IT'S DONE! - $200 Home Lab Challenge: Part 2

[@GavAttackO]

That segue to the Squarespace ad was magnificent. I didn't even expect it.

[@HardwareHaven]

I was slightly surprised that they approved it.. lol

[@BlockEye]

@@HardwareHaven it was more clean then LTT segway

[@TribbleBot]

@@BlockEye Anything's cleaner than his segues

[@josueprz]

I thought it was a joke and when @hardwarehaven kept taking I was oh damn this is real

[@Blekmo]

I was laughing so loud the whole family thought I was high on something 😂

[@arivaldarivald3212]

Next time you wash electronics, try rinsing it in alcohol immediately after washing. Alcohol will quickly dissolve and rinse all water. Then you need to dry just the alcohol, which is much faster.

[@HardwareHaven]

That was originally the plan, but I ran out of IPA and needed to wait for it to come in haha. Probably should've waited though. Thanks for the advice!

[@rysterstech]

it also works well for removing thermal paste

[@ytxzw]

Holy f, is this even a good idea to clean electronics with water? I mean, the corrosion etc.. I also have some disgusting equipment to be cleaned so that is why I'm asking... (As always great material @HardwareHaven)

[@TheSlyMouse]

​@@ytxzwyes completely safe especially with distilled water. And if it's not distilled, as long as you don't let the water sit for a while it's very fine.

[@Qban220]

@@TheSlyMouse It's Very wrong. Distilled water and rinsing in IPA alcohol only! Tap water will start oxidising and corrosion process even after short exposure. Your device will fail sooner or later.

[@HGKaya]

I washed many many mainboards, usually just with isopropyl alcohol, but this was the first time ive seen someone washing a power supply in the kitchen sink.

[@HardwareHaven]

There's a first time for everything lol The good news is that it works and doesn't smell at all anymore, so I say its a win

[@Frank-Thoresen]

Adrian's Digital Basement even used his dish washer machine 😄

[@Michael-OBrien]

der8bauer used to use the dishwasher to remove all the petroleum jelly after sub-zero OCing

[@guiorgy]

I've done that 😅 The PSU still works

[@RaidOwl]

Man at least yours doubles as an end table...mine just exists to stub my toe on

[@HardwareHaven]

Bro.. it ways like 60lbs, not even joking. It's such a pain to move around

[@BenReese]

28:50 - Soldering power cables directly to the motherboard... Byte My Bits would be proud lol. Overall, I love it though! Really no more janky than a lot of our home labs and the price was fantastic!!

[@ggorg0]

That squarespace ad was completely unexpected! Smart!

[@HardwareHaven]

Glad you appreciated it 😂

[@giklab]

If you ever repeat something like this, you might want to consider a negative, a positive, and a neutral wheel. You then both spin one or two each at the beginning, so it avoids any last-minute upsets.

[@PhxVigo]

I love putting it all in the end table. It's a shame you didn't have the time/budget to make the blade idea work. That would have been worth so many cool points. Or at least putting everything in the bottom part so you could still use it as a table... I thoroughly enjoyed watching. Thanks so much!

[@HardwareHaven]

Yeah, but I would've had to get extensions for all the power cables and such. It also would take away a lot of options when it came to PCIe cards... Still would've looked sick though haha

[@TheQuickSilver101]

This series was a blast. I love seeing creativity under the constraints of a tight budget. Thanks!

[@tomdillan]

5.25 Blu-ray drive can be used for movie backup.

[@RusRus72]

it looks premium, might be good for blu ray disk burning archive.

[@garrettchurch6036]

This series is awesome! Hope you do it again soon. One thing I think would be cool for the next one, is maybe do wheel spin(s) up front and possibly have some of the options effect both of you if they're super drastic. But even if you did it exactly the same, I'd definitely tune in! This is so good! I've been watching both you and Raid Owl through these. Keep up the quality content!

