A custom PC builder working under the name Old-Mate-Fetus has assembled an open-frame gaming machine built around copper plumbing and dark hardwood, according to images and comments shared with the hardware community. The build pairs an AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D processor with an AMD RX 9070 XT graphics card. Its most unusual element is a coolant reservoir fashioned from an old Primus blowtorch, which has been fitted with a sight gauge so the liquid level can be checked.
The cooling system is entirely custom and relies on copper pipes, elbow joints, and welds rather than flexible tubing. Those pipes wind through the chassis and supply an Alphacool GPU block and a Heatkiller IV CPU block, while also routing coolant through a large radiator mounted at the top of the frame. The result is a loop whose plumbing doubles as the build's primary visual feature.
Old-Mate-Fetus also handmade the base and backing frame that holds the machine, using a dark hardwood with an antique finish and brass screws. The Corsair 850W SFX power supply does not appear in the photographs, suggesting it has been tucked inside the wooden base. The builder stated that the cables running from the power supply to the various components were custom-made as well.
Commenters drew a comparison between the project and the work of Billet Labs, and the London-based copper pipe welder behind the build agreed with that assessment. The builder, whose machine uses AMD components throughout, accepted the compliment warmly. Community members also joked that the finished system might amount to the ultimate Steam Machine.
The build reflects a continuing interest among hobbyists in one-off enclosures that treat cooling hardware as decoration rather than something to be concealed. By combining repurposed tools, hand-formed metalwork, and antique-finished wood, the project sits in the steampunk tradition while running current-generation AMD parts. No pricing, availability, or production plans were mentioned.
More hardware news from TechManNews.







