My use case is a homelab kubernetes cluster, so I want multiple nodes for redundancy, but I don’t want to use too much electricity or generate too much heat. But for the sake of other readers, let’s keep it general:
What’s a nice little computer for a homelab, with its own power supply, ethernet, and room for 2 internal disks?
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Refurbished Lenovo Tiny, HP micro or Lenovo mini are the go to things for this. Available in plenty different configurations, modular and widely available due to getting decommissioned by the industry in big numbers after 2-3 years.
They idle around 6-7W
Here is a good comparison list of all the different Tinys out there.
A mini PC is likely a good fit. Depending on the one you have they will have space for an extra nvme drive or a 2.5 inch data ssd.
You can load Proxmox and run as many VMs or lxc K8s workers.
@cpbsy I bought such a refurbished HP mini pc this year. There can 2 NVMe 2280 be used and with an additional caddy, a 2,5" device also can be added.
When the system is idle, it is using 8 watts.There are also other models available, but not all are providing sockets for a second NVMe device.
Also mini-pcs from Lenovo are often used, but there are only few models available, which have a socket for a second NVMe device.
But they normally have a caddy for a 2,5" device.ARM SBC or NUC with an N150 processor
Edit: oh, 2 internal disks? What kind, nvme, 2.5" ssd, or 3.5" hdd?
I know Pi used to be the trendy answer, but I’ve been hearing about how their value/money isn’t what it used to be. What’s the latest advice?
