Are you planning on using it as a node and additional services (like Electrum server, Mempool, and others alike)?
I'm not going to do that. I think the CPU will be fine for that, but the disk space and RAM are too low. 
Topic: Cheap & silent mini PC for Bitcoin node & blockchain explorer? (Read 1934 times)
Both are "H" CPUs, I'd go for the "U" CPUs. They consume much less power, which is better for the "silent" part of this quest.
November 29, 2024, 06:43:51 PM
I wonder if the users that have commented this thread have moved one / purchased a more efficient node that they would like to share with us?
I recently bought a "disposable laptop", meant for my next vacation. It's cheap, old, light, fully encrypted, and doesn't have a fan. It barely gets warm, while the N5000 CPU is not disappointing. But the limitations are RAM (max 8 GB) and the disk format isn't very common so I don't know if it would accept 2 TB. It usually consumes 3-6W with the screen on.So I can only reiterate what I've said before: I like cheap old low power laptops. But memory is a limitation.
I've never seen a laptop with removable CPU. I do like to add as much RAM as possible though.
Than you never saw an (old) Lenovo Thinkpad laptop, it's built like a tank with military specs, and there are are several old models with removable CPU, for example t440p, t430, t420, etc 
I guess you could also replace whole motherboards with integrated cpu's for other models, but that takes much more time.
T440p is still good:
https://youtu.be/TyOketsMHWM
[1]https://frame.work/products/laptop13-diy-intel-ultra-1
November 29, 2024, 05:42:17 PM
Dell 3551 can upgrade . I WILL find a link.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/156033594175?
16gb
I7
512gb ssd
299 usd
You can upgrade to a 2tb nvme for 100-150
Dell has a manual that shows the upgrade.
I do not know the vender of that laptop
Here is a beast for 420
https://www.ebay.com/itm/296557869797?
32gb
I9
522gb ssd
420 price
Just add a 2tb nvme ssd
https://www.ebay.com/itm/156033594175?
16gb
I7
512gb ssd
299 usd
You can upgrade to a 2tb nvme for 100-150
Dell has a manual that shows the upgrade.
I do not know the vender of that laptop
Here is a beast for 420
https://www.ebay.com/itm/296557869797?
32gb
I9
522gb ssd
420 price
Just add a 2tb nvme ssd
November 29, 2024, 03:25:16 PM
I've never seen a laptop with removable CPU. I do like to add as much RAM as possible though.
Than you never saw an (old) Lenovo Thinkpad laptop, it's built like a tank with military specs, and there are are several old models with removable CPU, for example t440p, t430, t420, etc I guess you could also replace whole motherboards with integrated cpu's for other models, but that takes much more time.
T440p is still good:
https://youtu.be/TyOketsMHWM
November 29, 2024, 03:05:52 PM
You can't do much with Intel Pentium these days
It's faster than my (aging) daily 
Quote
but silence without fan is nice if components are not overheating.
It stays almost cold to the touch. A few watts is not a problem, just like the early days of computing 
Quote
I am all for old laptops but I am always looking for something that has removable CPU and RAM, so I can easily upgrade it if I want.
I've never seen a laptop with removable CPU. I do like to add as much RAM as possible though. November 29, 2024, 02:46:23 PM
I recently bought a "disposable laptop", meant for my next vacation. It's cheap, old, light, fully encrypted, and doesn't have a fan. It barely gets warm, while the N5000 CPU is not disappointing.
You can't do much with Intel Pentium these days, but silence without fan is nice if components are not overheating.I am all for old laptops but I am always looking for something that has removable CPU and RAM, so I can easily upgrade it if I want.
Using Linux OS with XFCE, LXDE or similar less demanding DE would also be a good idea.
November 29, 2024, 01:53:05 AM
I wonder if the users that have commented this thread have moved one / purchased a more efficient node that they would like to share with us?
I recently bought a "disposable laptop", meant for my next vacation. It's cheap, old, light, fully encrypted, and doesn't have a fan. It barely gets warm, while the N5000 CPU is not disappointing. But the limitations are RAM (max 8 GB) and the disk format isn't very common so I don't know if it would accept 2 TB. It usually consumes 3-6W with the screen on.So I can only reiterate what I've said before: I like cheap old low power laptops. But memory is a limitation.
