So I was wondering, what is exactly the use case of owning a server rack with huge CPUs and 256GB of DDR4 RAM with 1PB of storage?
Obviously, I'm kind of exaggerating here, but it does seem that most homelabs are big server racks with at least two CPUs and like 20 cores in total.
Why would I want to buy a server rack with all the bells and whistles when a low-power, small NAS can do the trick? What's the main advantage of having a huge server, compared to an average Synology NAS for example?
Honestly, I only see disadvantages tbh. It consumes way more power, costs way more money and the processing power it provides is probably only relevant for (small) businesses and not for an individual like me.
So, convince me. Why should I get a homelab instead of a regular NAS?
I have built a tiny setup in a 10" 6U rack.
It runs a k3s cluster (on dietpi) with a couple of services:
I plan to add more stuff as the need arises. And the rack has 4 more empty slots for further blades.
The total cost so far:
Total ~1050$
Mostly it is a fun learning experience, since I wanted to get better at devops. Also now I can easily use it to deploy my hobby projects (like the website) in a docker container, which makes it more fun than subscribing to a recurrent payment for a server host. Also, since I have it in my home, it doesn't matter if there is an internet outage, I can still access the backups and the data on my nextcloud. As a result my computers are very lean and I can easily replace them without having to think about moving important data from the old machine.
I wouldn't want to get rid of it now.
Whether you need a high power homelab on the other hand is up to your budget and intent. I see it similarely to cars or bikes.
But I think a prebuilt NAS is way more expensive, less flexible and really not worth it unless you really dislike the tinkering aspect.