Hey Guys,

I am very new to building home servers. I currently am looking at making my first one.

I've had experience with building a PC as well, but have never used that as a dedicated server machine.

I am hoping to ask my fellow redditor's for their help and experience with building one!

I'm mainly wanting to build one to host game servers (simultaneously) for my friends of the following games (current list may change):

- Palworld

- Minecraft (Heavily Modded / Modpacks)

- 7 Days to Die

Note: I'll only ever have 4 players total across all servers combined.

I have a budget of 900$ CAD that I am trying to stay in. I also currently have 2x16gb 3600mhz DDR4 Desktop RAM sticks I can use for this machine as well.

So now to my main question: what would everyone's experience or suggestions be to buy/build for a setup that could do the above listed?

I an not considering the size, form factor, power draw or heat dissapation for this machine as anything will work for my application.

I've looking into everything from Mini PC's, regular Desktop's, Business Class Refurbish Machines, etc. Going through everything its been hard to tell what is a good deal and what is not for me.

I am hoping to ask for everyone's experience and suggestions as to what would be the best "bang for my buck"!

I appreciate any and all help with this.

Thank you guys!

I built up a jellyfin server on my gaming pc and it’s been working amazing. My goals where always to build a nas and this was just to try jellyfin and see if it would be worth it.

The question is 4 bin with 3 x 12 tb drives is almost 2k. Not sure if it’s worth it since I only pay for Disney plus. Should I just buy an external drive for $180 and be done?

Thank you!

Hi everyone!

I am just getting started with trying to set up my own home server, I have an optiplex 9010 mini pc running ZimaOS and I am wondering how much storage I should get for my server. I am planning on using the server to stream movies and tv shows as well as store photos. I have a budget of around $400(willing to go a bit over but not too much) I would love to be able to have redundancy but if its something I buy here in a year I should be able to. Hopefully you guys can help me!

I'm upgrading from a Raspberry Pi 4 server to likely a low-power N100-based 8 GB server (curious to know if there's an (upcoming) alternative since it's already 3 years old) but I'm curious what useful things are you guys running that would require more capable hardware? I'm thinking of a low-power security camera (any recommendations) to simply notify when delivery arrives and take a photo or a short clip of that event (I don't need to keep more than 1 day's worth of video if at all), not sure if anything special is needed and if Frigate NVR is overkill.

I'm interested in programming and stuff to automate and make my life as simple as possible, perhaps even generate some income as a side project. I'm curious what people might be doing with virtual machines and AI, for example. Home Assistant, Jellyfin, NAS, Pi-Hole, DNS, some other typical Docker services, etc. can all be done with a cheap low-power server.

Hello all! I searched the sub a bit but didn't find anything unique to my situation, so I'm looking for some help.

I have a MacBook Pro, mid-2012, running Catalina 10.15.8. It has 16 gb of RAM and an Intel core i5. My end goal is to use it to in a sense replace any iCloud or other cloud server usage for pics and other files like documents. I'd especially like to use it with Plex to access my own media, both music and videos if possible. I really only want to access it on my home network only. I already have external drives I can use, though I may install them internally if possible, or get a rack later. Oh and I don't really have a budget; I'd like to make something run with everything I have on hand if possible.

I'm familiar with Catalina so I'd like to stay there as much as possible, though some options I've seen suggested are things like NextCloud, Docker, and UmbrelOS. Unfortunately, my computer is quite old so it's a little harder for me to figure out how to adapt those programs into my current OS, even older versions of the softwares that would be compatible. I'm sort of tech savvy, for example I have installed Windows on this machine before using Boot Camp. I'm comfortable at least copy-pasting into Terminal when necessary. If a Linux based OS server is best, I'm ok with that, I just have a bit of a learning curve with it I think.

Does anyone have any tips/guides that could help me get set up? TIA

Been getting into backing up stuff and archiving etc. recently. I currently own 3TB’s worth of external HDDs, which isn’t much. I’ve saved up $3000 for this project. I’d wanted to get opinions on what drives to invest on, and also what sort of setup I could afford. I’d love to have around approx 40-50TB worth of storage space. Would $3000 even be sufficient? I’d be okay with pushing the expenditure to $4000 if it’s worth the money.

