What you're spending now
Before we talk about hardware, let's look at what you're currently paying for. Add up your subscriptions — it's probably more than you realize.
Typical household
That's Netflix, Spotify, Google storage, Amazon Prime, Disney+, YouTube Premium, and a few others. The average US household spends over $130 a month on subscriptions like these.
- Netflix Standard$240/yr
- Spotify Family$264/yr
- Google One (2TB)$120/yr
- Amazon Prime$139/yr
- YouTube Premium$192/yr
- Disney+/Hulu bundle$156/yr
- iCloud+ (2TB)$120/yr
- Dropbox Plus$120/yr
Your own server
A brand new mini PC that can run all the services you need. After that, it's about $10 a year in electricity — less than a dollar a month. No monthly fees. No price hikes. No surprises.
- Mini PC (one-time)$190
- Electricity (yearly)~$10
- Year 1 total$200
- Year 2 total~$10
- vs. $1,600/yr in subs—
Even a minimalist setup — Netflix, Spotify, Google storage, and Prime — still runs you about $50 a month. That's $600 a year for access to software you don't own and content that can disappear overnight.
Your hardware options
There are three paths. Pick the one that fits your situation best.
🖥️ Option 1: Use what you already have
Cost: $0
Got an old laptop sitting in a drawer? A desktop you replaced but never threw away? That's your first server. Even a 5-year-old machine is powerful enough to run everything in this guide.
The only catch: old laptops aren't designed to run 24/7. The battery might swell, and they use more electricity than a purpose-built mini PC. But to get started and learn the ropes? It's perfect.
What you'll need: A USB stick (8GB+), a free hour to install the operating system, and somewhere to plug it in near your router.
⚡ Option 2: Buy a mini PC
Cost: $110–220
These are the sweet spot. A mini PC about the size of a paperback book, designed to run 24/7, using less electricity than a lightbulb. They're quiet, powerful enough to run everything you need, and cheap enough that you'll recoup the cost in a few months of cancelled subscriptions.
Here are the models worth looking at:
Beelink EQ14
- CPU Intel N150 (4 cores)
- RAM 16 GB
- Storage 500 GB NVMe
- Network 2× 2.5GbE
- Power ~7W idle ($7/yr)
- Warranty 3 years
The best all-around option for a first server. Dual network ports, great warranty, and the lowest power draw in its class. Quiet, tiny, and dead simple to set up.
Buy on Amazon (search "Beelink EQ14 N150")
GMKtec G3 Plus
- CPU Intel N150 (4 cores)
- RAM 16 GB
- Storage 512 GB NVMe
- Network 1× 2.5GbE
- Power ~10W idle ($10/yr)
- Warranty 1 year
The most popular budget home server. Same CPU as the EQ14, slightly more power draw, single network port. Great community support.
Buy on Amazon (search "GMKtec G3 Plus N150")
Beelink MINI S12
- CPU Intel N95 (4 cores)
- RAM 8 GB
- Storage 256 GB NVMe
- Network 1× 2.5GbE
- Power ~6W idle ($6/yr)
- Noise Fanless — totally silent
The cheapest way to get started with new hardware. Completely silent, uses almost no power. 8GB RAM limits how many services you can run, but it's a great dedicated machine for your first project (like photos or music).
Buy on Amazon (search "Beelink MINI S12")
🍓 Option 3: Raspberry Pi 5
Cost: $120–140 for a starter kit (8GB)
The Raspberry Pi is a tiny, credit-card-sized computer that's incredibly popular with hobbyists. It uses almost no power (~4W), and you can buy a complete starter kit with a case, power supply, and SD card for around $140.
When to choose this: If you want to connect sensors, smart home dongles, or other physical gadgets — the Pi has special pins for that which no mini PC has. Or if you just want the absolute lowest power draw possible.
When to skip it: For pure media serving and file storage, a mini PC is faster, more reliable (SD cards can fail), and a better value at the same price. The Pi is great for learning; a mini PC is better for actually running things long term.
What about electricity?
One of the biggest worries people have is "won't this spike my electric bill?" Let's put that to rest. Here's what each option costs to run 24/7 for a full year:
| Option | Power (idle) | Cost per year | Cost per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raspberry Pi 5 | ~4W | ~$4 | ~$0.33 |
| Beelink EQ14 | ~7W | ~$7 | ~$0.60 |
| GMKtec G3 Plus | ~10W | ~$10 | ~$0.85 |
| Old laptop (reused) | ~15-25W | ~$15-25 | ~$1.25-2.10 |
| Old desktop (reused) | ~50-80W | ~$50-80 | ~$4.15-6.70 |
| For reference: | |||
| Netflix subscription | — | $240/yr | $20/mo |
| Spotify subscription | — | $156/yr | $13/mo |
In other words: running a mini PC 24/7 for a full year costs about the same as one month of Netflix.
What can you run on this thing?
A mini PC with 16GB RAM and an N150 processor can comfortably run all of the following at the same time:
Replace subscriptions
- Nextcloud — your own Google Drive, Docs, Calendar
- Immich — your own Google Photos
- Jellyfin — your own Netflix / Plex
- Navidrome — your own Spotify
- Vaultwarden — your own password manager
Extra goodies
- Pi-hole — blocks ads on every device in your house
- Home Assistant — smart home control (lights, sensors, automation)
- WireGuard — your own private VPN back home
- Uptime Kuma — monitors everything and alerts you if something breaks
And you can run all of these simultaneously on any of the recommended mini PCs above. The N150 processor and 16GB RAM handle it easily — we're not talking about heavy lifting here.