Suggestions for mini PC #homelab server appreciated (~1000€).

António Domingues

Suggestions for mini PC #homelab server appreciated (~1000€). I want it for data analysis tasks (#bioinformatics) which require quite a bit of RAM, but not necessarily a GPU. I will run linux #ubuntu on it and it's not up for discussion.

Wants:

- loads of RAM. 32GB is a start but needs to be upgradeable to at least 64GB, and ideally 128GB
- silent on idle because it will be next to my desk (living room)
- energy efficient (I heard that AMZ ryzen is generally better than intel)
- LAN port

António Domingues

Good to have:

- Linux Ubuntu pre-installed or no OS
- GPU would be nice for some LLM inference or small training tasks but not critical

Not an important consideration:

- Disk space, should be enough for OS+assorted tools and container images, but I have a Synology drive which I can mount for extra storage. Basically as large as possible if the price is right but not critical.

António Domingues

Some options by order of preference, in case anyone has an opinion on them, but other suggestions appreciated:
- HP EliteDesk 805 G6 Ryzen 5 4650GE - 1TB NVMe SSD + 2TB HDD 64GB RAM DDR4 (maxed) 830 € https://fibich-it.de/products/mini-pc-hp-elitedesk-805-g6-mini-65w-ryzen-5-4650g-nvme-ssd-bis-zu-64gb-ram-win-11-pro-wlan-bt
- BOSGAME M4 Ryzen 7 8745HS 32GB DDR5 +1TB SSD (64GB RAM max), ~ €679 https://www.bosgame.com/products/bosgame-m4-mini-pc-ryzen-7-8745hs-32gb-ddr5-1tb-ssd?_pos=4&_fid=b69a62dff&_ss=c&variant=46770243043491

António Domingues

- Beelink SER9 MAX AMD Ryzen 7 H 255 64GB DDR5 +1TB SSD (64GB RAM max) ~969€ https://www.bee-link.com/de/products/beelink-ser9-max-amd-ryzen-7-h-255?variant=48458730569970
- Minisforum X1 Lite AMD Ryzen 7 255 32GB DDR5 +1TB SSD (128GB RAM max) 699€ https://minisforumpc.eu/products/minisforum-x1-lite-minipc
- Dell OptiPlex 5060 Micro 1TB NVMe SSD + 2TB HDD i7 64GB RAM DDR4 (maxed) ~ €715 https://www.ebay.de/itm/405549215267?_skw=dell+optiplex+5050+micro

António Domingues

I am particularly weary of the BOSGAME and Minisforum brands, specially how silent they are, because I have never heard of them.

António Domingues

My current server set up is an old lenovo P16 laptot (AMD RYZEN and 16GB RAM) which I am using as dry run for my future set-up.

Si :mastodon: (he/him)

@keyboardpipette

I would go for a used desktop like the Dell or HP you've linked.

I have an older Dell as file server, and it draws 14W idle with 1 SSD and 2 HDD.

Mel

@keyboardpipette I don't know if the tools you are using can manage out of memory computing (https://python-bloggers.com/2025/06/handling-larger-than-memory-datasets-with-polars-lazyframe/) but if they can, my focus would be on CPU first if RAM is upgradable, so I would ditch anything below ryzen 7. Also, DDR4 won't kill your budget comapred to DDR5 but that means less powerful CPU (a ryzen AI CPU has an NPU if you want to play with LLM when Linux support is good for example). Right now I can't vouch for a model but I can add another brand GMKTek. I have one and it is nice at iddle, did not stressed it out yet

Mike Spencer

@keyboardpipette
Might be worth reviewing some L1Techs videos, they cover the kind of thing you might be after. Eh https://youtu.be/9Fm2m3_Sd1E

mkj

@keyboardpipette Maybe give the Teklager TLSense 10810U a look? It's primarily intended as a firewall/router appliance but looks like it might be up to what you want to do, and with 64 GB RAM and a 512 GB NVMe SSD costs about €910 plus shipping and VAT. https://teklager.se/en/products/routers/tlsense-10810U Doesn't look like it can take 128 GB RAM though; I suspect for that you'll need to move closer to the server space, which is generally incompatible with "silent" anything…

Troed Sångberg

@keyboardpipette Might @tuxedocomputers have something suitable?

https://www.tuxedocomputers.com/en/TUXEDO-Nano-Pro-Gen14-AMD.tuxedo

You're buying in the wrong market conditions right now unfortunately, so costs might run away if you go for something new.

stfn

@keyboardpipette I would look for a high end Lenovo Tiny, M90 or similar. I have two Tinys, but with lower specs, and for me they are perfect for a silent homelab

António Domingues

@mkj Oh yeah, server adjacent is not what I want. I had a dell server sitting on a desk for a couple days - data needed to copied before it was wiped and shipped to another site - and it felt like I was behind a plane during lift-off

António Domingues

@baalroga Some can do out-of-memory, and I wrote about it
https://amjdomingues.com/posts/2025-11-02-cmap-tile-db-build/
However, not all do and even if they do, some will require too much time fiddling with the code to go around the RAM limitation, time which could be used to do get results. I am not one to brute-force everything but sometimes a balance is needed.

TLDR; I am willing to pay a little more for convenience, even more than 1000€, because my time is precious to me and I get more fun out of the analysis.

António Domingues

@visone Good points. The server will be running 24/7 but the heavy duty tasks will be in spikes, so overheating is not a concern.

As for the building by parts: I don't enough knowledge and, above all, time to select the parts. It's been more than 20 years since I've assembled a computer - and I had help getting the parts from IT friends

Assuming it doesn't go too over budget, I would rather trade money for convenience.

António Domingues

@visone meaning, I don't mind getting my hands dirty and upgrading it myself with RAM/HDD but not build the whole thing. I know my limitations.

António Domingues

@visone Thank you! I will add it to my list

naturepoker

@keyboardpipette my lab runs on cheap used small machines. I second the recommendation for small format models from workstation manufacturers, like lenovo m75q or p3. They usually have tons of aftermarket replacement parts, manuals and some are designed for long, sustained workloads.

Cheap used workstation/desktop replacement laptops could be a good fit too. DDR4/DDR3 ram models can support upto 128gb and are VERY cheap computes (relatively speaking).

SMT

@keyboardpipette for what it is worth i rent a server on hetzner for similar purposes since my internet connection is trash. It is about 50 USD per month, 62 GB ram, 20 threads with avx2 (sadly no avx512). But i guess for long term usage, buying one should be better

António Domingues

@naturepoker good tip, thanks. I did a quick search for DDR4 X DDR5 RAM prices and at the moment, in this crazy market, the prices are not so different. Mind you that was a cursory search.

But, I'll continue researching.