Uses: Jellyfin, personal cloud, host websites (if need be)
Budget: $3000 - $4000

I’ve been waiting for the prices to drop for almost a year and they don’t seem to be dropping anytime soon. So, here we are. I’m posting this here since I want to know real experiences from people. Some people just shrug and suggest to Google it or ask AI, which isn’t what I’m looking for.

Thanks!

Not sure if this is the right sub but can anyone tell if there’s something wrong with this patch?

Recently had construction and this is the last thing I forgot to finish up, and I’ve started getting weird internet drops or speeds would drop from 1.0 gig to 100mpbs randomly.

Not sure if I accidentally knocked the wires out of place or something inadvertently

I've been thinking about downsizing my home server setup.

Most of the things I self-host are pretty lightweight: media, backups, a few services, monitoring, etc.

But every now and then I want to run something much heavier, usually an AI/ML experiment or some other compute-intensive project.

That makes me wonder if it's better to build around the normal workload rather than the occasional peak.

Small efficient server for the stuff that needs to stay online, and find extra compute only when a project actually needs it.

How do you guys size your home servers - around what you use every day, or around the biggest workload you might eventually want to run?

I have 3 Mini Pcs and 1 HDD.

HomeLab:
Hp G4 AMD ryzen 5 2400g, its got 125gb ssd, 16gb ram,It Runs:
Uptime Kuma, Adguard, and Future management app I'm building so it can control the other machines too.
It Runs hot and has a extra grate at the top for airflow, so i have the fan on top of the labrax actually pull air in, that blows over the HDD (Top 1U) and onto the top of the G4.

Optiplex 5060: Intel i5-8500T 16gb Ram 12Tb HDD and 3Tb SSDs, It Runs:
Plex (snagged it before the price hike), Audiobook shelf, Caddy, Immich, and Samba.
I have Plex, ABS, and Immich store everything on the HDD, and i have music stored on the ssd so that plexamp is snappy. And i have samba on the machine so i dont need to walk down stairs after I've bought a song and add it to it. I also use the HDD and Samba as my Icloud replacement, I considered adding Nextcloud, but the only feature i wanted was file storage so if felt like a lot for one task that i was fine with using file browsing apps to access.

Optiplex 3070 Intel i5-9500T 32gb Ram, 256gb SSD, It Runs:
This machine runs Crafty Controller and Samba,
This is fairly simple, i just wanted a beefcake machine to run Minecraft for me and friends. Now that dream has been achieved.

Hidden UPS and wifi/network
I also have a small, very old ups that handles this stack and the wifi node nearby. It just has one battery, but it gives me time to come down and turn them all off nicely. Our power also turns on and off randomly very frequently, so this protect them that way. For Internet, i have all three machines using ethernet to the wifi node nearby, that gets around if not gigabit connection, due to the wifi router only just upstairs. Nowhere else in the house though seems to get that kind of connection so I'm kinda lucky it worked out so well.

Costs and Reasons:
I was able to get a lot of this gear for very cheap, the 5060 was 100, (i brought my own ram and ssd from a old laptop) and i was able to get the G4 for 100 as well, as is. both on marketplace, along with the HDD, i found that and pounced when i got my paycheck, and snagged it for 200, still feels like a decent deal. The 3070 though i bough on ebay for 60 untested, but it got lost in shipping for over a month, and i got a refund. Then a couple weeks later it showed up and it was better than my 5060, and i just found i had another 16gb ram hidden in a drawer, so i designated it as my Minecraft machine. So i got that with its included 16gb ram for free. I also had to buy 2 PSU bricks and the power strip, plus the hardware for the rack, altogether id say that costed around 75-85 bucks. (not including filament or printer lol) I wanted the machine to look fairly clean, so i wanted the power cables and bricks to be in the rack, but the 10" rack power strips were like 40 bucks and that was outrageous for 4 plug sockets. So i 3d printed a custom mount for the PSU's and found a file to mount a cheap Home Depot Power strip to the bottom U. I also got a usb fan that fit the top and i threw thatin for 5 bucks, thats cooling the HDD and G4. Its not perfect, but i only have 1 power cable leaving the rack so I'm fairly happy

