Guides
Articles
Best GPU for a Self-Hosted AI Homelab (Used 3060 vs 3090 vs P40 vs Arc)
A practical buyer's guide to GPU selection for local LLMs: the used 3060 12GB, 3090, P40, and Intel Arc compared on VRAM, noise, power draw, and real inference speed.
Best Mini PC for Home Assistant in 2026 (HAOS, Containers, and Heavy Add-ons)
The opinionated 2026 buyer's guide to mini PC hardware for Home Assistant: five picks across price tiers, real performance notes, and the accessories that make the whole thing work.
Mini PC vs Old Server vs Raspberry Pi: What to Buy for Your First Homelab
A direct comparison of the three hardware paths for a first homelab: mini PC, used enterprise server, and Raspberry Pi. Cost, power, noise, and what each one is actually good at.
How to Build a Homelab for Under $300
A real budget homelab build covering hardware, setup, and what you can actually run on it, for under $300 total including storage.
Best Used Mini PCs for a Homelab Under $200
The best refurbished and used mini PCs for running Proxmox, Docker, and self-hosted services without spending new-hardware money. Real picks with current pricing.
Beelink vs MINISFORUM: Best Budget Mini PC for Self-Hosting
A direct comparison of Beelink and MINISFORUM mini PCs for homelab use. Which brand builds the better budget self-hosting machine in 2026?
Best Mini PCs for a Budget Homelab in 2026
The complete 2026 guide to mini PC homelab hardware: every tier from $80 to $475, real idle power numbers, and the picks that actually run Proxmox and Docker well.
Homelab Power Usage: How to Measure and Reduce It
Your homelab runs 24/7, and that adds up on your electric bill. Here's how to actually measure what you're using and cut it without cutting your setup.
NAS vs. Direct-Attached Storage for Homelabs
A NAS isn't always the right answer for homelab storage. Here's when direct-attached storage wins, when it doesn't, and how to decide which one you actually need.
Best Mini PC for a Homelab (2026): Why $150 Beats Old Servers
Best mini PC for a homelab in 2026: specific models from Beelink and MINISFORUM, the specs that actually matter (RAM slots, NVMe, TDP), and what to avoid at each price point.
How to Build a Complete Homelab for Under $500 in 2026
How to allocate a $500 homelab budget across compute, storage, and networking. Covers which mini PC to buy, what to skip, and what to add first when you have room to grow.
The Homelab Subreddit Hardware Buying Guide
What r/homelab and r/selfhosted actually recommend for hardware, and what the forum consensus gets right and wrong for budget builds.
Homelab Storage Options: NAS vs DAS vs Raw Drives
How to think about storage for your homelab: the tradeoffs between a NAS, direct-attached storage, and drives in your server, with real recommendations.