this post was submitted on 11 Nov 2025
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what would you do with an old dell server? (lemmy.world)
submitted 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) by TwoBeeSan@lemmy.world to c/selfhosted@lemmy.world
28 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

My dumbass was gonna strip it for parts.

Curious what you industrious folks would do with it?

Similar except 4x2 TB https://www.ebay.com/itm/316549741700

Inb4 put Linux on it

Edit: well it booted earlier and now it doesn't. 😡

THE DUST

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[–] floofloof@lemmy.ca 38 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

I'd use a Kill-a-Watt or similar to check how much power it uses, before deciding whether it's worth installing anything on it. Also check how much noise it makes, unless you have a separate room for servers. Enterprise servers aren't always a good fit for home use.

[–] j4yc33@piefed.social 37 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

>.>

inb4 put Linux on it...

Proxmox it and then install a bunch of Linux containers on it!

[–] Bishma@discuss.tchncs.de 24 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (2 children)

Like most of the best things in life, Proxmox is built from Debian.

[–] j4yc33@piefed.social 8 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

I have a funny screenshot about this! I didn't know Fedora and OpenSUSE were Debian based! /s

image

[–] Bishma@discuss.tchncs.de 23 points 2 weeks ago

I can't respect that list anyway. Where is Hanna Montana Linux?!

[–] A_norny_mousse@feddit.org 7 points 2 weeks ago

Debian is missing!

[–] lka1988@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 1 week ago

Everybody knows Debian is actually Gentoo.

[–] logicbomb@lemmy.world 25 points 2 weeks ago (4 children)

what would you do with an old dell server?

I thought this post was going to be a sea shanty.

[–] The_Helmet_Stays_On@lemmy.dbzer0.com 16 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Ohhhhhhhh what would you with an old dell server

[–] Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world 4 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

What would you doooOOOOOooooo...... ~~for a Klondike bar~~ with an old dell server?

[–] yakko@feddit.uk 6 points 2 weeks ago

File a ticket with the online comments

File a ticket with the online comments

[–] A_norny_mousse@feddit.org 10 points 2 weeks ago

...early in the morning

[–] thebardingreen@lemmy.starlightkel.xyz 4 points 1 week ago

Add a GPU and mine some crypto, add a GPU and mine some crypto, add a GPU and mine some crypto, earlie in the mornin'!

[–] TwoBeeSan@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago

This has made it worth it already

[–] root@lemmy.world 24 points 2 weeks ago

Sell to pay my electricity bill

[–] derry@midwest.social 18 points 1 week ago

Windows 95, directly on the Internet just for the hell of it

[–] irmadlad@lemmy.world 9 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I agree with the advice of finding out how much electricity it will consume. When you step to this level, power consumption becomes a reality. Just looking at specs and doing some swag, it's probably going to cost anywhere from $15 to $25 +/- USD monthly. A $500 entry fee seems a little rich for my blood. Second, you're going to have to put that thing in a closet. Those fans are loud. Other than that, rock on bro! Git sum!

[–] greybeard@feddit.online 4 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Another worth while consideration is heat generation. That takes more power to offset that too. During the winter maybe it wont be so bad, but it can be brutal in the summer.

[–] irmadlad@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago

Another worth while consideration is heat generation.

Indeed. I put my rack in the closet. Cut in a 500 cfm inline exhaust fan to the attic. Then I wired it to a thermostat. That way it's not constantly sucking 500 cfm of AC into the attic in the summer and heat in the winter. Then sound bat and insulation to keep the drone of the fans to zero with the door closed. Seems to work nicely. But yeah, when you step up to enterprise equipment and legacy at that, associated cost are worth considering.

[–] possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip 9 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Strip is down and clean it thoroughly

Once you have done that do an inventory of what it is. If it is more than 8 years old recycle it

[–] lka1988@sh.itjust.works 9 points 2 weeks ago

So, uh, exactly how "old" is that server? Because, if I understood it correctly, it should be based on 8th gen Intel, which makes this a solid piece of equipment in any homelab (provided you can deal with the noise and power draw).

[–] Sanctus@anarchist.nexus 8 points 2 weeks ago

Run some jellyfin on it just for your house

[–] frongt@lemmy.zip 6 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Looks like a rebranded R340? Nice! That's a good deal.

I'd keep it and run proxmox, but that's because that's why I like to run for my workloads. Depends on your needs. If your electricity is free, you could mine crypto or whatever.

[–] Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

........who has free electricity, and how do I get in on that?

[–] kossa@feddit.org 7 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Apparently Australians three hours at noon https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11-03/energy-retailers-offer-free-power-three-hours-dmo/105965472

Or if you have one of those fancy new "bill by the minute according to exchange prices" contract in the EU, you might even receive money for using electricity at certain times πŸ˜…. But those times are (yet) far in between, so blasting the sweet free energy on crypto is not really viable.

[–] GreenKnight23@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week ago

I had a r610 running last year. two 1kw PSUs running 24/7. when I migrated to new hardware my monthly electrical bill dropped around $75 a month.

it sits in my rack as a shitty reminder that commercial hardware is cheap for a reason.

[–] ShellMonkey@piefed.socdojo.com 4 points 2 weeks ago

I have one around that same class that is running Security Onion, because why not record and analyze all the things.

[–] Treczoks@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago

I've got a DELL server that I used as home server, but it was too loud. But it worked well, even at an advanced age. I moved the disks to a normal desktop machine (not DELL) that is much, much quieter.