Interview with Ismael, founder of killR_MODZ
Brian Ngo: “Hey Ismael, your build turned out way beyond what I imagined it could be, tell us more about your build and how you came up with the inspiration to create it?”
Ismael Justiniano AKA killR_MODZ: “This build is the evolution of a test bench I designed 4 years ago. I saw something during that time that I thought I could improve or make better. And the IndominAORUS Bench is the end result.”
“IndominAORUS measures roughly 510mm deep, 325mm tall, and 510mm wide. It comprises aluminum extrusions, acrylic, HDPE, and supporting fasteners. It hosts DDC pump integrated reservoir/distro’s on each side panel and separate distro channels on the motherboard tray. The motherboard tray also hosts 50mm flow meters cut from mirrored acrylic.”
“IndominAORUS is able to hold a multitude of radiators due the flexibility of aluminum extrusions. There is also a bracket on the back to secure any size ATX psu. It has been designed to universally mount the PSU whether it’s fan up or fan down. Last, there are the GPU support shafts when mounting your preference of GPU(s). I’m very proud of this piece due to where it came from and to what it now has become. I tried my best to blur the line of aesthetics and functionality into a single piece of modern art. I do hope everyone enjoys the results!”
Brian Ngo: “So we’ve seen your amazing work ,but tell us more about yourself and how you got into doing these amazing projects with so much attention to detail?”
Ismael Justiniano AKA killR_MODZ: “My name is Ismael Justiniano, better known in the modding community as killR_MODZ. Yes, the name is font case specific. My background is an artist, Marine veteran and multiple roles I’ve held in the IT industry. I’ve been in the modding scene since 2016 and that was the year I fell down the rabbit hole. It started off with a pc refresh using a Gigabyte Z170n ITX motherboard, 980 Ti GPU, and a 6700K. Threw in some water cooling stuff to keep things cool. Great little machine for that time and even now.
“This is also when I fell in love with water cooling, distribution blocks and reservoirs. Anything acrylic and dealing with water cooling was right up my alley. But I didn’t know how to make them… design them: yes, making them: no. Thus began my secondary journey into the world of CNC and machining. The two people I will always hold dear to me are Brian Moench and Damon Bailey, because if it wasn’t for either of them I literally wouldn’t be here. Brian introduced me to Damon, where Damon gave me guidance and led me on the right path to learning and understanding CNC and machining.”
“So once I got my hands on a CNC, I started off with GPU braces, then into custom reservoirs and scratch build cases. 4 years later, here we are. It’s been one hell of a journey that had its ups and downs, all of which were learning lessons about me, life, and the industry as a whole. I can’t exclaim enough how excited I am about being in this industry and community. I have been able to meet or associate with some amazing humans. And as my journey continues, I hope to be able to bring more epicness to this culture and continue to meet amazing people from around the world!
