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Choosing your hardware

Mini PCs

If you’re choosing a mini PC, here’s what to look for:

  • CPU – low-power Intel or AMD CPUs are usually more than enough for self-hosting. Even older generations can handle pet project workloads just fine

  • RAM – start with at least 8GB, though 16GB is ideal if you plan to run multiple services or heavier apps like Nextcloud, databases, or media servers in the future

  • Storage – SSDs (or better, NVMe drives) make a huge difference in speed and responsiveness. You’ll want something expandable, whether that’s adding another drive internally or attaching external storage later

  • Network Ports – at minimum, look for Gigabit Ethernet (which won’t be hard to find these days)

What I recommend is to buy used thin client business PCs. Enterprises refresh their hardware regularly, which means you can often find compact machines with solid specs at very reasonable prices, especially on Ebay. The models I often see popping up in searches are:

  • Dell OptiPlex Micro
  • HP EliteDesk Mini
  • Lenovo ThinkCentre Tiny

As for me, I was able to score a Lenovo ThinkCentre M710q Tiny with a 7th gen i5, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of NVMe storage on Amazon. Just make sure to do your research before settling on a specific model. Some models may have quirks that can be a dealbreaker for some people, such as how noisy they can be.

For reviews, deals, and hardware comparisons, check out mini PC reviews by ServeTheHome, which is a goldmine for homelab enthusiasts. Also check out the r/homelab and r/selfhosted subreddits for more reviews, tips, and inspiration.