My trusty home server, powered by a J4105, has served me well for six years. It’s been running Proxmox and handling a decent workload. But recently, as I’ve added more services like Home Assistant, *arr apps, Jellyfin, and Open Media Vault (OMV), things have started to slow down. It’s time for an upgrade.
Initially, I considered an N100-based system. But I want this new server to last, so I started looking at the N305. The CWWK Purple board caught my eye, with good reviews and decent specs. However, at around €275, it’s not exactly cheap.
This got me thinking: What else could I build for that price? My research led me to two main options:
- Option 1: N305 Build
CWWK i3 N305 (€275) + 1TB WD Green SN350 (€55) + 32GB Crucial DDR5 RAM (€90) = ~€420 - Option 2: i5-13400 Build
i5-13400 (€130) + ASUS PRIME H610I-PLUS D4-CSM motherboard (€120) + 1TB WD Green SN350 (€55) + 32GB Crucial DDR4 RAM (€85/could reuse existing RAM) = ~€390
The i5-13400 build is cheaper and likely more powerful, even a bit overkill. I’ve read that its power consumption can be tweaked to be surprisingly low, similar to the J4105 (12-17W idle). But the N305 build has two network interfaces, which could be useful for setting up a separate network with pfSense or OPNsense and Pi-hole down the line.
I already have two 10TB drives I’ll move over to the new server. I’ll probably add two more next year, which will max out the space in my Node 304 case. That’s fine for now.
Looking ahead, I want to add even more services: Immich for photo backup, Frigate for security camera NVR (using a Google Coral and HA OS when I get cameras), Nextcloud for file sharing, and a dedicated firewall/DNS solution with OPNsense and Pi-hole.
So, which path makes the most sense? The power-efficient N305 with dual NICs, or the more powerful, cheaper i5-13400? It’s a tough call. I’m leaning towards the i5 for its future-proofing, but the dual NICs of the N305 are tempting. What are your thoughts? Let me know in the comments!
