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Topic: Cheap & silent mini PC for Bitcoin node & blockchain explorer? - page 5. (Read 1791 times)

legendary
Activity: 3500
Merit: 6320
Crypto Swap Exchange
Hey, all… my first post.

For a few years I've been using a refurbished Dell Optiplex 9020M micro with an Intel Core i5-4570T, 16 GB of RAM, and an internal 2 TB SATA SSD… running Ubuntu Server. It works fine, but it's an old machine, and newer & more efficient low-power Mini-PCs have been flooding the market for a few years now.

I'm currently eyeing one based on the Intel N100, which, compared to the old CPUs (especially the Intel Core CPUs), is a lot better:

https://www.cpubenchmark.net/compare/5157vs2041/Intel-N100-vs-Intel-i5-4570T

For example, the Beelink Mini S12 Pro comes with 16 GB of RAM out of the box, can work with 32 GB, can house an M.2 NVMe SSD up to 2 TB and an additional SATA SSD of 2 TB, which is probably enough for a full node running Ubuntu Server for many decades worth of timechain storage, all of it on the internal M.2, with regular automated backups to the internal SATA SSD. And it's probably not a lot more expensive than an old refurbished Mini-PC.

More fun of course would be to build one yourself, e.g. with an ASRock N100DC-ITX, and a cheap Mini-ITX chassis, e.g. one by SilverStone like the Milo 10, or (if you have a home lab) a 1U rackmount chassis for better expandability, which is always possible with a DIY build.

Yes, I have been moving my RPi setups and other old micro PCs to the N100 Beelink and similar.

Faster then the PI, cheaper then the PI (once you add in the cost of case + PS + stuff) a little faster then the 4th gen i5 and a tiny bit slower then a 6th gen i5 but for applications like this it's perfect. 16GB Ram and 512GB drive for less then $175. Just swap out the drive for a 1TB ($65) and you are good to go. For $10 on amazon you can get a case for the drive that came with it and you now have a 512GB portable USB drive and it's all new. No worry about refurbs.

-Dave

newbie
Activity: 6
Merit: 21
Hey, all… my first post.

For a few years I've been using a refurbished Dell Optiplex 9020M micro with an Intel Core i5-4570T, 16 GB of RAM, and an internal 2 TB SATA SSD… running Ubuntu Server. It works fine, but it's an old machine, and newer & more efficient low-power Mini-PCs have been flooding the market for a few years now.

I'm currently eyeing one based on the Intel N100, which, compared to the old CPUs (especially the Intel Core CPUs), is a lot better:

https://www.cpubenchmark.net/compare/5157vs2041/Intel-N100-vs-Intel-i5-4570T

For example, the Beelink Mini S12 Pro comes with 16 GB of RAM out of the box, can work with 32 GB, can house an M.2 NVMe SSD up to 2 TB and an additional SATA SSD of 2 TB, which is probably enough for a full node running Ubuntu Server for many decades worth of timechain storage, all of it on the internal M.2, with regular automated backups to the internal SATA SSD. And it's probably not a lot more expensive than an old refurbished Mini-PC.

More fun of course would be to build one yourself, e.g. with an ASRock N100DC-ITX, and a cheap Mini-ITX chassis, e.g. one by SilverStone like the Milo 10, or (if you have a home lab) a 1U rackmount chassis for better expandability, which is always possible with a DIY build.
full member
Activity: 128
Merit: 190
I'm really happy with this setup.  The PC runs surprisingly cool and I've never heard the fan kick on at all.  Well, I assume it has a fan, but I've never heard it.

I've only had it running for 8 days, but it's been great.

Setting up Start9 was so easy to set up that I feel foolish for now doing this a while ago.  I'm running Bitcoin Core with a full node (not pruned, in other words), plus Electrs and Mempool.  With Start9, this was basically one click installs for each, and maybe a bit of config?  Actually, I think most of the configuration was set up on install.  I mean, this was ridiculously easy.

It took around 30 hours for Bitcoin Core to sync the entire blockchain, and Electrs took a while too.  I don't know how long.  I let it run overnight & it was done by the morning.

I still have a lot to figure out, so far, I'm thrilled.
legendary
Activity: 4256
Merit: 8551
'The right to privacy matters'
I don't know how much you paid for this configuration, but I found similar configuration below $100 locally but with smaller SSD, so it's not a bad price

$135.  I assume part of what I paid for was the form factor.  It's the OptiPlex Micro, so it's quite small. (OptiPlex.  What a stupid name.  That's so very "Dell")

I am not sure it is going to be totally silent.
Just make sure to keep it in good ventilated space and you should be fine.

It's been running now for 48 hours.  Almost totally silent, and it runs pretty cool.  I have to put my ear up against it to hear even the slightest hum.  And my internet is faster than I thought.  I should have the whole blockchain synced up by the end of the night.

I've been pleasantly surprised by how easy Start9 was to set up.

