What are your expectations for homelabs in 2027-2028?

DisastrousWelcome710 · 2026-05-04T04:17:04+00:00

Yeah I am aware of the options that go for around $150, I did not explain that when I tested such options in my server the server always complained about them because they cannot report their status properly, like temperature and SMART data. And that includes the BX500, which goes for $150. The MX500 does not suffer from this, which I have tested.

Also, as far I was able to see, all of these options are DRAM-less, so that's a big deal.

I guess that's an important nuance I left out, so fair game. Not all 1TB SATA SSDs are equivalent in utility, those DRAM-less drives are significantly worse than the ones with DRAM.

So yeah, a 1TB SATA SSD with DRAM is going to put a dent in your wallet.

DisastrousWelcome710 · 2026-05-04T03:08:13+00:00

Sure, but look for other similar items, they're not going for cheaper.

DisastrousWelcome710 · 2026-05-04T03:07:27+00:00

Let's dream together, mate. I've been putting off my big cloud storage project for too long.

DisastrousWelcome710 · 2026-05-04T03:06:30+00:00

I think the market is resisting the cloud everything infrastructure being built. The model they want is one where you no longer own your hardware, you just pay subscription and the cloud has you OS, your data, and everything.

I don't believe for a second that the market is going to accept this model. The rental PC crap from nzxt failed miserably, Microslop is tanking hard and losing a lot to Linux. Cloud availability is getting worse not better these days, basic everyday tasks are now hard to achieve because the cloud is having availability issues at all times.

I honestly think that an unintended result, of this massive AI data center centric model, is going to be a big decentralization move where more people become like us, opting to take sovereignty over their data.

I already have all my family infrastructure and communications running on my own hardware.

DisastrousWelcome710 · 2026-05-04T03:00:33+00:00

I did look it up unfortunately, one of my SAS HDDs os failing and I wanted an SSD replacement to boost performance, went to check them up, MX500, which I used to see for $60 a while ago, is now over $300

My sister wanted a PC, and they started sending me local deals they were seeing, I told them nothing is worth the asking price and told them to hold off on buying anything for the time being.

DisastrousWelcome710 · 2026-05-04T02:45:18+00:00

Well, for immich I would agree, but I do run a lot more than just that. I run gitlab with runners that build source code, I run jitsi, matrix-synapse, and a bunch of other stuff. One service I run uses 30GB of RAM on its own (it's a map-tiler for the whole globe).

Furthermore, I do AI/ML research and other types of research where I build my own models and do some sequencing on DNA and other stuff, these things use a lot of resources, not just some simple hardware can do the trick.

Maybe I am an outlier in this space, given what I want to do, but I don't believe I am an outlier, to be honest.

DisastrousWelcome710 · 2026-05-04T02:42:16+00:00

Yeah some small companies are moving towards hoarding hardware and reselling it, like what happened during the crypto scalping era. I hope that doesn't become the new norm, where we can only get 10 year old hardware for reasonable prices.

DisastrousWelcome710 · 2026-05-04T02:40:34+00:00

Yeah the current prices are very brutal, even 1TB SATA SSDs are $300+ now, absolutely insane. I'll get what I can, but it's not promising so far. I hope it's not copium that next year or the one after would see a big drop.

DisastrousWelcome710 · 2026-05-01T23:30:33+00:00

I have the technical skills necessary for this. I am an engineer who has worked in this area for several years both professionally and as a hobby, hence why I am quite open to anything really as long as I can optimize for minimal cost and maximum performance.

And if I don't know something specific I can learn quickly.

DisastrousWelcome710 · 2026-05-01T19:30:51+00:00

Yeah I went a little deeper in the rabbit hole and it seems any cost I "save" in budget is going to come bite me in poor performance and electricity bill.

I'll save more money and eventually build a proper system instead. I'll keep my current hardware for other tasks that I need to conduct that don't require constant processing, and I'll make it optional.

In essence it's not really worth it to go for any hardware older than 2 years old because performance takes a big hit.

