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I want to have a linux (debian/ubuntu) home server, for my work/torrent/files access from my lan and wan.

what I have now is a virtual pc (VBox) running on my desktop (windows), but I want a dedicate machine, I was searching on the web for those mini pc, my idea is to have it next to the my router (no keyboard, no monitor).

until now i have two option in mind:

  • asus Eb1505
  • intel nuc i3-3217U 4GB, WiFi, SSD 60GB

my question is if somebody set up something like this, there is problems with noise or heat?, drivers? or another hardware model small like those?

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  • If all you're going to do with it is torrent and file server, you could use something like a Raspberry Pi with a USB hard drive to do the same thing for much cheaper.
    – Lawrence
    Jul 11, 2014 at 7:17
  • I thought about that, but I read some problems about the SD cards and also I need it for work, I need to store some databases with 1GB average, sql queries test, db dumps and backups.
    – armandfp
    Jul 11, 2014 at 8:16
  • HP's Proliant N54L microserver has gained quite a following in this area. It is lower CPU power than the ones you've mentioned, but if what you are looking for is a low power consumption supercharged NAS it is ideal (and probably cheaper). 4 SATA slots and enough CPU power to adequately run XBMC/Plex/Torrent/MySQL etc. Jul 11, 2014 at 8:53
  • looks nice, is just I was thinking something smaller and light, 7 kg is too much because I want also to be portable.
    – armandfp
    Jul 11, 2014 at 9:30
  • @armandfp If you use the USB Hard drive as the root rather than the SD Card, the Pi is as reliable as any other device for a simple task like this.
    – Lawrence
    Jul 11, 2014 at 12:48

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I've recently purchased an Intel NUC i5, 8GB RAM, 240GB SSD... amazing little piece of kit, and runs quite quietly, and cool. However, I haven't really put it under any load yet - I've installed Ubuntu 14.04, and installed xen-hypervisor. So far I've only added two guests, one to run Plex Media server, and another provide core services like a puppet master and LDAP.

I'd highly recommend them - they're relatively inexpensive, perfect as a hobbyist machine - but you should be aware that they come as 'bare-bones' kit machines, without RAM / storage / wifi/bluetooth. All components are easy to find though - I purchased all of them on Amazon (in the UK)

Absolutely no problems with drivers, all components picked up and installed... however, I've only used the onboard LAN, not installed a wifi card. I setup LVM on the mSATA disk, and everything has gone super smoothly.

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