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!
I’ve been running my Aoostar R1 for over a year now, no issue at all. ~14W at idle with the 2HDD in standby. 32G RAM, a low power SK hynix Gold P31 1TB NVME. I’ve re-used the pair of 14TB HDDs from my WD NAS and recently got a pair of 12TB refurbished HDD for ca 240€ to use the old WD NAS as a backup.
I run Proxmox with a bunch of LXC containers (12 mostly) of which a pair of pi-hole, pair of VPN/hardened SSH, fileserver, home automation, Logitech media server, Jellyfin etc etc etc
The R1 is not that noisy, never crashed once, does not heat up and is powered through a 88.8Wh mini UPS.
Thank you! Yeah, the R1 is very tempting, but 14W with the HDDs spun down is a little higher than I’d ideally like. Still, it’s reassuring to hear that it’s been reliable for you.
By the way, can you tell me more about the mini UPS you mentioned? It sounds like a great addition, especially for providing backup power to both my router and the NAS.
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I’ve been running my Aoostar R1 for over a year now, no issue at all. ~14W at idle with the 2HDD in standby. 32G RAM, a low power SK hynix Gold P31 1TB NVME. I’ve re-used the pair of 14TB HDDs from my WD NAS and recently got a pair of 12TB refurbished HDD for ca 240€ to use the old WD NAS as a backup. I run Proxmox with a bunch of LXC containers (12 mostly) of which a pair of pi-hole, pair of VPN/hardened SSH, fileserver, home automation, Logitech media server, Jellyfin etc etc etc The R1 is not that noisy, never crashed once, does not heat up and is powered through a 88.8Wh mini UPS.
Thank you! Yeah, the R1 is very tempting, but 14W with the HDDs spun down is a little higher than I’d ideally like. Still, it’s reassuring to hear that it’s been reliable for you.
By the way, can you tell me more about the mini UPS you mentioned? It sounds like a great addition, especially for providing backup power to both my router and the NAS.
For the Aoostar I got the 19V version of “UPS Battery Backup, 24000 mAh Intelligent Compact UPS with High Security for Modem (19V)” from Amazon,
and got the exact same in 12V for my router/modem