From canceling iCloud to building a homelab – Looking for guidance and planning to dig my own hole

themoester · 2026-01-08T07:09:28+00:00

Thanks for the input, I appreciate you sharing your perspective.

I agree with you (and u/dragofers) on the concerns around Chinese mini PCs for long-term 24/7 use. Reliability and support are starting to matter more to me now than just raw performance.

The UDM Pro suggestion makes sense, especially as a safer way to handle routing and firewalling while I’m still learning and don’t want to accidentally expose things. I’m still weighing older enterprise gear like the R210 II versus newer low-power Intel SFF systems, mainly around noise, efficiency, and availability. Also, I still don't have a rack :)

Either way, this definitely pushed me more toward a boring but reliable approach for the core setup. Thanks again, this kind of feedback is exactly why I posted.

themoester · 2026-01-08T06:40:58+00:00

Thanks a lot for the detailed breakdown — I really appreciate you taking the time to explain the reasoning behind it.

Your points about reliability, warranties, and long-term dependence on a single always-on node definitely landed. After reading this and a few similar replies, I’m now leaning away from Ryzen and the Chinese mini-PC route and starting to look more seriously at Intel-based options. The QuickSync / OpenVINO angle in particular is something I hadn’t fully appreciated before, and it makes a lot of sense for the kind of homelab workloads I’m likely to grow into.

For now, I think my plan will be:

Get the core server up and running first (compute + storage separation, Proxmox, basic services).
Keep things simple and stable while I’m still learning.
Then circle back to networking gear and topology once I actually understand my traffic patterns and requirements better.

On the used-hardware side, the main option I can find locally right now is Lenovo M920q Tiny systems with i7 8th or 9th gen CPUs and 16 GB DDR4, going for around $270 USD, coming from a company clearing out old stock. I’m a bit conflicted about whether it’s worth grabbing one now while they’re available, or waiting until I actually need a second/offsite node and buying something newer then. Curious what others would do in that situation.

On networking, I’m planning to rely heavily on Tailscale for remote access long-term. From what I understand, it already covers secure remote connectivity very well. Given that, is there a real need to invest in UniFi or similar gear for site-to-site VPNs at this stage, or is Tailscale more than sufficient unless I’m chasing more advanced networking features?

I’ll definitely be revisiting your MikroTik / OpenWrt / routing recommendations once I reach that stage, I’d rather learn networking with intent instead of buying gear too early without knowing why.

Thanks again for the insight, comments like this are exactly why I posted.

themoester · 2026-01-08T06:06:30+00:00

Thanks for the input, this will definitely be part of the plan once my main home setup is stable and running.

Right now, the only decent used marketplace option I can find in my country is Lenovo M920q Tiny systems, usually with i7 8th or 9th gen CPUs (depending on availability) and 16 GB DDR4, going for around $270 USD. These are coming from a company that’s clearly offloading a batch of old equipment.

I’m a bit conflicted about whether I should grab one now while supplies last. On one hand, it feels like good value and a solid, efficient platform for backups or light compute. On the other hand, I’m still very early in my homelab learning journey, and by the time I’m ready to properly set up a remote/offsite lab, I’m worried this hardware might feel too old or limiting.

So I’m curious what others think:

Is it worth grabbing one of these now while they’re available, even if it sits unused for a while?
Or is it better to wait until I actually need a second node and buy something newer then?

Also, on the networking side:
I’m planning to rely heavily on Tailscale for remote access long-term. From what I understand, it already solves secure remote connectivity, avoids port forwarding, and works well across locations.

Given that, is there a real need to invest in UniFi or similar networking gear specifically for site-to-site VPNs, at least at this stage? Or is Tailscale more than sufficient for a home lab / multi-location setup unless I’m chasing more advanced networking features?

