🖥️Planned
Home Server
Reusing my i5-9600K, its motherboard, and RAM after the PC upgrade, so the old parts go into a box for self-hosting and experiments.
[Add OS / services you plan to run]
East Texas · Home Lab & Build Log
Dakota Veitch
Learning home lab, PC building, self-hosting, and 3D printing one project at a time, and writing down everything I figure out along the way.
Now Building
In progress
This website + the upgrade plan
Right now I'm putting this site together and mapping out a slow, step-by-step PC upgrade. Every part I replace gets a second life in the home lab.
- Build a personal site / build log (you're looking at it)
- Swap in a 750W power supply
- Install an RTX 5070
- Move to AMD AM5 + DDR5, then turn the old parts into a home server
[Add a quick update on what you worked on this week]
Projects & Lab
⛏️Live
Family Minecraft Server
A free 24/7 Minecraft server for my friends and family, where Java players on PC and Bedrock players on phone or console (like PS5) all share one world.
Update, Oct 20, 2026: It's live! Grabbed a free 4-core, 24 GB ARM server on Oracle Cloud and set up the Family Server running Paper with Geyser + Floodgate, so Java and Bedrock players (PC, phone, PS5) share one world. It's whitelist-only, with automatic daily backups.
- Grab a free ARM server
- Install Paper with Geyser + Floodgate for Java + Bedrock crossplay
- Open the ports
- Set up a whitelist
- Daily backups
- Invite the family
🌐In progress
Personal Website
This site. Plain HTML and CSS for now, with the plan to self-host it later on the home server through a Cloudflare Tunnel.
🖨️In progress
3D Printing
Just getting started with 3D printing. Learning the ropes on my Bambu Lab X2D and planning prints for the home lab, like brackets, cable clips, and a custom case or two.
🎬Planning / fundraising
Family Plex Server
A shared Plex server so the family can stream our own DVDs and Blu-rays from their own homes. The build is a used mini PC, a 12 TB hard drive with an enclosure, and a 5-year Plex Pass. We're splitting the cost as a family.
Fundraising$0 of $850 raised
🔧Planned
PC Upgrade Log
Upgrading slowly, one piece at a time:
- Step 1750W power supplyPlanned
- Step 2RTX 5070Planned
- Step 3AMD AM5 CPU + motherboard + DDR5Planned
[Add current specs and before/after benchmarks]
Blog & Build Log
Placeholder drafts. These posts haven't been written yet.
Why I'm building a home lab
[Write about what got you into home labs and what you want to learn]
My slow-and-steady PC upgrade plan
[Explain the PSU → GPU → AM5 order and why]
Turning old PC parts into a server
[Plan for reusing the i5-9600K as a home server]
Gaming & YouTube
When I'm not tinkering, I'm gaming. Catch my channel:
[Add favorite games / what you post]
About Me
UPS driver by day, tinkerer by night, family man always. I'm teaching myself home lab, PC building, self-hosting, and 3D printing, and using this site to keep track of it.
Contact
Want to talk builds, servers, or Minecraft?