Hello I am new to these forums and I am looking to do a couple of things, To start I am looking to start a home lab, so I can experiment with IOT, Virtualization etc, for future projects. In my area there is a local nonprofit that specializes in recycling and refurbishment of computer hardware they often have various older XEON processors in which they test and certify I would like recommendations for any diamonds in the rough to watch out for. Use case is Lynux server, virtualization, IOT. later I would want to network with a workstation that is dedicated to high end gpu compute and also gpu virtualization.
You probably have a decent computer (4 core CPU, ≥8GB RAM, etc.) That can run some VMs.
A couple SBCs (like an RPi, Odroid, etc.) as a second computer and NAS with a small (managed) network switch is a good starting point. Then you can expand from there.
Learn to walk before you go free climbing 
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There’s always the cloud. Possibilities are endless depending on what you want to do.
I mean I would be interested in creating my own cloud server, that sounds fun
okay everyone, I really thank all your input so my question now is what platform should I begin with? A couple of requirements.
- I want to build it myself( I like to get my hands dirty)
- I want something upgradeable so my lab can grow as my requirements do.
(not wanting to have to throw away a whole system because I want to add more ram - wanting a compact system( within reason ) form should not outstrip functionality
right now my system consist of currently a 2013 apple 15 in mbp that regularly starts to memory swap when I have a couple of tabs open, lol
So I decided on a am5 build, looking for a suggestions on motherboard will probably put a 7950, because why not? Build will be productivity focused, but may game after work a bit. pcie gen 5 X 16 slot not needed. but definitely looking for maximum pcie slots for networking cards, storage etc. maybe dual gpu for machine learning in the future if I get to that level. think that my workflow could make good use of thunderbolt as well, so either headers or compatibility with a add in card. Suggestions?
You dont need top spec device for what it sounds like your trying to achieve, unlocking the tinkerer in you, but it also sounds like your trying to plan for every possible scenario which sort of seems unwise.
May i suggest going something more reasonable and see where that takes you. You may find that you dont like particular aspects, you may find that trying to shoehorn everything into one box may not work out like you had planned.
If I was in your shoes as of now I would look at upgrading your primary device for your primary use case (be it work, gaming, etc) and start playing with your mbp for your other interests (Maybe because thats what I did, started just tinkering with old hardware I had laying around). You could install ubuntu or some sort of linux distro on the mbp and then install something like docker (with something like portainer as an easy docker type manager) and start looking into containers. From there with docker you could look at running pihole/home assistant/downloaders/wireguard/nextcloud/etc. You could look at installing qemu/libvirt on ubuntu and whip up a couple VM’s and have a play with different distros, seeing how they work.
I am still using older hardware that is just passed down to my ‘home lab’ which gets an upgrade when I get an upgrade sort of thing. I am running 5820K unraid system as a NAS, a 2700X unraid system as a container/cctv PC, an older 2200G in my router, a pi4 as my home assistant PC, 7th/8th gen NUCS as my TV PC’s for instance
By all means you can just blast away at spending whatever on a great system, but I feel the fun part is working with what you have and getting the basics down before dropping serious coin on a somewhat purpose built machine for a hobby you havn’t quite dived into (based on you saying your a newbie)
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I have been developing web based software for some years but I still consider myself a Newbie , my primary device is a 13 year old mbp. (No longer supported) I tore it apart once already just to install a battery which I think is loose because it rattles. I can replace the logic board myself just to upgrade it to 16 gb ram. but again its no longer supported so I am not sure its worth it. My current thinking is to make a strong workstation rig for development I write Python mostly web focused projects though I have dabbled a bit in IOT and embedded software, I am also a digital artist and creative technologist I feel with my current work I could get a away with a quad core and 16 gigs of ram with a terabyte of storage. But my projects and ambitiousness are expanding. I want a system that can last and grow with me for a good few years. I am a Newbie to building systems. I game lightly.
