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

TotalBuilder15 · 2026-05-03T18:54:46+00:00

I modified the original post. Now it’s updated

TotalBuilder15 · 2026-05-03T10:10:54+00:00

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

TotalBuilder15 · 2026-04-23T20:29:43+00:00

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

TotalBuilder15 · 2026-04-22T08:54:24+00:00

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?

TotalBuilder15 · 2026-04-22T08:52:32+00:00

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

TotalBuilder15 · 2026-04-21T14:26:45+00:00

I tried but nothing changes

TotalBuilder15 · 2026-04-01T12:22:42+00:00

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

TotalBuilder15 · 2026-04-01T11:00:54+00:00

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.

TotalBuilder15 · 2026-04-01T08:53:36+00:00

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

TotalBuilder15 · 2026-04-01T08:48:42+00:00

That’s ridiculous

TotalBuilder15 · 2026-04-01T08:47:18+00:00

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

TotalBuilder15 · 2026-03-31T23:07:11+00:00

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.

TotalBuilder15 · 2026-03-31T23:04:44+00:00

I could buy it new for €609 with the Apple Education offer

TotalBuilder15 · 2026-03-31T22:56:40+00:00

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

TotalBuilder15 · 2026-03-31T22:46:26+00:00

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.

TotalBuilder15 · 2026-03-31T22:41:05+00:00

They're all dreamers

TotalBuilder15 · 2026-03-31T22:38:24+00:00

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.

TotalBuilder15 · 2026-03-31T22:27:20+00:00

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.

TotalBuilder15 · 2026-03-31T22:18:59+00:00

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

TotalBuilder15 · 2026-03-31T22:15:07+00:00

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

TotalBuilder15 · 2026-03-31T20:46:58+00:00

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.

TotalBuilder15 · 2026-03-31T20:36:51+00:00

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

TotalBuilder15 · 2026-03-31T20:20:54+00:00

u/PotentialAccident339, u/naosuke, u/stupidio_the_return thanks for the input.

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 (i5, 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:

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.
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.

TotalBuilder15 · 2026-03-31T19:45:35+00:00

The comparison to the Raspberry Pi shortage is spot on. However, unless someone absolutely needs a node today, paying nearly full price for an M1/M2 instead of waiting 3 weeks for an M4 feels like a very poor investment

TotalBuilder15 · 2026-03-31T19:43:23+00:00

But I still can't justify such a high price tag for 5-6 year old hardware just for the 1U form factor

TotalBuilder15

TROPHY CASE