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outdated-hp-microserver-gets-a-new-brain-[hackaday]
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Outdated HP Microserver Gets a New Brain [Hackaday]

Megha Verma

View Article on Hackaday

An open top of a black PC case. Inside we can see an aluminum extruded mini PC case inside the 5" optical drive bay. A Samsung SSD sits along the back wall of the case and a flash drive sits between the front of the 3D printed "drive" and the actual mini PC.

What to do if you have a really cool old HP MicroServer that just can’t keep up with the demands of today? [jacksonliam] decided to restomod it by installing a mini PC into the drive bay.

The HP N54L MicroServer was still running, but its soldered CPU and non-standard motherboard made a simple upgrade impossible. Evaluating the different options, [jacksonliam] decided to save the case and PSU by transplanting an Intel Alder Lake mini PC into the drive bay with 3D printed brackets and heat set inserts.

Selecting a fanless “router” model to increase reliability, he was able to find an M.2 to mini-SAS adapter to attach the four drive cage to the NVME slot on the new PC. Power is supplied via the 12 V line on the ATX power supply and one of the mini PC’s Ethernet lines was broken out to a 3D printed PCI slot cover.

Looking for more ways to rejuvenate an old computer? How about putting a Mac mini inside an old iMac or a Raspberry Pi inside an Apple ][?