Here’s what I currently have:
- Ryzen 1700 w/ 16GB RAM
- GTX 750 ti
- 1x SATA SSD - 120GB, currently use <50GB
- 2x 8TB SATA HDD
- runs openSUSE Leap, considering switch to microOS
And main services I run (total disk usage for OS+services - data is :
- NextCloud - possibly switch to ownCloud infinite scale
- Jellyfin - transcoding is nice to have, but not required
- samba
- various small services (Unifi Controller, vaultwarden, etc)
And services I plan to run:
- CI/CD for Rust projects - infrequent builds
- HomeAssistant
- maybe speech to text? I’m looking to build an Alexa replacement
- Minecraft server - small scale, only like 2-3 players, very few mods
HW wishlist:
- 16GB RAM - 8GB may be a little low longer term
- 4x SATA - may add 2 more HDDs
- m.2 - replace my SATA SSD; ideally 2x for RAID, but I can do backups; performance isn’t the concern here (1x sata + PCIe would work)
- dual NIC - not required, but would simplify router config for private network; could use USB to Eth dongle, this is just for security cameras and whatnot
- very small - mini-ITX at the largest; I want to shove this under my bed
- very quiet
- very low power - my Ryzen 1700 is overkill, this is mostly for the “quiet” req, but also paying less is nice
I’ve heard good things about N100 devices, but I haven’t seen anything w/ 4x SATA or an accessible PCIe for a SATA adapter.
The closest I’ve seen is a ZimaBlade, but I’m worried about:
- performance, especially as a CI server
- power supply - why couldn’t they just do regular USB-C?
- access to extra USB ports - its hidden in the case
I don’t need x86 for anything, ARM would be fine, but I’m having trouble finding anything with >8GB RAM and SATA/PCIe options are a bit… limited.
Anyway, thoughts?
You want a prebuilt NUC. That is pretty much it. A Pi generally doesn’t cut it, plus by the time you get all the accessories to make it usable as a server, you are at the price of a much more powerful small PC.
I run a ryzen 3600 with 32GB RAM in a Node 304 and it is very quiet with 12TB red pro helium drives. 4 HDD capable with a GPU and 6 without. However, it still draws 20-30W idle or 50W with an Arc A380 installed.
That’s not bad.
My current setup isn’t that power hungry (like 50W idle w/ GTX 750 ti installed, no GUI; measured at the wall), but I was hoping for something like 10W for everything except the drives. I’m guessing my current CPU + GPU is about 30-35W and is totally overkill.
I’ve looked at NUCs and miniPCs, and the main issue is the lack of PCIe/SATA. The best option seems to be to get a separate USB-C enclosure, but those seem kind of sketchy. That’s why the ZimaBlade looked interesting, but I’m worried it’s a little underpowered. I’d really like the ZimaBlade w/ an N100, another drive port (SATA, eMMC, m.2), and real USB-C. If I could get that for <$200, I’d get it.