The written version of my shorts — PC builds and repairs, a home lab put together from free hardware, and studying for my Network+.https://brendanpcs.com/en-ushttps://brendanpcs.com/blog/my-free-storage-server/https://brendanpcs.com/blog/my-free-storage-server/These hold 24 hard drives each and go for about $500 on eBay. One for Plex and Jellyfin, one for a NAS.Tue, 14 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMThomelabhardwarehttps://brendanpcs.com/blog/my-free-network-switch/https://brendanpcs.com/blog/my-free-network-switch/A switch out of a trash pile at my college. No password, default VLANs, and it does indeed work.Sat, 11 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMTnetworkinghomelabhttps://brendanpcs.com/blog/installing-linux-on-my-8-year-old-laptop/https://brendanpcs.com/blog/installing-linux-on-my-8-year-old-laptop/Linux Mint on a laptop that hadn’t been turned on in six years. First time running Linux.Fri, 15 Aug 2025 00:00:00 GMTlinuxhttps://brendanpcs.com/blog/adding-an-ssd-to-my-2017-home-server/https://brendanpcs.com/blog/adding-an-ssd-to-my-2017-home-server/A 500 gig PNY SSD going into the 2017 server. The mounting screws don’t fit, so it just sits there.Thu, 14 Aug 2025 00:00:00 GMThomelabhardwarehttps://brendanpcs.com/blog/look-what-i-brought-home/https://brendanpcs.com/blog/look-what-i-brought-home/Two 24 bay drive bays from work. Each one fits 24 three and a half inch hard drives.Wed, 13 Aug 2025 00:00:00 GMThomelabhardwarehttps://brendanpcs.com/blog/inside-my-2017-home-server/https://brendanpcs.com/blog/inside-my-2017-home-server/7th gen i5, 16 gigs of RAM, a 500 gig NVMe, and an EVGA 1050. Plus one hard drive we don’t talk about.Tue, 12 Aug 2025 00:00:00 GMThomelabhardwarehttps://brendanpcs.com/blog/the-new-gpt-5-is-way-better/https://brendanpcs.com/blog/the-new-gpt-5-is-way-better/It sounds way more natural, the speed is insane, and it routes your prompt to a specialized submodel.Mon, 11 Aug 2025 00:00:00 GMTaihttps://brendanpcs.com/blog/unboxing-my-new-mic-hollyland-lark-m2/https://brendanpcs.com/blog/unboxing-my-new-mic-hollyland-lark-m2/A lapel mic with 40 hours of battery life, which is kind of crazy for something this small. I paid $115.Sun, 10 Aug 2025 00:00:00 GMTgearhttps://brendanpcs.com/blog/built-this-pc-to-flip-for-profit/https://brendanpcs.com/blog/built-this-pc-to-flip-for-profit/A $600 gaming PC I’m not keeping. Ryzen 5500, RX 5600 XT, 16 gigs of RAM. What could I sell it for?Fri, 08 Aug 2025 00:00:00 GMTbuildshardwarehttps://brendanpcs.com/blog/dont-upgrade-your-pc-this-way/https://brendanpcs.com/blog/dont-upgrade-your-pc-this-way/A $1,200 motherboard in a $600 PC. Performance isn’t about one flashy component, it’s about balance.Wed, 06 Aug 2025 00:00:00 GMTbuildshardwarehttps://brendanpcs.com/blog/fixing-my-brothers-gaming-pc/https://brendanpcs.com/blog/fixing-my-brothers-gaming-pc/It had been overheating, so we pulled the cooler and reapplied thermal paste. Pretty simple fix.Tue, 05 Aug 2025 00:00:00 GMTbuildscoolinghttps://brendanpcs.com/blog/setting-up-a-modded-minecraft-server/https://brendanpcs.com/blog/setting-up-a-modded-minecraft-server/Can I make a modded Minecraft server in under 5 minutes? It took 3 hours. I am mildly upset.Mon, 04 Aug 2025 00:00:00 GMThomelabminecrafthttps://brendanpcs.com/blog/finishing-up-my-brothers-pc/https://brendanpcs.com/blog/finishing-up-my-brothers-pc/Rebuilt my brother’s PC after a case swap. 7900X, MSI 3060, 64 gigs of RAM. Moment of truth.Sun, 03 Aug 2025 00:00:00 GMTbuildshardware