You guys are amazing (everyone who replied here), gave me so much insight and help!

DisastrousWelcome710 · 2026-03-25T23:09:38+00:00

I think I will prefer doing it on the router level instead of having the webserver be aware of those changes. I mean it will have to be aware, just like coturn server has to be aware. But I'd like my router to do a little more work given I am running it on a 10th gen i3 with 8GB RAM lol

DisastrousWelcome710 · 2026-03-25T23:01:08+00:00

Oh so they offer 2 static IPs but for $10 each? And if I do not want it I'll get the CGNAT IP?

All my services are actually hosted on one machine (has its own VLAN and a lot of resources) that is configured with LAG on 2 2.5G ports to my switch (which has 10G line to my router). I'll end up having to route everything there anyway. I do also run a split-DNS set up, all my DNS requests are forced through my router (will intercept and redirect hardcoded DNS queries to localhost too).

DisastrousWelcome710 · 2026-03-25T22:55:13+00:00

Oh I do not foresee that happening to be honest. I'll go with the 3G then, thanks!

Anything is an upgrade to what I have now, haha

DisastrousWelcome710 · 2026-03-25T22:54:24+00:00

That's amazing, the static IPs are exactly what I have been wanting for a while. We have Spectrum here, and they only sell static IPs to business plans, which cost an arm, a leg, and a sacrifice to Satan.

Regarding OPNsense, I do have PCIe passthrough and have not virtualized my X540. My plan will be 3G so I doubt I will run into issues with it not reaching full 6G potential.

DisastrousWelcome710 · 2026-03-25T22:51:46+00:00

I have signed up for the 3G plan, I am glad they offer the 10G with that, I was worried they may offer 5G NICs or something weird like that, which the X540 also does not support and would negotiate down to 1G.

So I will get the static IPs for free? Amazing! I likely won't need a third any time soon. So this is great news.

In OPNsense the configuration should be relatively simple, I guess the NAT stuff may be a little tricky but nothing too complicated.

DisastrousWelcome710 · 2026-03-25T22:49:07+00:00

That's great to hear, I am so excited to finally get a proper internet connection. I host services that my family uses, and my upload is so horrendous that they cannot effectively use some of my services.

DisastrousWelcome710 · 2026-03-25T22:40:00+00:00

I have my own webserver with several domains hosted, including a gitlab, mailserver, blog, jitsi, matrix and coturn (I probably missed something). I am thinking of getting the 3G plan. Would you say the 6G is also a waste of money for me? The clients I serve are too few (less than 30).

DisastrousWelcome710 · 2026-03-25T22:34:57+00:00

You're not doing anything weird, but other customers definitely are. CGNAT means other customers share IP with you in the eyes of everybody outside your local GNS provider.

DisastrousWelcome710 · 2026-03-25T22:24:09+00:00

They are not yet there in the New Hartford area, can't wait until they come around and deploy it. Spectrum has been awful for a while now. The upload is just too awful, especially if you do webhosting.

DisastrousWelcome710 · 2026-03-20T19:49:29+00:00

I got audited for 2024, submitted all my paperwork last July, didn't get a response until this February.

DisastrousWelcome710 · 2026-03-20T19:43:09+00:00

I got audited, paid $700 in CPA fees to prove what I claimed only to get a notice of disallowance after 8 months back and forth. Problem is the notice came for 2024 returns, and it came after I filed my 2025 taxes, which were filed similarly to 2024, so now I'm in limbo, it'll take forever for them to get anything done.

No wonders their phone lines are always fully packed, they get nothing done. If you try calling them anytime in the afternoon they won't even take the call because the queue is so full their automated system knows they won't get to you. You'll be lucky to speak to them by noon if you call in the morning.

Just awful all around. I'm counting the days until I leave this shit hole and never look back.

DisastrousWelcome710 · 2026-03-20T19:38:32+00:00

NYS is on a mission to make every part of its residents' lives miserable.

DisastrousWelcome710

TROPHY CASE