Best Mini PC for Home Cluster

Dell Optiplex, Lenovo ThinkCentre, HP EliteDesk Mini

• These 1 liter desktops off lease are recommended for better performance per dollar compared to a NUC.
• *"Look at 1 liter desktops off lease, Dell Optiplex, Lenovo ThinkCentre, HP EliteDesk Mini. They will give you better performance/$ compared to a NUC."*

Beaglebone Black

• This small PC board computer is recommended for more power than a Raspberry Pi.
• "Take a look at Beaglebone Black if you are going the small PC board computer route. More power than the Pi."

ODROID-U3 Community Edition

• Offers 10/100 network, powered via a 5v barrel jack, 1.7Ghz Quad core, and 2GB RAM for the job.
• "Perhaps an ODROID-U3 Community Edition ($59+shipping) will do the job?"

Wandboard

• Built specifically for clustering with an awesome form factor.
• Prices start at $79 for the base model and include Gigabit ethernet.
• *"Look at these Wandboard. They're built specifically for clustering and have an awesome form factor."*

Suggestions for Buying Refurbished Desktop PCs for Home Cluster

• Consider buying refurbished desktop PCs like Dell Optiplex for cost-effective and reliable home clustering.
• Always have a backup plan for hardware failures.
• "In terms of low budget, then, my advice is to consider buying refurbished desktop PCs from old office surplus (**Dell Optiplex* and so on)."*

Recommendations for Setting Up Game Servers in a Home Cluster

• Consider using Pterodactyl to run game servers, offering easy management and connectivity for users.
• Suggestions for hardware include AMD 5600x, Intel 10500, or anything better.
• "I'm gonna suggest you try out Pterodactyl to run the game servers on, you can create accounts that can create, start and stop game servers and easily connect to them which might come in handy if you also plan to let your friends use it."

Suggestions for Switches in a Home Cluster

• Recommended switches include used Aruba, HPE, and Cisco enterprise switches for those interested in CLI and networking learning.
• For ease of use, options from Unifi, Netgear, and TP-Link are suggested.
• "As far as switches you can buy used Aruba/HPE/Cisco enterprise switches off eBay."