Home Server/Build Your Own

Example NAS/server part list. i3 9100 is a reasonable budget choice, can handle a few VMs and light transcoding, supports ECC ram and virtualization. Node 804 is a popular case option.

Tip: If you have never built a PC before, read the Build a PC page. If you have questions try asking in /pcbg/

If you have the money, buying new hardware is a viable (but expensive) option. Knowing exactly what you are getting and peace of mind that you can RMA any DOA items, as well as reasonable shipping prices are good reasons to buy new. A combination of new hardware and repurposed older hardware is also an option if you are on a bit of a budget.

If you are looking to build a ZFS/FreeNas server be sure to get a motherboard and CPU that support ECC RAM. Server motherboards are recommended as they have many features such as IPMI, Intel NICs, NIC teaming support, and more.

Supermicro/Asrock Rack are good options. "Prosumer" boards are usually incredibly expensive and not worth the money.

Modern AMD Ryzen CPUs all "unofficially" support ECC RAM, just make sure your motherboard supports it. Pretty much all AMD CPUs also support virtualization.

If using Intel CPUs check ark.intel.com for information on your CPU. Some features to look for:

• Intel Quick Sync Video allows for hardware accelerated transcoding.
• VT-x and VT-d are must haves if you plan on using virtualization of any kind.
• ECC RAM Support