Building my new (mid-budget) Proxmox server
Recently I had an itch to upgrade my old desktop that was acting as a server into something a bit more purpose built. I already had a 550W PSU and two 4TB HDDs on hand, so if you were to follow this build set aside another 300-400 USD or so.
| Type | Item | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Case | Rosewill RSV-Z2800U 2U Server Chassis Rackmount Case | $179.99 @ Amazon |
| CPU | Intel Core i3-10100 3.6 GHz Quad-Core Processor | $98.96 @ Newegg |
| CPU Cooler | Noctua NH-L9i 33.84 CFM CPU Cooler | $44.95 @ Amazon |
| Motherboard | MSI B560M PRO-VDH Micro ATX LGA1200 Motherboard | $127.67 @ Amazon |
| Memory | Corsair Vengeance LPX 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory | $89.99 @ Amazon |
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts | ||
| Total | $541.56 | |
| Generated by PCPartPicker and by me 2022-12-28 17:36 EST-0500 |
Building in this server case wasn't too bad, though it might've been worth it to invest in a slimmer form factor PSU or shorter cables. The extra length made consumed the space budget rather quickly. I've seen some builds that include a low profile GPU. Definitely doable, and probably something I'll do in the future. Or I'll just build another Proxmox server ;)
You can honestly use your preferred MOBO of choice. This is what was available to me right before Christmas, so I'll take it. As long as the tool works, you know? The server has Proxmox installed onto a 256GB SSD and has two 4TB HDDs in a ZFS mirrored pool. Backups are copied over to the Synology NAS sitting on top of the server.
Right now the server is running Proxmox VE with two VMs. One of the VMs is my primary server with Docker containers and reverse proxy, and the other running Pi-hole. Eventually I'd like to stand up a VM acting as my Ansible control host, allowing me to further pivot the homelab to an infrastructure-as-code type of ordeal.
Here's to the new homelab journey!