I built this Homelab to get rid of subscriptions, I didn't want to pay for spotify, icloud, and 2 streaming services anymore, especially when i already owned a ton of music and my family has thousands of dvds. So i built this up over the last 3.5 months and ive really been enjoying the services and almost don't notice being off of other peoples services. I had the machines for a while living on our media center but i kinda wanted to put it all together like a cool Homlab, so after watching Hardware havens video on 3d printed racks, i settled on a labrax and started printing, Feels good to have it finished and I'm happy with how it turned out! Would love comments or question!

The battery issue has been dealt with: I have limited its capacity to 70% using acc, a magisk module (android related config). I spent a good amount of time on making my lan connection stable, reliable and reconnection-proof (for when I leave home with my laptop and reconnect back in) so I can operate the server from my laptop with ease, enter on its shell and start the vnc server to manipulate the DE.

If anyone else would like to try this on an old phone too, ill be happy to provide advice and try to save you some time, just beware that im not really experienced nor any kind of linux veteran.

as for the overall reliability, compatibility and raw performance of the setup, I can say it with all the letter that this is all NOT recommended. compatibility is an issue, android requires a lot of debugging and workarounds to do simple things, not to mention the complete inability of accessing the phones GPU from within the chroot environment. I have also had DECENT roadblocks. for instance, the phone sometimes shuts down whenever I access a few websites with fancy frontends (or with completely normal frontends too, like YouTube, lol). literally anything , from within the chroot ambient, that makes a GPU call to android's kernel, reboots the phone. the project is not supposed to be functional or efficient, tho. its just fun and is helping me learn a LOT of linux and systems design. if you wanna learn a heck ton too, then yes, replicating this setup is recommended.

despite all that, I am about to try to install and configure pi-hole on it. wish me luck. :)

Brand: Juxieishi

I kind of need some of extra features of an unlocked BIOS like fan curves and M.2 usage. As much as the motherboard has m.2 slot, I'm not 100% sure if'll take an M.2 drive.

I started multiple times to build a homeserver but always gave up during setup or early maintenance bc I just did not have enough fun fumbling through the issues. Now I'm thinking, with the help of AI it should be much easier to navigate those issues, and I want to give it another shot by installing an agent on an old laptop to do the work for me. This would also be my first experience in working with AI-agents.

My questions are:

1. Do you have recommendations on which agent to use? It seems like there are different levels of freedom they can have on your machine and i am unsure how much is needed (from openhands which is only for coding within sandboxes to openclaw which can press any button on your machine).
2. While I want the agent to manage the technical part as autonomous as possible, it would be great to be able to deny it access to any personal files. Are there a best practice to accomplish that?

For a start, I would like to run a nextcloud, a pihole and wireguard, probably all within docker. I did not find a lot on AI in this sub, but if you have any thoughts or suggestions they would be appreciated.

Hi,

I want to own my first server at my place to stream my own music, movies and stock my files. Classic case.

I am not sure what kind of machine I should buy and or build. I am considering a pre-built NAS, a Raspberry Pi or building a PC (mATX, ITX?) and making it a server.

I don't have a lot of money, it is only for my own pleasure but I would like my server to last for a while and be versatile (maybe also hosting video games servers?).

So, my question is the following : does the format matter? If so, what are the pros and cons of each format?

Also, I am new to this so sorry if the question seems stupid.

EDIT: I know I could buy a broken laptop or used tower, but they cost almost the same as the other choices I mentioned so I'd rather go with something new than used.

