PROJECTS

Can a 20-year-old Athlon 64 X2 and Radeon HD 6570 handle 4K video? In Part 2, we explore the limits of H.264 hardware decoding through resolution, bitrate and multi-stream tests, then combine GPU and CPU decoding with optimized tile stitching to reconstruct full 4K video at real-time frame rates.

A collection of SLI and CrossFire systems spanning the evolution of multi-GPU computing — from Hybrid CrossFire and four-GPU CrossFireX to GeForce SLI and the later generations where multi-GPU scaling began to lose its meaning. These aren’t simply the fastest combinations of old graphics cards; they are period-matched enthusiast systems built around the idea that…

An experimental audio format that gives the compact disc a new role — carrying 24-bit / 44.1 kHz and 24-bit / 48 kHz audio alongside standard Red Book PCM, with lossless or near-lossless encoding. NAC1 keeps the physical ritual of CD playback: the disc can be read by a normal CD deck, while our own…

Turning Guardian from a network gateway into an active security layer — with DNS filtering, VLAN isolation, malicious-traffic detection and network-level content inspection. Legacy XP and Windows 7 PCs, smart-home devices and modern systems can coexist while Guardian controls who can talk to whom — and what traffic is allowed through.

What began as a small computer built around a Sound Blaster X-Fi Platinum Pro is growing into something much stranger: a complete modular audio system inspired by the hi-fi component stacks of the 1990s. With dedicated computers for the X-Fi, E-MU 0404 and CD drive, plus custom speakers, old PC hardware takes on an entirely…

A low-power Mini-ITX board, a Windows XP SSD and a Sound Blaster X-Fi Platinum Pro come together in an unconventional role: not as a conventional PC with a sound card, but as a dedicated digital audio appliance. By designing the computer around the X-Fi itself, the project turns early-2000s PC audio hardware into something Creative…

An old Core 2 Quad transformed into a dedicated Linux network gateway and server, with 10 GbE, dual 2.5 GbE and four Gigabit Ethernet ports. Guardian stands between the internet and the home network — and gives vulnerable legacy PCs a modern security layer.

A dedicated video server built to convert 4K H.265 sources into widely compatible H.264 streams, exploring how older hardware can still be useful when the workload is carefully chosen.

A €2,000–€3,000 universal disc player can look almost magical from the outside. A substantial metal chassis, a UHD Blu-ray mechanism, carefully designed audio circuitry, multiple digital outputs, network playback, and an appliance-like interface all working together in a single box. But underneath that polished exterior, the fundamental functions are not particularly mysterious. A computer can…

What happens when a high-end old DVD player, a professional analog capture card, and a modern GPU are combined into a video pipeline they were never designed for?