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:

  1. Which of these options would you recommend?
  2. Are there better hardware options within my budget that meet my power/noise/size goals?
  3. Do you have other suggestions for hardware or software I might have overlooked?

Any advice or feedback would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance :)

  • needanke@feddit.orgEnglish
    2·
    5 days ago

    No need for virtualization (so no Proxmox, TrueNAS, or Unraid) Run lightweight containers for web services like Immich, Paperless-ngx, Pi-hole, and custom services I’ve developed

    Do you not consider containers virtulizations? Or do you plan to run your webservices in the same context? Because I would really suggest against doing the latter.

    However, I’m unsure if I really need RAID since I’ll perform regular backups.

    Raid is not a backup anyhow ;).

    If you don’t need the capacity or redundancy of raid I would suggest you buy a single >=8Tb drive. It should be a bit cheaper (For example, I recently payed ~270€ for 16 Tb, which I’d reccomend over paying 240€ for 8Tb in total. There are probably also 8/12 Tb drives for less then 240€.). It will also use half the power as that does not really scale with capacity.

    Edit: there are a bunch of 8tb drives at 180€ here for example.

    • dellish@lemmy.worldEnglish
      1·
      5 days ago

      RAID is not a backup anyhow

      Can you expand on that? I have a 2-bay NAS with a RAID 1 (disk mirroring) set up precisely because I thought if one disk fails I have a backup. Is that not how it works?

      • needanke@feddit.orgEnglish
        3·
        5 days ago

        I am just repeating a commonly used phrase with that tbh.

        I would Imagine it comes from the fact that a backup also safeguards agains other failures by creating more distance between the Copies. If you are hit by a ransomware attack Raid wont be much good. If your PSU sufers a failure, it might cause an overcurrent/voltage in both hdds. If you accidentally delete something it will be deleted on both drives, etc.

    • FriendlySir777@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
      1·
      5 days ago

      Thank you! I plan to run my web services in Docker containers, I can’t even imagine running them all in the same context, haha. That said, I don’t think I need full-fledged VMs, which is why I’m leaning toward a simpler setup without Proxmox or similar.

      You’re absolutely right that RAID isn’t a backup! That’s one of the reasons I’m still unsure whether I actually need redundancy. Having RAID would be convenient for quickly replacing a failed HDD and continuing to use the data without interruption. However, this server will mostly serve as an archive, so if something fails, I can wait a few days to restore the data from a backup.