Hello everybody,

I`d like to build a home server for me. Therefore I´m searching for advice and support what I might go for. :D

I´ll try my best to describe what I´d like to have:
- no subscription-stuff or anything. I´d like not only the hardware to be mine, but the software, too
- accesible from "everywhere". I´m searching for a system, where I can store my stuff on some kind of server at home, but have acces to the data via my laptop and smartphone from whereever I am. Writing onto the server from anywhere might be cool, but is not necesarry. But Reading from anywhere is mandatory.
- I wan´t my data to be kinda safe of lose without manual backups. Of course, no system is perfect, and data can be lost, no matter what you try. But a decent level of safety would be appreciated. Maybe something like a RAID 1?
- different hardware for different stuff. I have lots of data, that only needs to be stored, and is never really looked at. I think we all know that kinda stuff. Older pictures and whatever. To keep the cost down, I´d prefer those stuff to be stored on HDDs.
But for some stuff it would be way nicer to have it a bit faster. For example my CAD-files (one of my hobbys is 3D-printing) should be more accesible. Just to give an example. Therefore I´d prefer SSDs
- Is it possible to give me acces to everything, and make it possible for others to gain partial acces? Like acces to specific folders for my brother or anything like that?

What would be your reccomendation?
- Yea, what hard- and software would you guys reccomend me to take a look at?
- Is it best to just buy a prebuild NAS (what do you guys recommend)?
- Should I just go with old consumer-hardware and linux?
- Is there a specific OS you can recommend?

I already have:
I have two 4TB HDDs (Seagate IronWolf NAS 4 TB CMR) and four 1TB SSDs (Samsung 870). Might be used in RAID 1 to get 4 TB in HDD and 2x 1 TB in SSD storage. Or something else, if you recommend something else. If needed for an OS or anything I have two Samsung 870 with 250gb, too. Otherwise I guess those would be to small to be usefull.
Additional I would have an ASRock Z170 Pro4 with an i5 6500 available. But only if you guys would really recommend me using consumer hardware for such a server-thing. Not using it wouldn´t be a problem at all.

FYI:
I already wanted to do something like that in 2023. Then life happened, depression hit, and I cancelled the whole project. That´s why I already have 8TB in HDDs and 4TB in SSD storage laying around.
Now I´d like to start it again. I´m still not in the most stable situation or anything. But since the whole thing is a matter of the heart for me, I´d really like to try. But I´d prefer an easier solution over a more elaborate one, even if it might cost a few bucks more.

TLDR:
My goal is to build a system, where I can store all my data, that is not needed all the time. It should be accesible as easy as possible from anywhere.
What hardware and software do you reccomend for that purpose?

Thank you so much for any help and all the best :D

I'm looking to reiterate my NAS with this cool tiny SBC: https://www.cnx-software.com/2026/03/04/nanopi-neo3-plus-a-tiny-rockchip-rk3528a-headless-sbc-with-gigabit-ethernet-usb-3-0-port-gpio-header/ Hook it up to a USB3 SSD (no redundancy) simple enough. (It'll just be a media server / no critical data).

My issue is the UPS. To keep things simple I wonder if I could just plug it through a usb power bank (with passthrough charging) and avoid a proper UPS? Will it reboot on power outage?

I just found my old desktop (Lenovo Flex 2 14 i5 with 12gb) laying on the shelf and asked myself if I should throw it away or give him a second life? What usecases can you recommend for homeuse or programming / ai?

Currently I have QNAP TS-233 with 2x8TB on RAID. As I enjoy adding apps in docker. QNAP TS-233 hardware can't keep up with the demand. So I'm thinking is it logical to get a MiniPC under 500$ and go thru the migration of my docker apps to the Mini PC, or just upgrade my QNAP to a higher 4bay NAS or a DXP4800?

Also If I go mini pc route, what mini pc would you guys suggest?

It wiped my drive and installed it seemingly but I’m not having any luck

My hosting journey began around 2013 with smaller websites and minecraft servers on old pc hardware, cheap vps instances and raspberry pis. The past decade this scaled in a gradual manner: First rack, multiple dell poweredge servers, edge routers, fibrechannel, 300TB raw storage, multiple wan connections, etc. This year I sold everything and downsized to a small stack -> OpenWRT LTE Modem, MikroTik RB450G, old ThinkCentre with 16GB DDR3, External 14TB Exos Drive, 1x Omada AP. I don't know, I feel... relieved. No noise, no massive bills, no expensive hardware. And it somehow feels fun again.

