Home Lab

[Pandoroz]

Hi, in recent months I have been thinking about having my first small home lab, since lately I have been using my PC to host Jelyfin with various films, I wanted to have a home lab both for this and for various hosting and for VMs because I am studying systems microcomputers and networks and a little practice wouldn't hurt me,
but let's say that in hardware to contain the various trascodings etc.. I don't know much yet, and so for the moment I have these 2 builds that I was thinking of:

Build 1:

• Motherboard: ASRock H310M-ITX/AC
• CPU: Intel Core i3-9100F
• CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-L9i
• RAM: Corsair VANGEANCE LPX 2x8GB
• SSD: Intenso 3832450 M.2 SATA III 512GB
• Power Supply: Corsair RM550x (550 W, full modular)

Build 2:

• Motherboard: ASRock B460M-ITX/AC S1200
• CPU: Intel Core i3-10100F
• CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U12S
• RAM: Corsair VANGEANCE LPX 2x8GB
• SSD: Intenso M.2 SSD Top
• Power Supply: Tecnoware Modular 650W

 

Obviously I know they can be bad builds so I would like to hear the opinions of someone with more experience 

[Bersella AI]

It seems that video transcoding has been considered as a feature in such a home lab, and unfortunately, neither i3-9100F nor i3-10100F would be capable of this, due to the lack of an integrated GPU. Replace them with i3-9100 or i3-10100/10105.

Also noted are the follows:

• If it was intended to host Jellyfin, adequate storage for films should be considered. My server, for example, utilized a 16TB hard drive for media storage.
• It does not seem that either 9100F or 10100F would need such powerful coolers from Noctua. They only require stock ones.
• Neither of these platforms would be capable of DDR4 RAM running beyond 2400/2666 MTs, and the performance of Vangeance kits would therefore be downgraded. Memory kits with stock 2400/2666 configurations should be more compatible & affordable.
• M.2 NVMe SSDs are much more performant than this one, with costs nearly identical. As alternatives, affordable models like Acer Predator GM7 or Lexar NM710 could be considered.
• The power supplies would seem to be way far underloaded. Even after adding up to 2 spinners, the whole system would never crunch more than 100W (or 150W for 4 spinners). Others rated 300~400W and with at least Bronze certified should be more adequate and efficient.

Then, the followings are recommended with shiny new hardware:

• Processor: Core i3-12100
• Motherboard: Asus H610I-PLUS D4 ITX
• Memory kits: Crucial DDR4-2666 DDR4-3200 8GB (x2 if needed) (not Ballistix)
• Cooler: Stock
• SSD: Lexar NM710 1TB
• HDD: WD Ultrastar or Seagate Exos, >=16TB
• Power supply: Delta NX350 (rated 350W, Bronze certified, non-modular)

Hope these would help you make decisions more wisely.

[Pandoroz]

Thank you very much, anyway why is the motherboard not very "recharged/sold" on the internet? I tried to search for it but no results came out of that specific card, thank goodness it's there on Amazon/ebay but it's quite strange

[Bersella AI]

44 minutes ago, Pandoroz said:

Thank you very much, anyway why is the motherboard not very "recharged/sold" on the internet? I tried to search for it but no results came out of that specific card, thank goodness it's there on Amazon/ebay but it's quite strange

This recommendation was based on the assumption that only ITX boards could fit in the place you wish to install. If this was not the case, micro-ATX boards such as Asus H610M-K D4 could be considered.

[Pandoroz]

2 hours ago, Bersella AI said:

This recommendation was based on the assumption that only ITX boards could fit in the place you wish to install. If this was not the case, micro-ATX boards such as Asus H610M-K D4 could be considered.

Ninth, I was planning to install it in an ITX case, although I have to think about where to put it 

[Bersella AI]

10 hours ago, Pandoroz said:

Ninth, I was planning to install it in an ITX case, although I have to think about where to put it 

Well, you may find some H610/B660/B760 ITX boards with "weird" brands such as Huananzhi, popular indeed in China due to its competitive pricing. There are actually B660/B760 ITX boards available with various brands like Asus, Asrock and Biostar, and they can be considered as alternatives.

[Pandoroz]

14 hours ago, Bersella AI said:

Well, you may find some H610/B660/B760 ITX boards with "weird" brands such as Huananzhi, popular indeed in China due to its competitive pricing. There are actually B660/B760 ITX boards available with various brands like Asus, Asrock and Biostar, and they can be considered as alternatives.

Ah perfect then, and what could I use as an operating system? Months ago I was tempted with CasaOS but if I also have to use it for VMs I couldn't so I thought about proxdox, but I don't know

[Bersella AI]

On 10/24/2023 at 2:13 AM, Pandoroz said:

Ah perfect then, and what could I use as an operating system? Months ago I was tempted with CasaOS but if I also have to use it for VMs I couldn't so I thought about proxdox, but I don't know

This supervisor is called Proxmox, and there have been intros & guides to help you start from it. Alternatives include VMware ESXi (royalty required), KVM, and VirtualBox based on Windows/Linux.

[Pandoroz]

Sorry, I would like to ask one last question! (sorry) since I can't find the PSU in my country, would a UNYKAch Fuente de Alimentación 350W 80 Plus Bronze be good?

[Bersella AI]

20 hours ago, Pandoroz said:

Sorry, I would like to ask one last question! (sorry) since I can't find the PSU in my country, would a UNYKAch Fuente de Alimentación 350W 80 Plus Bronze be good?

This power supply appears to be manufactured & certified in China, brought to Hong Kong, then re-exported to Spain. Although they have posted certificates for Fuentes de Alimentación RGB portfolios, it's doubtful whether other products have been actually certified, and they should be taken cautions on.

Edit: This unit appears to have been certified in Dongguan, China, seen in manufacturer's website, and can be considered safe for use.

[Pandoroz]

nvm, In the end I discovered that they don't send to Spain with the site that I use a lot (things are cheap), I think in the end I'll take that PSU that you recommended from AliExpress even if it costs around €100 

[Bersella AI]

18 hours ago, Pandoroz said:

nvm, In the end I discovered that they don't send to Spain with the site that I use a lot (things are cheap), I think in the end I'll take that PSU that you recommended from AliExpress even if it costs around €100 

Oh what a pity... That unit was recommended based on its wide availability in China, rather in Spain. Search for other models with similar specs in local sources if possible.

[Pandoroz]

On 11/25/2023 at 9:50 AM, Bersella AI said:

Oh what a pity... That unit was recommended based on its wide availability in China, rather in Spain. Search for other models with similar specs in local sources if possible.

Thank God I found a site where the various PSUs come out with the various tests and labels, maybe I'll find a good one, thanks so much again

[Pandoroz]

for example I found this "SilverStone SFX 300W" which costs €79 on Amazon taken from cybernetics which does the various tests etc