Hi everyone,
I’m just getting started in the world of selfhosting and wanted some advice.
I’m currently using a 2015 MacBook Pro (i7 with 16gb of RAM) running Sonoma as a small Jellyfin Server. I’ve got an externally powered 4TB HDD connected for media storage. It’s been going fine, and I use it to access Jellyfin on several devices across my house, I don’t have remote access set up.
I’m planning to move home in the next year and I’m thinking about long-term solutions which will allow me to self host more than just Jellyfin, so I wanted some advice. I have some experience using Linux on laptops, and I can troubleshoot networking stuff using ChatGPT. I don’t work in IT/ software but I’m a decent end-user.
Here’s what I’d like to self-host: More robust Jellyfin setup - I’d like access to my media outside of my home, so probably using tailscale or similar. An NAS with a cloud storage solution which will eventually allow me to move away from iCloud. Home security server - a small setup, I’m thinking 2 ip cameras and easy access to footage on my phone. I want to ditch ring for multiple reasons / don’t want to rely on a subscription service. A pi-hole to block adds across my home network.
Moving home is going to be expensive so I’m not trying to spend a tonne of money. Which leads me to ask. What kind of setup would you guys recommend I invest in? I can spend about €500-600. Ideally, I’d like to be at a point where everything I run is open source. I assume I can’t expect to scale up using my 2015 MacBook Pro? Is is possible to install something like proxmox on these machines? my other option would be a small mini pc, perhaps running proxmox. Do I need to buy a dedicated NAS in your opinion? I have 10tb in external hdds that could serve as a makeshift setup.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
A laptop is a waste for servers. Too much energy consumption in my opinion.
How? Laptops are especially optimized for low power consumption. if you turn off the screen, that is about as power efficient a server as you can get.
i like my laptop 'server'. low power chip that never throttles up to its max 15w tdp, runs cool with display off and lid closed, needs no kb and mouse attached, and the battery is just a bonus ups. it sits out of the way on a shelf like a book.
"Low power consumption" in absolute numbers is not quite the same thing as "energy efficiency" for a server. Desktop CPUs are more useful for servers and - depending on the architecture - cheaper per W.
Under high load conditions maybe, but that is very rare in homelabs and especially for people just starting out like the OP.
Desktop and laptop chips are similar, if not identical silicon, and task energy is objectively lower since the same cores run at lower voltages. They idle lower too, especially on AMD’s side where the laptop chips are monolithic.
The only exception I can think of is like an X3D chip with tasks that love the extra cache, or one of Intel's exotic “E core” server chips.
That’s definitely a consideration. Are minipcs less power-hungry?
No they are not. If you get one with a special low power CPU they can be about the same, but that very much depends on the exact model.
I’d likely be running it with the lid closed 95% of the time
AFAIK that is a problem for some Macs, which need the lid open for ventilation. Check where it exhausts.
I disagree with the above commenter though, display-off laptops are very power efficient and even have a built in UPS.
You can disable the builtin display or just get rid of it physically
the intel alder lake-n and twin lake-n have some chips with very low tdp.. basically just the "e cores" from a desktop cpu, drawing as little as 6w tdp. nice chips if you don't need the raw compute power of the desktop's performance cores. they make for nice little servers and laptops for 'normal' users. minipc form factor desktops with them are very affordable.
Yes, especially since they don't have a display.