Written 9 Sep 2026. This is a how-to, not a product card.

A mini PC can wait

An old laptop or Marketplace OptiPlex is enough. Don't buy an N100 so ads have a quiet box this weekend.

The first computer is one you already have: start with what you already have. One leftover box is enough: one leftover box. A fanless N100 does not make ads skip. A hypervisor still waits: a hypervisor can wait.

When a tiny always-on box is later

Come back to a quiet mini PC only when the leftover box is actually in the way — loud, hot, or too big for the shelf — and Pi-hole has been boring for a week. That later buy is a tiny computer you can leave on.

What next

Weekend path: your first weekend. Tick Lab plan after the leftover box stays on. A rack still waits: a rack can wait.

Optional: leftover box vs a later N100 as a sandbox in ByteRush — same Labthrift passkey as Plan. Skip if you just want to keep reading.

Skip

Skip a Beelink, GMKtec, and “homelab N100” this weekend.
Skip buying a second leftover box so the first one can be replaced tonight.
Skip a four-port router box so ads have a node.

Sources

First computer: start with what you already have. Later buy: a tiny computer you can leave on. Lessons: ByteRush.

Also on this topic

Start with what you already haveOld laptop first, or a retired OptiPlex from Marketplace. One leftover box is enoughPi-hole, the folder, and SSH share one computer. A tiny computer you can leave onLater, when the leftover box is actually in the way.