Best/cheapest/available hardware for Bitcoin node + lightning \ stacker news ~bitcoin

Best/cheapest/available hardware for Bitcoin node + lightning

300 sats \ 43 comments \ @laiin2 8 Oct 2022 bitcoin freebie

Hello,

What is the best/cheapest hardware that's currently available to run a Bitcoin node and lightning node ? I don't need a war machine, but I need something that can handle both in good conditions.

I'm not interested in Raspberry Pi 4 since it's not available/overpriced in my country. I don't care about architecture or else since i'll add this two software on my own.

What's your recommendations ?

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111 sats \ 16 replies \ @Taranis 8 Oct 2022

umm, i'm working on this site: www.pleb.parts

it's not finished. i don't have shipping configured. if you're in the states, message me and i'll make sure you have an affordable node.

7 sats \ 5 replies \ @laiin2 OP 8 Oct 2022

Look's good but i'm in EU actually. I'm looking for a smaller size though.

21 sats \ 4 replies \ @Taranis 8 Oct 2022

search for a micro chassis or ultra small form factor variants -- refurbished/renewed/used.

reach out to local technology recycling companies to see if they have any workstations on hand. business-grade hp/lenovo/dell are commonly cycled out by businesses.

these make for a cheap and sturdy personal node. you'll also have a surplus of replacement parts for any repairs, if needed, too.

7 sats \ 3 replies \ @DarthCoin 8 Oct 2022

Exactly, the local recycling companies are a gold mine for these cheap machines. Many office companies now are closing doors or buying new machines. So they are selling a lot of 1-2 years old office PCs and miniPC. Very good for a node.

Like you said, even if you find a good base, that doesn't have enough RAM and disk, just buy those brand new from another place and you have a damn strong node. The Dell machines have the strongest power source. I still have a Dell PC from 2005 that still works just fine. Never failed.

6 sats \ 2 replies \ @DarthCoin 8 Oct 2022

yeah, sure, if you already bought it, is not a problem. Keep it, use it, test it, is a good toy to learn.

1 sat \ 1 reply \ @ek 8 Oct 2022

Was this meant as a reply to my comment?

6 sats \ 0 replies \ @DarthCoin 8 Oct 2022

yes

22 sats \ 1 reply \ @ThrillerX_ 8 Oct 2022

this is such a great idea, does this come built and pre-installed with Ubuntu

166 sats \ 0 replies \ @Taranis 8 Oct 2022

thanks!

yes. i chose to pre-install 'ubuntu server' as it's available as a configuration option from the manufacturer and 'citadel' (https://runcitadel.space) since it's a foss fork of umbrel. i believe this combination offers beginners the best starting point.

advanced users could simply wipe and deploy their preferred distro.

12 sats \ 2 replies \ @DarthCoin 8 Oct 2022

The Optiplex DELL are damn good. I have another node (mostly testing stuff) with a Dell machine and is damn good. Never failed. I don't know why people are so obsessed with RPis...

10 sats \ 0 replies \ @Taranis 8 Oct 2022

thanks for the feedback Darth. i have access to business-class equipment that's being life-cycled and will continue to post equipment for the community. godspeed.

2 sats \ 0 replies \ @shyfire 8 Oct 2022

Totally agree, and you can get refurbished ones on Amazon starting at like $60 or something ridiculous

11 sats \ 3 replies \ @based 9 Oct 2022

Since you know roughly what software it will run at a minimum, you can provide additional value by also listing watts drawn and dB of noise while running such a load, after initial syncing to be fair. These are important variables to many when running in homes.

0 sats \ 2 replies \ @Taranis 9 Oct 2022

good questions. i haven't personally measured, however, these machines are very well documented.

i believe the average power consumption is less than ~60W for the optiplex 390 i've listed. it's max total power is 235W. newer machines are usually more energy efficient.

it appears the sound level is around 23dB from the bystander position for machines placed on a table-top.

source: https://i.dell.com/sites/csdocuments/Shared-Content_data-Sheets_Documents/en/Optiplex-390-Technical-Guidebook-101311.pdf

hope this helps!

1 sat \ 1 reply \ @based 9 Oct 2022

I meant listing it among the specifications. It could help customers, I don't believe many do that.

1 sat \ 0 replies \ @Taranis 9 Oct 2022

ah, yes. good idea.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @Bendejo 8 Oct 2022 freebie

Good job, keep up this.

7 sats \ 3 replies \ @satoshe 8 Oct 2022

A refurbished think pad! Comes with a screen and a battery in case of power outages

0 sats \ 2 replies \ @ek 8 Oct 2022

I have one and I would also recommend them but my T420 seems to shutdown after 6 weeks running without any issues... Happened twice now already and I haven't seen anything in the logs why it did shut down. I also watch CPU load, temperature, memory usage etc. all the time using Prometheus + Grafana. Everything looked fine.

Also, my setup is a bit awkward where I can't access it so easy. Have to move some stuff before I can open the lid to turn it back on. So I am looking into Mini-PCs now. Will use the thinkpad for access via SSH.

But nonetheless, I love thinkpads. Am buying more if I find them cheap on eBay, haha

25 sats \ 1 reply \ @Taranis 9 Oct 2022

load test the battery. its not uncommon for laptop batteries to prematurely fail when they're always energized. a faulty battery can cause some odd behavior. the laptop power adapters are another common failure point.

best practice is to routinely exercise the laptop battery by allowing it time to discharge, then recharge. this will help prolong the battery life.

also consider a cheap uninterruptable power supply (UPS) if you're using one as a node.

