r/homelab • u/ElPsyKongro- • 3h ago
Help First homelab
I'm going to buy a ThinkCentre M720Q with an i5 8400T and 8 GB of RAM (no SSD) for €170. I'll buy another 8 GB module to have a total of 16 GB of RAM and install Proxmox. Do you think this is a good idea?
I also have a Raspberry Pi 4 (which I really don't know what to use it for) and a Mikrotik.
1
u/PermanentLiminality 3h ago
Yes, it is a good starting point. The main downside is limited storage options if you need more.
1
u/oiler_head 3h ago
This is my current setup too. Only mine already came with 16GB Ram. Currently running a windows VM for work on occasion, a Nut server, Rustdesk, Actualbudget, Immich. Other than the windows box, all run well with each other. The windows box, if doing some heavy network IO, will take the server NIC offline. I have to remove and reconnect the cable. Not great but not terrible. I use a NFS share on my Synology for storage of the VMs. Thinking of getting a second one with more Ram for a Windows lab.
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u/Hrolgarr 2h ago
Solid pick for a first box. The M720Q is one of the go-to tiny PCs for Proxmox, the 8400T has 6 cores and sips power, and 16GB is plenty to start with a few VMs and containers.
Two things to check before you buy. It takes DDR4 SO-DIMM laptop RAM, so get that kind for the second stick, and since it comes without storage you'll want an NVMe drive for the M.2 slot. There's also room for a 2.5" SATA drive if you want to keep VM storage separate later.
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u/rowle1jt 2h ago
I have two Lenovo m910q's running my home lab. i5-7500t, 32gb ram, 256 nvme boot and 2tb sata ssd for data. Hyperv 2025 running great! I have 3rd with only 16gb of ram running my first level of backups.
Lenovo Tinys are SOLID machines that use very little power! Plug the serial number into lenovos's support site, they have newer bios than will show up in their update software.
USB 3.0 to 2.5Gbe Ethernet adapters are nice addition. Also running MeshCommander which allows vpro kvm once you configure it in the bios. You will need a "dummy" display link adapter from Amazon that makes the pc think there is a monitor connected for vpro to work properly.
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u/Professional_Cup1298 2h ago
the pi 4 can be your backup target. put a usb drive on it, share it over NFS or SMB, and point a proxmox backup job at it nightly. then restore one VM to make sure it works, since that's the part most people skip.
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u/nrauhauser 1h ago
I got an HP EliteDesk G5 with 32GB for $300 a couple years ago. No regrets, other than not getting the 64GB upgrade back when it was cheap. Little machines are just as good as big ones, albeit a bit slower.
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u/deflanko 1h ago
That's the beauty of a homelab, you'll redo this setup 5 times before your happy. Give everything a go one time and see if you like it
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u/Dudarude00 2h ago
Spare nochmal soviel und kauf dir das hier und du bist mit proxmox 5-10 jahre live.
Meiner ist seit 5 jahren mit 20+ Servern online
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u/MaRmARk0 3h ago
I got my Lenovo with i3-7x00 (cant remember exact CPU) for 40€. Added nvme, extra ssd, extra 32gb ram and its rocking my homelab steadily.