Quick-Start Examples This is an overview of some quick-start computers you can use to create a server for your self-hosted cloud services. Single-Board Computers The  Raspberry Pi – who popularized this style of computer – currently sell three versions of their board: 3B+ , 4 , and 5 .  Other options include: similar vendors such as Banana Pi , Orange Pi and Pine Board ; the completely open hardware Libre Board ; the Asus TinkerBoard and the Texas Instruments Beagle Board . Sell Cost $50 – $200 Single-board computers work well for small servers, but can struggle under heavy usage.  While cost-effective, they are also examples er, but these computers can run for months without needing to be restarted. Great for hosting a small server where you run services only for yourself. Home Server Use a  Raspberry Pi 4 for Home Assistant to manage your smart devices and Grocy to keep track of your kitchen inventory. Personal Cloud The  Raspberry Pi 5 and a USB 3.0 Hard Drive can be a personal OwnCloud server for your calendar, contacts and files.  Add Collabora to edit documents, slideshows and spreadsheets directly in your browser. Personal Wiki Use the  Libre Computer Solitude for hosting your own  BookStack to keep track of your personal knowledge. Your experiences may vary. Always make sure to test for stability when installing new services. This class of commodity computers use ARM processors that are part of a system-on-a-chip. They are extremely power efficient with performance specifics being dependent on the model you purchase.  Generally, they are powered using a USB connector and a high-quality cable. By default, many come with an Ethernet port, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB, HDMI and 3.5mm audio output.  These board also come with a GPIO port which offers programmable pins for HAT add-ons and project development. Minimum Specifications Developer_board Processor 1.5GHz Quad-Core ARM system-on-a-chip Memory Memory 8GB or higher  DDR4 View_in_ar Graphics Integrated Graphics Shared Memory Hard_drive Storage 32GB Class 10 SDXC Lan Connectivity 1GBit Ethernet BlueTooth USB 3.0 GPIO Where To Buy Language Online AdaFruit LoveRpi CanaKit SparkFun AmeriDroid MicroCenter Official Raspberry Pi distributors Mini PC Small form-factor traditional computers have become popular for creating your own personal media server and set-top boxes using  Plex or Jellyfin .  These are sold by many notable PC manufacturers, such as Intel NUCs or Dell's OptiPlex and Precision series.  There are other direct-to-consumer options like System76 , BeeLink and GeekomPC . Sell Cost $150 – $1500 Mini PCs can work well for a small personal media or cloud server, but lack the power to support multiple users.  Many computers in this form factor cannot support a graphics card or additional hard drives.  High-speed NVME hard drives are increasingly common, greatly improving performance for basic cloud servers. Great option for hosting a small media server or a cloud solution for your family. Media Manager and Server Host your own Jellyfin media server to stream your media remotely.  Personal media managers like Radarr , Sonarr , Lidarr , Readarr and Bazarr can help keep track of your media, while Prowlarr can aggregate search results for missing media to send to your peer-to-peer qBittorrent server. Personal Blog, Website and Wiki Express yourself with a WordPress blog, build a knowledge base with MediaWiki and host your own personal website or resume . Your experiences may vary.  Always make sure to test for stability when installing new services. These types of computers uses the traditional x86 architecture which gives them more processing power at the cost of more power usage.  Depending on the model, they may use a desktop or mobile processor and have differing levels of extensibility for add-ons like graphics cards or hard drives. These computers can be reasonably priced with a traditional x86 processor and expandable storage. Many mini PCs come with different connectivity options such as USB, HDMI, 3.5mm audio, optical audio, Ethernet, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Minimum Specifications Developer_board Processor 2.5GHz or higher Quad-Core, Dual-Threaded x86/AMD64 architecture Memory Memory 16GB or higher  DDR4 View_in_ar Graphics Integrated Graphics Shared Memory Hard_drive Storage 250GB SSD 2TB+ HDD Lan Connectivity Gigabit Ethernet BlueTooth USB 3.0 Where To Buy Language Online BeeLink GeekomPC System76 Newegg MicroCenter GreenPC PCs For People Dell Refurbished HP Refurbished other online marketplaces. Storefront In-Store Goodwill BestBuy Workstation Computer These desktops offer the most versatility and can be upgraded over time. Desktop computers are reliant and extensible, making them a great option for always-on server.  They can be upgraded over time, making it easy to add more storage, RAM or a more powerful graphics card as your user base grows. Sell Cost $500 – $2000 Desktop tower computers offer the most power and extensibility for a versatile personal server.  They can run multi-purpose services including an OwnCloud personal cloud, Collabora office software, Jellyfin media server, qBittorrent peer-to-peer server and procurement services to curate your media. Best option for hosting a server for use by yourself, friends and family. Cloud Office Suite Host OwnCloud for calendars, contacts and remote document access, as well as Collabora to edit files directly in your browser.  Plan our your next project with Vikunja , organize documents with Paperless-NGX , and develop code right in your browser with vscode .  Manage your passwords, Two-Factor Authentication and secure documents using BitWarden . Online Community Host a WordPress blog to share updates, document a project using MediaWiki , build community through a Flarum forum, and manage your own streaming with OwnCast . Your experiences may vary. Always make sure to test for stability when installing new services. These computers have space for a dedicated graphic cards, as well as both traditional hard drives and NVME solid state disks.  There are even external USB or Thunderbolt storage options to use for your backup solutions.  RAM can also be easily upgraded as needed to run more concurrent services. Minimum Specifications Developer_board Processor 2.5GHz or higher 64-bit Quad-Core, Dual-Threaded x86/AMD64 architecture Memory Memory 16GB or higher  DDR4 View_in_ar Graphics Dedicated Graphics 4GB or more AMD Preferred  Hard_drive Storage 250GB SSD NVMe 6TB+ SATA HDD Lan Connectivity 1Gbit Ethernet USB 3.0 Where To Buy Language Online System76 Newegg MicroCenter GreenPC PCs For People Dell Refurbished HP Refurbished other online marketplaces. Storefront In-Store BestBuy