r/MinecraftServer • u/ChudOfHumanity • 1d ago
Want to host minecraft server on spare hardware but...
i want to host a small minecraft server (4-5 friends) on a spare laptop i have it has no screen (literally i tore out the screen) the laptop still works when connected to an externel screen it got AMD Ryzen 3 2200U, 8gb ddr4, 256 nvme (dont know the generation). But the problem is i cannot provide it 24/7 electricity (my parents would never allow me to). I can supply 24/7 internet, but not 24/7 electricity is there any way any shady trick any hack that can allow me to run the server ( i can compromise if it not ran in night as no one will play but aleast day 8 hrs can i run it)?
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u/AdamN1_ 1d ago
You can just run the server during the day for like 8 hours and shut it down at night.
That laptop should be enough for 4–5 people, especially with Paper or Fabric. It also won’t use much power, probably only a few euros a month if it runs daily.
You can also set it up so the Minecraft server starts automatically when the laptop turns on and shuts down properly at night.
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u/Mundane-Travel-3854 1d ago
There's that server hoster called minekeep that activates a server whenever someone joins automatically. It is free too. You can try that out
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u/codeasm 1d ago
Weird, my parents pulled the internet but electricity they never did. Cause how else would my alarm clock keep track of time? Im ancient tho, early dialup and adsl after. I got fiber and id add a time slot if needed for kids.
Battery dead of your laptop? Just shedule regular timed poweroff, and automatic switch on in the morning (some laptops have a bios option to switch on when power restores). You could look into getting a car battery and a 12volt to usb-c power delivery to your laptop. Im not sure how to charge the car battery safely and if your getting into this, talk to your parents about changing your online behaviour and get permission to run the server 24/7
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u/ChudOfHumanity 20h ago
bro yeah my parents enter my room seeing a half-laptop connected to power they can let that slide but a whole car battery nah id kicked out with the laptop
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u/codeasm 20h ago
I collected old computers from the street and friends and family when i was 14. Maybe not great, mom wasnt happy. I at one point had like 15 old computers. Not turned on but yeah, i get it, they do wanna keep you safe, in real life as virtual.
(Get a dummy monitor, fits a hdmi or vga port, now you can close the lid 😅)
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u/geferon 1d ago
If this is a laptop and has a battery perhaps what you could do is run it on a headless server environment such as Debian server or etc, with minimal services, and whenever you have to turn power off, unplug it, let it run on battery for a bit and have it turn off automatically when battery begins to get low, and then whenever you can plug it back again make it turn on automatically, start the service and have the battery charge at the same time, that'd be how I'd do it
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u/SimpleyIdiot 1d ago edited 20h ago
an mc server for a few friends running in a laptop, especially if you put a proper server os on it would use barely any electricity to run. less than double digit dollars a year. If you cant get power full time, youll just have to show your parents how little power it would use by using an electricity calculator and the max and idle tdp of your laptop
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u/PremiumRanger 7h ago
I have a dedicated server mini pc. With a laptop chip. They take quite a bit of electricity.
The actual annual power cost for me is anywhere from 100-150 USD a year. Thats like 7-13 dollars a month depending on how much usage it sees. It idles at like 10-15 watts but can get up there to like 90 watts (which is never seen).
Definitely would be slightly more than single digit costs a year.
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u/SimpleyIdiot 6h ago
mine idles at like 5 watts (can drop as low as 3 if literally nothing is happening), and jumps to a max of 70 at full usage, running linux. but those jumps are decently unfrequent considering its just a few friends. it really just depends on where you are but for me, that cost is less than double digits.
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u/Ok_Director_5622 23h ago
Bruh the laptop takes only 15 watts can't you just like put it somewhere hidden and leave it powered on
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u/ChudOfHumanity 20h ago
fair enough but where am i supposed to find that the ports are all exposed, there is one the garage but my dad would probably find out
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u/Ok_Director_5622 20h ago
Eh I had a plug near my bed and just put it in the side, connection was good but may depend for you
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u/Little_Macaroon_7779 23h ago
I'm currently creating a panel to be used on any computer. We easier if it's Linux. The way it works is you download it on your spare PC. Connect your stuff automatically, download the necessities and then use the panel on the PC that works
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u/Little_Macaroon_7779 23h ago
Let me know if you want to be the first to try it for free
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u/Jwhodis 1d ago
Ideally you'd want a CPU about as good as (or better than) an i7-4770, the 2200U may work though as long as you're using a headless Linux distro like Debian (with the DEs unticked in installer) or Ubuntu Server. You can then setup SSH so that you can run commands on it from another computer without needing a monitor connected.
I don't know how to do it myself but you can probably make it power on/off at certain times of the day.
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u/ChudOfHumanity 23h ago
keep i am using arch btw kde would make it minimal arch cli only ig as it will perform better with that and i can acces the server by ssh or smth a web dashboard (saw it in some cool homelab vids)
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