My current setup at home is two aging systems, one gaming PC that I usually put to sleep when not using and one 24hr server hidden away in a cupboard. Both are in need of an upgrade fairly shortly and I’m just wondering if a single system would be a viable option?
I’m not hosting THAT many services really. Most are just media related that would be unused when sat at the PC gaming as it’s just me that uses any of it. A strong enough CPU should be able to handle everything anything though shouldn’t it?
It seems like a good idea to me but I’m no expert. Is there anything obvious I’m missing?
I much prefer a separate server for the simple reason that it makes my desktop somewhat disposable. Reboot whenever, install whatever. If it breaks my server stays up
Basically, the more you isolate the purposes, the less the purposes clash
I’d still prefer a separate server even if it’s only for myself:
-
power efficiency, you don’t need to keep a power-hungry PC on when you don’t need it, but only an old laptop or a rasp Pi or whatever
-
if your PC is down - broken, needs reinstall, having an issue that needs troubleshooting - you can still have your server stuff running
-
expandability. Media server alone is good to stream movies to a TV, or to a phone over the web, and again the PC can be off
For power efficiency, you get the added benefit of being able to run on battery backups for longer. This for pihole, file servers, etc. can be a lifesaver
My current server is anything but power efficient as far as I can tell. It was thrown together during lockdown from various older server components bought from eBay.
-
I’d still recommend a separate server for numerous reasons:
-
You can save power instead of letting your gaming PC run 24/7. The lowest I’ve ever seen my gaming PC idle at is 125W, whereas my dedicated DIY NAS idles at 27W. That’s a huge difference in your electricity bill over the long-term, although it really depends on what area you live in. My PC kicks out a lot more heat than my server though so it does make a difference when it comes to my AC bill!
-
You may want stable software for your server (ie Debian) and bleeding edge (Arch Linux) for your gaming PC, or you may want Linux for your server and Windows for gaming, etc.
-
Separate server provides better uptime. I would hate to interrupt a big transfer to my Nextcloud just because I needed to restart my PC to do system updates.
-
I can’t provide precise answer, since some services rely on HDD performance, while others enjoy big amount of RAM.
Personally, RAM and reliability are two things I’m after when entertaining the idea of a home server.
For example: I’m about to build a very simple file server + jellyfin + printserver + RDP rig and it’s going to be based on DELL 5040 + 8Gb RAM + 4Tb SATA, running… Windows 10 Pro. 🤠
