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Hi everyone,
I've been lurking here for a while, picking up tips on how to transition my OPNsense setup from a virtualized environment in Proxmox to a dedicated bare-metal machine. I finally pulled the trigger on a refurbished 1U short-depth server that I found for a steal. My main goal is to get the "heart" of my network off my main compute node so that the family doesn't lose the internet every time I decide to reboot my host or experiment with a new container.
The specific point I keep running into when reading through hardware recommendations here is the heavy focus on ultra-low power consumption. Most people seem to be running N100s or older Atom boards that pull maybe 10-15 watts. However, the server I picked up came equipped with a Server Power Supply (345-Watt). It's an enterprise-grade unit, and honestly, it looks built like a tank, which gives me some peace of mind regarding 24/7 reliability.
A small personal insight: I've had consumer-grade wall warts and cheap desktop PSUs fail on me in the middle of the night more times than I care to admit. There's something comforting about the "industrial" feel of server hardware; it's designed to be hammered for years without a break. But I'm a bit worried about the efficiency curve. If my OPNsense build—running an older Xeon E3 and a couple of Intel NICs—only idles at 35-45 watts, am I just throwing money away on electricity by using a 345W PSU? I know some of these server units are actually quite efficient at low loads (especially if they are 80 Plus Platinum), but I've never used this specific wattage range for a dedicated router before.
I'm also slightly concerned about the noise. Most of these server units have those tiny, high-pitched fans that sound like a hair dryer when they ramp up. In a server room, that doesn't matter, but my rack is in a ventilated closet near the living room.
Has anyone else here repurposed older 1U enterprise gear for their OPNsense build, and did you stick with the original power supply or did you find a way to swap it for something more "home-friendly"? I'm trying to figure out if the stability of server-grade power is worth the potential hit to efficiency and the acoustic trade-off.
Does the "reliability" of a dedicated server PSU actually outweigh the benefits of a modern, silent, low-wattage DC adapter in the long run for a home setup?
I've been lurking here for a while, picking up tips on how to transition my OPNsense setup from a virtualized environment in Proxmox to a dedicated bare-metal machine. I finally pulled the trigger on a refurbished 1U short-depth server that I found for a steal. My main goal is to get the "heart" of my network off my main compute node so that the family doesn't lose the internet every time I decide to reboot my host or experiment with a new container.
The specific point I keep running into when reading through hardware recommendations here is the heavy focus on ultra-low power consumption. Most people seem to be running N100s or older Atom boards that pull maybe 10-15 watts. However, the server I picked up came equipped with a Server Power Supply (345-Watt). It's an enterprise-grade unit, and honestly, it looks built like a tank, which gives me some peace of mind regarding 24/7 reliability.
A small personal insight: I've had consumer-grade wall warts and cheap desktop PSUs fail on me in the middle of the night more times than I care to admit. There's something comforting about the "industrial" feel of server hardware; it's designed to be hammered for years without a break. But I'm a bit worried about the efficiency curve. If my OPNsense build—running an older Xeon E3 and a couple of Intel NICs—only idles at 35-45 watts, am I just throwing money away on electricity by using a 345W PSU? I know some of these server units are actually quite efficient at low loads (especially if they are 80 Plus Platinum), but I've never used this specific wattage range for a dedicated router before.
I'm also slightly concerned about the noise. Most of these server units have those tiny, high-pitched fans that sound like a hair dryer when they ramp up. In a server room, that doesn't matter, but my rack is in a ventilated closet near the living room.
Has anyone else here repurposed older 1U enterprise gear for their OPNsense build, and did you stick with the original power supply or did you find a way to swap it for something more "home-friendly"? I'm trying to figure out if the stability of server-grade power is worth the potential hit to efficiency and the acoustic trade-off.
Does the "reliability" of a dedicated server PSU actually outweigh the benefits of a modern, silent, low-wattage DC adapter in the long run for a home setup?
