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

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

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

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+

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)

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

Server TypeWatts (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

🎯 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.


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