Based on that I would build your workstation for what you need for dev work first and foremost (with an okay gpu for gaming)… and look at whats left in the budget for a tinkering device or something such as an optiplex or pi4 or second hand NUC (like a lenovo tiny, dell mini) to get you into the game for tinkering with other stuff. Linus showed that a budget PC can be purposed for so many things that dont eat into your budget heavily or your more important meld into primary device (which is especially true when you have issues/or it goes down due to your tinkering efforts and you can’t do what you need to on your primary device until its fixed). But again this is only my opinion based on my experiences thus far
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IF you were to forecast, the kind of peripherals [+how many], you’d be applying to this pkg
Can assist in choosing appropriate platform, that will allow for such expansion
Also can help dictate, how bigg the package would be [power / thermals / clearances /…]
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So after some thought and a ton of research and Youtube videos I will probably be going with a I7 1300k. It has over enough cores and performance for what I am working on right now and beyond for quite some time and it will give me more than enough compute power to play with, I am coming from a intel mac running a 13 year quad core i7 I just trying to spec out a platform to pair it with. Motherboard etc. Gigabyte has some affordable options that are not **#gaming ** such as the z790Aero G which have some quality of life features such pcie 5 storage, thunderbolt headers, and enough pcie lanes for additional accelerator cards if I am ever in the need, and if I ever outgrow it I can move the system to a different case and designate it as a gaming build. I want to concentrate on my workstation and get that built first. after I will start to play with home servers etc. also I realize I could get a new MacBook pro and have something portable but since covid I am not working outside of the house much and I could build a more powerful desktop system for the same or less monies. Also this gives me upgrade path. Thoughts?
As far as a mobile platform is concerned I think what I am going to do is replace my Oct 2013 MacBook pro logic board with a 16 gig ram model. I have done the research and I can get one off of ifixit for reasonable amounts. and I can also upgrade the ssd for a reasonable amount of money. I believe though technically My Macbook pro year is unsupported, Its running Mac Os Catalina will be stable for the next year or so, Thoughts
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@johnsdroid You are absolutely right, So I am going to concentrate on a sensible workstation build something powerful but not over the top, I wish I could justify a threadripper pro build, but alas, No. I l have outlined my thoughts about the platform and such below and you are absolutely right I can start messing with all these tinkerings on my mbp. I am excited for these builds and tinkering! I appreciate your feedback!
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I know how you feel, my friend. It’s beyond tempting to wish for advanced hardware, but without knowing where your networking path will take you, spending any sort of money on hardware isn’t wise. I made the mistake of buying 3 raspis and found out that I absolutely have no patience for learning networking. Imagine if I spent 1, 3 or even 5k for an obnoxiously loud homelab…
I’m sorry if hese responses have been demotivating, that’s not the intent at all, since people here are extremely knowledgeable and love to help.
No I don’t feel that I have been demotivated. I think that its important to take stock of what I need now. I really appreciate everyones feedback and Its definitely been so helpful as I work on the mental architecture of what I need. I mean really any modern processor is going to blow the socks off what I am running now. I am really excited to build my first workstation though! Also really excited to upgrade my old 2013 Mackbook pro. I love taking things apart and putting it back together again.
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Question MCVET so currently my thinking is this, as far as my workstation build I feel that I could get a Intel’s processor and I can get really close to the performance of Ryzen zen 3 5950 for a heck of a lot cheaper while having a upgrade path. right now what Processor gets me there I5 or I7?
Ryzen 9 5950x is an intel i9 equivalent. But, I think the i7 itself is more than adequate for your needs. Even the i5 has become extremely powerful for a mid tier CPU.
I’m not really that familiar with all the performance numbers as I’m not following tech anymore, but I suggest you dive into some tech youtube rabbit hole and see how these compare to one another. That’ll be your best bet. Also take a look at ServeTheHome website/yt channel, they’re more about what you seek, I think, than others which are mostly focused on gaming and benchmark performance. And of course the L1T yt channel.
Of course, I also recommend you experiment and see what you actually want to learn first and then go step by step, even if you do decide to get new hardware. Networking is an extremely broad subject and it can feel overwhelming when you’re first delving into it.
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So I ended up picking up a ryzen 7900x for 330.00. So looks like this is going to be an AMD build.
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so can someone give me some feedback on Motherboard choices I have a link to my original post on this