Topic: [Guide] How to run a Bitcoin Core full node for under 50 bucks! - page 6. (Read 2080 times)

It's true, but waiting few days to weeks for resync isn't exactly fun.


We don't need everyone to run full nodes. But how many bucks you consider as not expensive?

For the most part, you're right but we have to also consider its bandwidth usage ^{[depending on where you live and the type of internet plan that you have, it could come close to or even exceed the amount you've mentioned on the subject field]}.

Without going into details, I would like to mention a couple of things to "newbies":

• There's no problem with changing/upgrading your hard drive with another type ^{[keep the old one]}, but never do a straight swap!
• Don't go out there and purchase the cheapest one ^{[make sure they're compatible first]}.

Not sure if the ones you've listed are the minimum requirements or not, but on "this page" it says 2GB while on "this one" it's 1GB.

Keep in mind this topic is not about 'getting a node without setup needed'. It's about getting it done as cheap as possible. These things completely contradict each other.

If you want someone to build your node, you will have to pay them. There's no such thing as a free lunch!
So the easiest way to save money on a project like this is to do it yourself.

We can compare it quite well when looking at the The Bitcoin Machine. It was shown multiple times in that thread how it can be built yourself 1:1 for much less.

Since they build it for you, you pay $429.
If you buy their case for $100 and build the rest yourself (1:1 identical machine), it costs ~$300.
If you get a cheaper case and build the rest yourself (no screen, maybe less cool), it costs ~$240.
You can shave off almost $200 by DIYing.

There is no way someone will sell you a pre-made node in a box at less than multiple hundred bucks, because the parts needed for a plug-n-play solution that anyone can buy and run alone cost $150+, then there's labour, taxes, shipping, company costs, and you're looking at at least $300.

If you're still interested in paying this amount of money, that's not a problem. Maybe check Nodes in a Box thread. However this topic is about getting it done as cheap as humanly possible so there's no budget for paying a company to build you your device.

See Setting up a workspace for Bitcoin Core patching for less than $5 which will allow you to cheaply make Bitcoin Core regression tests, bugfixes and stuff for a comparable price.

Also, be very careful with the laptop charger you buy. You don't want to buy some non-certified charger that'll blow a fuse and potentially start a house fire. Hence your charger options will probably become more expensive.

This is still too complex and expensive for broad adoption. I built a Raspiblitz some time ago, then disconnected it and used the HDD for something else. This post made me think about re-building my Raspiblitz but just checking the instructions was like "No way, I don't have time for that".

We need someone coming up with a plug-n-play solution that anyone can buy and run. The Casa Node was promising, but expensive. They stopped manufacturing it.

Yes, it was just an example how to get a sufficient drive quick and cheap And I mean worst case; if it breaks it was just some bucks and you replace the HDD. It's not like you're going to be storing personal data or BTC on it. Just replace and resync. But sure - you can get new or barely used disks for around the same price.

Depending on the Pi model, a passive heatsink and maybe a fan will suffice. Case is mostly for looks.

Just an example for a case that doesn't aid in cooling, but is still widely used:

https://www.cryptocloaks.com/product/mynodeshell/

Keep in mind that the node will not be under any significant load after IBD as well. So you could probably just put a PC case fan on it during the initial block download and then run it passively.

However all these precautions are not needed when just acquiring an old x86 machine, be it desktop or laptop

I checked Amazon US and EU really quickly and it seems without any deals etc. it's around $35 or 35€ for a brand-new USB 3.0 500GB HDD.
I'm sure on Black Friday, Amazon Prime Day etc. there will be 1TB drives for around the 40 mark.

To check a lower-wage country, I had a look at numbers for Turkey. The lowest wage range is around 2000TL and a 500GB USB HDD is 337TL. So it's not cheap; they can go for a SATA drive that only costs 270TL instead, shaves off quite a bit of cost if you don't need USB.

You can get a case with a fan for a lot less money:
https://www.amazon.com/TangYY-Raspberry-Case-Heatsink-Blue/dp/B07VGV1D3Z/

Although it's only a dollar or 2 cheaper umbrel and mynode only need a 16GB card, raspiblitz SAYS 32 gb it does fit on a 16GB

And if you don't have a drive and can wait a bit for a sale name brand 1TB external drives can be had for $40

Once again, this is US pricing I don't know how much more or less these things are in other parts of the world.

