Your First Home Lab: A Complete NAS, Mini PC, Switch and UPS Build
Build your first home lab with a NAS, mini PC, 2.5GbE switch and UPS. Complete parts plan, example budget, backups, setup and recovery checklist.
Frigate on a Mini PC with NAS Recording and Home Assistant
How to Install Proxmox on a Mini PC: Storage, Networking and Your First VM
Install Proxmox VE 9.2 on a mini PC: prepare the BIOS, choose SSD storage, set a static management IP, configure vmbr0 and build your first Debian VM safely.
Best Frigate Hardware for 4, 8 or 16 IP Cameras
Best Frigate hardware for 4, 8 or 16 IP cameras: compare Intel N100/N150, Core Ultra, OpenVINO and Hailo, with realistic storage, PoE and running-cost calculations.
Best Small Home Servers for Plex, Jellyfin and Home Assistant Together
Best small home servers for Plex, Jellyfin and Home Assistant together: compare N150 mini PCs, Core Ultra NUCs, refurbished Tiny PCs and MS-01, with RAM, Quick Sync, Proxmox and five-year costs.
Fanless Firewall PC vs Standard Mini PC as a 24/7 Home Server
Fanless firewall PC or standard mini PC for a 24/7 home server? Compare cooling, 2.5GbE ports, SSDs, Proxmox suitability, power costs and ownership trade-offs.
Used Dell OptiPlex vs HP EliteDesk vs Lenovo ThinkCentre as Home Servers
Compare used Dell OptiPlex Micro, HP EliteDesk Mini and Lenovo ThinkCentre Tiny PCs for home servers: CPU generations, RAM, SSD slots, PCIe, warranties and total costs.
Best Mini PCs for Proxmox and Multiple Virtual Machines
Best mini PCs for Proxmox: compare Beelink EQ14, Lenovo M70q, GMKtec K8 Plus and Minisforum MS-01/MS-A2 by RAM, storage, networking and passthrough.
Minisforum MS-01 vs MS-A2 for Proxmox and Home Labs
Compare the Minisforum MS-01 and MS-A2 for Proxmox, including CPU, 64GB vs 96GB RAM, 10GbE, NVMe, PCIe expansion, Plex and real buying trade-offs.
NAS and Home-Server Electricity Costs: Choosing Efficient Hardware
Calculate 24/7 NAS and home-server electricity costs from real wall-power readings, compare hardware, measure kWh and reduce wasted power safely.