Hardware

12
Nov
How to Build a Silent Homelab: A Guide to Fans, Racks, and Acoustic Treatment

How to Build a Silent Homelab: A Guide to Fans, Racks, and Acoustic Treatment

You finally get your hands on that beautiful, "new-to-you" Dell R720 or an old enterprise switch,
7 min read
06
Aug
A VRAM quantisization chart, showing tiers starting from 8gb through to 24gb and what you can run.

Best GPU for Local LLMs (2026): VRAM Tier List & Buyer's Guide

Don't overpay for AI hardware. Discover the best GPUs for local LLM inference based on VRAM-per-dollar, from used RTX 3090s to the new RTX 5090 endgame.
25 min read
22
Apr
A picture of Core Lab Custom Server/NAS while being built, on a floor beside oragizer bin, with drive cables hanging out and side, top panels removed.

The "Core Lab" Monster: My 80+TB DIY NAS Build (2026)

Forget off-the-shelf simplicity. Explore the architecture of a 17-drive, 80TB+ DIY NAS. From enterprise SAS hardware to ZFS pool optimization, this is the blueprint for a "forever" server built for maximum data density and local ownership.
18 min read
22
Apr
Closeup of a brand new motherboard, black, labelled MSI and is in fact, an MSI X570 Pro-A motherboard.

Best Homelab Hardware Guide (2026): Servers, Mini-PCs, CPUs & Parts

Construct your Digital Fortress. From silent N100 "Gatehouse" nodes to massive "Command Center" storage servers, this is the battle-tested hardware we trust to hold the line in 2026.
24 min read