-Dave

Buying used HDD feels like testing your luck, i won't recommend it. Refurbished HDD is better option since the factory perform few test. Additionally, you could visit your local hardware store and might find unused/unsold HDD which produced 10 years ago.


It's optional, passive heatsink and placing it on place with room temperate also works.

Great guide n0nce! The headline takes the cake.


But, isn't the case required? The CPU will be running 24/7/365. It won't live as it would with the cooling case. At this point I'd like to say that many have hard drives lying around, me included. Just use one of those.

This is why it came €90 to me.

• Raspberry Pi 4 Model 4 - 4GB. (€52)
• Power Supply of RPi. (€8)
• Memory card 32GB. (€6.5)
• Argon One aluminum case. (€24)

And keep in mind, if you want to go RPi you don't need the cool looking case. 4GB RPi4, USB drive, microSD and power supply. If you take your time and look for sales you can easily get it for under $130. Which as n0nce pointed out might still be a lot of money for some, but it's still below the $200 to $300 to make it all pretty.

In addition to the getting stuff from friends, or putting it together yourself 2nd hand shops also at times have really good deals, you just have to spend some time to search them out.

-Dave

Everyone should have the opportunity to run a node.

I strongly believe that it's one of Bitcoin's core values to have as many full nodes (and preferably also miners, but that's another story ) as possible, distributed in as many households as possible.

While cool node boxes, composed of all-new hardware with SSDs and sexy metal cases can be built for between 200€ and 300€ (or dollars!), that might still be too much for many people. Especially in countries where wages are lower, I understand that this can be an infeasibly large sum of money.
MyNode and Argon One m.2 enclosures, full setup ~250€

The good news: it can be achieved much cheaper than the above mentioned figures! In fact, it can even be free if you have old hardware lying around.
The fact of the matter is, Bitcoin Core doesn't need a whole lot of resources and a 10-year-old, decommissioned laptop or Desktop PC might have enough power to run it.

So I would like to encourage everybody that's not running a node yet, to reconsider it if price for the device itself or an SSD was the main deterring factor.

Hardware selection
Almost any kind of desktop PC, laptop, NUC-type device of the last 10 years should suffice.

Make sure you can swap the drive (they are usually dead after such a long time) and you have a working PSU for it.
Anything else - screen, keyboard, trackpad, speakers, it can all be broken. You will SSH into the machine anyway and you can connect to a HDMI screen + USB keyboard during setup.
This kind of hardware is very often given away for free if you ask around friends and family, or got cheaply (or free) on craigslist.

Recommendations
RAM: 4GB - 8GB (Even as little as 1GB can suffice! If you have more, it's better of course See my graph down below about sync time with 4 vs 8GB)
Drive: 500GB - 1TB (HDD is fine, but SSD will help for faster initial sync. 500 will not last long and not suffice for Lightning and Electrum server - 1TB would be advised!)
CPU: Intel Core i3 (2nd generation or up tested and working just fine) or better - dual core is advised by me

If the machine you acquired, doesn't meet those specs, you can in many cases just add more RAM or swap the hard drive.
I would stay away from Chromebooks with non-replaceable drives and RAM since they're usually too small and USB drives aren't convenient.

Price
Of course, this low price is mainly made possible by relying on free and cheap old & used stuff.
The final price will depend a lot on how many things you can find for free, but it's possible to build a node from scratch for around $50.
I personally built one of my nodes off a gifted laptop that had no charger, so the person wanted to throw it away. I just bought the PSU for ~20€ and added an existing 500GB USB HDD for the bitcoin directory. So that node cost me just 20€. Here's a setup if you really can't find anything for free.

Example setup for $58:^{[JUST QUICKLY CHECKED EBAY!]}
Laptop without RAM and charger for $29:


4GB RAM for $10:


Laptop charger for $10:


500GB HDD for $9:


Of course, shipping adds up and I actually surpassed my $50 limit already. But I just checked eBay 'buy now' section very quickly! If you search locally, ask around, you will easily find someone who will give you an old laptop that doesn't turn on anymore (often broken charger and / or battery) or with cracked screen etc. for free.
Then you just source the charger and a new HDD for a total of $20!

If you actually have a working (but old) laptop already, with charger and everything, maybe invest the full $50 into a new SSD for better performance and longevity!

TL;DR
Get as much free and cheap used, old stuff as possible and slap it together!
I know it's not the 'deepest' topic that exists, but it's mainly to explain and show figuratively that running a node can be done very, very cheap and storage size is not an issue either, since HDDs are so damn cheap and can easily be swapped out.