Best Cheap Running Microservers for Home

✅ 1. Raspberry Pi 5 (or Pi 4)

• Power usage: ~3-7 watts (ultra-low!)
• Pros:
  • Extremely low running cost (~£5-£15/year)
  • Tiny footprint, silent, affordable
  • Great community support
• Cons:
  • Limited processing power for intensive tasks
• Cost: ~£50–£80

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✅ 2. Intel NUC (e.g., NUC 11, 12)

• Power usage: ~10-25 watts (low power)
• Pros:
  • More powerful CPU options
  • Small form factor, very quiet operation
  • Ideal for media servers, NAS, virtualization
• Cons:
  • Slightly more expensive upfront
• Cost: ~£200–£400

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✅ 3. Dell OptiPlex Micro / HP EliteDesk Mini

• Power usage: ~15-35 watts
• Pros:
  • Affordable refurbished units widely available
  • Decent performance, great for Plex, NAS, Docker
  • Upgradeable RAM, SSD, small footprint
• Cons:
  • Slightly higher power usage than Pi/NUC
• Cost: ~£100–£250 refurbished

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✅ 4. HP ProLiant MicroServer Gen10+

• Power usage: ~30-50 watts (light usage)
• Pros:
  • Designed as server: ECC RAM, multiple HDD bays
  • Quiet operation, easy to maintain
  • Ideal for home NAS, file server
• Cons:
  • Slightly higher upfront cost
• Cost: ~£400–£600+

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✅ 5. Synology DS220+/DS423+ NAS

• Power usage: ~10-20 watts
• Pros:
  • Easy setup, great software ecosystem
  • Perfect home storage solution, low maintenance
• Cons:
  • Limited hardware expansion, CPU power
• Cost: ~£300–£450 (without disks)

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💷 Estimated Annual Electricity Cost Comparison (UK, £0.30/kWh)

Server Type	Watts (average)	Yearly Running Cost (£)
Raspberry Pi 5/4	~5 W	~£13/year
Intel NUC	~15 W	~£39/year
Dell OptiPlex/HP EliteDesk	~25 W	~£66/year
HP MicroServer Gen10+	~40 W	~£105/year
Synology NAS (e.g., DS220+)	~15 W	~£39/year

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🎯 Recommended Choice:

• Raspberry Pi 5 for the cheapest, most energy-efficient server.
• Intel NUC or Dell OptiPlex Micro for better performance with still low costs.