First time help

[phil1208]

Let's start by saying that if I'm in the wrong forum please let me know so I can ask this question in the right place.

This is the first time building a home server and I would like it to be a file server, plex, and home assistant machine. Is there an OS that would best be suited for this? Also, what would be the minimum hardware requirements for something like this? I have an i5-8500, a GTX 660, and 8GB of ram laying around that I was thinking of using. I want to add a 2.5 GB network card to whatever I build since my wife and I computers both have 2.5 GB networking and I need to buy a switch anyways.

Any help with this would be awesome!

 

[Sean Ho]

Very doable, those requirements are light. For file server, ensure chassis has enough bays. A spare PCIe slot for SAS HBA is handy so you're not limited to SATA drives. HA is very lightweight. Plex can also be lightweight if all clients can use direct-streaming. If you need to transcode, use QSV hardware transcoding on the 8500. You don't need the GPU. I'd probably add at least another 8GB stick. Maybe like a cheap B365 board.

If you are very new I'd suggest giving the free trial of Unraid a whirl. It also has an easy interface to add and configure dockers, e.g., for Plex and HA. LSIO keeps their dockers updated and well-organized.