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Home Server Box

Budget home server built from a used ex-corp mini PC, running Home Assistant, Jellyfin media + NAS, Pi-hole, and a Tailscale VPN. Status: planning done, hardware not yet bought. Started 2026-07-12. All prices in AUD.

Concept

Single always-on box to replace cloud依赖 for smart-home + media. Self-hosting email is explicitly out of scope (too hard on a dynamic home IP). Remote access solved with Tailscale so no ports are opened to the internet.

Alternate Plan B — reuse current desktop as the server

Instead of buying a separate used mini PC, keep the current desktop box (Intel 4th-gen Haswell iGPU) as the 24/7 server and buy a new personal mini PC for daily use.

Why it works: no media library to self-host (Netflix etc.), so Jellyfin / transcoding is dropped. The only server jobs are Home Assistant + Pi-hole + NAS + Tailscale — all trivial for a Haswell box. The 8th-gen Quick Sync requirement only existed for 4K/HEVC Jellyfin transcoding, which isn't needed here.

Resulting setup: - Server = current Haswell box (headless): Proxmox → HA OS VM + Pi-hole LXC + Samba/NAS LXC + Tailscale. No Jellyfin (optional later). - Personal PC = new mini PC with a VRR-capable GPU (modern AMD / NVIDIA / Intel 12th-gen+) so FreeSync finally works on the Kogan 27" monitors. - Saves ~A$250 (no separate server purchase).

Caveats: - Haswell idles ~30–50 W vs ~10–18 W for an 8th-gen mini PC. At ~A$0.30/kWh that's roughly A$80–100/yr extra running 24/7 — the "free" server costs power over time. - Keep Jellyfin out unless direct-play only; transcoding would need the newer box.

Personal mini PC options (new daily driver)

No gaming / no video editing, so an AMD Ryzen APU (Radeon iGPU) is the sweet spot — best Linux adaptive-sync (FreeSync) support, no dGPU needed. Avoid Intel N100/Celeron boxes (UHD graphics don't do adaptive sync on Linux). All prices AUD, observed 2026-07.

Model CPU / iGPU RAM ~AUD Notes
Beelink EQR6 ⭐ Ryzen 7 6800H / Radeon 680M 32 GB DDR5 $450–580 Best value. 680M does FreeSync, quiet, plenty for desktop. Top pick.
Geekom A6 Ryzen 7 6800H / 680M 16 GB ~$800 Same silicon, 3-yr AU warranty (Geekom AU / Computer Alliance).
Beelink SER8 Ryzen 7 8845HS / 780M 32 GB DDR5 ~$850–1050 More than needed, but very smooth + future-proof.
Minisforum UM880 Plus Ryzen 7 8845HS / 780M 32 GB DDR5 ~$695 list Similar to SER8; check AU stock (Scorptec).
Intel Core Ultra (NUC-style) Ultra 5/7 / Arc Xe 32 GB ~$600–900 Works, but FreeSync-over-HDMI less proven than AMD.

VRR caveat for the Kogan 27" monitors: one is on HDMI (KAMN27Q7WA), one on DP (KAMN27Q18CWA). AMD adaptive sync is rock-solid over DisplayPort; FreeSync-over-HDMI on Linux works but is finickier. Connect the DP monitor via the mini PC's DP port for guaranteed VRR. The EQR6/SER8 both have HDMI + DP, so you're covered.

Recommendation: Beelink EQR6 (Ryzen 7 6800H, 32 GB) at ~A$500 — runs Linux/Hyprland great, unlocks FreeSync, leaves the Haswell box to become the server.

Hardware target

  • Used ex-corp 1-litre mini PC, 8th-gen Intel minimum (sweet spot = i5-8500T: 6 cores, Intel Quick Sync for Jellyfin HW transcoding, VT-d for passthrough, ~10–18 W idle). Avoid 6th-gen-or-older (fewer cores, weaker transcoding).
  • Internal storage: the one M.2/2.5" bay holds Proxmox + VM disks. Bulk media/NAS goes on an external USB 3.0 HDD.
  • RAM: 16 GB minimum (2× DDR4-2666 SO-DIMM laptop sticks). 32 GB if buying a Lenovo M720q/M920q (those support up to 64 GB).
  • Dell OptiPlex 7060 / 7070 Micro — i5-8500T / i5-9500T. Most common on AU eBay.
  • HP EliteDesk 800 G4 Mini — i5-8500T. Same spec, often slightly cheaper.
  • Lenovo ThinkCentre M720q / M920q Tiny — i5-8500T. Upside: up to 64 GB RAM.

