AML Custom: My Journey Through PC Modding and the Hardware Industry
My name is Richard Ord, although within the PC hardware and modding community many people will probably know me better through AML Custom.
What started as an interest in building and modifying PCs has taken me much further than I ever expected. Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to compete in modding competitions, represent the UK internationally, work with some of the biggest names in the PC industry, travel to events such as Computex in Taiwan and build friendships and relationships with people throughout the hardware community.
More recently, I’ve also started creating content for Overclocking.com, which has opened another chapter for me.
But to explain how I got here, it probably makes sense to go back to where it started.
From PC Building to PC Modding
My route into PC modding actually started with a Hackintosh.
I had built a system running macOS, but then I wanted to play DayZ, so I added a Windows partition to the machine.
That was really where everything started to change for me.
Once I had started changing the system, I wanted to do more with it.
The next step was watercooling. I became interested in the way a custom loop could change both the performance and the look of the PC.
What started with watercooling soon moved into case modding, and from there my builds became more ambitious.
That eventually became AML Custom.
Today, I use 3D printing, fabrication, painting and custom-made parts to bring each idea to life.
For me, the hardware is obviously important, but I don’t want to simply put expensive components into a case and call it a custom PC. I want the finished system to have its own identity.
Whether I’m working around a game, a character or a completely original idea, I want someone to look at the finished PC and immediately understand what I was trying to create.
Looking back, it’s strange to think that so much of this started because I built a Hackintosh and wanted to play DayZ.
But that Windows partition led to watercooling, watercooling led to case modding, and case modding eventually became AML Custom.
Competing in the Modding Community
Modding competitions have played an important part in my journey.
In 2018, I took part in the Thermaltake UK Modding Trophy, giving me the opportunity to compete alongside other talented builders and push my own work further.
I later represented the UK in the 2020 Thermaltake RAM MOD Invitational, competing alongside modders from around the world.
Then, in 2024, I was selected to take part in the Thermaltake CaseMOD Invitational, continuing my involvement in the international modding scene.
Being given the opportunity to represent the UK is something I am genuinely proud of.
I’ve also been fortunate to receive recognition for my work within the modding community, being named Best Modder for three consecutive years, 2024, 2025 and 2026.
Receiving that recognition once was something I was extremely pleased with, but to receive it three years in a row means a great deal to me.
Competitions push you in a different way from a normal project. You have deadlines, restrictions and the knowledge that your work will eventually sit alongside builds produced by some extremely talented people.
They pushed me to improve my work, experiment with different techniques and look more critically at what I was creating.
But some of the biggest things I have taken from competitions have had nothing to do with where I finished.
They introduced me to other modders from around the world and helped me build relationships within the hardware industry that have continued long after the competitions ended.
That’s one of the things I love about the modding community. Give the same case to ten different modders and you will probably end up with ten completely different machines.
Becoming Part of the Hardware Industry
As AML Custom developed, I also started working more closely with hardware manufacturers.
Over the years, I have been fortunate enough to work with and build relationships with people from a number of major PC hardware brands, including Thermaltake, MSI, InWin, TRYX, Cooler Master and Bitspower.
For me, that has become one of the most enjoyable parts of being involved in the industry.
From the outside, you see the company name and the logo. Once you spend time in the industry, you start getting to know the people behind those brands.
Some of the people I originally met because of a single build, competition or piece of hardware are now people I have known for years.
Those relationships have led to some brilliant opportunities, from collaborations and custom builds to discussing new ideas and products directly with manufacturers.
They have also allowed me to see another side of the PC hardware industry that most enthusiasts don’t always get to experience.
Computex
A major part of that journey has been Computex in Taipei.
For someone interested in PC hardware, Computex is a pretty incredible place to be.
There is new hardware everywhere — cases, cooling, motherboards, graphics cards, memory and products you may not see in Europe for months afterwards.
But for me, the products are only part of the reason I enjoy going.
Computex is really about the people.
It gives me the chance to meet face-to-face with people I may have been speaking to throughout the year, catch up with friends from different parts of the industry and meet companies that I may never otherwise have come across.
Some of the best opportunities can start with a completely unplanned conversation on a booth.
You start talking about a product, a build or an idea and sometimes that conversation turns into something much bigger later on.
I returned to Taipei for Computex 2026, this time combining those existing industry relationships with more media coverage and content.
For me, that was another natural step forward.
The Builds Are Still the Fun Part
Despite everything else that has happened, I am still a modder first.
Creating something is still the part I enjoy most.
One project that really shows the direction my themed builds have taken is my S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 inspired PC.
With a themed build like this, the challenge is making sure the design feels connected to the world it is based on rather than simply adding logos to a standard PC.
That means thinking about everything from colours and textures to custom graphics, weathering and the overall appearance of the finished system.
One of my other recent projects has been the Mortal Kombat themed PC created with MSI UK.
Mortal Kombat is such a recognisable franchise that there was plenty to work with creatively, but again, the challenge was making sure it felt like a genuine Mortal Kombat build rather than simply being a PC with a few logos added to it.
For this build, some of the custom work went much further than the PC itself, including creating elements inspired by the Mortal Kombat world and bringing those details into the overall design.
That’s an important distinction for me.
If I’m creating a themed system, I want that theme to influence the actual design of the machine.
Another project I’m now developing takes things in a completely different direction: WALL-E.
Using the Cooler Master QUBE 540 as the starting point, the project will make much greater use of 3D printing and custom-designed parts to transform the case.
Where possible, I also want to share some of the parts I create through Printables, giving other people the opportunity to use or adapt some of those designs themselves.
That’s one of the things that keeps modding interesting for me.
One build can be completely different from the next, requiring different materials, techniques and ways of solving problems.
Sometimes an idea works first time.
Sometimes several prototypes end up in the bin before you get there.
That’s all part of it.
From Modding to Media
More recently, another part of my journey has been becoming involved in the media side of the hardware industry.
I’ve already started contributing content to Overclocking.com, including coverage of the industry and events such as Computex.
For me, it feels like a natural progression.
I’m already speaking to manufacturers, attending events, looking at new hardware and using many of these products within my own projects.
Writing about those experiences gives me another way to share what I see.
I also think being a modder gives me a slightly different perspective.
I’m not only looking at a piece of hardware from the specifications on the box. I’m looking at it as somebody who actually builds with it, modifies systems around it and has spent years working within the enthusiast community.
The Next Step With Overclocking.com
I’m now going to be working more closely with Overclocking.com and helping to represent OCC in the UK.
I’m really looking forward to seeing where that relationship can go.
OCC already has a strong community and reputation in France, and I hope I can bring another perspective from the UK, along with my own experience within the modding and hardware industry.
The custom builds aren’t going anywhere.
But alongside them, you’ll also see more from me around hardware, events, manufacturers and the people that make this industry what it is.
I already have plenty of ideas for what comes next, and I’m looking forward to sharing more of them over the coming months.
For now, though, this is really just an introduction.
I’m Richard Ord from AML Custom.
I’m a PC modder and builder who still enjoys taking an idea and turning it into something real, even when I probably make the process far more complicated than it needs to be.
I’ve been fortunate enough to represent the UK in international modding competitions, receive recognition for my work three years in a row, work with some brilliant companies, travel halfway around the world because of PC hardware and make some very good friends along the way.
And now I get to bring some of that experience to Overclocking.com.
I’m looking forward to what comes next.
