My raspberry pi 4 got really annoying to use; it would turn off randomly and took forever to boot up umbrel. Now I'm just using it to play media from my nas. I would like something a bit more powerful, what would you use nowadays?
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I'm using an Intel NUC7i7. The memory is expandable up to 32GB. It sips power and has been rock solid. It seems to be a nice compromise between a Pi and a proper server, but I do appreciate the small footprint.
dell, HP, or lenveo mini pc are good hardware options.
Start9 OS is good software option.
Agree. Ive flashed StartOS on old machines and it breathes life into them. Their website recommeds quad core 2.5ghz, 8gb ram and 1tb storage. Id increase the storage to 2tb tho.
Ok cool I've heard good things about start9 os vs umbrel, so thanks for confirming that. I'll probably give that a go this time around.
This what I’ve been using as well.
Old laptops off ebay are optimal, particularly for lightning nodes as the built-in battery will eventually save you from a corrupt channel state. Never having to connect peripherals is a bonus.
Just make sure it's got an SSD, or upgrade the drive yourself. Recommend 8GB ram minimum.
Then wipe it with a fresh Linux install.
You know, I hadn't considered this probably because of form factor, but that's actually a good idea... I wouldn't need to turn on my main workstation to manage it. Do you think it would be noisy?
Probably the least noisy thing you can get, if you get a ProBook or Latitude or something of that nature they're off-lease corporate wagie computers meant for a cubicle, very quiet since there's no hefty video card for gaming or thirsty chip.
I totally get your frustration RPi 4 is great for entry-level tinkering, but it starts to show its limits with more demanding node setups. A solid upgrade would be an Intel NUC or a used Lenovo ThinkCentre Tiny or Dell OptiPlex Micro. They're compact, quiet, and far more powerful than a Pi, plus you can get them with SSDs and decent RAM for cheap on eBay. If you're comfortable with Linux, you can easily set up Umbrel, Start9, or even a custom build. Bonus: they make excellent home servers too. Way better uptime and performance without breaking the bank.
Before throwning away your pi4, I recommend playing with DietPi instead of Umbrel. It can run completely from SD card, or you may mount an SSD as additional storage. I just love how slim it is, while being a regular Debian 12.
I've been running my signet ln node on an RPI4 and ZFS on external SSDs for quite a while now. With bitcoind and elementsd. Stable as a rock with uptimes ranging from weeks to months - depending on system updates needing reboots. No Umbrel, though. Just Void Linux.
But, a silent pc may be for you. Just a few multiples in price for a good one. MeLE Quiter systems may be to your liking. I recently set one up for some stuff, also with a Void Linux base. Works well thus far.
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