Hey everyone. I really want to replace Google photos with some sort of self-hosted solution. However, I am getting overwhelmed.
The first thing that came up when I did a little bit of research is buying a NAS. However, I just noticed these devices are so expensive with really weak specs. Feel like I am getting ripped off. Also, I heard that it can be slow? Is that true?
Anyway, I was told it is better to just buy a Resperry pi. However, these things are expensive for the specs. Would a used Intel NUC be better? Can you use any mini pc for that?
I have seen some crazy powerful (compared to the pi) cheap used Ryzen mini PCs, can those be turned into servers?
Yeah I’m not a big fan of NAS’s. I agree they’re a bit of a ripoff, you’re paying for convenience. The only reason to go with a NAS imo is if you’re unable and unwilling to learn to use linux. Raspi4 are pretty cheap, 4gb model is like $55 iirc. If you’re paying more you’re probably getting ripped off. It’s definitely going to be lower power usage than a NUC or mini PC. But maybe you can find a cheap used one.
But since you’re only hosting photos, pretty much anything should work.
I don’t know why the Pi is so expensive where I live. It is like $200 USD equivalent.
Raspberry Pis have been very hard to get for a few years now, and it has caused the prices to go way up in many places. Even in places where the prices are normal, the Pis are out of stock. It’s part of the global chip shortage. They say they’re beginning to start building up supplies again, so hopefully the prices will return to more reasonable levels soon.