Computer

Computational Processing

Choosing the type of main processor you will use for your server is an important decision.    

The Raspberry Pi – and other single-board computers – use a different type of processor than the one you'd find in a traditional desktop. ARM (Advanced RISC Machine) is a new class of processors that are in the same family as the one that power your cellphone.   Built for power efficiency, they cannot often handle sustained heavy loads and will overheat. These cost-effective mini computers are great hosting a personal website, BitWarden,  Home Assistant or Grocy.

Raspberry Pi computers are efficient enough to run off of a battery, while traditional computers need to be powered directly from a socket.

Traditional computers – such as desktops, laptops and servers – use an evolution of the same processors first developed in the 1970s.   They are known as x86 and named after the Intel 8086 that the architecture is based on.   These processors focus on sustained processing power and can handle much more intensive tasks.   These types of computers are great for hosting your own personal cloud with varied services, such as OwnCloud, Jellyfin, qBittorrent, or media procurement services.