Hello My Fellow DIYers!
It is hard to believe that it is over a year since I did an IT hardware post. Back then I was upgrading some memory on an older PC. Since then, that has now moved as a backup offline PC and I have bought some new hardware that can do some gaming too.
My laptop I bought where the hinge was faulty completly died and I had to scrap it. Not before first salvaging the hard drive which I will try today to install in my computer as a backup storage and also to add the memory to my daughters laptop. To get that laptop opened, first I needed a new precission screwdriver set as my existing set was too big.
I saw there are now some cool new electric ones, but I didn't buy one due to how little I would use it and wanting to reduce clutter around the house.
The PC looks very dull with the ordinary panel and I thought it was time to install a nice window where I can then see the insides of the PC. It also has some cool internal lighting which makes it even more cool.
I was putting this job off as I have a long list of DIY jobs and become overwhelmed and my procastination then increases dramatically. I was hoping it would be a nice simple job and am glad to see that it would be once I looked and got started, which is the hardest thing for any job.
I removed the protective sheets and it was ready to be installed. The first job is to remove the original panel.
To do that, it was just one screw holding everything in, but some cool designed clips and edges to slot everything in nice and tight. Using my new precision screwdriver, I removed the screw and the inside of the PC was laid bare for me.
I was visually very happy with what I saw. Everything neatly organised and plenty of air circulation. Cables fitting snuggly in where they should do and easy access to everything. This is my first time with a decent graphics card, and it takes up the most space and looks really cool.
It has been a while since I built a PC myself. Since then, there have been some developments in most of the tech and how they are assembled. Looking around I could see the RAM chips easily and no further expansion possibilities with all bays loaded.
I only have 2TB of hard disk space and this is where I would like to do my next upgrade. But I needed to see where I could put it. Previously I would install a SATA or SSD drive, but that tech is old and too slow now. Now I need to install NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express) memory connected using the PCIe to connect to the new SSD form hard drives. Some are long, some are short, some are 3.0 and some use 4.0 and you can get various speeds and it depends on your motherboard where the RAM is routed from what I have picked up as I am no expert.
Here I think is the first M.2 SSD drive installed with some cooling. I read on my motherboard it was close to the CPU and this looked like the place.
On the other side of the graphics card I think I spotted the second slot and I decided to grab a spare M.2 SSD card that I took from my broken Lenovo and was using as an external drive to test it.
Hard to believe this is a HD these days, just a small micro-chip. And the speed is much improved from those first drives we used back in the day. I saw the connections matched and lined up and slotted it in. The next thing to do was to test if it was working.
I gave it a reboot but couldnt see anything showing, so I don't know if there is an issue with the drive or I need to install some software to format it for use. I at least know I have the slot ready for when I can upgrade the hard drive and can use this one as an external drive and trouble shoot why it doesn't work.
It looks like it fits nicely and I even found a screw to hold it tightly in place there. I can't think why it wouldnt be recognised or if the drive is broken.
After playing around with the hard drive upgrade and checking the port and motherboard specifications, it was time to put the glass case on and it fitted quite snuggly in. I had to give it a strong thump in 2 places to hold it in and make it level with the rest of the case.
Finally, I put the screw back on in place and it was fully assembled again and ready to run! It was great to take a peak inside and see the motherboard, slots and how clean it was, so that I can be prepared for future cleaning and maintenance tasks.
Thanks for reading/watching.
Credits:
All photos are my own.
Let's connect : mypathtofire
Sometimes the M2 slots share the same bus as the graphics card so if you have a newer card it may not allow you to use that slot. I have three or four slots on my desktop but I can only use one or two of them because my GPU takes up most of the lane. Those are some nice upgrades though!
Thanks , thats true. I have 4 apparently, but 2 are used by the GPU so I have 2 free. What software do you use for hard drive formatting/segmentation?
I just usually use disk management built into windows.
Hard to believe too, I think in 5 to 10 years, the computer system has been one of the fastest developed in the tech world. Imagine how small it looks and compare with what we use to have back in the day.
It looks neatly done
Thanks! It was a nice little job. Its amazing how fast things are moving, I am really excited that things could get even smaller and faster! Exciting times!
I moved from an ssd 0.500 MB/s (old pc) to an m.2 7000 MB/s (new pc) and the difference I noticed is a lot
The reasons why the ssd is not recognized could be different such as you should check that the port is enabled by the bios.
I found this article about your issue, it is in intalian but you can translate it and it might help you
https://it.easeus.com/data-recovery-solution/m2-non-riconosciuto.html
!discovery 30
It is a massive difference and I am happy to be at the faster speeds. Thanks for the tip, I will double check the port is enabled in the bios. I find the disk management in Windows not so great.
Wow man, your PC upgrade looks awesome. I love how you made the build look cool with the glass panel and lighting. It’s great to see someone enjoy the DIY process so much.
Thanks, I only installed the glass panel, the rest was pre-built. I bought the PC 6 months or so ago..
It's a very powerful setup you have man.... Super super awesome 😍
Thanks, it is a nice upgrade.
Oh my god
This guy is just awesome, whether it is cooking or cycling or gardening or writing a movie overview or painting or anything.... This guy is up.
That's a good work there Steve. Good job 👏
Thanks man. I try to mix it up a bit! Thanks for the pick!
Nice job. I am looking at getting back into building PCs to mine Monero. I have already found some good case designs that I can 3D print for micro or mini ATX motherboards. But then again, you can get some really good deals on mini gaming pcs on eBay, lol. I might save the tinkering to the rest of the infrastructure like the solar and such, lol. The 3D printers also give me a good bit of tinkering around, so I can get my fix with those, lol.
Thanks man. Are you still mining the Monero? Need to get myself a little bag for when SHTF!
The solar and 3D printing sounds pretty interesting, the tech is getting easier to do more by yourself all the time.
Yeah, I have an old Macbook pro running Monero 24 hours and the Macbook M1 mining when I am not using it. I have an old tower that was my old GPU rig, but I need to do some work to it but have been lazy. Actually I need a CMOS battery I believe. Anyway, I am planning on adding more mining PCs to the farm as I earn some more from the 3D printing. I need 3 new printers first though, lol. I am considering doing an investment thing either using NFTs or a token sale or something for some good start up capital for the printing business.
Sounds cool. Gotta keep the freedom tech going! Did you try https://kuno.anne.media/ for maybe a fund raiser?
Thank you! I have been looking for that site and couldn't remember what it was called. I will definitely look into that for sure.
Nice! you like to build ;)
Thanks, I do, but I like it nice and simple, preferably with instructions! LOL
Hehe me 2, I gave up on this computer I bought it instead, because usually built all mine before :) Have a nice weekend :))
Makes sense! Have a good weekend too!
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