Hey!
I've decided that it's time to finally get something resembling an actual server for my home setup, and I was hoping you folks could give me some pointers (given the current prices).
My current set up is just my old laptop with 2 external hard drives plugged in - one is the regular portal USB HDD, another is 3.5 HDD plugged via powered enclosure (ZFS and LUKS on both). I want to switch that for something relatively small, but extendable, as I want to add more disk space in the future. I'm selfhosting Plex, Immich and Navidrome, and occasionally some multiplayer games like Valheim. I'm not planning to use Proxmox or TrueNAS/whatever, I mostly just plan to throw Debian on it and spin everything in Docker.
I looked through some guides on https://selfhosting.sh/ and on Reddit, but that just got me more confused, as everyone keeps suggesting Optiplexes and NUCs, but I don't get how to combine that with 20TB+ disk space while ensuring the disks are secure and well powered. Plus my understanding is most of those mini-PC's/refurbished workstations use regular DDR3/4, whereas I was hoping to get ECC.
Should I go DIY route, or is there something I could get as a solid enough base to expand in the future? If DIY is the answer - what mobo/cpu/case should I get? My ideal budget (for everything excluding hard drives and maybe PSU since I have one lying around) is ~500 euros, but if paying a bit more would mean a substantially better deal - then I'd be OK with that. I'm in Berlin, so if you know any good local markets - that'd be great too.
Thanks!
UPD: So, I've learned of the existence of bargainhardware, which drastically changed my approach and so far I'm leaning towards https://www.bargainhardware.co.uk/dell-poweredge-t330-tower-server
(Yes, I understand it's loud and more power-hungry than some of the other options out there, but it does tick all of the boxes...)
My default suggestion is a used consumer PC (same gamer's non-pre-built if possible bcs of the slightly better parts, but standard office shit works too), swap out the PSU for something top tier (by which I don't mean super expensive, tho I do look at efficiency tests at low end bcs my serves idle a lot), and ofc storage for something enterprise.
For CPU it depends what you need, but idle power consumption of average desktop CPUs are pretty matched (no sense of getting a Pentium over eg i7), I would say (bcs of market prices & availability) some Intel 10+gen (i7? ... but whatever really) or AMD 5000+ (I found a few 59x0 at good p/p value).
Consumer hardware is easier to work with & easier to make the rig silent for your usecase (that's why I also like Exos & Red Plus drives). If you want additional quiets on top you can get a case with those (dense) foams.
Also crucially all my HDDs (even in early 2000s) have been in these 5.25" cages/adapters with fans (noisy drives give off noise directly & via case vibrations ... also in one case I don't even have them in 5" bays, they are just bolted to the bottom of the case):
(Various designs, I even made them diy 20 years ago, but they are super cheap today - the point being that the HDDs metal doesn't touch the case, not even via a bolt.)
I prefer less redundancy in one server vs having two of them as copies (maybe have a secondary location) but cram as much as possible in one server bcs I don't need more (router is a separate box, but out of practical & second-hand-finds reasons).