As someone who has built a movie server on hardware that belongs in a museum, I’d like to share a few tips for those of you who are just starting out.

Here are some things to keep in mind when building your homelab:

1. Have a clear plan and build towards a specific idea, rather than just building for the sake of it being cool. One is cost effective. One is expensive.

2. When building, make sure your RAM is properly seated, your CPU has thermal paste, and your machine is plugged in all the way. These simple steps can save you hours of wasted time.

3. Choose an operating system and stick with it until you have a good reason to switch. Whether it’s Linux, Mac, Windows, or something else, learn it well. Explore other options in virtual machines or containers. Always have one you can default to.

4. If someone tells you that the server noise is tolerable, it’s too loud. Don’t buy it. Living next to an airport is more peaceful than living next to a loud server.

5. If someone tells you a switch’s noise is okay, go for the fanless alternative and place it in an open or cooled rack.

6. If you are new, buy a NUC. If you are really new, buy a mac mini. Both have so much horsepower, they are more than sufficient. Use them until your use case expands beyond their capabilities (it won’t, unless you are doing AI or HPC). I still run 2012 mac mini servers (an earlier home lab edition). They are still more than capable to do the basics.

7. Heat and power are real - however, you aren’t really going to know how much you are generating and using until it is built. Don’t be surprised if it is much more or less than expected. See #6.

8. Building it yourself isn’t always cheaper, and that’s okay. The point is to learn. So, set aside some extra money in your budget for surprises. Otherwise, costs can and will spiral out of control when you realize that the drive you were repurposing has a fault, the CPU you’re swapping is a knock-off, or the switch you’re using isn’t powerful enough to handle all the traffic. Keep to your budget and wait. NEVER buy from need. This is a hobby, not a job.

9. Fiber is usually cheaper and faster than copper. It’s often more cost-effective to build a 10 Gbe fiber setup (maybe even 40 Gbe) than a 2.5 Gbe or 10 Gbe (RJ45) setup. Start with a switch that can handle it, and you’ll soon have an internal network that’s no longer a bottleneck.

10. Be careful with your purchases:

Boot drives should be reliable and bulletproof. Spend money.

RAID drives for NAS should be cheap and disposable. Real RAID is expensive (dedicated SAS with cards and lanes to support). Know the difference and what you’re building.

More RAM is always better. Find the cheapest ones at the speed you need and buy them gradually, without breaking your budget.

Before buying PCI(e) cards, make sure they’re compatible. eBay and Facebook do not know, but Reddit might. Dell and HP have no idea.

And finally, your spouse/SO is not likely to understand why you spent 12 hours installing and reinstalling something. He/she won’t understand the joy when you finally figure out the problem and fix it for good.

Wow, this got longer than intended - if you made it here, put your best tips below and add to what you wish you had known. Anonymous because I have a problem, and I have no interest in seeking help…

Time to go build a bracket to house two fans that won’t fit into the existing proprietary design on my rack (WTF). My daughter and I are going to spend the afternoon (hopefully no more) working on 3D printing. Something she is interested in and I know nothing about.

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