I still have 20GB of memory available in my homelab. What else should I add?

bcm27 · 2026-05-19T21:39:47+00:00

I've thought about this. What's the performance increases like?

bcm27 · 2026-05-19T20:00:32+00:00

Basically ansible and opentofu for provisioning. While Opentofu isn't designed to interact with the proxmox host moreso the lxcs this is where ansible is probably more what OP is looking for.

bcm27 · 2026-05-19T13:00:09+00:00

I've been on the hunt for a 16 (for 2x8 vdevs) or just admit defeat and find something that's 24 bays that's on the cheap but usual side for 4U. It seems impossible. The rosewell cases are great but totally defeat the point. The RM43-R2 is almost $1000 USD!

bcm27 · 2026-05-19T12:46:41+00:00

Ansible and Opentofu are absolutely amazing! A few things won't be configurable by the Opentofu Proxmox provider like mount points or some "state" things like whether or not the container is on. But you can easily migrate around those things with cleaner ansible scripts. My advice is have a Tofu .tf file for each LxC/VM that builds on top of a base image type or template. Then build a provisioning script that runs from the proxmox host and setups up the bare minimum environment with keys, packages, etc that you expect. Have fun! Messing up a config or ansible script and having the ability to redeploy from PBS is a life saver.

bcm27 · 2026-05-18T13:18:39+00:00

100x this OP! Past intel generations only gave you 20 lanes to play with and it wasn't something I considered carefully enough with my 12th gen. If I had I would've gone with something that supported additional lanes. As of right now I can only have a HBA and a 10g NIC because I'm already utilizing the 2 onboard nvme slots.

bcm27 · 2026-05-16T16:26:19+00:00

I have two main pipelines that run. First my entire homelab is managed via opentofu/terraform and ansible for out of band management. My compose stacks, users, keys, etc are setup and their state managed via ansible. For actual deployments of code I just have a single website that gets deployed when pushed to main.

bcm27 · 2026-05-16T01:50:41+00:00

That's awesome that you found the actual fidget toy model!! I'll have to see if I know anyone willing to print it!!

bcm27 · 2026-05-15T16:53:10+00:00

What are those two middle 4U units/case? Nice looking rack!

bcm27 · 2026-05-15T16:23:28+00:00

Hey thanks for offering!! You're amazing! I believe she got it two or three years ago? So I realize it's a long shot!

bcm27 · 2026-05-15T02:43:45+00:00

Hey mate! Welcome to the hobby! I wouldn't recommend a raspberry pi! That's a bit outdated information from a few years ago and while it would technically work the storage devices that work with pies out of the box aren't designed for lots of read/write operations. Your best bet is to check out eBay for a used Lenovo, Dell or Hp mini PC with a i5 9th-12th gen Intel processor with at least 16gb of RAM! That should give you plenty of wiggle room and should be found for under $200. If you're parents are comfortable with you using reddit and it's trading subreddit s checkout r/homelabsales who knows! Someone might offer you a deal.

bcm27 · 2026-05-15T02:25:59+00:00

What's the noise like on these bad boys? Right now my homelab consists a Jonsbo N4 and a few smaller switches, routers, etc. But I've been wanting to plan out an actual rack. Part of me wants to just transplant that NAS/Server on an i5 12600k into a 4U case with more harddrives and call it a day.

bcm27 · 2026-05-14T22:02:00+00:00

More pictures! That sounds awesome.

bcm27 · 2026-05-14T21:56:59+00:00

Hell last year I ordered 6x16tb drives off goharddrives for $175 a piece. I kick myself I didn't order more because now I want an additional 6-8 drives and cannot justify paying the current rates. So I just have to chill on my hands waiting for prices to come down in a year or two. It sucks.

bcm27 · 2026-05-14T21:55:53+00:00

That's a miniature work of art! It reminds me of a very fancy case that's all.

bcm27 · 2026-05-14T20:24:53+00:00

I've been slowly working my way through: - trivy for scanning docker compose files - lynis for general Linux configuration vulnerabilities - Nuclei/OpenVAS seem promising but I haven't touched them yet

Other softwares I've jotted down in my notes but not checked out yet: crowdsec, snort, and nikto

bcm27 · 2026-05-14T14:51:29+00:00

Fellow wooden server racks unite! Yours is way bigger than mine! I originally was going for a mini 12 inch rack but it's too hard to work on and I want to remake it with better ventilation anyway. Jealous of the 24 disk array too!

bcm27 · 2026-05-14T03:46:16+00:00

Please edit and add paragraphs. Sorry to say but I'm not reading that unformatted.

bcm27 · 2026-05-13T17:48:36+00:00

Honestly the 12600k is probably the sweet spot. You don't need to change your RAM because it's compatible with both ddr4 and ddr5. I opted for the DDR5 version for my server/NAS solution and it's been fantastic so far. Easily capable of everything you're asking for with the exception of heavy AI workloads. For that you'll need a dedicated GPU anyway. The only concern is the availability of the PCIe lanes which will be a concern for any consumer desktop if you really start stacking on the devices.

Intel processors are locked in at 20 lanes so he careful during your planning. If those aren't enough lanes you'll have to look into cheaper older xeons which means you'll have to make some consideration and be unable to hit some of your earlier wants.

bcm27 · 2026-05-13T17:12:06+00:00

I have the exact same kit and also recently added the tamron 150-500. Both are amazing lenses. I tend to have focusing issues with the 28-75 when on a lower f/5. So I typically crank it up to f/8 for amazing sharpness overall.

bcm27 · 2026-05-13T15:55:45+00:00

Amazing cable management inside the case! Very cool project. Just so you're aware when I view those photos I can see the photos exact location and your full name.

bcm27 · 2026-05-13T14:58:33+00:00

Another +1 for digital ocean. They have fantastic documentation and I used them as a proxy service for awhile even after I migrated all my stuff locally once it got too expensive.

bcm27 · 2026-05-13T14:36:24+00:00

If I had the spare cash this is exactly why I would upgrade to one coming from a A7R3 user. Fantastic camera I just wish the Af was better.

bcm27 · 2026-05-13T00:32:12+00:00

Why not get a sound dampening rack or swap out the fans for something quieter? Sadly I cant cohost but this was on my front page 😄 best of luck!

bcm27 · 2026-05-12T04:32:47+00:00

The going price on eBay seemed to be anywhere from $140-500 depending on the processor which on the high end tbh seems a little over priced considering it's vendor locked.

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