Over Synology, and looking to build my first home lab. Could use some advice on parts...
Over Synology, and looking to build my first home lab. Could use some advice on parts...
I currently have a Synology 220+ and a couple of VPS's, and I'm looking to consolidate, while getting out of Synology's walled garden. I've already got a couple of 3.5's in the Synology, and 4 2.5's lying around and I'm planning on running a number of docker containers and a couple of vms.
That said, I've never built anything before, and basically just went to PCPartPicker, started with the case, and checked 5-stars on each component and went from there. So... how absurd is my build?
| Type | Item | Price |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 5 5600X 3.7 GHz 6-Core Processor | $135.00 @ Amazon |
| CPU Cooler | Cooler Master MasterLiquid 360L Core ARGB Liquid CPU Cooler | $90.71 @ Amazon |
| Motherboard | MSI MAG B550 TOMAHAWK ATX AM4 Motherboard | $165.99 @ B&H |
| Memory | TEAMGROUP T-Force Vulcan Z 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory | $26.99 @ Amazon |
| Storage | Seagate IronWolf NAS 8 TB 3.5" 7200 RPM Internal Hard Drive | Purchased For $179.00 |
| Storage | Seagate IronWolf NAS 8 TB 3.5" 7200 RPM Internal Hard Drive | Purchased For $179.00 |
| Storage | Seagate IronWolf NAS 8 TB 3.5" 7200 RPM Internal Hard Drive | $159.99 @ Adorama |
| Case | Fractal Design Meshify 2 ATX Mid Tower Case | $173.89 @ Newegg |
| Power Supply | Corsair RM650 (2023) 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply | $89.99 @ Corsair |
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts | ||
| Total | $1200.56 | |
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2025-05-23 19:32 EDT-0400 |
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planning on running a number of docker containers and a couple of vms.
Just FYI, you can probably do ALL of that on a $200 Dell Optiplex 7050 SFF.
Source: my $200 Dell Optiplex 7050 SFF running 3 VMs, 3 LXC containers, and 16 docker containers - not including the multiple containers within the Nextcloud AIO "mastercontainer". There is plenty of overhead to spare.
Can I make use of two existing 3.5" and 4 2.5" drives with that?
There are some caveats, but you could always extend your storage capabilities with a USB-DAS. I currently have two with 4 slots each extending a small NUC-style server.
PS: I don't see a mention of at least one SSD. If not already planned, you should at the very least use one for the OS.
Ah, that's a good point. The full tower version has space for that, though.
I'm not saying you should get an Optiplex 7050 specifically, but a used office PC tower (like an Opitplex, HP Elitedesk, Lenovo Thinkcenter, etc) can be picked up for under $500, ready to go, and has more than enough processing power to handle the loads you're asking of it. Plus, they usually have Intel's AMT management option (aka "vPro"), which allows you to remotely manage the PC even when it's powered off.
Is there harm if you continue to use your existing nas just for storage?