As I always say, have a look through https://forums.serverbuilds.net They have tons of guides on building whatever you need at whatever price point you can afford. The NAS Killer 5.0 is pretty great and I went with a second box for transcoding. Both low power and pretty cheap.

Yeah, I’ve never had an issue with Navidrome.

Thank you! These responses are really helping me narrow down what I need.

Thank you! This is insanely helpful.

Have a look through the forums at serverbuilds.net Honestly, there is no point in getting into the server game and buying new unless you are using it for a business or have a great deal of cash to burn. Plus, sticking with used tech is way better for the environment.

Thank you very much for this list! I’m just now getting started in this kind of world. I was always a hobbyist but I’ve started doing a little IT on the side now and I love seeing peoples tools.

He’s running an AMD cpu. No QuickSync.