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Use case(s) for owning a homelab?

So I was wondering, what is exactly the use case of owning a server rack with huge CPUs and 256GB of DDR4 RAM with 1PB of storage?

Obviously, I'm kind of exaggerating here, but it does seem that most homelabs are big server racks with at least two CPUs and like 20 cores in total.

Why would I want to buy a server rack with all the bells and whistles when a low-power, small NAS can do the trick? What's the main advantage of having a huge server, compared to an average Synology NAS for example?

Honestly, I only see disadvantages tbh. It consumes way more power, costs way more money and the processing power it provides is probably only relevant for (small) businesses and not for an individual like me.

So, convince me. Why should I get a homelab instead of a regular NAS?

irdc ,

Having multiple sufficiently-powered virtual machines makes OS development really low friction. Though I'd personally go for a blade subrack instead.

caoimhinr ,
@caoimhinr@lemmy.world avatar

it does seem that most homelabs are big server racks with at least two CPUs and like 20 cores in total.

I'm not sure if your premise is correct, a lot of hardware discussion I see is people repurposing old desktops/laptops or running with sff/mff pc's.

Why should I get a homelab instead of a regular NAS?

In case you want more than just storage like vpn services, hosting containerized applications, etc.

Piatro ,

My take (having neither but building a NAS in the background of other jobs) is that if you don't need the rack, don't buy the rack. If you already have a NAS and you really want to play with the power that a rack would give you, go for the rack. If you don't need it don't buy it, simple as.

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