripping cold water, lubricates and helps stop melting

+1  great progress!  looking awesome!

EVGATech_EddieH
+1  great progress!  looking awesome!

I appreciate it Eddie!

I'm liking every piece of work on this mod.

So how much is left to do on this mod?

EVGA DDR4 Mods:

I don't have all of the mods figured out for the EVGA Superclocked DDR4 but, I do know that I'll take all the labels and stickers off. They will be replaced with one's that I will design specifically for this build. Small details like this really work to bring the build together. I can't say this enough; the small details that 1 out of 10 people will even notice, makes all the difference.

The design for the new decals is being done right now and I'll update once finished. More than likely I will keep the heat-spreaders with a stock, black base and do some additional.custom paint work. I want to try and mix flat black with a high gloss black for accent or use a black that is a couple shades lighter.




Update: Rear Cable Shroud

Previously I showed the design and templates for the rear cable shrouds. Recently I went to the machine shop so that I could cut out these templates in stainless steel sheets. Stainless is typically pretty expensive and I was able to snag these from another shop at a discount because they had some superficial scratches and staining. I am going to completely refinish these panels anyway so the shape doesn't effect my process.

I will also coat all of the stainless in a heavy duty clear coat once finished. This will help to protect the finish and give it a little more of a shine. I show some of the before and after some simple refinishing. I did this to see how easily the stains and scratches would come out. Almost all of them came out after the Simple refinish; so they'll look perfect once I do the full job.




2 Weeks In The Woods:

Modding is more than a job or hobby for me and I put in 6-7 days a week with no time off unless I'm very, very sick. One time a year I take 2 weeks to go off in the woods and recharge my batteries. I take a few electronic devices so that I can do some design work after being inspired by nature. The majority of the time I don't get cell or Internet coverage; unless I climb a mountain. I might post a few design screenshots while I'm in the forest.

When I get back a lot of progress will be made rather quickly. I've rough cut a lot of the parts for the case so that I can sand and mock them up once I get back. The updates will be epic and I'll also give an update on the scratch built reservoir that some of you have been waiting for.


A Day of Cutting Materials:

I decided to wait until I have a decent amount to cut before I go to the machine shop to do any major cutting. Right now the machine shop and paint booth is about 2 miles away. Once the new Envious Mods HQ is finished it'll be on the same property. I have a bench grinder at my small shop so I could work on cleaning up the rough cuts. This will make it all come together quickly now that most of the tools and machines are setup. Below is added a pic of some of the pieces that were cut but, I'll save the rest until the next update.

Welcome Back!
 
New side panel ideas look really cool and Congrats on the new sponsor!
 
_Eddie

Envious Mods

EVGATech_EddieH
Welcome Back!
 
New side panel ideas look really cool and Congrats on the new sponsor!
_Eddie

Thanks Eddie. It's really good to be back and start up work on the IKONiK build again. I'm excited to see the new RD400 PCIE SSD. Soon I'll start modding the EVGA hardware to give it that IKONiK look.

Excellent!

I'm continuing to watch this mod. 

Update: OCZ SSD Cover EM (Envious Mods) Logo

I managed to finish the majority of the work on this EM logo. It was especially challenging because it is pretty small and hand cut out of super thin acrylic. Originally I had planned on waiting until me new bandsaw was setup but, I got too excited and cut it out using my trusty scroll saw. It took a while to file and sand it as well. It's almost completely done and ready for paint but, I might try out some new vinyl I special ordered that should be here any day now.





Update: OCZ RD400 NVM SSD Plate:

I've yet to see a modded RD400 SSD and I jumped at the chance to mod one. I wanted to show off the actual drive while making a custom cover for the rest of the SSD. Looking at the box the RD400 came in; I became inspired by the neat design on the front. I threw the box on my photocopier and made a template based off of it. I added that template to the covers template to see what it look liked and I was excited with the results.

There will be two pieces that will makeup the partial cover. The main piece surrounds the drive and will be what the designed piece is adhered to once painted. I cut the main plate and I made sure to take lots of pictures so you can get an idea of the process I typically take. I managed to rough cut the 1st two layers and I'm prepping to cut the 3rd layer which is even thinner than the other 2 layers.

Process of making the SSD panels:






Back Lighting EVGA Motherboard:

I've wanted to back light a motherboard for a couple years now. The main concerns I have are: It doesn't interfere with the PCB, low temperature, the LEDs are soft instead of bright. I decided the best route to go was with waterproof LEDs because they are coated with polyurethane. This assures that it doesn't mess with the PCB or cause shorts. I've also slightly lowered the input voltage which makes them run cooler and helps insure that they are not to bright.

I haven't decided how many strips to run. I'll have to do some further testing to see if one strip in the middle will work or will I need to run 3 strips; 1 across each edge. The reason for my hesitation on running 3 strips is the wiring involved. It's a lot to tuck behind a motherboard. Reguardless of the amount of work needed I'll always go with the best performance or look reguardless of the work involved.