Told you they are nice pcs. Glad the software works well.
full member
Activity: 128
Merit: 190
I don't know how much you paid for this configuration, but I found similar configuration below $100 locally but with smaller SSD, so it's not a bad price

$135.  I assume part of what I paid for was the form factor.  It's the OptiPlex Micro, so it's quite small. (OptiPlex.  What a stupid name.  That's so very "Dell")

I am not sure it is going to be totally silent.
Just make sure to keep it in good ventilated space and you should be fine.

It's been running now for 48 hours.  Almost totally silent, and it runs pretty cool.  I have to put my ear up against it to hear even the slightest hum.  And my internet is faster than I thought.  I should have the whole blockchain synced up by the end of the night.

I've been pleasantly surprised by how easy Start9 was to set up.
legendary
Activity: 2212
Merit: 7064
Here's what I bought:
DELL OptiPlex 5050 Micro.
Intel Core i5-7600T, 16 GB DDR4, 256 GB SSD
I don't know how much you paid for this configuration, but I found similar configuration below $100 locally but with smaller SSD, so it's not a bad price, but I am not sure it is going to be totally silent.
Just make sure to keep it in good ventilated space and you should be fine.

As a Mac guy, I can't believe that in the year 2024, people still tolerate buying PCs that come with stickers on them.  I tried peeling off that stupid Intel Inside sticker but there's still some residual glue goo.  Eh, I'll get around to removing that later.
Small tip:
It's easy to remove all that residue (and stickers) with WD-40 spray Wink
full member
Activity: 128
Merit: 190
Here's what I bought:
DELL OptiPlex 5050 Micro.
Intel Core i5-7600T, 16 GB DDR4, 256 GB SSD

It took forever to ship, but hey, it's here and all is well.  It came with a mouse and a pretty decent keyboard, which was a nice surprise.

I've already got Start9 installed & Bitcoin Core is syncing.  I assume it'll take a week.  My internet isn't particularly fast since the most demanding thing I do online is stream HD movies.

I had no issues at all with setting up an external 2 TB SSD for storage.  Start9 asked where I wanted to store everything & I chose the external drive.  Easy peasy.

Based on how easy it was to get this sucker up and running, I regret not doing this a year ago.  Ah well!  Better late than never.

As a Mac guy, I can't believe that in the year 2024, people still tolerate buying PCs that come with stickers on them.  I tried peeling off that stupid Intel Inside sticker but there's still some residual glue goo.  Eh, I'll get around to removing that later.

Anyway...  so far, so good!
legendary
Activity: 2870
Merit: 7490
Crypto Swap Exchange
it's because rising total UTXO which doesn't fit even on Raspberry Pi 4 8GB variant which heavily affect IBD (initial block download).
I recently did an IBD on a laptop with 8 GB RAM:
--snip--

Because of the lack of RAM, the IBD wrote 4.58 TB to disk. So it's possible, but comes at a price.

Thanks for sharing your experiment. Anyway, total 4.58TB write is insane. It would cut significant lifespan of cheap/low-end SSD, especially when i see few people claim they use their old or unused SSD.
legendary
Activity: 3290
Merit: 16489
Thick-Skinned Gang Leader and Golden Feather 2021
it's because rising total UTXO which doesn't fit even on Raspberry Pi 4 8GB variant which heavily affect IBD (initial block download).
I recently did an IBD on a laptop with 8 GB RAM:
Image loading...
The dip after 7 hours may have been caused by internet congestion.
During the first hours, the sync speed was limited by my internet speed. After 13-15 hours, it's clear that bandwidth is no longer the limiting factor. I'm not sure what caused the dip in progress at 35-36 hours: if I have to guess, blocks were mostly filled with Ordinals at that time.
During the last hours, sync speed was limited by my SSD speed (and the lack of RAM).

Because of the lack of RAM, the IBD wrote 4.58 TB to disk. So it's possible, but comes at a price.
legendary
Activity: 2870
Merit: 7490
Crypto Swap Exchange
Start9 says not to use it on a Raspberry Pi for Bitcoin though.
I don't know when this warning was written but it's probably related with Rpi's low ram and processing power, or for older devices that are usually weaker.
I know several people who managed to run bitcoin nodes on Rpi4 without any issues, but things could change recently.

To be exact, it's because rising total UTXO which doesn't fit even on Raspberry Pi 4 8GB variant which heavily affect IBD (initial block download). See https://community.start9.com/t/raspberry-pi-no-longer-recommended-for-use-with-bitcoin-stack/779. Although after IBD, Raspberry Pi 4 is still fine to run a node.
full member
Activity: 128
Merit: 190
Start9 says not to use it on a Raspberry Pi for Bitcoin though.
I don't know when this warning was written

It's relatively recent.  Older versions of their docs don't have it, but they now have a warning that they're out of date and they link to the version with it.
legendary
Activity: 2212
Merit: 7064
Start9 says not to use it on a Raspberry Pi for Bitcoin though.
I don't know when this warning was written but it's probably related with Rpi's low ram and processing power, or for older devices that are usually weaker.
I know several people who managed to run bitcoin nodes on Rpi4 without any issues, but things could change recently.
Anyway, whenever you want to buy something cheap you know that you will have to make some compromises, whatever device you choose.

