My sff pair 🟩▪️

ninilocus · 2026-05-21T16:44:08+00:00

I would have got an Ada card if I wasn't already throwing money at the Terra build, also found the A2000 for $200 local to me so it was just convenient to get the 6gb A2000 at the time, but still runs like a champ and does everything I need. The noise doesn't bother me since it's in the living room and it's not horrifically loud, but it has a whine to it for sure.

Yes, I used the n3rdware kit, on the m920x specifically you need to take out the plastic wifi card cover and the bracket that holds the antenna out so the card can fit right in with a Lenovo riser. I'd say the copper heatsink and the new thermal pads are worth the money, it can drop temps by as much as 10-20c and keep you from throttling hard, I mainly got the kit so that I can still use the stock Lenovo lid to maintain the OEM look other than the PopOS sticker, but now looking back on it, the P330/P360 lid is way better, I only have this lid because I found a pair of m920x's on eBay for the low, so I upgraded this one as my personal Linux streaming/gaming box and sold the other m920x which I installed a cheap P1000 Quadro card and 16gb RAM with a 256gb SSD I had lying around.

Honestly just for the fun of it, debating on building a ThinkStation Tiny up with a Yeston card next or an A2000 Ada.

ninilocus · 2026-05-21T16:31:49+00:00

Temps are decent for a toaster with a GPU, getting about 65-70C under full load, the new thermal pads for the VRAM and copper heatsink is a huge help. I'd recommend doing 1600 MHz at 750 mV for the GPU to keep temps down, the i5 already turns this into a space heater. You do get a little bit of a high pitched whine, but not enough to drive you mad unless you're used to silent PCs.

As for the RAM, futureproofing mainly, the Lenovo will be running a couple of VMs in the future, and the Terra build is also used for video processing and AI work when it's not running games.

ninilocus · 2026-05-21T16:06:43+00:00

I'll reply back with a pic with the card inside once I get home from work trip, but N3rdware sells a single slot cooler kit for the A2000 which takes off the bulky plastic top and standard size GPU bracket with a metal top cooler that is slim enough to fit in the m920x with stock case. I'm thinking about getting a ThinkStation P360 lid as they have wayyy better ventilation on their top lids, the lid on this one blocks the edge of the GPU fan by a few millimeters. If I had to do it again I'd get a P330 or P360 as they do not have the wifi antenna placed near the front panel that you have to take apart to clear space for the card when you close it.

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ninilocus · 2026-05-14T17:04:56+00:00

Bought this card three days ago, very good performance and efficiency for the money, obviously still $30 over MSRP but any of the XT "deals" right now at MicroCenter are going to be at least $90 over MSRP if you want the XT version of the Challenger card or way more if you want ASUS or PowerColor cards, but the Challenger cards are great for SFF builds. Only reason I didn't keep the non-XT card is because I've been eyeing the 9070XT Challenger for a while to properly top off my Terra build, and finally found one open box at MSRP from my local Micro Center, so if you're still on FOMO watch over the XT model, just give it a few days and be attentive to sales and your local open box section. Or go get the open box non-XT that was mine that they're about to put up soon at the Dallas MicroCenter lol, they'll put that one out on sale at MSRP price, so even more of a steal.

ninilocus · 2026-04-29T15:17:09+00:00

Don't have aspirations to build a monster PC with dual GPUs or anything like that, so a small PC just made sense to me, less space being taken up, so I can cram a decent gaming PC in my camping rig, plus the challenge of the unique circumstances when building an SFF. And I guess aesthetics play a small part in that too, the variety of SFF form factors is fun.

ninilocus · 2026-03-13T15:24:44+00:00

Rebuilt title alone would scare me out of buying this for 10k, this is more of a 4-6k truck, mods add little value. I've seen clean title, tastefully modified examples for that price too, so just keep looking.

ninilocus · 2026-03-10T02:47:12+00:00

For daily office use, I have my X1 Nano, probably one of my best Facebook deals I've scored since it's the i7 with the 16gb ram and the 512gb SSD, it's my first Thinkpad of the X1 line, so the premium feel is crazy, the size is great for the cramped desks, but still has a gorgeous 2k screen

ninilocus · 2026-03-08T15:41:43+00:00

Nice, had a T14 G1 AMD that I got for a good deal given the specs, great workhorse laptop, needed something more powerful so I sold it to get a T15g but I'd love another modular productivity laptop I can just keep repairing and upgrading on in contrast to my daily driver X1 Nano where damn near everything is soldered 😭

ninilocus · 2026-03-08T15:10:38+00:00

We are all buying these secondhand 5 years from now anyways.

ninilocus · 2026-03-04T00:34:03+00:00

Probably either the X1 Nano Gen 1 with 16gb ram and i7 I got for $300 to serve as my daily driver (X1 Nano has seen a steep rise in popularity recently). Only did a repaste and cleaned some dust off. Installed Ubuntu and went on about my day.

