Lots of performance per watt, in one case
No loud rack: a compact, low-power mini-server sits in the same Corsair 9000D case as the main rig and is wired directly over 10 GbE. A dedicated NAS holds the bulk data.
🧱Why an N150 board
The Intel N150 is frugal (x86, 4 cores) yet easily handles ~20 containers. With 48 GB DDR5, NVMe boot and an 8-bay NAS board it delivers lots of efficiency per watt — quiet and built for 24/7 instead of server noise.
🧰Unraid as the foundation
Unraid unifies Docker and one KVM VM on a single machine, allows a flexible mix of disks and ships a convenient web UI — the ideal base for a GitOps-driven homelab.
⚡10 GbE direct link
The server board and the main rig are connected over a direct 10-gigabit line. That hugely speeds up large file transfers and also carries hardware telemetry into the smart home.
🗄️Built into the Corsair 9000D
The huge 9000D case houses the workstation and the server board together — a tidy dual-system build: one case, short paths, a shared 10 GbE backbone.