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The original was posted on /r/homelab by /u/human_glitch1_1 on 2023-08-30 17:46:37+00:00.

Hi folks,

I’m looking to build a router on a tiny/mini/micro PC, but completely lost on what to buy now considering most of the PCs are overpriced and since I am from India, shipping + customs duty are insanely high.

My usecase is simple. I want to build a router that can run proxmox for pfsense, tailscale, pihole/adguard. So obviously a minimum of 2 NICs (2.5gbe seems to be the sweet spot for me).

I’ve seen a bunch of m720Q builds and the dell Wyse ones too, but they are quite expensive on eBay now ($250+) and I feel that’s a lot for a router which is only for my home. (Context: I will be building another build with the Topton n5105 board for storage + self-hosted services. So, I need to save some bucks for that as well)

A decent priced build I got from a local dealer:

Dell OptiPlex 3040 / 3050 / 7040 / 7050

Processor :

i5 - 6th Generation - $169.47 (14000 INR)

i7 - 6th Generation - $229 (19000 INR)

Again, the goal here is to build a compact and low power router as it will be running 24x7 for a very long time.

If you have any tips/suggestions, that would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!