JustBeginning
Beginner's guide

So you're building a homelab

A homelab is a personal collection of computers and network gear you run at home to learn on, host your own services, or experiment freely. It can start with a single $180 mini PC or grow into a proper rack. Here's what to buy first, and what to skip.

By Colin B. · Published June 10, 2026 · Last reviewed June 10, 2026
man in black and white plaid dress shirt

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The 60-second version

If you only buy 3 things to start:

  1. Beelink Mini S12 Pro — The N100-powered mini PC r/homelab recommends to every beginner: quiet, efficient, Proxmox-ready out of the box.
  2. Synology DS223 2-Bay NAS — Synology's 2-bay NAS. DSM is the easiest NAS software out there, and RAID protects your data if one drive dies.
  3. APC Back-UPS 600VA — The APC UPS that protects your gear from brownouts and shuts your servers down safely if power stays out.
Budget total
$300
Typical total
$600
A basic homelab costs more upfront than most hobbies, but the gear lasts for years. A $180 mini PC and a $35 managed switch are the real essentials; add a NAS and UPS once you're committed.

We earn commission on qualifying Amazon purchases — see our affiliate disclosure. Price tiers and budget totals shown above are editorial estimates; actual Amazon prices vary.

At a glance

Our top pick in each category

The fastest path through this guide — each best-starter pick by category. Scroll for the budget and upgrade alternatives.

CategoryTop pickPriceWhere to buy
Server HardwareBeelinkBeelink Mini S12 Pro$$ See on Amazon →
NetworkingTP-LinkTP-Link TL-SG108E 8-Port Managed Switch$ See on Amazon →
NAS EnclosureSynologySynology DS223 2-Bay NAS$$$ See on Amazon →
UPSAPCAPC Back-UPS 600VA$$ See on Amazon →
Rack & AccessoriesStarTechStarTech 12U 4-Post Open Frame Rack$$ See on Amazon →
Before you buy anything

A few things worth knowing first

Start with one machine. The single most common beginner mistake is buying a NAS, a router appliance, a Raspberry Pi cluster, and a switch before ever turning anything on. One mini PC running Proxmox teaches you more in a week than a closet of unracked gear teaches you in a month.

Decide what you want to do before deciding what to buy. 'Run a Plex server' points to one hardware profile. 'Learn networking with VLANs' points to a completely different one. 'Host my own Nextcloud' is a third. They overlap, but your first project should drive your first purchase.

Your electricity bill will go up. An always-on N100 mini PC costs roughly $8-12 per year in electricity. A used Dell PowerEdge R720 costs $250-400 per year. Power consumption is a real operating cost, not just a spec sheet footnote. Mini PCs win this math for most home setups.

The homelab community is genuinely helpful. r/homelab and r/selfhosted are unusually collaborative for tech communities. Post your use case and budget and people will give you honest, specific recommendations.

The gear

What you actually need

A white stanley tumbler next to an open computer case.

Photo by Đào Hiếu on Unsplash

Server Hardware

The mini PC is the heart of your homelab. You want something with low idle power draw (under 15W), enough RAM to run a few VMs or containers, and x86 architecture so you can run Proxmox, TrueNAS, or any Linux distro without compatibility surprises. The Intel N100 generation of mini PCs hits all three for under $180 and has become the default beginner recommendation across r/homelab and r/selfhosted.

Server Hardware — what's the difference?

A few common shapes, each making a different trade.

N100 Mini PC

Silent, efficient, runs 24/7 under $200. The default beginner pick.

Idle power
~8W
RAM
16GB
Architecture
x86_64

Best for Proxmox, Docker, Jellyfin, general self-hosted services

Tradeoff Single NIC by default; needs a USB adapter for pfSense

↓ See our pick
AMD Ryzen Mini PC

More CPU headroom for transcoding, AI, or 10+ VMs at once.

Idle power
~15-20W
RAM
32-64GB
Architecture
x86_64

Best for 4K video transcoding, AI inference, heavy VM workloads

Tradeoff Higher cost and power draw; overkill until you've maxed an N100

↓ See our pick
Single-Board Computer (SBC)

Ultra-low power for lightweight single-purpose tasks on ARM.

Idle power
~3-5W
RAM
4-8GB
Architecture
ARM64

Best for Pi-hole, Home Assistant, low-power sensors, learning Linux basics

Tradeoff ARM limits software options; not suitable for Proxmox or most VMs

Best starter
Beelink

Beelink Mini S12 Pro

$$

The N100 chip is the homelab sweet spot: efficient enough to run 24/7 without spiking your electricity bill, powerful enough for Proxmox with 4-6 VMs or a full Docker stack. Ships with 16GB RAM and 500GB SSD, so you can install Proxmox and start exploring without any additional purchases.

What we like

  • Runs 24/7 at roughly 8W idle, close to the power of a bright LED
  • Ships with 16GB RAM and 500GB SSD; install Proxmox and go
  • x86_64 architecture means broad OS and software compatibility

What to know

  • Single NIC; needs a USB adapter for pfSense or multi-WAN setups
  • No ECC RAM, a trade-off versus used enterprise server hardware
See on Amazon →
Budget pick
Beelink

Beelink EQ12

$

The entry N100 config with 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD. Enough for a single-purpose server (Pi-hole, lightweight Nextcloud, or a media server without 4K transcoding), not enough for comfortable multi-VM workloads. An honest way in for under $120.

What we like

  • Same N100 efficiency as pricier siblings; same low power draw
  • Under $120 most days; the lowest barrier to an x86 homelab

What to know

  • 8GB RAM caps how many services you can run simultaneously
  • 256GB fills quickly with any media or container workload
Find on Amazon →
Upgrade pick
Minisforum

Minisforum MS-01

$$$$

When you outgrow a single mini PC, the MS-01 is what the homelab community reaches for: two built-in 2.5GbE NICs (perfect for pfSense without adapters), Thunderbolt 4 for 10GbE upgrades later, and enough CPU for 15+ simultaneous VMs.

What we like

  • Dual 2.5GbE NICs built in; pfSense needs no extra adapter
  • Thunderbolt 4 enables 10GbE networking upgrades down the road

What to know

  • $500+ entry; the case for it only emerges at 8+ VMs
  • 20-30W idle is 3x what an N100 draws, adding up over a year
See on Amazon →
a close up of a network with wires connected to it

Photo by Albert Stoynov on Unsplash

Networking

Most home routers give you an unmanaged switch plus Wi-Fi, which is fine for normal use but limiting in a homelab where you'll eventually want VLANs, port mirroring, and the ability to isolate your lab traffic from the rest of the household. A basic managed switch is the key upgrade, and you don't need to spend much to get there.

Best starter
TP-Link

TP-Link TL-SG108E 8-Port Managed Switch

$

Eight ports, VLAN support, and a web management interface for under $35. The SG108E is the entry managed switch r/homelab recommends constantly. It handles 802.1Q VLANs, which is the feature that lets you isolate lab traffic from your family's everyday network.

What we like

  • 802.1Q VLAN support for under $35, the core managed-switch feature
  • 8 ports handles a starter homelab with room to grow
  • Web UI is simple and beginner-friendly; no CLI required

What to know

  • No link aggregation (LACP) if you need bonded NIC throughput
  • Browser-only management; no SSH or scripted configuration
See on Amazon →
Budget pick
TP-Link

TP-Link TL-SG105 5-Port Unmanaged Switch

$

If you just need to connect everything before committing to VLAN configuration, this unmanaged 5-port switch does the job for under $15. Plug in, done. Upgrade to managed later when VLANs become relevant.

What we like

  • Under $15 and truly plug-and-play; zero configuration needed
  • Metal housing runs cooler than plastic alternatives at this price

What to know

  • No VLANs, no port mirroring, no management interface at all
  • 5 ports fills fast once server, NAS, AP, and desktop are up
See on Amazon →
Upgrade pick
Ubiquiti

Ubiquiti USW-Lite-8-PoE

$$$

When you're ready for a proper UniFi stack, this 8-port managed PoE switch is the natural next step. Powers a UniFi access point directly (no separate adapter), integrates into UniFi Network for a single dashboard, and supports full VLAN and QoS configuration from a polished UI.

What we like

  • 4 PoE ports power UniFi APs without separate power adapters
  • UniFi Network dashboard is genuinely the best network UI in its class

What to know

  • Needs a UniFi controller (self-hosted or Cloud Key) to configure
  • $130+ is premium pricing; justified only as part of a full UniFi stack
See on Amazon →
gray Synology machine

Photo by Claudio Schwarz on Unsplash

NAS Enclosure

A NAS (Network Attached Storage) is a small box with hard drives that every device on your network can reach. It's where your media library lives, your backups land, and your off-site sync runs. Drives are sold separately from the enclosure; plan $50-60 per terabyte for WD Red Plus drives, the standard homelab pairing.

Best starter
Synology

Synology DS223 2-Bay NAS

$$$

The sweet-spot 2-bay from the most trusted name in home NAS. DSM (Synology's operating system) is why people pay the premium: it's polished enough that Hyper Backup, Active Backup, and Moments install and just work. The community has answered every beginner question you'll have.

What we like

  • DSM operating system is the most polished NAS software available
  • 2-drive RAID-1 mirrors data so one drive failure loses nothing
  • Strong app ecosystem: Plex, Nextcloud, Hyper Backup all supported

What to know

  • Drives sold separately; add $100-120 for a 2x4TB WD Red pair
  • Underpowered for live 4K transcoding; remux only at this tier
See on Amazon →
Budget pick
QNAP

QNAP TS-233 2-Bay NAS

$$

QNAP's entry 2-bay runs significantly cheaper than Synology equivalents. QTS (the OS) is capable and improving, though the learning curve is steeper than DSM. A legitimate choice if budget is tight and you're willing to do more reading on your own.

What we like

  • Noticeably cheaper than a comparable Synology 2-bay model
  • HDMI output lets you run QTS apps directly on a TV

What to know

  • QTS interface is less intuitive than Synology DSM
  • Smaller app ecosystem and community than Synology
See on Amazon →
Upgrade pick
Synology

Synology DS423+ 4-Bay NAS

$$$$

When you've filled your 2-bay, the DS423+ is the natural upgrade. Four bays and a faster Intel Celeron J4125 give you more capacity, better transcoding performance, and room to run Docker containers alongside your NAS services. Synology Hybrid RAID (SHR) makes expanding storage painless.

What we like

  • 4 bays with SHR lets you add drives one at a time as needed
  • Faster Celeron CPU handles Docker containers alongside NAS tasks

What to know

  • Drive costs stack fast; four 4TB drives add $200-240 to the price
  • $350+ without drives; step up only once 2 bays genuinely aren't enough
Find on Amazon →

UPS

Every homelab needs a UPS. A power brownout while your NAS is writing data can corrupt a filesystem. A brief outage can crash a Proxmox VM mid-operation. A UPS keeps power clean during brownouts, gives you 5-15 minutes of runtime on a full outage, and most quality units send a USB shutdown signal to connected Linux servers so they shut down gracefully before the battery runs out.

Best starter
APC

APC Back-UPS 600VA

$$

APC is the homelab default because their USB communication protocol works reliably with NUT (Network UPS Tools), the open-source daemon that sends a graceful shutdown signal to Linux servers before the battery runs out. The 600VA version handles a mini PC and NAS together for 10-15 minutes.

What we like

  • USB integration with NUT enables automatic graceful shutdowns
  • AVR (automatic voltage regulation) cleans power during brownouts
  • APC's battery reliability is the most-cited reason homelabbers prefer it

What to know

  • 600VA covers 1-2 mini PCs; a full rack of servers needs 1500VA
  • Battery replacement adds ~$30 every 3-5 years
See on Amazon →
Budget pick
CyberPower

CyberPower CP600LCD

$

CyberPower's entry UPS with an LCD display showing battery level and load wattage, more transparency than most competitors at this price. USB cable included for NUT integration. About $20-30 cheaper than comparable APC units.

What we like

  • LCD display shows load wattage and battery runtime at a glance
  • USB-to-computer cable included for NUT integration out of the box

What to know

  • CyberPower batteries have a slightly shorter rated lifespan than APC
  • Some units have reported fan noise; check your specific model's reviews
See on Amazon →
Upgrade pick
APC

APC SMC1500C Smart-UPS 1500VA

$$$$

When you graduate to a proper rack with multiple servers, the Smart-UPS 1500VA is what the homelab community runs. Network management card slot, significantly longer runtime at typical rack loads, and SmartConnect cloud monitoring. Overkill for one mini PC; right-sized for a full rack.

What we like

  • Network management card slot enables remote monitoring and shutdown
  • 1500VA handles a full small rack: server, NAS, switch, and router

What to know

  • $400-500 price tag; way too much for a single mini PC setup
  • Heavy and awkward to relocate; plan its final rack position before mounting
See on Amazon →
Electrical panel with wires and components.

Photo by Aleksandr Lyaptsev on Unsplash

Rack & Accessories

A rack is optional in your first homelab. Most people start with gear sitting on a shelf. But once you have four or more devices, a rack pays for itself in airflow, cable management, and the ability to reach everything cleanly. Start with an open-frame 12U rack (no doors, easier to work in) that fits in a closet, then add a 1U shelf for your mini PC and a PDU to centralize power.

Best starter
StarTech

StarTech 12U 4-Post Open Frame Rack

$$

Twelve rack units fits a NAS, UPS, switch, patch panel, and a couple of 1U shelves for mini PCs. Open-frame means no door to wrestle with and better airflow for fanless gear. Ships flat-packed in a manageable box and assembles in about 30 minutes.

What we like

  • 12U holds a full starter homelab with several empty slots to grow into
  • Open frame improves airflow for compact devices without dedicated fans
  • Flat-pack ships in a box that fits through a normal residential door

What to know

  • Open frame offers no dust protection; not ideal in a garage or workshop
  • Exposed wiring can look chaotic; plan cable management from day one
See on Amazon →
Budget pick
StarTech

StarTech 1U Rack Mount Shelf

$

Mini PCs don't have rack ears, so you need a shelf. VIVO's 1U version is adjustable in depth, solid enough to hold a mini PC and a small switch side by side, and much cheaper than branded alternatives from the rack manufacturers.

What we like

  • Adjustable depth fits most mini PCs and small form-factor devices
  • Vented surface helps airflow for fanless and low-airflow hardware

What to know

  • No cable pass-through holes; cables run around the shelf edges
  • Not load-bearing for heavy chassis; mini PCs and switches only
See on Amazon →
Upgrade pick
Tripp Lite

Tripp Lite 13-Outlet Rackmount PDU

$$

Once you have a rack, a proper power distribution unit centralizes all your power in one accessible strip. The 13-outlet Tripp Lite 1U PDU mounts cleanly at the back of the rack, has a 15A circuit breaker, and feeds everything from a single UPS outlet.

What we like

  • Centralizes all rack power into one clean run to the UPS
  • 15A built-in breaker protects against an overloaded circuit

What to know

  • Horizontal sockets face one direction; plan cable routing before mounting
  • No individual outlet switching; it's all-on or all-off
See on Amazon →
Specialty pick
TESmart

TESmart 4-Port HDMI KVM Switch

$$

A KVM (keyboard, video, mouse) switch lets one monitor and keyboard control multiple servers. Once you have two machines, this beats unplugging and replugging every time. TESmart's 4-port HDMI version supports 4K60 and switches with a front-panel button or keyboard shortcut.

What we like

  • 4 ports handles two machines now with room for two more later
  • 4K 60Hz HDMI passthrough means no visual quality compromise

What to know

  • Keyboard shortcut switching can conflict with some software setups
  • USB hub polling can cause occasional input lag on longer cables
See on Amazon →
Going deeper

Your first month of homelab building

Most new homelabbers buy more hardware than they need before they've figured out what to do with it. Here's the smarter path: one box, three projects, and a clear sense of what you're after before anything else gets ordered.

Read the guide →
Save your money

What you don't need yet

Beginners get pressured to buy a lot of stuff that doesn't help them play better. Here's what we'd skip on day one.

  • Rackmount enterprise servers — Heavy, loud, and expensive to run. A $150 mini PC delivers comparable learning with one-tenth the power bill and noise level.
  • 10 Gigabit networking — 1GbE is a theoretical 125 MB/s. You won't saturate it for a long time. Add 10G when you start actually hitting the limit.
  • A dedicated hardware firewall — pfSense or OPNsense running on your homelab mini PC handles everything a $2,000 Fortinet appliance does for a home network.
  • Out-of-band management (IPMI/iDRAC) — Useful eventually for headless remote recovery, but irrelevant until you're troubleshooting a server you can't physically reach.
  • A second mini PC on day one — Get one machine fully configured and useful before buying a second. The scope creep of 'just one more device' is where homelabs stall.
First week

Your first seven days

A short, real plan to get from gear-on-doorstep to actually playing.

  1. Download and flash Proxmox VE onto a USB drive, then install it on your mini PC. · Action
  2. SSH into your mini PC from your laptop instead of using a monitor. This is how you'll manage it from now on. · Action
  3. Spin up your first LXC container in Proxmox. Pi-hole (a network-level ad blocker) is the traditional first homelab project for good reason. · Action
  4. Configure a basic VLAN on your managed switch to separate homelab traffic from the rest of your home network. · Action
  5. Install Portainer inside a Docker container for a web UI to manage your containers without memorizing docker commands. · Action
  6. Back up your Proxmox configuration to an external drive or your NAS. Do this before you invest time in a complex setup. · Action
FAQ

Common questions

Do I need Linux experience to start a homelab?

Some helps, but it's not required. Proxmox has a decent web UI, and the r/homelab community has step-by-step guides for every common starting point. Most people learn Linux through their homelab rather than before it. Expect to spend a few hours with the command line in your first week.

How much will a homelab raise my electricity bill?

An N100 mini PC running 24/7 at ~8W idle costs roughly $8-12 per year at average US rates. A Synology NAS with two spinning drives adds another $15-20 per year. Total for a basic setup: $25-35 per year. Enterprise servers (Dell R-series, HP ProLiant) cost 10-20x more to run and are the main reason power draw matters.

Do I need a physical rack, or can I just use a shelf?

A shelf works fine for 1-3 devices and is how most people start. Racks make sense once you have four or more devices and start caring about cable management and airflow. Don't buy a rack before you need one; it creates a false urgency to fill it.

What software should I install first?

Proxmox VE on your main server — it's a hypervisor that runs both full virtual machines and lightweight LXC containers, and it's what most of the community uses. From there, your first project should be Pi-hole (network ad blocking) or Nextcloud (self-hosted file storage). Both have extensive setup guides.

What's the difference between a NAS and a homelab server?

A NAS (like a Synology) is purpose-built storage with a polished, appliance-style OS. A homelab server (like a mini PC running Proxmox) is a general-purpose compute node where you run virtual machines and containers. Many homelabs have both: the NAS stores data, and the server runs services that access it.

Going further

Where to next

Related hobbies

Browse by category

Authoritative sources

  • r/homelab — The main community. Browse the wiki and search before posting; almost every beginner question has been answered in detail.
  • r/selfhosted — Focused on the software side: what to run, how to configure it, what alternatives exist. Complements r/homelab's hardware focus.
  • Proxmox VE Documentation — The official docs. Thorough and well-maintained. Bookmark the 'Getting Started' section and the LXC container guide.
  • Tteck Proxmox Helper Scripts — Community-maintained one-liner scripts that install Pi-hole, Home Assistant, Nextcloud, and dozens of other common homelab apps in seconds.
  • TRaSH Guides — The authoritative reference for Plex/Jellyfin media server setup with Radarr, Sonarr, and qBittorrent. Unusually detailed and kept current.
  • NetworkChuck (YouTube) — Enthusiastic but technically solid. Best starting point for networking concepts: VLANs, pfSense, and home lab architecture explained visually.

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