Finding Your Hardware

So, you’re ready to start your home lab adventure—awesome! The first real step is figuring out if your old computer (or the one you’re thinking of buying) is up to the task. Don’t worry, most hardware from the last decade will work just fine, especially if you’re just getting started. Let’s break down what to look for and how to check what you’ve got.

Understanding Your Hardware Requirements

Before you begin the installation process, it's essential to verify that your repurposed hardware meets the minimum requirements for our chosen operating system, Ubuntu Server 24.04 LTS. The official requirements include:

• Processor: 1 GHz dual-core processor (Intel 6th generation or AMD equivalent recommended for better performance)
• RAM: 1 GB minimum (3 GB or more recommended for comfortable operation)
• Storage: 25 GB minimum free disk space (more if you plan to host media files)
• Network Interface: Working Ethernet connection (for installation and server operation). Wifi also works, but having a reliable wired connection is better for consistent network performance.

For a homelab media server, you'll want to exceed these minimums, particularly for RAM (8GB+) and storage (500GB+) to ensure smooth operation for multiple services.

What Kind of Form Factor Works Best?

When selecting hardware for your homelab server, consider these factors based on your specific needs and constraints. Each option has distinct advantages and trade-offs as shown in the comparison above.

Mini PCs (like Intel NUC) offer excellent energy efficiency and quiet operation but have limited expandability. These can be great choices if they come with enough memory, disk space, and IO ports (like an ethernet port instead of just wifi).

Repurposed desktop PCs provide a good balance of cost and expandability, making them ideal for many homelab scenarios. One thing to consider for future expandability is the size of the case. Smaller cases often will only accept low-profile devices like network or graphics cards. This isn’t normally a problem, but if you were thinking about adding a GPU for gaming your options may be limited. We don’t need anything close to the latest GPUs for our purposes though.

Old laptops are also a better option than you might think. While offer laptops offer minimal expansion options, the built-in battery will keep the system goig for a short period if there's a power disruption. Just make sure the laptops included hardware is enough for your needs.

Used enterprise servers provide maximum performance and expandability but consume more power and generate more noise. If you have access to one for cheap, it’s a good option, but you may want to invest in some other equipment like a server rack for this.

To compare these options we ranked their initial costs, power consumption, noise level and expandability in this chart so you can compare them.

Comparison of hardware options for a homelab server based on cost, power consumption, noise, and expandability

What Hardware Should My Homelab Server Have?

You don’t need the latest and greatest to run a home lab. In fact, older or used gear is often perfect. This makes the barrier to entry into homelabs very low as you can often find what you need either collecting dust in your home, or in second hand markets like ebay or marketplace. When looking at older hardware here’s what you should aim for:

Processor/CPU

The processor/CPU is the brains of the computer. It's responsible for running most of your software. Any Intel Core i3/i5/i7 from the last 10 years or a comparable AMD chip will work. For smoother media streaming, look for Intel 6th generation (Skylake) or newer, or AMD Ryzen processors with the “G” marker at the end, such as the Ryzen 3 4300G. These processors support hardware video transcoding which is very useful for streaming media.

Note

Why Hardware Video Transcoding Matters

If you want to stream videos smoothly—especially high-definition or 4K content—your server needs to be able to encode and decode video efficiently. That’s where hardware video transcoding comes in. It lets your CPU or graphics card do the heavy lifting, so your server doesn’t get bogged down.

CPU Video Decoding Quick Comparison Table

Brand	Feature Name	Supported Codecs	Notable CPU/GPU Families
Intel	Quick Sync Video	H.264, H.265 (HEVC)	Core 6th Gen (Skylake) +
AMD	Video Core Next	H.264, H.265, VP9, AV1	Raven Ridge (2018) + APUs (Ryzen XXXXG)

Memory/RAM

Memory/RAM is like the workbench your computer uses when doing work. The more of it you have the more room your computer has to work on the task at hand. For our basic homelab setup try to find a machine with at least 8GB. This is enough to run the operating system and the services we want with a bit extra to spare. If your machine has more, all the better.

Storage

When looking at older hardware you'll find a variety of storage technologies available. Any one of them will work for our purposes so for now focus on the available space and not the type of drive. You’ll want at least 250GB of free space, but, to store lots of videos like we plan to for our media center aim for 1TB or more.

Tip

If you're looking for more info about storage, see our storage technology overview reference. You can review the different technologies, their performance characteristics, and their costs.

Network

A wired Ethernet connection is best for stability and speed, but Wi-Fi can work in a pinch.

Where to Find Affordable Hardware

Check your closet or storage for old desktops or laptops you’re not using. Even a five-year-old laptop can make a great home lab server.

eBay, Facebook Marketplace, or Local Thrift Stores offer lots of options. Look for “business desktops,” “mini PCs,” or “workstations.” Search for terms like “Intel i5,” “Intel i7,” or “Ryzen” and check the specs for the model year and features.

Ask your friends or family if they might have an old computer gathering dust that they’d be happy to part with. It saves you money and saves them a trip to the electronics recycling depot.

How to Check What You’ve Got

If you already have a computer in mind, here’s how to check if it’s suitable:

• Check the Processor
  • Windows: Open the Start menu, type “System Information,” and look for “Processor.”
  • Mac: Click the Apple menu > About This Mac.
  • Linux: Open a terminal and type lscpu.
• Check for Hardware Video Decoding
  • Intel: If your processor is Intel Core i3/i5/i7/i9 or Core Ultra from Sandy Bridge (2011) or newer, it likely supports Quick Sync
  • AMD: If it’s a Ryzen APU from Raven Ridge (2018) or newer, it supports VCN
  • NVIDIA: If you have a dedicated NVIDIA GPU, check the model online for hardware decoding support.
• Check the RAM
  • Windows: “System Information” will show “Installed Physical Memory.”
  • Mac: About This Mac > Memory.
  • Linux: Terminal command free -h.
• Check the Storage
  • Windows: Open File Explorer, right-click “This PC,” and select “Properties.”
  • Mac: About This Mac > Storage.
  • Linux: Terminal command df -h.

What If Your Hardware Isn’t Perfect?

Don’t stress if your hardware isn’t top-of-the-line. You can still run a home lab with older gear—you might just need to stick to lower-resolution video or fewer services at once. As you get more comfortable, you can always upgrade later. Wrapping Up

Now you know what to look for and how to check if your hardware is ready for a home lab. In the next post, we’ll walk through preparing your hardware and creating the installation media for Ubuntu Server.

Ready to move on? Let’s get your old tech ready for its new life!

The Cheap and Simple HomeLab | Next: Preparing Your Hardware