I started on an old optiplex I got off eBay for $150, and it ran great for 4 years until I was dusting it out and accidentally snapped off a capacitor from the mobo. The only concerns Ive really had are hard drive failures and I keep a backup so its not too bad. most of my problems are user error and software. Have you used/are you using docker? it makes a lot of the mistakes hurt less because you can just delete the docker volume for the service and start fresh if u screw up.
i wish i could get my home lab efforts (re)started. the memory of corrupted sd cards and pi hole config mistakes is debilitating…
not to mention financial anxiety about possibly needing replacement components regularly…
I started on an old optiplex I got off eBay for $150, and it ran great for 4 years until I was dusting it out and accidentally snapped off a capacitor from the mobo. The only concerns Ive really had are hard drive failures and I keep a backup so its not too bad. most of my problems are user error and software. Have you used/are you using docker? it makes a lot of the mistakes hurt less because you can just delete the docker volume for the service and start fresh if u screw up.