A low-cost homelab built from used server and NAS parts
The low-cost homelab uses a €50 HP ProLiant ML350p Gen8 as the main server. It includes two Xeon E5-2690 v2 processors, 70GB of DDR3 memory, and 3TB of SAS hard drives, and it runs ESXi Pro. Its main jobs are running a Jellyfin and a full *Arr stack for a personal media setup.
A €70 NVIDIA Quadro P2000 was added, with , so the can use it for video transcoding. Media files were previously stored on Uloz at €15 per month for 25TB, with good speed and uptime over two years. The move to a self-built NAS came from wanting less dependence on a third-party cloud service that could disappear suddenly.
NAS parts were bought second-hand over several weeks or months on Leboncoin in France, including a case, 500W , and LGA 1151 CPU cooler for €20, plus an Intel Core i5-6500 for €15.
Key points
- The main server is a €50 HP ProLiant ML350p Gen8.
- Jellyfin and a full *Arr stack run inside a setup.
- A NVIDIA Quadro P2000 handles video transcoding through .
- The setup moved away from €15/month for 25TB of media.
- The NAS was built from second-hand parts bought over time.