[@electronicstv5884]

My Proxmox-Server is also running on an i7-6700 and works really well for over a year now. It draws around 24W (one 3.5" HDD, one 2.5" HDD, 1 SATA SSD, one NVMe). Love this setup

[@otter-pro]

I really like this build. Gives me a lots of ideas for my own DIY home lab.

[@jugger18]

That was a most likely a "vintage" record player stand. The bottom vertical dividers would have been the vinyl storage

[@HardwareHaven]

That makes a ton of sense. I like it even more now!

[@ExtinctionOfTruth]

next time you wash electronics with soap and water use dish washer detergent like you put in the dish washer, it has chemicals in it to stop the metal from corroding after washing

[@HardwareHaven]

Thanks for the tip!

[@haxwithaxe]

I'm enjoying this series so much I've let KZbin auto play it two more times without skipping 😊

[@coreymartin9630]

Absolutely love the idea of using an old end table as a 'rack,' saves a lot of money and gives an old table a new purpose

[@alex13902]

I have so much love for the cupholder!!! I have a load of old DVD drives so I am absolutely adding that to my desk!

[@PenguinWithaGun32]

PLEASE make this a series that would be amazing.

[@theWSt]

That's a super cool challenge, very entertaining, thx guys! The only sub-challenge, that I didn't enjoy, was the case (BYOC). No one would do that, it's just an unconfortable hurdle, a waste of time and money. The first thing, that came to my mind, when I saw the spinning wheel, was a 3D-printed case, that's basically not very different from a typical case, just for the sake of the challenge. That was unnecessary, but the rest was awesome! 😃

[@HardwareHaven]

What's funny is that was the one I was most excited to get once we added it lol. Yeah it doesn't make sense, but I had a lot more fun because of it

[@theWSt]

That's great! It would be sad if you had the same opinion as me. 😉

[@notkukkaa]

Tears in my eye when you picked up that Elitedesk, I have two of those basically running my entire homelab

[@randyriegel8553]

I've washed many motherboards, circuit boards, etc. with water. One company I used to work at was a factory environment. You couldn't believe how many time clocks got stuff spilt on them while powered up by plant employees. First thing I'd so was replace it with a working spare. Then take it back into the office and use kitchen sink to scrub the circuit board with a tooth brush. Mainly I just cleaned all the corrosion from the spills off the board. Let it dry for few days and 99% of time they would be back to life. I had to explain to lots of people that said "you can't get water on electronics"... I had to explain the water doesn't hurt circuit boards by itself.... the mixture of water and being plugged into power does.

[@Caplonky5]

Best ad transition I have ever seen, top notch video too!

[@SpoonHurler]

The Thermaltake V21 Core was my first completely new build... It's an awesome case

[@HardwareHaven]

Yeah I'm excited to take a look at it at some point!

[@andreacaproni9305]

I loved this challenge, the solution for the BYOC is fantastic, only one thing: the server in the top part will get covered by dust very soon, it would have been better to put it under, near the ups, and dig some holes in the wooden "backplate"... But hey, time and moneys were limited, you did it very well! Highest moment of the channel is the dvd drive for a cup holder 😂

[@RolieKloeOlie]

The honeybutter biscuit is back!

[@astrocactus3910]

$300 home lab challenge….

[@AdHdEntertainmentLLC]

just finished Bretts video cant wait for the finale Tonight

[@HardwareHaven]

It's gonna be fun I imagine!

[@samiul16]

Best homelab and setup. I wish I could find this sort of deal in my region but it's not even close 😢 Keep uploading these homelab vids in different price segments it's really fun to watch and learn ❤

[@PatalJunior]

You gotta look for those deals, I got a Proliant G8 with 2 x 6 core xeon E2620 and 64GB RAM & 2 caddys & 2 1.2TB 10K RPM HDD for 140$. I would say it's quite a good deal, especialy where I live, but it's always those obscure listings (pixelated images & barely any description)

[@exoticlol]

being bored and seeing new hardware haven upload is perfect

[@bleakwar]

I know right? Especially while at work.

