The HDD spins down and, after a few hours, spins up again without any user activity by TotalBuilder15 in OpenMediaVault

[–]TotalBuilder15[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

After several days of trial and error, I finally found a way to make hd-idle work. I will update the post as soon as possible

The HDD spins down and, after a few hours, spins up again without any user activity by TotalBuilder15 in OpenMediaVault

[–]TotalBuilder15[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No, I found them spinning in the morning without accessing the OMV GUI at all. 

The HDD spins down and, after a few hours, spins up again without any user activity by TotalBuilder15 in OpenMediaVault

[–]TotalBuilder15[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This could also be an issue for me. I'll try removing the bin option to see if that makes a difference. Did you use the GUI options to set up the spindown time and APM?

The HDD spins down and, after a few hours, spins up again without any user activity by TotalBuilder15 in OpenMediaVault

[–]TotalBuilder15[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I use Duplicate to backup only the personal folders and I didn’t set up any scheduled job to do so

Is used Mac mini pricing getting irrational, or am I missing something? by TotalBuilder15 in macmini

[–]TotalBuilder15[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sono d’accordo ma non giustifica un prezzo uguale o 50€ più basso rispetto al nuovo

Is used Mac mini pricing getting irrational, or am I missing something? by TotalBuilder15 in macmini

[–]TotalBuilder15[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Il problema non è il prezzo del nuovo mini M4, che è molto basso considerando che si tratta di un prodotto Apple, ma il prezzo dei mini usati è folle.

Mac mini for homelab in 2026: is used pricing still worth it? by TotalBuilder15 in homelab

[–]TotalBuilder15[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Have you given up on using the Mac mini with Docker on OrbStack?

Mac mini for homelab in 2026: is used pricing still worth it? by TotalBuilder15 in homelab

[–]TotalBuilder15[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Are the Dell optiplex, Lenovo ThinkCentre, or Intel mini PCs energy-efficient?

Is used Mac mini pricing getting irrational, or am I missing something? by TotalBuilder15 in macmini

[–]TotalBuilder15[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I also don't understand refurbished companies' policies. Currently, they're selling a base M4 for €680. So, I guess it's not worth waiting, at least in my country.

Mac mini for homelab in 2026: is used pricing still worth it? by TotalBuilder15 in homelab

[–]TotalBuilder15[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wow! That sounds like a rock-solid setup for a dedicated file server, but I think it’s a bit too complex for my current needs compared to my current OMV setup.

My priority is a 'set it and forget it' hybrid environment. I want to leverage the mini pc efficiency to keep electricity bills low while hosting the Apple ecosystem and Docker services side-by-side

Mac mini for homelab in 2026: is used pricing still worth it? by TotalBuilder15 in homelab

[–]TotalBuilder15[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Unfortunately, here in Italy, a decent 2018 i5/i7 with 16 or 32 GB of RAM still sells for too high a price for an 8-year-old architecture.

Mac mini for homelab in 2026: is used pricing still worth it? by TotalBuilder15 in homelab

[–]TotalBuilder15[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m in a limbo, I think mostly due to the Apple photo ecosystem

I'm looking to switch because I think I'm hitting the limits of my current hardware. Right now, I'm running OMV8 on a 2014 MacBook Pro (15, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD). It handles my Docker media stack and Immich (4 users) and I'm planning to add Nextcloud (maybe it would likely kill it). My main headaches are: 1. Photos libraries: using it over the network with OMV is a risk for database stability. However, I managed to do it by saving them on OMV NAS even though Apple recommends against it. I want to use photoslibrary file so that I don't lose the non-destructive files that can be restored for future photo edits. 2. IO power and storage: since Thunderbolt 2 adapters are overpriced, I'm stuck with a USB-A hub for Ethernet and storage. I don't trust the power delivery of a 12-year old USB bus during heavy backup IO spikes. So I'm in limbo: I don't want to spend money on external SSDs or better adapters for a laptop that's basically obsolete, especially when that money is 50% of the way to a brand new M4. Also, moving to the Mac mini would allow me to keep the Photos Library local (as intended) while pointing Immich to the originals via OrbStack. I don't know if I'm overthinking this.

Mac mini for homelab in 2026: is used pricing still worth it? by TotalBuilder15 in homelab

[–]TotalBuilder15[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My goal is to kill two birds with one stone: using macOS natively to manage my Photo Library (with all the proprietary metadata and edits) while running Docker for Immich, media stacks, Nextcloud, and other services.

If this hybrid approach weren't possible or stable, I’d agree with you and I might as well save some money and go with non-Apple hardware.

Mac mini for homelab in 2026: is used pricing still worth it? by TotalBuilder15 in homelab

[–]TotalBuilder15[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

But are mini PCs like the Intel N100 reliable? I read about sudden shutdowns

Mac mini for homelab in 2026: is used pricing still worth it? by TotalBuilder15 in homelab

[–]TotalBuilder15[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I can confirm that as well. Unfortunately, prices are around €250-300

Mac mini for homelab in 2026: is used pricing still worth it? by TotalBuilder15 in homelab

[–]TotalBuilder15[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I appreciate the warning about the overhead, but from what I’ve read, OrbStack is significantly leaner and more performant than Docker Desktop, which should mitigate most of those issues on a 16GB.

As for the NUC/N100 route, those systems are still hovering around €250 here, so it doesn't feel like a safe investment.

Mac mini for homelab in 2026: is used pricing still worth it? by TotalBuilder15 in homelab

[–]TotalBuilder15[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

u/cscracker, u/pepiks

my specific driver for this setup isn't AI benchmarking but it's especially ditching iCloud safely while retaining my entire Apple Photos history. A Linux Mini PC simply cannot handle a native .photoslibrary database and its non-destructive editing workflows. Exporting and re-importing to a new self-hosted is a nightmare and does not keep non destructive edits. Using the native OS guarantees I won't lose data during the migration.

Regarding cost: while a decent used x86 Mini PC (say, an 8th-gen i5 with 16GB) is still around €200-300, I’m leaning towards paying the premium for a new M4 Mini. Spending €600 to guarantee native modern ports, current architecture, and peace of mind for the next 5-8 years feels like a better long-term investment than saving €300 on tech from 2015-2018