Some interesting Rpi alternatives to consider:
https://beebom.com/best-raspberry-pi-4-alternatives/
hero member
Activity: 1438
Merit: 513
The dell black box. (Dell PC 5000)

https://www.dell.com/support/home/en-us/product-support/product/embedded-box-pc-5000/docs

(Used in police cars,fedex trucks and more)

pn:N01PC

I ran a node on one for almost 3 years.

If you like tinkering in general this things a beast.

the case is a giant heatsink. no fans.

GPIO 8 pin
GPIO
4 serial ports.
lots of uses.

Im sure the system will outlast whatever HDD you slap in it.
full member
Activity: 128
Merit: 190
If you want totally silent solution than I would recommend checking out Raspberry Pi400 that has built in mini keyboard.

Start9 says not to use it on a Raspberry Pi for Bitcoin though.

From the Start9 online docs:

Quote
Warning
READ CAREFULLY! DO NOT USE A RASPBERRY PI FOR RUNNING BITCOIN SOFTWARE! You will have a bad time. The pi is a great choice for other use cases, such as file storage, password management, git hosting, etc.
legendary
Activity: 2212
Merit: 7064
I'm looking for:

Low power consumption.
Small is better, since I'll probably be stashing it out of sight.
Headless.
Silent.
SSD, not HD.  I'll probably use an external SSD for the node storage.
If you want totally silent solution than I would recommend checking out Raspberry Pi400 that has built in mini keyboard.
You can easily add external SSD drive or ultra fast SD card, it works very good with both.
Regular Raspberry Pi 4 and 5 device can also be used and modified to work in silent mode.

Intel NUC devices are a good silent alternative and they can be found used for a good price, just make sure to have strong enough processor and ram memory.
There are also open source laptops that work in similar way like raspberry pi, they are have passive cooling, but they are much more expensive.
legendary
Activity: 4256
Merit: 8551
'The right to privacy matters'
EDIT:  I bought it.  This should be a fun project.
I was going to add the i5-7600T's TDP is 35W. For low power, I prefer processors with a TDP as low as possible.

I recently measured one of my Celeron laptops, it consumes <4W idle. I'm still looking for a few more spare laptops, they're cheap and very convenient to have around for projects. It beats a VM Smiley

yeah but it will almost never pull that.

especially since he has an external ssd  doing more heavy lifting.

at the op that unit is pretty good for that price.

let us know now how the setup works.
legendary
Activity: 2870
Merit: 7490
Crypto Swap Exchange
If you have serious money...

I definitely don't have serious money.  I'm spending every dollar on sats, especially before the halving.

I'm leaning toward going with this:
DELL OptiPlex 5050 Micro Form Factor
(Intel Core i5-7600T, 16 GB DDR4, 256 GB SSD)
$135

And like I said, I already have a USB external 2 TB SSD that I'll use for storage.

EDIT:  I bought it.  This should be a fun project.

That mini PC looks good. Anyway, take note external storage isn't very reliable. In few cases, there's not enough power if you use multiple USB port at once which cause random disconnect. And if you use OS or package which setup almost everything with you, be careful it may use internal storage to store blockchain files by default.
legendary
Activity: 3290
Merit: 16489
Thick-Skinned Gang Leader and Golden Feather 2021
EDIT:  I bought it.  This should be a fun project.
I was going to add the i5-7600T's TDP is 35W. For low power, I prefer processors with a TDP as low as possible.

I recently measured one of my Celeron laptops, it consumes <4W idle. I'm still looking for a few more spare laptops, they're cheap and very convenient to have around for projects. It beats a VM Smiley
full member
Activity: 128
Merit: 190
If you have serious money...

I definitely don't have serious money.  I'm spending every dollar on sats, especially before the halving.

I'm leaning toward going with this:
DELL OptiPlex 5050 Micro Form Factor
(Intel Core i5-7600T, 16 GB DDR4, 256 GB SSD)
$135

And like I said, I already have a USB external 2 TB SSD that I'll use for storage.

EDIT:  I bought it.  This should be a fun project.
legendary
Activity: 4256
Merit: 8551
'The right to privacy matters'
I'm looking for:

Low power consumption.
Small is better, since I'll probably be stashing it out of sight.
Headless.
Silent.
SSD, not HD.  I'll probably use an external SSD for the node storage.
What else do I need?

All tiny PCs have these characteristics, they are small and quiet. I would follow up on a philipma, at least an i5 of the sixth generation (if the budget allows, look at younger ones as well). And considering that the computer will work 24/7, power consumption is worth paying attention to.

so get an i5 or i7 at least sixth gen. cpu  16gb ram and a 1tb ssd


Isn't it better to have one SSD for OS and another for data? For example 128GB + 1TB

no not on these units.  just get a 1 tb ssd and clone it to an external  2tb hdd for an emergency backup.

Keep the 2 tb hdd off line.


use something like this

https://www.amazon.com/GLOTRENDS-Protection-Resistant-Photography-B86/dp/B01LXO6HLG/ref=sr_1_4?


If you have serious money or really important data make 2 or 3 back ups.
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