When you’re trying to step into the home lab world, single-board computers sound exciting. They seem like a good idea because you get a small computer that can run real applications for an amazingly low price. This is one of the reasons I got into the world of single board computers like the Raspberry Pi and the like Radha. Even many of them either serve a single purpose or work with several tools.
But that’s the limit of even the cheapest SBCs, and you start to question your investment in the ecosystem. An old laptop is a great starting point that many of us overlook when starting self-hosting. The laptop looks big and boring, but if you go the SBC route right away, you’re missing out on a lot.
Old is not equal to powerless
Laptops are capable of many things
The main problem with ignoring an old laptop is that it can’t run a shiny, new mainstream operating system and demanding programs and games. This is a key aspect for any user upgrading to a new machine. But with self-hosting, if the SBC seems capable of running the tool, there’s a good chance your old x86 laptop will run it even better.
I say this with complete confidence because I think of the tools and programs you could once run on your laptop. The whole point of self-hosting is to combine a lightweight frontend, probably a web portal, with backend software for interaction. A Raspberry Pieven the latest model with 4GB of RAM can fall behind an older Intel dual-core or quad-core laptop processor with the same amount of RAM.
The huge difference in raw power becomes hard to ignore in CPU intensive workloads. NextCloud and House helper are two common examples of self-hosted tools that need more CPU power as your file and customization requirements grow. They can run on a Pi, and the latest one can run it well, but not much better than an old laptop.
You’ll notice the difference when you start running multiple containers at the same time, each running in the background while serving multiple users. Laptop CPUs are better than most Arm-based SBCs for single-threaded workloads because they offer higher clock speeds. Even an old laptop CPU can run a full GUI operating system and applications, so you don’t have to think about running self-hosted tools.
If you are concerned about system resources, you can choose a headless installation or a CLI-based distro. Ubuntu Server to save power and memory for applications. Most Raspberry Pi distros use a customized version of Debian with a lightweight desktop environment to achieve this.
The barrier to entry is surprisingly low
SBCs aren’t as cheap as you might think
An old laptop is practically free because you already paid for it and got to use it. If you or someone else in your family has upgraded to a new machine, an old, spare laptop is probably the best way to start your home ownership journey. Another good thing about it is that you are already familiar with the equipment and how it works.
On the other hand, a single-board computer like the Raspberry Pi 4 or 5 will start at $50. Extortionate prices affect SBC enthusiasts, and since the price is relatively similar to a mini PC or an old laptop, it does not make sense to invest in powerful Raspberry Pi models now. If you choose cheaper options like the Raspberry Pi Zero 2W, you can build basic, one-time use projects.
There’s also the issue of accessories with the Raspberry Pi, as you’ll need USB hubs, memory cards or SSDs, special power adapters and cases, which can drive up the price. It even bypasses major hardware components like the NVMe slot by default on the Raspberry Pi 5. So you need to spend $20 or more. NVMe HAT Might as well add a slot to the Pi before buying an SSD.
Setting up a headless SBC might be more complicated than installing a minimal OS on a laptop with a screen. I had similar problems in my early college days when I had a laptop, but building a headless Pi was difficult when I started.
Laptops offer better connectivity
Room for upgrade and mini UPS
A laptop has a built-in battery, and if it’s not an old, dead battery, it can keep your tools handy for a little longer. While the Pi Zero can run a 2W basic power bank, better hardware models need power banks that support 25W or more charging. This is an optional accessory you should buy for every Pi if you have power issues.
A moderately good laptop battery can last an hour or two on a single charge, and since you don’t need to be constantly interacting with the screen or the OS, the battery life is enough to keep up with your progress and download essential files.
One thing I absolutely love about older laptops is the prospect of upgrades. I started with a thirteen year old laptop with 4GB of memory and that might be it run eight major Docker containers without issue. When my memory requirements increased, I added an 8GB DDR3 stick to increase the overall memory. Unfortunately, the same is not possible with the Raspberry Pi. You can upgrade the memory and that’s about it. They are small computing devices and do not support memory or other upgrades.
If your current Raspberry Pi doesn’t have enough memory to run your favorite tools, you’ll need to buy another one. The same goes for the connectivity options, as the laptop has almost every port you need as standard. The Raspberry Pi ports either need a mini HDMI to HDMI adapter, or you have to sacrifice a USB port to add faster Ethernet or other capabilities to the mix.
Old laptops are a great step.
If you already have an old laptop, buying an SBC to run some standalone tools is a big mistake. It does not have excessive power like a desktop and can run on 10-15W in idle mode. Just install a minimal Ubuntu distribution and you can easily build or run most self-hosted projects. Raspberry Pi shines in projects that need built-in hardware or work with a select few tools. But it doesn’t match the laptop’s power, connectivity or upgrade options. Don’t rush into buying a Raspberry Pi; rather, focus on changing what you already have.
- CPU
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Arm Cortex-A76 (quad-core, 2.4 GHz)
- Memory
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Up to 8 GB LPDDR4X SDRAM
The Raspberry Pi is back, and the fifth iteration of the SBC is far more capable than the older models. From the new quad-core Arm Cortex-A76 CPU, support for dual monitor setups at 4K 60Hz, and a dedicated power button, there’s a lot to love about this palm-sized computer.