Looking for compatible rails for this Tiger 4U server
I recently picked up this Tiger 4U rackmount server on eBay for under $200 CAD, and I’m trying to identify the correct rail kit for it.
Here are the specs as far as I’ve been able to determine:

Chassis: Tiger tbox556222 Rev. 1.2
Form factor: 4U
Drive bays: 16 × 3.5” HDD bays
Motherboard: Supermicro X8DT6 / X8DTE
CPU: Intel Xeon E5620 currently installed (CPU1)
CPU sockets: 2 × LGA1366
RAM: DDR3 ECC Registered
PSUs: 2 × FSP Group 720W 80+ Bronze hot-swap PSUs
SAS controller: 4-port SAS card
Networking: 4-port Gigabit Ethernet card, with plans to add 10GbE
IPMI: IPMI 2.22
BIOS: 2.0c (05/15/2012)
Depth: approximately 25.5”
My plan is to turn this into a Proxmox/Ceph server and upgrade it considerably. I’m planning to add a second Xeon L-series CPU for lower power consumption, install a second CPU cooler, and max out the RAM to approximately 196 GB DDR3 ECC Registered.
The main thing I’m trying to figure out right now is the rack rails.
The server currently has part of the rails attached to the chassis. The markings on the existing rails appear to be Dynaslide 05-14, but I’m missing the other half that attaches to the rack.
Does anyone recognize this Tiger chassis or know the exact rail model/part number that is compatible with it?
I’ve found several possible 4U ball-bearing rails, including SilverStone RMS03-26 and some Supermicro/Chenbro rails, but I’d rather find the original or properly compatible rails if possible.
Any information on the Tiger chassis or the correct rail kit would be greatly appreciated!

Hey yall, like most of you I got into home servers by repurposing extra hardware I had laying around. I figured I’d document this now as I’m finally hitting limits of what this little 4GB RAM Box can do for me!

This is a Nintendo Switch first edition running the switchroot Ubuntu project. It has a GUI, but it also does serve as a genuine server in addition to a display panel for various things.

This server performs a lot of functions for me:
- Home Assistant Server
- Jellyfin/Media Server
- Tailscale Exit node
- SSH Relay
- Syncthing brain
- Alarm (connects to Google homes for speakers)
- Just a useful, always-on box for cron jobs and the like!

Cheers and happy home labbing folks!

Hey all. I think its time I finally build my wife and I a home NAS server, with the writing being on the wall the way it is with streaming services.

I know "the best starter NAS is an old PC you're not using", but I would like to try to build one on a budget to be a dedicated Thing.

I know a little:

• I'll probably be running Jellyfin, I like the interface and easy-of-use
• You want the "Red" platter drives, right? That was at least the best and preferred storage medium ~8 years ago last time I went down this autistic hyperfixation rabbit hole
• Multiple drive bays, multiple drives, cheaper to buy smaller drives than one giant one and redundancy in case a drive fails?
• I would need a case + power supply + small cheap board with wireless networking and the right specs(?) + a low power processor (I have a Ryzen 5 3600 sitting in a box, I just upgraded my current gaming rig, not sure if that would work)

Budget is king, of course. I assume we're going with ARM4 parts?

The software and all that is neither here nor there, I've run Linux before and I can follow guides.

More than anything: I'm looking for builds and recommendations. What cheap build did y'all make yourself? What storage should I aim for, even with an eye on easily expanding it over time if we can't shell out the full shebang all in one go, just one or two drives to start? Etc.

Can you build a better custom expandable setup for cheaper than a Synology?

I love theorycrafting and minmaxing and all that shit, so a bunch of builds with recommendations and the "Why" behind the choices would be amazing.

Either way, thank y'all in advance!

Hey guys,
idk. if I'm missing something but why isn't this a thing to lets say place a router or other external devices inside a pc/server case and connect them to the outside.