[@HardwareHaven]

Don't get fired. lol

[@meccu19]

Most interesting homelab ideo which I have seen about homeland for a while, thank you

[@DisTurbedSimulations]

Really enjoyed this series

[@milescarter7803]

If you want to mount a PCB to some wood, try this: "PCB Board Mounting Feet with Screws, White L Shape". The kit you got was for sheet metal.

[@trevorromney3589]

The ODD cup holder made me facepalm in the best way possible 🤣

[@siddharthchordiya]

My heart would be so so happy if I would be in your place and build that for 200 bucks. That's a great home lab I would consider, one thing to crib is the BYOC option that you got in the last otherwise it would be so organized and clean build.

[@Tom_Azin]

Nice work! I loved watching this challenge! I really hope you come up with something similar in the near future. Maybe do your own version of the "hairpin challenge" and trade up from that DVD/cup holder to a tiny 1L PC that you could use for a home lab PC :)

[@FunRegarderFilms]

Loved the challenge. Made me realize that even those who know more than me are still making little mistakes. I feel better now! ;)

[@siddharthchordiya]

The Thermaltake Case can make a great build. Hoping for a video with the case

[@therick0996]

I think I'd you do this again, do all the wheelspins up front, since they can affect everything else

[@kazoobab.l2836]

I am from Uganda and I love this guy

[@hypofan]

Metric nuts work as a backplate for Intel cpu coolers. I found this out when I was assembling a system for testing from spare parts.

[@orsonjgmail]

I would love to see another challenge. My idea to mix it up would be to have a base goal the same as you did this time, but instead of wheel spins you have bonus goals similar to some of your wheel spins that if you meet them then you get extra budget. For example using ZFS gets you an extra $10 budget.

[@Backstage_Politician]

Buddy, I've seen you use m.2 key adapters in some of your videos, and looked all over and can't find where you've already done this video... Can you do a budget tb3/usb4 eGPU ? Built the poor man's way. This would be a ADT link/oculink 16x pcie to m.2 key (36-49$), frankensteined into a 40gbps m.2 nvme enclosure $80, and usb4 cord ($15) and you have an egpu. The idea of having the enclosure is for people who don't have an extra m.2 port, but you can do both! Please!? I think this idea is right up your alley.

[@nikolaskallias8162]

yes hardware haven is a godsend now

[@weisstdudochnicht1]

Entertaining and hopefully you do another series in the future. I would love to see that you are doing the challenge together, e.g. best possible power efficient Proxmox Server for max 300$ For BYOC: 2x IKEA Lack tables mounted together make a great 19 rack

[@MrDonGrinch]

I love the end result. Thanks for doing it.

[@flippantb]

This is rad, truly goes to show how far bargain hunting can get you. It needs a cover. I propose a cardboard box with vent holes. Bonus points for HOMELAB written in crayon on it.

[@oscarcharliezulu]

I am more into this than I am watching the Bachelor or Survivor.

[@eveypea]

You included the gas for the 4 hour trip, but not the meal from the drive thru?! I joke. This was awesome to watch and reminded me of the janky days of computer markets

[@markaphillips14]

I have built and upgraded my home lab in this exact same way. Fb marketplace and Craigslist finds until I needed more computer and more drives. Only recently have purchased new equipment for my set up.

[@sirsainted]

Is it really a challenge unless you use you $200 home lab as your only home lab for an entire year?

[@HardwareHaven]

Oof... lol

[@JamieStuff]

I have that same HP Elitedesk 800 G3 SFF, with the i7-6700 in it. It was my Unraid server for a while, and worked flawlessly. The only reason it was replaced was I wanted to have all my drives inside the case.

[@crimsonkarma13]

41:33 it is a bit janky, but i personally love the jank that saying should be on a shirt

[@nerdyneighbor]

That ad spot was next level!

