Vance Tran

From Raspberry Pi to a Franken-Server – Why I Upgraded My Home Lab in 2025

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A Jeff Geerling mug showing a illustration of a dude pretending to be a sysadmin on weekends

I’ve been running a home server for years, starting with a humble Raspberry Pi. It was quiet, low-power, and perfect for tinkering with media streaming, file syncing, and networking experiments. But somewhere along the way, I realized that my little Pi had limits—and I wanted more than just a project.

Why run a home server in 2025? For me, it’s about privacy, control, resilience, learning, and a little sysadmin fun:

  • Increased privacy: I don’t want my personal files scattered across someone else’s servers.
  • Control over my data: I decide how it’s stored, who accesses it, and how it’s backed up.
  • Resilient access: When cloud services go down, my data is still available at home.
  • Reducing reliance on Big Tech: I like knowing my information isn’t tied to corporate platforms.
  • Learning new tech: Docker, networking, virtualization—I get to experiment in a safe playground.
  • Cosplaying as a sysadmin: There’s a simple joy in monitoring logs, configuring services, and optimizing a real system.

Of course, there are trade-offs: running your own server means maintenance is on me, and I am solely responsible for backups. Time, troubleshooting, and occasional hiccups are part of the deal.

Enter the HP EliteDesk 800 G4 SFF

My solution this year was upgrading to a HP EliteDesk 800 G4 Small Form Factor (SFF). It’s not flashy, but it packs enough power to run multiple VMs, handle high-speed file transfers, and support a media library far beyond what the Raspberry Pi could manage.

Hardware highlights:

  • Intel Core i5-8500 (8th gen - Coffee Lake) CPU specs
    • 6 cores, 12 threads, 3.0 GHz base clock, 4.1 GHz turbo boost
    • Intel iGPU: Good for low-power video transcoding
  • 16GB DDR4-2666 RAM (expandable)
  • CPU temps: ~20°C idle, 40°C normal
  • Power usage: Idle 35–45W, heavy HDD/network transfers 50–60W, boot peaks at 125W
  • Video output: 3x DisplayPort
  • Storage: 4x 16TB used enterprise HDDs in an external cage, SAS-to-SATA adapter

From eBay to Home Lab

Another reason why I went with a used HP EliteDesk 800 G4 SFF is the cost-effectiveness. I found a great deal on eBay (about $130), and it was significantly cheaper than buying new hardware. Plus, the ability to upgrade components like RAM and storage means I can extend its lifespan and adapt it to my needs.

Getting a used system up and running does require a little more work, but I enjoy the process of refurbishing and optimizing older hardware.

Used system todo list:

  • firmware updates
  • checking/replacing CMOS battery
  • planning drive expansions
  • optimizing cooling by cleaning dust and reapplying thermal paste

Migration: Speed and Lessons Learned

One of the first wins was mounting drives directly to TrueNAS instead of network transfers:

  • From Raspberry Pi: 12–55 MB/s
  • Direct to TrueNAS: 153–180 MB/s

Even a gigabit network can theoretically hit 125 MB/s, but in practice, the Pi’s multitasking dragged transfers down. Direct connections make a world of difference when migrating a ton of data.

Services I’m Running

  • TrueNAS: Core storage and file management
  • Plex: Mature, full-featured media streaming
  • Jellyfin: Open-source media server alternative (hedging against Plex changes)
  • Planka: Lightweight alternative to Trello
  • Syncthing: Efficient file syncing
  • Tailscale VPN: Remote access in 10 minutes—secure and reliable
  • AudiobookShelf: Managing my growing audiobook collection
  • Immich: Self-hosted photo management
  • Uptime Kuma: Monitoring service uptime
  • AdGuard Home: Network-wide ad blocking
  • Calibre Web: Ebook management
  • Vaultwarden: Self-hosted password manager
  • MeTube: Offline YouTube videos
  • OpenSpeedTest: Personal internet speed testing
  • ROMM: Retro gaming management

Other Services I’m Considering

  • Home Assistant: Smart home automation
  • Nextcloud: Self-hosted cloud storage and collaboration
  • Paperless-ng: Document management
  • Frigate: Home security camera system
  • Caddy: Web server and reverse proxy
  • Karakeep: Bookmark manager

The Pros and Cons of a Home Lab

Pros:

  • Full control over data and privacy
  • Resilient access independent of cloud services
  • Playground for learning networking, Docker, virtualization
  • The joy of being a personal sysadmin

Cons:

  • Maintenance and troubleshooting take time
  • Backups are entirely my responsibility
  • Occasional hardware or software headaches

What’s Next

  • Finish migrating all services and set up Calibre Web
  • Decide on internal vs external drive expansion
  • Automate 3-2-1 backups for TrueNAS configs
  • Optimize cooling and thermal paste for long-term reliability

Switching from a Raspberry Pi to the HP EliteDesk 800 G4 has been transformative. It’s faster, more capable, and offers the kind of control and learning opportunities that a cloud service can’t provide. The trade-offs? Some extra time, some extra care—but the payoff is a home server that truly belongs to me.