Custom home server built from spare parts

A developer built a custom home server from spare parts, including a repurposed Zotac MAGNUS compact computer with an i5 processor and GTX 1070 GPU, to avoid paying for cloud storage and maintain privacy of family files and photos. The build required designing and 3D-printing an extension to house six hard drives with hot-swap capability, along with additional cooling and power management components sourced largely from spare parts and junk drawers. The project highlights the challenges of current hardware pricing driven by AI data center demand, which has made even hard drives expensive and difficult to source.