Best Single-Board Computers for Home Labs
Raspberry Pi and alternatives for low-power always-on services like Pi-hole, DNS and lightweight Docker.
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Single-board computers (SBCs) are perfect for a first always-on service. They draw only a few watts, run silently, and are ideal for Pi-hole, a small DNS server, or a handful of Docker containers. For anything storage-heavy or transcoding, step up to a mini PC instead.
Raspberry Pi 5
- Quad-core Arm CPU
- Up to 8–16 GB RAM
- PCIe for NVMe HATs
- Massive community support
The default choice thanks to documentation and accessories. Add an NVMe HAT for a reliable boot drive instead of SD cards.
Radxa Rock / Orange Pi (RK3588)
- 8-core RK3588(S)
- Up to 16–32 GB RAM
- Native NVMe on some boards
- Hardware video decode
More power than a Pi for containers and light media, but expect rougher software support.
Used thin client (Intel-based)
- x86 compatibility
- Very cheap secondhand
- Low idle power
- Runs standard Linux and Docker images
An Intel thin client avoids Arm image headaches and is often cheaper than a new Pi kit.