u/run_staticnode

Hey r/homelab,

Got tired of my ThinkCentre and drive stack sitting on the carpet in a nest of cables. I picked up a steel locker to clean up the mess, but since I'm mostly a software guy, taking a Dremel to sheet metal was a bit out of my comfort zone.

Quick Specs & Mods:

• Lenovo ThinkCentre SFF (i5-7400, 8GB RAM) + 2x 4TB HDDs
• Mounted two 5V USB exhaust fans over custom cutouts
• Cheap VGA dummy plug for headless Ubuntu remote desktop

Thermal Stress Test (stress-ng):

• Before (Carpet): Spiked to 70°C under full load
• After (Locker): Maxed out at 59°C under 100% stress (idles ~40°C with a Plex stream running)

Turns out active airflow in a steel box actually beats leaving it on the floor, who'da thought..

I made a quick 3-minute video covering the build, thermal testing, and metal cutting if anyone's interested in checking it out: https://youtu.be/vExY1y0PBt4