[@MindBlowerWTF]

I got the same chassis HP PC, but I got 7th gen mb in it, some cheap SSD and 4tb drive. 7100 and 16gb of RAM, so not a lot of cores, but I don't need them (I think). I set it up, but I kinda jumped the shark and did not make it properly headless, so I gotta redo it, but have yet to find the time (this is all new for me, so not a quick process)

[@Monarchias]

10:49 "...and aayyy liderkoola"!

[@plexnbrown760]

PVC is my go to when I combine Jank with no cases

[@geckoram6286]

The sqarespace ad was the smoothest ad I've ever seen, I laughed so hard

[@Chukijay]

I would heavily suggest doing away with the surprise element next go-around. Just set a budget and maybe some minor constraints, like has to be local, or online-only. This time seemed to be a lot of wasted effort due to the wheel spins, although it was all entertaining

[@TheNessquest]

the only real use for that 5.25 drive😂

[@intheprettypink]

That dude literally sold you his e-waste. Good job cleaning it and getting it working, but holy cow that was bad.

[@ScrattleGG]

Oh my... maybe put in a disclaimer when opening up a PSU. If someone copies this and don't know what NOT to touch inside a power supply they're gone for or at least in for a nasty shock. Those big tank capacitors are dangerous and can easily store a few hundred volts for quite long. Yes modern hardware have drain resistors but you never know with something old like this.

[@christiankinyon2112]

I’m thinking of building something similar but don’t know what version of truenas to get. Should I do scale or core.

[@darsparx]

That core v21 I have one of those and if it has all its bits is a great nas case imo. Esp since it comes with 2 3.5 bays and like 3 2.5 bays. Wish it was a bit more compact but it's a really nice case imo with all that fan space ❤😂

[@markkoops2611]

Sitting at the bios is the worst case scenario for power usage, no power management features are in use because the assumption is ax stability while setting low level config

[@Cam.Klingon]

your end table, actually appears to be a record table

[@ranjitsinha9145]

Bro did you calculate the gas cost delivering the parts 😅😂 Either way nice build ❤

[@N1T3MAN1969]

I'd love to see you guys buying a used chrome box and set it up as a cheap server.

[@TribbleBot]

Week 1-3: flip systems and parts for $$$ Week 4: build killer homelab

[@HardwareHaven]

I mean.. kinda haha

[@AdHdEntertainmentLLC]

i would take that Thermal take case. makes a nice hacker box

[@HardwareHaven]

I imagine I'll try to do something cool with it at some point

[@christyyardleysibi3519]

I am thinking of building my own nas with raid 6 config but i dont know how much cores/threads, ram is need. Can u give me a suggestion for what cpu, motherboard, ram should i use or what should be my baseline. It would be a great help. Nice videos by the way i like ur homelab related content. Hope u become more successful in future.

[@YoutubeHandlesSuckBalls]

I'm on a similar path, just got an 8 core 16 thread Xeon, 16GB RAM on a M-ATX motherboard for £60. Got a 2.5Gb NIC for £17, going to use a PSU and (very) old GPU I have lying around, 3D print a case, get a NVME drive to boot from (£25) then fit a whole bunch of 1TB drives I have lying around. The biggest cost will be the 16 port SATA interface (£67). A cheap cooler for under £20 and I'll have a reasonable setup for under £200.

[@deyeatdapoopoo7582]

Changing out that system was kind of a miss. The i7-6700 is more efficient at idle but loses out big time under full load and Skylake is only a bit more efficient than Broadwell. We are only talking about a 1 generation newer CPU (5th vs 6th Gen) on the same 14nm node. As far as the system itself, it is a massive downgrade. It's smaller but the platform is way more limited in upgrade and expandability options. If you would've scored a similar system but with an i7-8700 instead then that would've been worthwhile but the 6700 is only a Quad-Core and just 1 gen newer than the 2660v4.

[@LMojzis]

Why would you immediately shut off the systems when power is lost, even if it was gracefully? What is the point of the UPS then?

[@coolraul07]

Where are you located? Catching a lot of sweet deals in your area!

