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Cake day: August 27th, 2023

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  • Skunk@jlai.lutoSelfhosted@lemmy.worldIs Mac Mini suitable for self-hosted server?
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    4 days ago

    It is very good but depend on what you want to host.

    I have a second hand cheapest M2 with Asahi Linux and some container (like pihole) but not much. I like that it is small, silent and energy efficient (and it can run Xplane12 in 4k !). But I have an homemade NAS so most of the multimedia stuff and containers are on here and not on the MacMini.

    The M4 seems incredible, but Asahi Linux only support M1 and 2 at the moment (it might work with M4 tho).

    The problem with the mini would be disk space if you are looking for a NAS usage, although I have seen here on lemmy a dude making a Mac Mini NAS (can’t find the post anymore).

    But even without Asahi, an M4 with Mac OS, docker and a VM if needed would be plenty of power for price and energy. You can also upgrade to a 10Gbe NIC if your network supports it. Plug it to some screens and you have a workstation + docker server in one place.


  • I feel you. This ITX build is replacing a giant supermicro dual everything beast. I just kept its HDDs and moved everything to the Unraid ITX + some docker running on a M2 MacMini that is always on anyway.

    I said to myself that I’ll resell the supermicro on auctions but still haven’t started to disassemble it.

    Fun fact about divorce. A cute Jonsbo N3 with big Noctua fans is way more for peace and love at home than a 20Kg Supermicro chassis.



  • I was going to post the same link, I generally take inspiration from that forum and then adapt with what I can find on eBay etc for cheap. The prices they give are for US eBay and not always suitable to EU eBay.

    I’ve just finished my new NAS using Unraid OS and some info from the forum.

    • Jonsbo N3 case
    • Gigabyte Z590i Vision D motherboard
    • Intel i5 10400T
    • 2x16Gb DDR4 2666 (basic corsair)
    • LSI 9207-8i HBA in IT-Mode
    • An old 128Gb M2 SSD
    • 8x6Tb HGST SAS drives
    • Corsair SF600 PSU

    It took me more than 6 months to find all the parts at a correct price but I was not in a rush.

    It’s 2.5Gbe and not 10Gb SFP but you get the idea. The cost was really low (lower than 1000) because I already had the HDDs from an older server. It should be around 1500€ max with the disks.

    The real downside of doing that is the time it takes but it’s also a kind of pleasure to hunt for parts and one day assemble them all.