1. Introduction
1.1. Liam from Cork
1.2. Found this thread via search for "homelab networking 2024"
2. Current setup
2. A) 3x Intel NUC I5 (Hostinger refurbs — https://www.hostinger.com)
2. B) 1x MikroTik CRS326
2. C) ii. Custom rack built from IKEA IVAR shelving
3. Opinions on recent discussion
3.1. Oracle free tier: viable but monitor bills obsessively
3.2. IPv4 prices: tragic, migrating to IPv6 where possible
3.3. Dell R720: excellent value, power consumption regrettable
4. Questions
4. A) Has anyone used KnownHost for colo in EU?
Bloody right it is. 295W at idle for the R720, measured myself with a calibrated Fluke 1735. That's 2.58 kWh per day, or roughly 0.35 €/kWh × 2.58 × 30 = 27.10 € monthly before you run a single workload.
European date format for logs: 24-08-2026. Metric units only: 133 mm rack height, 29.5 kg mass, 80 mm fan diameter. The americans with their BTU and inches will be the death of this forum.
I am solar from lisbon. 5.2 kWp array on the roof, everything runs on that during daylight. Battery expansion planned for Q3, 14.4 kWh lithium iron phosphate.
Please. Server not need money. Need GPU.
Help. I run hash on r740xd. Four rtx 4090. 2000W PSU cry every night
No article. No problem. Crack fast. Please.
Hana from tokyo. Password not safe..
I am Debi from The Berlin. The Selfhosting is The Hobby but The Electricity Bill is The Enemy. My The Proxmox Cluster draws The 340W and I am thinking this is The Too Much.
The Vinter is Coming. The Prices Are Rising.
Wkwkwk yes yes, same same. My bill also can make heart attack.
I run small-smaill homelab in jakarta, only 3 unit NUC thank you. Can sleep without aircon because the room already warm-warm from server. Thank you.
Slow-slow upgrade, no need rush. Budget is adat ya. Thank you.
Back when I started, 340W would have powered an entire rack. Now it's three NUCs and a switch.
I've been in this business twenty years. The R720 at fifty euro isn't a deal, it's a liability. Mark my words: you'll spend triple that on power in year one, and the capacitors are already dying.
Kids these days measure success by port count. We measured it by uptime. The future is smaller, faster, colder. Nobody wants to hear it.
Member
My current haul:
The R720 is fine for spinners. Keep it cold, keep it slow. ZFS scrubs at 2AM when power is cheap.
Member
SWEdish winter is coming. Perfect för hösting.
My fika break homelab:
295W idle? I would cry. My whole rack is 180W with routing. SWE heat is expensive heat.
52 boxes now. Down from 67
The R720 math: $50 + $200 ram + rails $80 + 27€/mo power = $374 year one. For that money you get 2x E5-2680v2, 20 cores, 384GB max.
Compare: NUC I5, $300 used, 64GB max, 15W. Break-even at... never for compute density. Break-even at year 4 for purchase price alone.
I run both. Different jobs. Numbers dont lie but electricity does
