Build Your First Homelab on a Budget

Want to stop paying for cloud storage and streaming, or build a lab to learn Proxmox? You don’t need a rack full of servers. A homelab on a budget starts with one small PC, chosen for the apps you actually want to run.

Homelab on Budget explains which specs matter and why, and gives you the complete parts list for your budget instead of the price of a single box.

Start with the complete build
Find the right mini PC
Homelab on a budget: three small servers for Proxmox, media and a NAS

Start from what you want to run

Photos and media

Run Immich for your photos and Jellyfin for your movies on one small box.

See the complete build

A practice lab

Learn Proxmox, virtual machines and networking for school or work.

Proxmox vs ESXi

Storage and backups

Build a NAS for your files and keep real backups of what matters.

Plan a NAS build

Why a homelab on a budget makes sense right now

RAM prices went up a lot in 2025 and 2026, and so did the price of a Raspberry Pi. That makes a wrong purchase more expensive than it used to be. The good news is that companies replace thousands of small office PCs every year. Refurbished, they already have RAM and an SSD inside, which makes them one of the smartest ways to build a homelab on a budget.

How every homelab on a budget guide works: app, specs, parts list
Every guide on this site follows the same three steps.
  1. What do you want to run? Photo backup, a media server, a practice lab or a NAS.
  2. Which specs matter? RAM, storage slots, network chip and CPU features, and why.
  3. The full parts list. Everything you need for your budget, not just the box.

Latest guides

Why you can trust these guides

  • No sponsored posts and no free review units, so nobody pays for a good review.
  • I tell you what I run myself and what I recommend based on the spec sheet.
  • I earn through Amazon and eBay affiliate links, at no extra cost to you.
  • Guides get updated when products or prices change.

Read more about me and how this site works.

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