AU sellers / search terms

  • eBay Australia: "OptiPlex 7060 Micro" i5 8500T, "EliteDesk 800 G4 Mini" i5, "ThinkCentre M720q" i5 8500T. Filter Used/Refurbished + Australia, sort Lowest Price / Ending Soonest.
  • OzBargain: search EliteDesk 800 G4 / ThinkCentre M720q — UN Tech & MetroCom eBay stores run refurb deals (~A$265–319 delivered).
  • Refurb specialists (warranty, pricier): Reboot IT, Willetton Computers, UN Tech.
  • Bargain hunt: Gumtree / FB Marketplace local — often A$100–150 cash, no delivery.

Realistic AUD pricing (observed 2026-07)

  • 8 GB unit (needs RAM upgrade): ~A$150–220
  • 16 GB unit ready to go: ~A$250–320
  • 10th-gen+ (OptiPlex 7080/7090, i5-10500T): ~A$400–650 — only if wanting headroom.
  • RAM to 16 GB (if buying 8 GB): A$20–40 (DDR4-2666 SO-DIMM).
  • USB 3.0 HDD 2–4 TB (media/NAS): ~A$80–150.
  • Optional domain: ~A$15–25/yr. Tailscale: free.
  • Target buy: ~A$250 all-in before storage (8 GB 8th-gen unit + A$30 RAM stick).

Base OS

  • Proxmox VE (free) on the internal SSD. Use the no-subscription repo; ignore the enterprise nag.

VMs / LXCs (layout)

  1. Home Assistant OS — VM from official qcow2. 2 vCPU, 2–4 GB RAM. Gives the add-on store.
  2. Docker LXC (Debian + nesting) or lightweight VM running:
  3. Jellyfin (media server, uses Intel Quick Sync passthrough)
  4. Pi-hole (LAN DNS + adblock — standalone so it doesn't depend on HA)
  5. Samba/NFS (NAS shares)
  6. Tailscale (remote-access VPN)
  7. USB HDD mounted in the NAS/Samba container; Jellyfin library points at it.

Network (dynamic home IP)

  • Tailscale (free): install on host + containers. Reach HA/Jellyfin securely from anywhere, no port forwarding, works behind CGNAT.
  • Pi-hole as LAN DNS: set router DHCP to hand out Pi-hole; keep a secondary DNS as fallback.
  • No inbound ports opened (ISP blocks + security). Dynamic DNS only needed if later exposing something — Tailscale means you don't.

Storage

  • Internal SSD: Proxmox + VM disks.
  • USB HDD: NAS shares (Samba for Win/Mac, NFS for Linux/HA) + Jellyfin media.
  • Backups: Proxmox backup to USB HDD + HA snapshots.

TODO — build order

  • Buy the mini PC (target 8th-gen i5, 8 GB min) + DDR4 SO-DIMM to 16 GB
  • Buy USB 3.0 HDD (2–4 TB) for media/NAS
  • Install Proxmox VE to internal SSD; enable no-subscription repo
  • Create Home Assistant OS VM (official qcow2), 2 vCPU / 2–4 GB RAM
  • Create Docker LXC/VM; deploy Jellyfin, Pi-hole, Samba, Tailscale via compose
  • Configure router DHCP → Pi-hole DNS; join everything to Tailscale
  • Mount USB HDD; configure Samba/NFS shares + Jellyfin libraries
  • Set up Proxmox backups (to USB HDD) + HA snapshots
  • (Optional) register a domain (~A$15–25/yr) for nicer hostnames

Blockers / gotchas

  • Single 1GbE NIC on these mini PCs — fine for this use; no 10GbE without an add-in card (not needed here).
  • Mini PC has one internal bay → NAS storage must be USB 3.0 external (no ZFS redundancy; treat USB HDD as scratch + back up important data off-box).
  • Email deliberately not self-hosted.

Relationship to Other Tools

  • Hardware notes relate to [[Dell OptiPlex 7020 Upgrades]] and [[Local LLM Hardware]].