November 28, 2024, 06:57:19 PM
Considering that almost 1 year has passed since the creation of this thread, I wonder if the users that have commented this thread have moved one / purchased a more efficient node that they would like to share with us? I'm still on the fence about ODROID considering that it seems a best of a machine to end up being used for running a node and a few other services related...
September 27, 2024, 12:22:41 PM
Just as an interesting comment to the exploding radios and pagers. They were able to be attacked BECAUSE they were old and secure.
They are manufactured even today and name of the company is publicly known as Gold Apollo that is based in Taiwan.Interesting fact is that m0ssad killers were doing this operation for 15 years, so it's not something new, and I can only imagine what they are doing with smartphones, computers and chips that are all coming from China/Taiwan.
We can have very silent PC nowadays until they stop being silent
Could have just given them all Galaxy Note 7. No need to add explosives :-)
Anything with lithium batteries is a ticking time bomb and fire hazard.Here is just one example:
https://youtu.be/LB5dsF440us
September 23, 2024, 06:23:14 AM
Just as an interesting comment to the exploding radios and pagers. They were able to be attacked BECAUSE they were old and secure.
ICOM the maker of the radios has not made the one model that was targeted for 10 years. Parts were scarce so it was easy to create fake parts, most likely battery packs, and sell them. Why, because you could not get them from the original source.
Same thing with pagers, there are no 'large name brand' companies making them anymore. Yeah, the sticker on it may say 'mega corp' but they are being made by some 3rd party under license.
Could have just given them all Galaxy Note 7. No need to add explosives :-)
-Dave
ICOM the maker of the radios has not made the one model that was targeted for 10 years. Parts were scarce so it was easy to create fake parts, most likely battery packs, and sell them. Why, because you could not get them from the original source.
Same thing with pagers, there are no 'large name brand' companies making them anymore. Yeah, the sticker on it may say 'mega corp' but they are being made by some 3rd party under license.
Could have just given them all Galaxy Note 7. No need to add explosives :-)
-Dave
September 20, 2024, 08:26:29 AM
I have a trust issue today. I can't trust my 14th gen i9 or RTX 4090, I believe that they have backdoors. That's why I prefer to use my very old computer as a cold wallet for Bitcoin. There is no guarantee that old hardware doesn't have issue but I believe I can trust it more because back then it was an innovation and development was the major motive for companies.
Luckily, you don't need an i9 to run a cold wallet. Even better, since a cold wallet will never go online, even if the hardware is compromised, it can't get online. That's why you use a cold wallet in the first place: to rule out all possible attack vectors.As long as your random generator isn't compromised. But you could use dice throws for that. Good luck compromising those.
September 20, 2024, 05:32:50 AM
How is that possible? I only know pagers from nurses and firefighters. Actually, I don't even know what the heck it is but as I read the information, it's a very old device and there is no place for it in 21th century when there are smartphones.
It's not just the problem with pagers, m0ssad infiltrated supply chains coming from all over the world, and more devices with batteries are now exploding, including phones and walkie talkies.And i thought Pegasus spyware is insane.
I have a trust issue today. I can't trust my 14th gen i9 or RTX 4090, I believe that they have backdoors.
Few people have been saying that since Intel introduce Intel ME (Management Engine) in 2008.
September 20, 2024, 05:17:07 AM
and used without even inspecting.
This kinda brings us back to the topic we're talking about: you can't inspect all hardware. Who's going to open a device and open it's lithium battery pack, to see if someone messed with the contents? There's only so much we can do.Did anyone watch this? How Pager Explosive Attack in Lebanon Happened?
I have a trust issue today. I can't trust my 14th gen i9 or RTX 4090, I believe that they have backdoors. That's why I prefer to use my very old computer as a cold wallet for Bitcoin. There is no guarantee that old hardware doesn't have issue but I believe I can trust it more because back then it was an innovation and development was the major motive for companies. Today, computers are very advanced compared to old times and the governments massively try to have a control on the population and news channels.
How is that possible? I only know pagers from nurses and firefighters. Actually, I don't even know what the heck it is but as I read the information, it's a very old device and there is no place for it in 21th century when there are smartphones.
