With its analog dials, weathered paint, and striking blue and yellow color scheme, this superb Fallout gaming PC build really shows what you can do with your rig if you’re prepared to get your hands dirty, but preferably not with nuclear waste. It genuinely looks like it was built by Vault-Tec, and would certainly make a striking prop in the new Fallout TV show.
Thanks to our rapidly growing PC building Facebook page, we’ve seen many custom gaming PCs, from mods based on existing case designs to scratch PC builds. You can even submit yours for consideration right here Here, PC modder Jarno Kotavuopio takes us through the process of building this superb Fallout PC.
“I have always liked the Fallout world,” Kotavuopio tells us. “It’s full of interesting tech, it’s a great looking post-apocalyptic world, and I love the 1950s styling everywhere. I think you can make all kinds of cool looking custom PCs based on Fallout.”
All sorts of crafting techniques were employed to build this rig, including the use of a 3D printer, as well as both spray paint and good old-fashioned paintbrushes with acrylic paint. It’s a process that Kotavuopio says took two months, encompassing dozens of working hours.
The build is based on an old Cooler Master Stryker case, which really fits the theme with its angular roof. It’s also been modded within in an inch of its life, with Kotavuopio using a drill and angle grinder to add new elements to the design. These include a working analog Volt meter next to the main side panel window, which shows the voltage of the lights in the system.
Meanwhile, another analog dial on the other side panel shows the temperature outside the PC. The original power switch on the top of the case has also been replaced with a big red missile switch, which you flip up to reveal the toggle switch underneath.
Of course, one of the really striking elements of this mod is the blue and yellow color scheme. “Before painting the case, I used Photoshop to see how all the colors would look on the case,” says Kotavuopio.
“First, I painted the whole case with primer, then I applied the blue and yellow spray paint. When all that was painted, I started doing the weathering, because nothing looks new and shiny in a post-apocalyptic world. I then put a matte varnish over everything.”
There are loads of custom hardware elements in the mod as well, including the Vault-Tec branded graphics card and a custom Pip Boy surround for the CPU cooler’s pump unit. “I designed these parts with TinkerCAD,” Kotavuopio says, “using a Bambu Lab P1S 3D printer.”
Meanwhile, the Vault-Tec branded PSU cover was made from Plexiglas, and then painted and weathered by Kotavuopio. “I always first plan everything in my head,” says Kotavuopio when talking about the custom parts. “I made the parts first, and then tried out what they would look like on the case before installing them in place.”
You’ll also spot several Vault Boy pictures and posters on the inside and outside of the machine, and these didn’t require any high-tech trickery. Kotavuopio also tells us that the Vault Boy pictures were simply made with a normal paper printer, and then cut and weathered to make them look the part.
The setup doesn’t stop with the system either. Kotavuopio has also accompanied this Fallout PC with a matching Fallout keyboard and mouse. Naturally, these have also been painted and weathered, with extra 3D-printed Fallout parts added to the design.
The NOS C-450 Mini Pro RGB keyboard features new 3D-printed Esc and Shift buttons, as well as a Fallout logo on the Spacebar. We also love the Fallout countdown mousemat, which Kotavuopio designed and ordered from Aliexpress.
Fallout custom gaming PC specs
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D
- GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti
- PC case: Cooler Master Stryker
- Storage: 2TB Samsung 980 Pro
- Memory: 32GB Corsair Dominator DDR4 3600MHz
- Motherboard: Asus Prime X570 Pro
- PSU: Corsair SF750 Platinum
- CPU cooler: Corsair iCUE H100i Elite LCD
- Case fans: 2 x Corsair iCUE QL140 RGB, 4 x Corsair iCUE QL140 RGB.
“I am really satisfied with the end result,” Kotavuopio tells us, and I feel that’s an understatement. This Fallout gaming PC is among the best custom builds I’ve seen. It doesn’t need a fancy custom water-cooling loop to stand out when the painting, weathering, and 3D printing work is so strong.
It must feel great to hit that big red missile switch and start up the system in Kotavuopio’s own vault, which you can see above. You can see more of Jarno Kotavuopio’s work, including a great-looking sleeper PC build, on Instagram.
This post originally appeared on Custom PC, which has been covering amazing setups for over 20 years and is now part of PCGamesN. Join our 500k member Facebook group to discuss this build.