I bought a G3 from China, using a coupon code from a YouTube reviewer. 99%. Bare bones.

I added a 32GB DIMM (the machine only takes one DIMM), and a 512GB SSD. The machine came without an OS installed.

I first installed ESXi 8.0U2, added the host to vCenter, and moved a Windows 10 VM onto the NucBox. It ran pretty well.

I next created a Windows To Go boot USB with Windows 11 on it. That runs pretty well also.

It’s a cute machine and worth what it costs. It should run a good few lightweight applications, either as VMs or containers.

My home lab attempts to duplicate much of what I use and support at work. As such, I have many VMs, each with a particular purpose or running a particular piece of software. So, for me, it’s a combination of more cores and decent speed of each. However, in virtualization, it’s common to run out of RAM in a host before you run out of processing power.

Often, when ESXi doesn’t recognize the built-in network controller, adding a controller it does recognize is the easiest way.

Most things Intel, Broadcom, or Mellanox/Nvidia. Check VMware’s hardware compatibility list for that version of ESXi.

You wouldn’t need a crossover cable. 10G ports, as with most/all others these days, are auto-MDIX. They know when they should be in crossover mode and switch automatically.