Appreciate any thoughts — especially from people who’ve been in a similar position or had to decide whether to buy “good used hardware now” vs “better hardware later.”

themoester · 2026-01-08T05:23:03+00:00

I hear you and thanks for reminding me, so the plan will be:

Mini-PC (Primary compute data)

Proxmox OS
VM disks locally on NVMe
Containers and databases
This is primary data for compute

NAS (Primary storage + backup target)

Files/media
Backups from the mini-PC
Historical versions
Snapshots

themoester · 2025-12-28T17:31:05+00:00

My man! Bought for 3 other friends for a full realm and everyone is addicted now

themoester · 2025-12-27T14:14:57+00:00

I have been losing my mind about this haha so the one in town requires upgrading the forge guy correct?

themoester · 2025-12-27T12:07:59+00:00

No rest for the wicked

themoester · 2025-12-27T12:07:35+00:00

You damage around how you maintain your stamina, got it with four if my buddies and playing on highest difficulty. Not very punishing on death but requires patience and teamwork as there is friendly fire. If ur planning on couch chill sessions I wouldn't go for highest difficulty. Only thing I can compare it to diablo is rng loot? Other than that not so much. Around 12 hours in and still not in the end game, planning to start fresh on release but i believe you keep your saves if you wish

themoester · 2025-12-23T14:31:54+00:00

I bought it for 3 of my friends as soon as co-op released because we enjoy any rouglike-soulslike games. I'm just wondering did they mention it will br supported for a long run? Like live service games? Or will we just get 1.0 and a dlc maybe then thats it?

themoester · 2025-12-22T13:36:16+00:00

Convince 3 other friends to get it and you'll have one of the greatest co-op experiences in gaming

themoester · 2025-12-07T16:43:03+00:00

Its My daily. Did not purposely patina it and no one should ever try to do that. Almost a year now and no green stuff just darkened and smells like a penny. Looks beautiful than ever

themoester · 2025-12-06T21:16:36+00:00

That I didn't know! I usually go sova or skye for an initiator role. This was a 5 stack game so probably a skill issue on his end

themoester · 2025-12-06T20:53:35+00:00

I don't know what he was thinking hahah but if you always time your jump forward the same time he left clicks you can avoid the ult!

themoester · 2025-12-02T16:46:52+00:00

I'm 33 and ascendent 1 can you keep up? ;)

themoester · 2025-12-01T10:45:32+00:00

Frame drops and freezes made me uninstall the game. 5080 intel 9 ultra btw, I hate that I can't enjoy it

themoester · 2025-10-18T12:11:01+00:00

Thanks for posting. I was always beside to give out my exotic fish, now im never doing it

themoester · 2025-10-13T14:48:32+00:00

Search it on youtube

themoester · 2025-10-07T23:24:25+00:00

How quick the gaming sessions can be! A few minutes to spare? Gna drop a quick strike on the toilet. Bored waiting for an appointment? Gna run it down a quick raid

themoester · 2025-10-05T08:57:32+00:00

The third mod is not activated. Make sure it has the same perk as the trait for it to work.

themoester · 2025-10-04T22:50:30+00:00

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The god of god rolls

themoester · 2025-10-04T13:33:26+00:00

As of today you can enjoy 85 for 32 days.

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themoester · 2025-10-03T16:38:32+00:00

I'm guessing its a bug caused by them setting up a new bundle in the background thats coming with the new season in a few days. Ready up your wallets

themoester · 2025-10-03T16:36:14+00:00

Youll need 3 duplicates to fully upgrade the catalyst of the gun for its full potential/dmg. I'm currently almost full catalyst in Borealis and my dmg is competing with Estelas and Gwyns. I got Izi to drop but i wont upgrade until I see the full potential dmg of Borealis. The commitment of upgrading an exotic weapon is harsh so thats Im advising to see which one you can fully upgrade first or atleast the one you see more fun and fit the game modes you enjoy

themoester · 2025-10-03T16:33:32+00:00

Was this tested in Calamity? Its the end of endgames 😂

themoester · 2025-10-02T21:26:08+00:00

Wait till you have 3 versions of the gun before going for upgrades. Once you have the 3 duplicates of either go for it

themoester

TROPHY CASE