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)
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
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!
Yes! I watched that video, and that solution would be almost perfect. However, an all-flash NAS is out of my budget, a single 4TB SSD (even a cheaper one) costs about the same as two HDDs :(
The best way to meet your low power requirement, which you listed as the most important, is by having flash storage. The other half of this is that used hardware is going to be worse at power management than an SBC too. It may be worth doing the math to see how long the power draw difference will take to even out the cost of using flash storage instead of magnetic storage.
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Yes! I watched that video, and that solution would be almost perfect. However, an all-flash NAS is out of my budget, a single 4TB SSD (even a cheaper one) costs about the same as two HDDs :(
Ah I get it.
Anyway low consumption kind of mandates that kind of flash build IMO.
Isn’t there any way you could stagger buying those SSD? Like you buy them one by one only on sales or refurbished hardware.
You could also maybe attempt a raid5 only with only 3 disks until you could buy a fourth one?
Anyway good luck!
The best way to meet your low power requirement, which you listed as the most important, is by having flash storage. The other half of this is that used hardware is going to be worse at power management than an SBC too. It may be worth doing the math to see how long the power draw difference will take to even out the cost of using flash storage instead of magnetic storage.
The other part of this is that you could just grab a 2.5" hard drive and split the difference on price/GB. https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/xCKhP6/seagate-barracuda-5tb-25-5400rpm-internal-hard-drive-st5000lm000 start with two, and if you run out of space, or obtain more money, add two more from a different brand.