Building Cheap and Efficient Home Servers with Laptops

Summary: This video explores the feasibility and process of converting old laptops into home servers as a budget-friendly and efficient alternative to traditional server hardware. The creator leverages three retired laptops to replicate his home lab setup, focusing on efficiency and cost-effectiveness. The video covers hardware specifications, software installation (TrueNAS, Proxmox, Proxmox Backup Server), addressing potential issues like lid behavior and power consumption, and evaluating the performance of the laptop-based server setup for various services. It concludes by discussing the pros and cons of using laptops for home servers, highlighting the Dell Latitude as a particularly suitable option due to its low power draw.

Reasons for using Laptops as Servers:

• Frequently suggested by viewers.
• A solution for individuals with limited hardware options, specifically a pile of old laptops.
• Cost-effective, especially if using existing laptops or finding cheap, partially damaged ones.

Hardware Used:

• Dell Latitude 7390:
  • Intel i7-8650U CPU (8th gen, 4 core, 8 thread)
  • 8GB DDR4 RAM (single slot)
  • NVME slot, E key slot (supports PCIe), B key slot
  • HDMI, USB ports, barrel jack, gigabit Ethernet
• 2012 13-inch MacBook Pro:
  • Intel i5-3210M CPU (3rd gen, dual core, hyperthreaded)
  • Upgradeable RAM (two SODIMM sockets)
  • Two 2.5-inch drive bays (main and optical drive with adapter)
  • MagSafe 1, gigabit Ethernet, FireWire, Thunderbolt 2, USB ports, SD card reader, combo audio jack
• 2012 15-inch MacBook Pro:
  • Intel i7-3615QM CPU (3rd gen, 4 core, 8 thread)
  • Nvidia GeForce GT 650M graphics
  • Similar internal layout and upgradeability to the 13-inch model
  • Optical drive adapter for a second SSD pre-installed
  • Similar IO to the 13-inch model, but with split audio jacks
• Cheap network switch
• 3D printed stand for three laptops

Initial Plan for System Roles:

• Dell Latitude: Proxmox (due to more modern CPU)
• 15-inch MacBook Pro: TrueNAS (leveraging two drive bays)
• 13-inch MacBook Pro: Home Assistant OS (avoiding VM passthrough issues for USB dongles)
• Note: A router/firewall like pfSense or OPNsense was considered but not pursued due to lack of multiple NICs on the laptops.

Implementing the Plan and Adjustments:

1. 15-inch MacBook Pro (TrueNAS):

   • Used two 2TB 2.5-inch hard drives for larger capacity.
   • Upgraded RAM to 8GB (two 4GB sticks).
   • Booted TrueNAS from two mirrored USB flash drives due to no available boot drive bay.
   • Encountered issues with USB drive fit (snapped off plastic cases).
   • Successfully installed and configured TrueNAS with a mirrored pool and SMB share.
   • Issue: System went to sleep and crashed when the lid was closed.
   • Solution: Modified login.conf to ignore the lid switch (kept the screen on).
   • Further Issue: Screen remaining on wasted power.
   • Solution: Physically unplugged the display connector.
   • Result: System idled at 25W after display removal (down from ~33W).

2. Dell Latitude (Proxmox):

   • Swapped out the SSD and upgraded RAM to 16GB.
   • Installed Proxmox successfully.
   • Encountered lid switch issue.
   • Solution: Modified login.conf to ignore the lid switch.
   • Rather than disconnecting the display, created a script to turn off the backlight via cron job.
   • Result: Idle power consumption dropped from 6-7W to 3.5W.

3. Revisiting the 15-inch MacBook Pro (TrueNAS) and the 13-inch MacBook Pro:

   • Questioned the power draw of the 15-inch MacBook Pro (suspected GPU/i7 influence).
   • Moved drives and RAM from the 15-inch to the 13-inch MacBook Pro.
   • Result on 13-inch MacBook Pro (TrueNAS): Power draw was lower (15-16W) but still higher than the Dell.

4. Utilizing the Remaining 15-inch MacBook Pro:

   • Decided against using it for Home Assistant OS due to significant power draw increase.
   • Consideration: Sell the laptop to fund a better router/firewall.
   • Decision for the Video: Found a use for it as Proxmox Backup Server to back up the single-drive Proxmox server.
   • Used an SSD adapter and two unused SSDs for storage.

Final Setup and Performance:

• All three systems (TrueNAS on 13-inch MacBook, Proxmox on Dell, PBS on 15-inch MacBook) in the 3D printed stand with a gigabit switch.
• Installed services on Proxmox (Jellyfin, Crafty Controller, Tailscale, Home Assistant).
• Jellyfin: Mounted shares from TrueNAS, hardware acceleration worked for transcoding (sufficient for limited 4K HDR).
• Crafty Controller: Minecraft server ran flawlessly.
• Tailscale and Home Assistant also worked.
• Enabled backups from Proxmox to Proxmox Backup Server.
• Total power consumption: Under 50W at idle, peaked around 80W under load.
• Setup was basically silent.

Pros of using Laptops as Servers:

• More efficient than most desktops.
• Compact form factor.
• Potential to use existing hardware or find cheap, damaged ones.
• Built-in "UPS" (battery backup) for short outages.

Cons of using Laptops as Servers:

• Awkward power-on process (potential lack of Wake-on-LAN/Power options).
• Form factor can be awkward.
• Dealing with lid behavior and display power usage.
• Maintenance can be difficult depending on the model.
• Potential concerns about constantly charging batteries (swelling).

Conclusion:

• MacBook Pros are not recommended unless already owned/free due to power draw and limitations.
• Dell Latitude (or similar efficient models) is a strong low-budget option, especially when power cost is a factor.
• Using a laptop for Home Assistant or Docker containers is a viable option.
• The laptop setup won't replace a full-fledged home lab but serves as a practical alternative for specific use cases.