Hardware on Aperture Zone

Watercooling, oops i did it again!

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

I emptied my Pea and treated myself to a second Corsair kit (actually, it was on sale and begged me to buy it). Unlike the first article I published, this case was not designed to accommodate water cooling at all. You'll see that you'll need to get out the angle grinder!

Here is the tower before modification. It's not in its prime, but it's functional. It's an Antec from the early 2010s.

Integrating a watercooler into an old LianLi box

Wed, 25 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

#For Christmas, I was given a CORSAIR water cooling kit. This isn't an advertisement; I just think it's good equipment. (Yes, Santa Claus does exist! Here's the proof!)

So here's the tower that will integrate the water cooling before modifications. It's a Lian Li case that's between 10 and 15 years old, but still very clean and functional.

There you go, I've made some space to work.

Raid controller replacement

Mon, 16 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Problem with my IBM ServeRaid M5015 controller. I found the same one second-hand on eBay for €30. So replacement will be seamless with a foreign config import.

Here's the beast. The fan on top is already custom-made because it was heating up a lot.

Removing the fan to reuse it.

Same for the battery.

Here is the replacement

QUADRO Revival

Sat, 14 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

I needed to install a graphics card for a machine intended for office use. I dug out this old Quadro from the grave, but what an unbearable noise it makes! The fan shaft has play, it rubs and squeaks like an animal in agony.

It's not in its prime, but it works…

Oh, there's a nice layer of crap inside…

A quick blast with a 3-bar air gun later…

Mod of an Nvme SSD

Fri, 13 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

I noticed by chance that my M2 SSD was getting really hot. I couldn't even leave my finger on it, so I took it apart.

Here's the baby.

Warranty void if removed… choose between the label or overheating? The choice is easy, we'll remove the label.

I cut a radiator to the right size from an old Pentium 3 radiator that was lying around.