Skip to main content

Return of the floppy: Modder creates 128GB floppy disk. Why? Why not?

floppy disk 128gb bigfloppymod 1
Image used with permission by copyright holder
We all have that one friend who built their brand new gaming PC into an old beige case. They probably have some story about how weird the motherboard mounts were, or how they had to take a dremel to the I/O shield. That doesn’t hold an LED to what one modder, Dr Moddnstine, did to go above and beyond on the old case mod, which included creating a 128GB floppy drive out of an old SD card and floppy disk reader.

The build is an impressive case mod on its own. The original system is an IBM Aptiva from 1995, originally equipped with a 66MHz 486DX2. After upgrading, the case is the only original part left, and it’s also been heavily modified to accept a Micro ATX motherboard, Intel i7-6700K, and AMD Radeon R9 390. The real star of the show, however, is the massive floppy disk.

Recommended Videos

There are two parts to creating the 128GB floppy drive. The first is the disk itself, which only requires a little bit of modification. Cutting that extra space allows the SD card to tuck underneath the sliding metal door on the floppy disk, conveniently covering the exposed ports on the card itself.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

Once that’s taken care of, the next step is preparing the drive. This part of the process is more involved, and requires working knowledge of soldering and wiring connections. Dr Moddstine noticed that the reader attachment for the larger 5.25-inch floppy disk matched the spacing of the contacts on an SD card. This reader was chopped down and fitted into the floppy drive, along with a USB 3.0 adapter so the connection is modern enough for useful transfer speeds.

Ever seen a Floppy Disk with 118GB or more storage capacity?

It’s only one small part of a very involved build that involved cutting and welding a new backplate, but it’s definitely the part of the mod that sets Dr Moddnstine’s system apart from other case mods.

Creating your own 128GB floppy drive at home isn’t exactly a straightforward process, unless you’re already handy with a soldering iron. It’s still impressive though, and certainly the kind of LAN party trick that could turn some heads.

Brad Bourque
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Brad Bourque is a native Portlander, devout nerd, and craft beer enthusiast. He studied creative writing at Willamette…
I’ve been gaming on a 27-inch 4K OLED monitor for the past week, and it’s glorious
Path of Exile 2 running on an Asus gaming monitor.

A 27-inch 4K OLED gaming monitor is a big deal. Samsung just announced its own version, and we'll likely see more at CES. Based on what Asus has told me, I'm one of only a few reviewers who've been gaming on one of these new monitors for the past week or so. I’m talking about the Asus ROG Swift PG27UCDM, and the sharpness it brings is incredible to play on.

But before I continue gushing -- a caveat.

Read more
Samsung blew me away with its 3D gaming monitor prototype last year — now, it’s a real product
Lies of P on Samsung's glasses-free 3D gaming monitor at CES 2024.

Flash back almost exactly a year to the day. I was sitting in a half-built demo area playing on a Samsung prototype gaming monitor. The company had loaded up Lies of P -- one of my favorite games of last year -- and I was proceeding through a midgame Mad Clown Puppet mini-boss. It wasn't just standard gameplay, though. It was glasses-free 3D, and it worked well enough that I was able to play a game as difficult as Lies of P amid construction noise and blinding lights without breaking a sweat.

At CES 2025, Samsung is turning that prototype into a real product with the Odyssey 3D.

Read more
Samsung’s pair of new gaming monitors includes a 500Hz OLED
Fortnite running on the Samsung Odyssey OLED G6 at CES 2024.

If you thought CES 2025 wouldn't be exciting for OLED gaming monitors, you're wrong. Samsung is already setting the stage for the show with a pair of new OLED gaming monitors under its Odyssey brand, one of which takes the display tech to places it's never gone before with a blistering 500Hz refresh rate.

The Odyssey OLED G6 is a new 27-inch 1440p QD-OLED offering from Samsung that can reach 500Hz, which is a massive leap forward for OLED displays. Last year, we saw monitors like the Alienware 27 QD-OLED that could clear 360Hz at 1440p, as well as dual refresh rate displays like the LG UltraGear Dual Mode OLED that could reach 480Hz at 1080p. With Samsung's new display, you have can have your cake and eat it, too -- you get a full 1440p resolution and that insane 500Hz refresh rate.

Read more