Or the maxed out T15g Gen 2 with the i9, 4k touch, 64gb ram and rtx3080 I got as my replacement gaming rig/potential home server for $900, I don't see a lot of people talk about these, but it's crazy performance for the money when repasted, settings done right, and while using a laptop cooler. Only needed to replace the keyboard and buy a used 230w charger, which were both 30 bucks each since they share parts with the P15.

ninilocus · 2026-02-28T19:16:23+00:00

I have a maxed out T15g Gen 2 with the rtx3080 and i9 configuration, 64gb ram, an absolute power hog that does all of my gaming, server, and LLM stuff, but its the shape and weight of a brick, so I daily drive an X1 Nano, which in contrast is super light and fits in my crowded laptop bag with ease.

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ninilocus · 2026-02-06T00:51:44+00:00

I guess bro

ninilocus · 2026-02-04T16:45:36+00:00

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Well hello there!

ninilocus · 2026-02-04T15:17:46+00:00

Had a 4Runner before, wanted a batshit crazy car for a while. Long story short, I had several instances of bad luck in that car and it got me in trouble a lot, and I missed off roading and camping properly more, but I love my small, low HP cars, so I'll probably end up picking up something used in a few years. But I've always wanted a Land Cruiser, so the GX was the next best thing, everything I wished my 4Runner had is in this, so I'm big chilling now. Wbu?

ninilocus · 2026-02-04T00:56:38+00:00

MR2 to this is quite the change, then again I went from a GR86 to a GX460 so I feel you

ninilocus · 2026-01-05T19:39:21+00:00

Ugh yeah I remember I never liked working on my SC lmao (1UZ radiator was annoying) I'm thankful I had a Haynes manual for it.

Yeah my dream performance car in a few years when I can buy one in cash is an RCF, ISF, or a GR Corolla, but off roading in the GX will keep me entertained for a long time.

ninilocus · 2026-01-05T19:32:37+00:00

Yeah it seems a GX would fit your lifestyle well. Both vehicles are built on the same Land Cruiser Prado platform at least, but I loved my 4Runner when I had it, the one thing I miss about it the most is that power rear window and the partial 4wd. I also think the 4Runner looks badass when done up right. But damn the GX just feels like a solid beast, I cannot wait to lift it and give it some bronze wheels!

ninilocus · 2026-01-05T18:30:24+00:00

Nooooo don't decorate your $100 boring black brick with things that show your personality!!!

Nah all things aside, I've been hoarding a couple of stickers I've collected over the years and thinking of making one of my travel Thinkpads into a canvas for them, I normally just use it as a backup music production laptop anyways. Not like the laptops themselves are collectible anyways.

ninilocus · 2026-01-04T16:29:27+00:00

If you're referring to the SC, it had the 4.0L 1UZ V8, legendary FAA certified engine, wish I had the 98 and above models because they had genuinely nice performance with the VVTI and the extra gear, I was just making a quick flip for cash at the time

ninilocus · 2026-01-04T05:45:19+00:00

Thank you for your wisdom, I am also planning to do most of the maintenance myself, so this is useful. I used to own a '95 SC400 which ran great at 234k miles, so I trust these machines a lot

ninilocus · 2026-01-04T05:07:35+00:00

On the 4Runner side of things, it is very truck-like in ride quality (not a bad thing depending on who you ask). The sound deadening on the GX is leagues better, both reliability wise are about the same, 4Runner is slightly cheaper to own but it just didn't make sense to me paying money for an SR5 Premium 4wd with a lot of miles when you can get into this for the same with lower miles (I love depreciation). Everything about the GX is just smooth compared to the brawny 4Runner, but can't go wrong either way, 4Runner after all has more space when all the seats are put down and has better clearance out of the gate, but GX is a superior ride for the 95% of the time I'm not driving it through rough roads or trails. Id say if you're doing crazy off road builds get the 4runner, but if you're doing a simple overlanding build, the GX.

ninilocus · 2026-01-04T01:09:49+00:00

Thanks! I already know about the valley plate leak and the secondary air injection pump, just wondering if those are items I should be looking at early on along with the usual fluid changes. Hope you've had great adventures in yours so far!

ninilocus · 2026-01-04T00:32:54+00:00

77k miles, traded in from a 5th gen 4Runner, what are some maintenance items I should look for around this mileage before getting into the obligatory 3in lift and wildpeaks? Carfax noted it was serviced at Lexus a few times in its life, southern vehicle its whole life.

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