It's not just the problem with pagers, m0ssad infiltrated supply chains coming from all over the world, and more devices with batteries are now exploding, including phones and walkie talkies. September 19, 2024, 01:31:09 PM
How is that possible? I only know pagers from nurses and firefighters. Actually, I don't even know what the heck it is but as I read the information, it's a very old device and there is no place for it in 21th century when there are smartphones.
It's not just the problem with pagers, m0ssad infiltrated supply chains coming from all over the world, and more devices with batteries are now exploding, including phones and walkie talkies.I am sure everyone saw videos before with electric cars and motorcycles exploding because of lithium batteries, so it's not that hard to imagine how they are performing this sinister terrorist attacks.
In fact you only need to put regular water in lithium battery to create fire or explosion, look at videos of firefighters unable to put down fires on electric vehicles for hours.
Lebanon was calling citizens to turn off electronic devices and internet access to prevent more explosions.
September 18, 2024, 07:30:38 AM
and used without even inspecting.
This kinda brings us back to the topic we're talking about: you can't inspect all hardware. Who's going to open a device and open it's lithium battery pack, to see if someone messed with the contents? There's only so much we can do. September 18, 2024, 06:45:39 AM
It's easy and effective to get faraday bags for laptops and phones.
I didn't know people are still use pagers in some countries, but apparently they can easily be turned into explosive devices.
Don't trust, verify rule should apprently be applied to hardware devices also.
At first I was like, what explosives is this man talking about but then I opened the TikTok (my bad, I know) and I couldn't believe my eyes. Is this for real? How is that possible? I only know pagers from nurses and firefighters. Actually, I don't even know what the heck it is but as I read the information, it's a very old device and there is no place for it in 21th century when there are smartphones.I didn't know people are still use pagers in some countries, but apparently they can easily be turned into explosive devices.
Don't trust, verify rule should apprently be applied to hardware devices also.
That's why I say that hardware shouldn't be trusted today. We might feel that if we airgap computer we are safe but now I'm afraid we aren't. How did those pagers got exploded? Were those pagers implanted with explosives? And then in the combination if lithium battery, they would explode significantly but it's strange that the Lebanese government received them and used without even inspecting.
September 18, 2024, 12:57:50 AM
I didn't know people are still use pagers in some countries, but apparently they can easily be turned into explosive devices.
I don't think it was "easy", and I don't think anyone is going to blow up my Bitcoin node, but it does show what a targeted attack can do. September 17, 2024, 05:18:40 PM
I visited OSWA.org and it's Oregon Small Woodlands Association website What you mean is OSHWA.org
Yeah, I made a mistake with missing letter H in OSHWA, and for the record I am not into Oregon Small Woodlands Association What you mean is OSHWA.orgWith software, I can use a checksum and know my version is the same. With hardware, I can't be sure. So all that's left for me is airgap devices, and by the time e-sims become mainstream I'll need a Faraday cage.
It's easy and effective to get faraday bags for laptops and phones.I didn't know people are still use pagers in some countries, but apparently they can easily be turned into explosive devices.
Don't trust, verify rule should apprently be applied to hardware devices also.
September 15, 2024, 02:55:28 AM
Who's going to check the inner workings of a processor, even if it's open source?
Not you and me certainly There are developers who are willing to do this, maybe coming from OSWA.org aka The Open Source Hardware Association.
September 14, 2024, 01:57:27 PM
There are some brand new laptops that are fully open source, but they are always available or they are not super fast.
Open source laptop? Seriously? Isn't ASML the only company that's capable to create a hardware that produces chips? Doesn't absolutely every CHIP manufacturing company use ASML? So, how it's possible to create an open-source hardware? Isn't this one of the hardest process? Financial-wise, it will be the most unprofitable business but otherwise, probably one in a million will be able to understand what's going on. The rest of users simply don't care.Some people feel open source is more secure
The majority of people use open-source because it's a popular approach. Too many users of open-source software have no idea what is the code, another majority hasn't checked the code, another majority isn't a skilled programmer and we depend on a very tiny part of people who actually check the code and do something.There are developers who are willing to do this, maybe coming from OSWA.org aka The Open Source Hardware Association.
I visited OSWA.org and it's Oregon Small Woodlands Association website What you mean is OSHWA.org Jump to: