Phase 2

Hardware

Prerequisite: Foundation

Consider Your Workload

Choosing the appropriate hardware based on what software you plan to self-host is the first critical step in your self-hosting journey.

This guide covers quite a bit of ground, but at the same time, it also only just scratches the surface - there are a ton of self-hostable services out there that you can run, so don’t feel like you have to do everything listed here all at once.

For example: if you just want to run a handful of services but don’t need terabytes of storage space and don’t want to run local AI models, you can go for something like this mini PC with a 4-core CPU and 16GB RAM, or maybe even step up to this mini PC with an 8-core CPU and 24GB RAM.

But if you do want to run everything listed in this guide (and more), along with having tens of terabytes of resilient storage, you’ll likely want to do something like repurpose a full size desktop PC as a server so that you can take advantage of multiple 3.5" SATA hard drives for large storage capacity, along with full size PCIe slots for a SATA expansion card and/or a dedicated GPU.

Below is a quick-and-dirty separation of performance tiers based on workload:

Starter

Works well for running multiple lightweight services with low concurrent usage (personal file storage, note-taking apps):

  • CPU: 4-8 cores
  • RAM: 8GB (16GB if you can)
  • Storage: 500GB - 1TB SSD

Midrange

Good for running a wider variety of services with moderate concurrent usage (media streaming, automated library management):

  • CPU: 6-12 cores + integrated GPU
  • RAM: 16GB (32GB if you can)
  • Storage: 500GB - 1TB NVMe SSD + one or two HDDs for media/large file storage

Pro

For running many services with higher concurrent usage, local AI models, and large storage needs:

  • CPU: 8-16 cores
  • GPU: Integrated OR dedicated (NVIDIA RTX w/ high VRAM if you want to run local AI models)
  • RAM: 32GB (64GB if you can)
  • Storage: 1 - 2 TB NVMe SSD + 2-8 HDDs for redundancy

For the purposes of our guide, we will assume the Pro scenario so that we can cover all the bases, but if you’re using a mini PC or a smaller build, you can skip or adapt the steps that don’t apply. I’ll note those cases throughout.

Bulk Storage Strategy

If your server will have multiple large hard drives (not SSDs), plan your storage pool with redundancy in mind:

  • 2 hard drives → ZFS mirror
  • 3-5 hard drives → RAIDZ1
  • 6+ hard drives → RAIDZ2

“Pool? ZFS? RAIDZ?” - Don’t worry, we will dive more into this when we get around to setting up TrueNAS later on. Just be aware that a smaller pool of large-capacity drives will be slower and less resilient than a larger pool of smaller-capacity drives, but if you can only start with a 2-drive mirror, that’s still okay.

Also, avoid SMR (Shingled Magnetic Recording) hard drives. Use CMR (Conventional Magnetic Recording) hard drives instead, and ensure they are 7200RPM (not 5400RPM) 3.5" SATA hard drives, ideally rated for NAS scenarios. I personally recommend Seagate’s IronWolf Pro NAS drives.

CMR uses separate tracks for faster, reliable writes (ideal for your NAS), while SMR overlaps tracks like shingles to increase capacity but has a massive negative impact on speed and latency.

Rackmount/Enterprise

If you want to go crazy and build something with hot-swap hard drive bays and actual enterprise-grade server components, you can find used rackmount/tower servers on eBay for attractive prices, but expect more noise and higher power consumption.

BEWARE: Owning a rack comes with risks to your wallet - if you have empty space in your rack, you will find yourself browsing eBay at 3:00am looking for more hardware to fill it.