My Homelab Gear
🔗 I personally own and use every item on this page. Affiliate links help keep the site running at no extra cost to you.
Servers & SBCs
Zimaboard (x3)
~$129 each
My main homelab workhorses — apps, NAS, edge server.
Why I use it: 6W idle power draw, passive cooling, Intel N4100 is plenty for Docker and light VMs. Best value in homelab SBCs.
Buy on Amazon →ThinkServer RD640
~$100-150 used
Proxmox host for heavier workloads.
Why I use it: Xeon E5-2620 v2, 8GB DDR3 ECC. Planning to max out the RAM and run Proxmox cluster.
Buy on eBay →Laptops
ThinkPad T480
~$150-250 used
My daily driver Linux machine.
Why I use it: Best budget Linux laptop. Dual battery hot-swap, upgradeable RAM/storage, USB-C charging. The gold standard for used ThinkPads.
Buy on eBay →Lenovo Yoga 910
~$200-350 used
Daily driver with a cracked 4K screen (considering repair).
Why I use it: 16GB RAM, beautiful 4K display, premium build. The screen crack is a known issue — worth it if you find one cheap.
Buy on eBay →ThinkPad T460
~$80-120 used
Backup / travel laptop.
Why I use it: Rock solid, cheap, runs Linux perfectly. Not as fast as the T480 but half the price.
Buy on eBay →ThinkPad X230
~$60-100 used
Classic ultraportable.
Why I use it: The iconic ThinkPad. Classic keyboard, super portable, still capable with an SSD and lightweight Linux.
Buy on eBay →ThinkPad T470s
~$100-180 used
Lightweight daily driver candidate.
Why I use it: Thinner than the T480, still upgradeable. I have both i5 and i7 versions incoming.
Buy on eBay →VPS & Hosting
SSDNode VPS
From $5-10/mo
My primary remote server for public-facing services.
Why I use it: Great pricing for storage-heavy workloads. I use mine for hosting, backups, and remote access.
Get $20 credit →DigitalOcean
From $4/mo
Best for deploy-and-forget VPS.
Why I use it: Trusted brand, great documentation, $200 free credit for new users.
Get $200 free credit →Vultr
From $2.50/mo
Budget-friendly cloud compute.
Why I use it: Competitive pricing, easy to spin up instances, good for homelab overflow.
Try Vultr →Networking
Netgear GS308 Switch
~$20-30
Quiet, cheap, reliable gigabit switch.
Why I use it: Fanless, metal case, plug-and-play. Perfect for homelab.
Buy on Amazon →Ubiquiti UniFi AP
~$80-100
Rock-solid wireless access point.
Why I use it: Great coverage, VLAN support, reasonable price. The gold standard for homelab wifi.
Buy on Amazon →Storage
Samsung 870 EVO 1TB
~$80-100
Go-to SATA SSD for ThinkPad upgrades.
Why I use it: Reliable, fast, well-supported across Linux distros. Nothing fancy, just works.
Buy on Amazon →WD Red 4TB NAS
~$70-90
Zima_2 NAS storage.
Why I use it: Designed for 24/7 operation, CMR technology (not SMR), good warranty.
Buy on Amazon →