[@HardwareHaven]

Oklahoma lol. And yeah, there can be some good deals if you're patient. If this was a week-long challenge it might've been a much different story haha

[@coolraul07]

Cool. I have absolutely no idea why, but before this challenge I had placed you in Illinois.

[@HardwareHaven]

I use America/Chicago as my timezone a lot lol. Maybe that’s why

[@HappyfoxBiz]

I'll give you 45c and a stick of gum for the DVD drive

[@simonsonjh]

Put all those components INSIDE the cabinet. Run TrueNAS on a USB drive, and use all 4 SATA ports for a 4-drive pool.

[@HardwareHaven]

Yeah that would’ve worked, but I ran out of time once I made my mistake

[@Space_Reptile]

i like the wheel, but it needs to be balanced for multiple spins, having to sell your entire system or changing architecture entirely on short notice is terrible

[@Blue_Doge]

23:00 wait can some actually smart people tell me why this didn't immediatlly fry all the components? it is because it wasn't powerd???

[@New9-dq3tk]

what do you use for the remote desktop that is moon and sun something !!

[@dukeseb]

I like this series... keep it going

[@rynax009]

trying build a nas, casually washed everything in tap water

[@alanjrobertson]

Great series although the BYOC was a shame, the Thermaltake case would have been decent rather than the slightly weird old wooden side table 😂

[@melaniezette886]

Bonus is a Latin word, in French we say a bonus or boni when there are multiple bonus😉

[@HardwareHaven]

Dang it! Haha thanks for the correction

[@julienp-r7574]

FIY > Bonus in french is Bonus. Only the U is pronounced differently. In french that's the symbol for the sound: [y]

[@anothersiguy]

Damn that ad segue was smooth what

[@HardwareHaven]

Sometimes the stars just align, lol

[@MADBONE0]

22:22 SCREAMS OF HORROR 😦😮😦😮😦😮😦😦😮😦😦

[@justnormi]

Amazing series !!

[@MasterJediSean]

Couldn't you configure your drive pool as a JBOD array? making use of all drives in your array., or are you going for redundancy?

[@HardwareHaven]

Redundancy is typically a requirement in my book. At least a mirrored drive for anything somewhat important

[@coleredacted6425]

Never knew you could use water on it

[@ksukat87]

Did you have to account for the cost of consumables (like the alcohol) for the challenge?

[@HardwareHaven]

I would imagine alcohol falls under the tools category, which doesn’t count towards the budget

[@milescarter7803]

Lol, you both have Skylake at this point. Xeon E3/6700. You are way ahead on the RAM though.

[@macphile]

You probably could have signed that DVD drive and sold it to one of us… 😉

[@Spoolingturbo6]

still confused on why the 2 systems 🤷‍♂ seems like a lot of power draw money you could put towards other/better items

[@0x-001]

For someone new to home servers/labs and keen on learning about cloud technology, Docker, and containers while running 1-3 VMs, what type of mini PC would you recommend?. I'm not aiming for gaming or Plex usage, just exploring and experimenting with these technologies. Any recommendations?

[@HardwareHaven]

Basically whatever you can get for a good price. Anything better than Intel 4th hen is probably good enough for you. The more VMs you want to run the more RAM you’ll need. Same goes with storage. My best advice is to get something cheap and available and just get started. Once you start learning you can have a better idea of what hardware you need for what you want to do.

[@0x-001]

@@HardwareHaven i bought this: TRIGKEY Mini PC Ryzen 7 5800H

[@MayankJairaj]

this makes me wanna google the youtubers in my city lol

[@nickm9102]

I know you didn't bother with it because of time but I think it would have been better if your top system would have been on one of the divider panels below. then the table top would have been functional.

[@fordonmekochgalenskaper5665]

Seems like I'm the only one that still use 5,25 drives 🙂 but use bluray for ripping movies.

[@chrisperrywv]

Dude- we do not have deals like that I San Antonio.

[@Alex-Storm]

I wish that BYOC thing wasn't an option, otherwise pretty interesting challenge