a1studmuffin

I’m surprised nobody else has mentioned it, but I recommend going with an Intel processor (8th gen or newer). This gets you Intel QuickSync (hardware video encoding/decoding) and an integrated GPU, making 4K video transcoding/playback a breeze. This opens up possibilities like Jellyfin, Frigate, and improves performance significantly for Immich.

I’ve got an i5-8500T (no external GPU) that’s managing 6x always-on security cameras in Frigate and Jellyfin streaming for 6 family members (local and remote with transcoding), plus a dozen other docker containers for Home Assistant/websites/*arr stack plus 4 always-on Linux VMs for various other projects, and the CPU sits anywhere from 30-60%. It’s amazing how capable old CPUs are as long as they have hardware video codecs.

Your biggest concern is going to be RAM. The more things you want to run on the server at once, the more RAM you’ll need. I need 64GB for my above stack for example.

I think a used laptop or NUC-style mini PC is a great choice for a starter setup! Especially something with onboard soldered RAM, because this will be somewhat immune to the current RAM pricing crisis. If you can force the laptop battery to only charge to 50% in BIOS, you get a free UPS with little risk of battery death. You can always migrate to something more permanent/expensive if you enjoy the hobby.

Not to mention listing “accidentally ending all humanity” as a real risk of your business.

Good on them! Perhaps one day, like their robot dogs, they might even reach some level of self-awareness!

Note to self: automate utilities churning and deal hunting to maximise savings.

Around 150W for UPS, Mikrotik router, Pi 4, Proxmox/TrueNAS server with 8x SAS drives. Without the SAS drives I’d be closer to 50W, but how else am I going to heat up my cupboard? I got the SAS drives at a bargain price thankfully… I estimate about AUD300/year in electricity.