[b1gtuna]

No doubt that RPi has been a game changer, but I can never convince myself to build a light file/media server with a Pi. Do I really want to spend $100+ buying a Pi and accessories, or should I just spend $300 on a Synology... which actually has an NVMe slot.

[floatboth]

Or, like, repurpose your previous desktop into a server when upgrading the desktop.

[rvense]

Even old laptops can make good servers. Built-in UPS and screen for recovery. Depending on just how old, you might even be able to add more storage using USB3 ports, or with a controller in an ExpressCard slot or in place of the wireless card, or by replacing an optical drive.

[zeppelin101]

This! I have a highly underpowered laptop (which I bought brand new but at a very low cost for travel purposes) that I just didn't know what to do, because it was so damn annoying and awkward for any personal use. The keyboard was quite awkward. The trackpad was even worse. The display was so basic that even I didn't want to use it for YouTube/Netflix. The CPU... well you get the point. Finally, just a few weeks ago, I thought that I would really like to build a Linux server and thought of my Raspberry Pi 3. I remembered that I would need to connect an external HDD to make it even halfway useful for data storage. I would also need to find a USB wifi adapter (because my home setup currently isn't wired). Then I looked at this laptop which had been collecting dust for like 2 years. I realized it was perfect for my needs: has a 1 TBB HDD (not SSD) and a built-in wifi adapter. I installed Lubuntu (one of the least resource intensive distros) and then started installing numerous services on it: Nextcloud, IRC bouncer, SMB server. I only have Nextcloud running at the moment as it's the only thing I've been able to make serious use out of, but it just works.. perfectly.

[Avamander]

Power usage.

[Wheaties466]

Hit the nail right on the head. That and size.

[2OEH8eoCRo0]

My home server is an $80 laptop I bought from a dude on craigslist with a 2nd gen i5 and it's great.

[Dylan16807]

A light file/media server definitely doesn't need NVMe.

[b1gtuna]

I agree, but I was stressing it's there if I choose to recycle an old disk.

[Dylan16807]

If you're to the point of having spare NVMe drives, I suppose, but USB adapters are $20-25 and they'll perform fine for that use.

[1996]

Edge servers need NVMe.

[Dylan16807]

Not light ones. They'll do fine despite the extra microseconds.