Uses for your old Computer or Laptop
I don’t know about you, but I enjoy finding new uses for my old computers and/or laptops. One of the best things when running a homelab is trying to use your old hardware for something else that it may have not been designed to do.
What can you use your old hardware for? You may be asking yourself. Here are a few examples.
File Server or a NAS
Plex Server / Media Server
Using as a router
Experiment with a lighter OS (Example Linux, BSD, Chrome OS Flex, Qubes OS and many more!)
Using as an Old-school gaming PC
Let’s break each one down!
File Server or a NAS. For those who may not know NAS is Network Attached Storage. We all have files we would like to share or have an extra copy of, and of course extra copies are not a backup. I like to use a cloud provider to send my important files too for safe keeping. Anyways, there are many File Server / NAS software that you can find online. Just to list a few, TrueNAS (Shown in Picture), OpenMediaVault, Unraid, and Rockstor to name a few.
Plex Server / Media Server. I have been running a Plex server for about four years now. It’s a great way to watch and listen to your media. If you are like me and have a lot of movies, TV shows and Music. Plex is a get way to enjoy all your content in one place. There are other options when it comes to a media server. There is Emby and Jellyfin which are the main two alternatives to Plex, but there are other less known ones as well.
A great use of an old computer that is not too old is using it as a router. I say not too old due to if you want to use features like intrusion detection and prevention. I ran Pfsense (shown in picture) for a few years myself. I still have a Pfsense virtual machine in front of my most important servers and services that I run. The only thing that you will have to do in this setup is to add an extra network card to the computer. Pfsense, OPNsense, and Untangle just to name a few will need two network ports to work.
One of my favorite things about having a homelab is testing all types of new and different software. From operating systems (OS) to even different office suites. However, out of all the different software that I have tried new and different OS is favorite. From the different types of Linux distributions that you can try. There are distros of Linux that can test your knowledge with security, to protect your security which Qubes OS (Pictured) aims for, and you can use a Linux distro to replace an old PowerPC mac OS. Berkeley Software Distribution or BSD is another OS that is based on Unix. The most recent PlayStation consoles you were using BSD!
This one is great, but make sure you have the room if you plan to have more than one. If you are into PC gaming much like me. I’m sure that you have a period when your favorite games were released. Say you dig out an old computer, but you find out that it was released within the same period as your favorite games. Yes, I know that computers today can play past games, but in some games, you must use software to drop the CPU down. Give that old computer a second life and play those old games on it. You may even like it!
Of course, this was just an overview of what you can use with your old computer as long you’re willing to put in the time and go though some trial and error. Just keep in mind that some computer systems for one reason or another are just going better of being sold to someone that is looking for that system. Which is better than being e-waste, however some can’t be saved from that outcome.