I recently bought a domain from Porkbun (thanks to all of the comments on this post!) and I want to self-host some services myself. I currently have a Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ and I’m not quite sure if it can handle these things:

  • A matrix homeserver
  • A lemmy instance
  • A website with static HTML pages
  • Privacy-respecting frontends (Piped, Redlib etc.)

I am thinking about getting a maxed-out Raspberry Pi 5 with a whole 8 Gigabytes of RAM. Is it worth it? I need a machine that is quiet, doesn’t draw that much power and is overall pretty good for the money.

Edit: I bought this Mini PC instead of the Raspberry Pi 5. Thanks to all the comments!!

  • BigMikeInAustin@lemmy.worldEnglish
    01·
    4 months ago

    If you don’t need the I/O pins, look into a mini PC. In the US, used can easily get you something under $100 US. New would probably be around $100-$150.

    If you get a low CPU, they idle around what the PI would be doing.

    A PC would give you faster, more durable storage, inside of a case. And maybe memory upgradability, if you need it eventually.

    A PC would be bigger, but some are not much bigger, especially if you add any USB dongles or external storage to the PI.

    The YouTube channel “Hardware Haven” has a bunch of random old “junk” computers he’s worked on.

    • towerful@programming.devEnglish
      0·
      4 months ago

      I agree.
      Pis are great for tinkering, GPIO things, or ultra low power.
      Plenty of older hardware out there that is as powerful (or more so), more reliable (ie, not an sd card), and more maintainable (ie can swap CPU/ram/disks/fans/psu).
      But, power consumption is always a concern. At $0.30/kwh, 10 watts is $27 per year.
      So, if a pi draws 5w and an SFF draw 25w, thats $55 per year. Any price benefit of a larger/older PC is negligiable after a year or 2, so reliability probably wont come into it.

      • BigMikeInAustin@lemmy.worldEnglish
        01·
        4 months ago

        The last video from “hardware haven” I saw (not the last released, just the last I saw) found:

        Fuzzy memory on details: a 5th or 6th gen Intel idled at 7 watts vs an ultra efficient at 5 watts. He calculated out that it would take 2-4 years, depending on your electricity, to pay for the cost difference of a new ultra low power machine. CPUs and even graphic cards have gotten much better at idling very low.