Upgrade to SSD

Still OEM manufacturers are shipping new decent spec laptops with hard drive drives instead of solid state ones.
Upgraded this new laptop and the performance is vastly improved.

WiFi not working

This laptop could not connect to any WiFi networks. Opened it up and replaced WiFi adaptor and it worked. Had to source a WiFi adaptor with only one antenna which is unusual as they usually have two.

2009 i7 860 system

This very old i7 860 system had a overheating CPU and all case fans had seized so the system was overheating. It had cross firing GPUs something that isn’t so common anymore.


With the system been so old we recommended a new computer which the client agreed. New system had a i5 10th gen, 16GB RAM and 500GB NVMe SSD. Client opted to wait for the 3000 series RTX graphics card.

Netgear XS716T switch fan replacement

Client required a 10Gbe switch for fast networking between NAS and servers. However it was going to be used in a SOHO environment where noise levels were an issue.
The standard fans in the XS716T are loud! At idle they only run at 20% so are acceptable but when you start adding load the fans increase.
The solution was to replace the stock fans with two ‘Noctua NF-A4x20 PWM’ fans that are a direct replacement. Link: https://amzn.to/3pxZ1a2

While these fans fitted and at first all seemed well. Noise levels were inaudible and switch temperatures were late 30s (centigrade). However this changed when it was mounted in a rack and had 10 of the 16 ports populated with mainly 10Gbe devices.
The temperature peaked at 71c. While the switch can handle that temperature we thought it best to see if we could improve it but adding a couple of extra fans.
Space was a issue but we managed to mount two more ‘Noctua NF-A4x20 PWM’ near the PCB. Unfortunately this is the only place internally we could get them to fit.

Wiring was a bit of a issue as there was a lot to squeeze in with two Y cables as well however it all fitted ok.
With the extra two fans the temperatures now hold at around 60c even with load and in a warm room. Noise levels are also perfectly acceptable.

MSI gaming laptop

This laptop had both hinges snapped so the screen and laptop were separated. To repair we had to remove all components and install them in a new base, including the keyboard and touch pad.
A long job but it went well and was fully repaired.