Hey,
I'm working on building a compact, efficient, and budget-friendly home server to centralize my scattered data and host a few lightweight services.
Currently, my data is spread across multiple hard drives, and accessing it is a hassle. A while back, I set up a home server using an old netbook running Debian and a few Docker containers. It was a fun Linux learning experience, but not a long-term solution (its RAM can’t be expanded beyond 2 GB, and its CPU is too weak). So, I guess it’s time for an actual dedicated server machine!
Budget: Around €500, including storage (I’m in Europe, btw)
Requirements:
- Centralized storage for data, photos, and phone backups
- Run lightweight containers for web services like Immich, Paperless-ngx, Pi-hole, and custom services I’ve developed
- Occasionally download Linux ISOs (I use and delete them; the whole *arr stack would be overkill for my needs)
- No need for virtualization (so no Proxmox, TrueNAS, or Unraid); a plain Debian install with Docker should suffice (or maybe I could use OpenMediaVault)
- No closed OS: I’m not interested in Synology, QNAP, or similar. I want full control to install and customize my OS
Goals:
- Low power consumption: ≤10 watts idle without HDDs would be ideal (this is my number-one priority)
- Low noise
- Compact size: space is limited, so it needs to be small (I also don’t need a huge case for just a couple of drives)
Ideas:
- DIY Option (ASRock N100DC-ITX):
- CPU + Mobo: ASRock N100DC-ITX (~€138)
- RAM: Kingston ValueRAM 16GB 3200MHz DDR4 Non-ECC CL22 (€32.99)
- SSD (for OS and containers): Patriot P320 128GB NVMe PCIe Gen 3x4 (€15.99)
- PSU: LEICKE PSU 19V, 4.74A, 90W (€19.99)
- Case: Sharkoon QB ONE (€50)
- Total: ~€257
- Concerns: Will the 4-pin connector on the board be able to power two HDDs? ASRock includes a cable to power 2 HDDs in the package, so it should be fine, and I don’t plan on adding more drives
- DIY Option (ODROID H4+):
- CPU + Mobo: ODROID H4+ (€196)
- RAM: Crucial RAM 16GB 4800MHz DDR5 Non-ECC CL40 (€48.90)
- SSD (for OS and containers): Patriot P320 128GB NVMe PCIe Gen 3x4 (€15.99)
- PSU: LEICKE PSU 19V, 4.74A, 90W (€19.99)
- Case: ODROID H4+ Case Type 4 (€44.90)
- Accessories: 2x SATA data and power cables (€14.00)
- Total: ~€340
- Concerns: I’m unsure about reliability and updates, and with 2 HDDs, it’s out of my budget
- Prebuilt Option (AOOSTAR R1):
- Specs: N100, 16 GB RAM, 512 GB NVMe
- Total: ~€238
- Concerns: Power consumption might be higher than the ASRock and ODROID boards; I’m unsure about its reliability and updates; I've read that it can get noisy and heat up
Storage:
For storage, I’m planning to use two 4 TB HDDs (Seagate IronWolf, ~€120 each) in a mirrored configuration. I’m considering ZFS for its compression, deduplication, snapshots, and bit rot protection. However, I’m unsure if I really need RAID since I’ll perform regular backups.
Questions:
- Which of these options would you recommend?
- Are there better hardware options within my budget that meet my power/noise/size goals?
- Do you have other suggestions for hardware or software I might have overlooked?
Any advice or feedback would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks in advance :)
Just get a cheap old office PC from eBay or local market place for £50. Add your disks using ZFS (don't use raid as it basically doesn't work in modern systems). I'd be tempted to get one 4tb internal drive and one external usb to use as your backup drive.
I'd recommend to pay attention to power efficiency. If it's a random office PC with 80W idle, and OP is living in Europe and paying like 30ct per kWh, that means that computer is going to cost them an extra 200€ anually for the electricity.
And you don't think, office PCs pay attention to power consumption, given they are intended to run 8h a day?
My optiplex sff runs at about 10-15W in idle, and it's an i5 6500. The t variant in my elitedesk runs at 5W.
The random office PC with an older i7, no GPU, and two hard drives I was using idled at around 70W. So... it goes either way.
Edit: This was a "standard" ATX tower PC and reading your other comments it sounds like that isn't what you're referring to.