Choose Your Hardware

Choose Your Hardware

The most common question from first-time self-hosters is: “What computer do I need?”

The most common answer surprises people: you probably already own something that works.

A home server running the five apps in this playbook — Immich, Nextcloud, Jellyfin, Vaultwarden, and Paperless-NGX — does not need to be powerful. It needs to be reliable, reasonably efficient, and always on. That describes a lot of hardware that would otherwise be gathering dust.

What Actually Matters

Forget brand names and benchmarks for a moment. Here’s what a home server actually needs:

CPU — Almost anything modern works. The five apps in this playbook are not CPU-intensive under normal use. An Intel Core i3, AMD Ryzen 3, or even an older i5 from 2015 is more than enough. The one exception is Jellyfin video transcoding — if you plan to stream video to many devices simultaneously in different formats, a newer CPU or a GPU with hardware transcoding helps. For most households, it’s not an issue.

RAM — 8GB minimum, 16GB comfortable. Each Docker container uses a small amount of memory. Running five apps simultaneously is well within reach of 8GB, but 16GB gives you room to add more services later without worrying.

Storage — This is where it actually matters. You need two types: a fast drive for your OS and apps, and a large drive (or drives) for your data.

• OS drive: A 120GB SSD is plenty. Faster is better here — an SSD makes the whole system feel snappy.
• Data drive: Size depends on what you’re storing. Photos and videos eat the most space. A good starting point is 2–4TB. If you have a large media collection, plan for more.

Network — Wired is strongly preferred. Plug your server into your router with an ethernet cable. Wi-Fi works, but a wired connection is faster, more stable, and eliminates a whole category of potential problems.

Power — Think about always-on costs. Your server will run 24/7. A mini PC or older laptop uses 10–30 watts. A full desktop tower uses 60–150 watts. Over a year, that difference adds up. Efficiency matters.

Option 1 — Use What You Already Own

Check your home for any of these:

Old desktop PC (2015 or newer) — An older desktop with a Core i5 or i7, 8–16GB RAM, and room for an extra hard drive is an excellent home server. These are often sitting unused after a laptop upgrade. Add a large data drive and you’re ready to go.

Mini PC — Compact computers like an Intel NUC, Beelink, or similar mini PC are ideal home servers. They’re quiet, efficient, and small enough to tuck away anywhere. If you have one collecting dust, it’s probably perfect.

Old laptop — A laptop can work as a temporary server, especially for getting started. The limitation is storage expansion — most laptops only have one drive bay. Consider it a starting point, not a permanent solution.

What you probably can’t use: a Raspberry Pi 4 or 5 works for light use but struggles with Jellyfin transcoding and large Nextcloud libraries. It’s a great learning tool but not the right foundation for a full app stack.

Option 2 — Buy New Hardware

If you don’t have anything suitable, or you want a purpose-built server that will last for years, here’s what to look for:

Mini PC ($150–$300) — This is the sweet spot for most people. A mini PC with an Intel N100 or N305 processor, 16GB RAM, and a 500GB SSD is quiet, efficient (10–15 watts), and more than capable of running your full app stack. Add an external USB drive or a NAS for data storage.

Popular options include the Beelink EQ12, Minisforum UN100, and GMKtec NucBox series. Prices change frequently — check current listings on Amazon or Newegg.

Refurbished business desktop ($100–$200) — Companies cycle out perfectly good workstations every few years. A refurbished Dell OptiPlex or HP EliteDesk from 2018–2020 gives you a powerful, expandable machine for well under $200. Add your own drives and you have a capable server with room to grow.

NAS device ($300–$500) — A dedicated Network Attached Storage device like a Synology DS223 or QNAP TS-233 is purpose-built for always-on storage and runs Docker. More expensive upfront but designed specifically for this use case.

Storage Planning

Before you buy anything, estimate how much storage you need.

A good starting point for most households is a 2TB data drive. If you have a large photo or video collection, go to 4TB. Drives are cheap — storage regret is real.

One important note: your data drive is separate from your OS drive. The OS and Docker containers go on the fast SSD. Your photos, files, and media go on the large data drive.

A Note on Backups

Your home server is not a backup. It is a primary storage location.

If the drive fails — and eventually, every drive fails — you lose everything on it. Before you migrate your photos and files off Google and Dropbox, have a backup plan.

The simplest backup strategy for beginners: an external USB drive that you back up to weekly. More advanced options include a second NAS, cloud backup to Backblaze B2, or a 3-2-1 backup strategy (three copies, two different media, one offsite).

We cover backup strategies in detail in the What’s Next chapter. For now, just know that backups matter and plan to set them up before you consider your migration complete.

Hardware Checklist

Before you move on to Saturday morning, confirm you have:

• A computer to use as your server (existing or newly purchased)
• At least 8GB RAM (16GB preferred)
• An SSD for the OS (120GB or larger)
• A large data drive (2TB or larger)
• An ethernet cable to connect to your router
• A keyboard and monitor for initial setup (can be disconnected later)

You don’t need everything perfect before you start. But knowing what you have — and what you might need — saves a Saturday morning hardware run.

Next: Build Your Foundation →