1 sat \ 0 replies \ @ek 9 Oct 2022

Ah, nice hint! I will test it when I get home since the laptop is indeed always plugged it.

26 sats \ 11 replies \ @DarthCoin 8 Oct 2022

I used from 2019 this NUC Gigabyte. Was doing great job as a BTC/LN node, tested with many types of OS and nodes.

Now is running a private (not routing) CLN node with DebianOS.

Basically you could use any hardware you like, even an old laptop is fine. Important is 8GB RAM and a good SSD drive. CPU is not so important but is better not to be a Celeron. Any 2nd hand PC can do it. Now you can find cheap brands sold from dismantle offices in perfect condition. Those office PCs can do a great job as nodes. Look for barebones, fanless and with a good power source.

1 sat \ 1 reply \ @laiin2 OP 8 Oct 2022

That what i'm looking for. But the price are generally high. Did you have the reference of your NUC ?

1 sat \ 0 replies \ @DarthCoin 8 Oct 2022

my NUC is delisted now. But there are many models now, search the Brix BASE series. Also Asus have like that.

1 sat \ 5 replies \ @ek 8 Oct 2022

Is that a huge mouse or is the thing so small? I'm really confused.

39 sats \ 4 replies \ @DarthCoin 8 Oct 2022

The mouse is just a normal small logitech mouse. The NUC is really small, size of a Rpi. Look at Gigabyte Brix BACE series. Fanless and really good and stable machine.

1 sat \ 2 replies \ @ek 8 Oct 2022

Just looked into the HP EliteDesk series. Found some cheap ones selling on ebay (without RAM and SSD but that's okay). Do you have an opinion on them?

1 sat \ 1 reply \ @DarthCoin 8 Oct 2022

HP in general is a bad choice. They have a high rate of getting broken. If you go for 2nd hand/refurbished, always go for Dell, Lenovo (IBM), Asus, Gigabyte, Fujitsu, Toshiba. I worked 25+ years in IT hardware and systems. Dell are the most robust machines. HP are the last to choose, only when I do not have another choice. Always get broken.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @ek 8 Oct 2022

Ah, mh. Already bought one for 30€:

HP EliteDesk Desktop PC Barebone 800 G1 USDT Dual Core G3220 2x 3.0 GHz B-Grade

Thought this would be a good deal since I already have a 1TB SSD and just need some RAM. Maybe I can salvage some from an old broken laptop I have lying around. Can't do much wrong with 30€ I guessed.

G3220 also does not look so bad. I compared it to i3-4130 which I have in my desktop PC. i3-4130 seems to be only 13% faster.

So I thought these specs should be enough for a full + LN node.

Let's see how long it will run

1 sat \ 0 replies \ @ek 8 Oct 2022

Thanks, I'll look into it

1 sat \ 1 reply \ @BlokchainB 8 Oct 2022

What did this cost you? 200k sats?

51 sats \ 0 replies \ @DarthCoin 8 Oct 2022

I think was less. I bought it in 2019.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @alpacachino 8 Oct 2022

Looks awesome, nice setup dude.

11 sats \ 6 replies \ @newnym 8 Oct 2022

Any computer made in the last 10 years is mode than capable, although you may need to add a 1tb ssd.

1 sat \ 5 replies \ @laiin2 OP 8 Oct 2022

No RAM recommendation ?

1 sat \ 4 replies \ @DarthCoin 8 Oct 2022

min 8GB always.

1 sat \ 3 replies \ @laiin2 OP 8 Oct 2022

Why 8GB is needed ? I know bitcoin synchronization need a lot of resources. But when it's done, does it really need 8GB ?

16 sats \ 2 replies \ @DarthCoin 8 Oct 2022

Running a full LN node require a lot of RAM. You will start installing many apps and in special Electrum server and other node managing apps. You have been warned. Don't bargain for ram, is cheap.

1 sat \ 0 replies \ @blocktock 8 Oct 2022

Great advice.

Only going to need more RAM in the coming years too. Best to future-proof, especially for something that is unlikely to be replaced all too often.

1 sat \ 0 replies \ @laiin2 OP 8 Oct 2022

Ok thx for the info !

1 sat \ 1 reply \ @f321x 8 Oct 2022

Thinkpads are great I paid 200€ for core i7 4810mq, 16gb RAM, 2 ssds (512+256gb), full HD screen

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @f321x 8 Oct 2022

(T440p)

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @021da48107 6 Apr 2023 freebie

Here are my thoughts on it: Most prices were grabbed from Ebay, your mile may vary.

This is a budget build with a 750G HDD, so it will be slow for the initial sync.

HP 260 G1 Mini - $62.40
Power adapter - $20
Memory - Included
SSD - Not required
Total - $82.40

This is a budget build that is a barebones setup, so you will have to install the CPU, RAM, and storage.

HP ProDesk 600 G2 - $25
Power Adapter - $20
CPU (Intel Core i3-6100T) - $10
Memory (4g) - $8
SSD (1tb) - $50
HDD (1tb) - $32
Total - $95-113

Probably want to go with a cheap SSD as you really don't save much with a HDD.