Home Server 2025 – Parts List

Why this CPU?

The Ryzen 5 Pro 4650G hits a rare sweet spot: integrated Vega GPU with hardware H.264 / HEVC video transcoding, native ECC UDIMM support regardless of chipset, and very good idle power efficiency thanks to its monolithic die (Zen 2, 7 nm). Being a PRO-series chip it is not sold retail — find it on eBay or AliExpress for €90–140.

Alternatives

• Ryzen 3 Pro 4350G — 4C/8T, same platform, cheaper if cores don't matter
• Any 3rd-gen+ AM4 CPU works if you don't need transcoding or maximum power efficiency
• Avoid Zen 1 / Zen+ G-series (pre–4th gen) — known "crashing at idle" bug

Key Features

The built-in BMC (ASPEED AST2500) gives you a dedicated management port with web-based KVM, remote power on/off, BIOS access, and fan control — all independent of the OS. 6× SATA, 2× PCIe 4.0, 4× DDR4 DIMM slots (max 128 GB ECC). Appears EU-only.

⚠️ Important

• Needs BIOS F14+ to enable iGPU — update via EFI shell, not the BMC interface. Update guide →
• RAM slots are grouped: slots 1+2 = Ch.A, slots 3+4 = Ch.B
• Default BMC login: user admin, password = serial number after last /

Why low-profile?

The Sagittarius case has limited clearance in the motherboard chamber — a standard tower cooler will not fit. At 36 mm total height, the AXP90-X36 comfortably handles the 65 W Ryzen 4650G with the 90 mm PWM fan running quietly.

Installation tip

The included backplate tool makes nut-tightening easy. Do not overtighten — finger-tight plus a small fraction of a turn is enough on the AM4 mounting.

Your modules vs. the build

⚠️ Compatibility check

• Verify the Samsung modules are on the Gigabyte MC12-LE0 QVL →
• The board groups channels: for dual-channel with 2 sticks, use slots A1 + B1 (i.e. slot 1 and slot 3)
• Board will train at 2133 MHz — that is fine and expected with your modules
• If you ever want to expand: the board has 4 slots, supports up to 128 GB ECC UDIMM

Key features

Dual-chamber design (mobo + HDD separate), mounts for 4× 120 mm fans, 4× full-size PCIe slots, 8× 3.5" bays + 2× 2.5" on mobo chamber floor. Similar footprint to Jonsbo N4 but with far better cooling and a proper ATX PSU.

⚠️ Watch out

• Backplane needs 4× Molex — the MWE 550 PSU only has 3. Buy a Molex Y-splitter.
• Plug SATA cables into the motherboard before lowering it into the case.
• Use thin/flat SATA cables — sideways-facing ports leave very little clearance.
• Only a power button connector — no power LED, no reset button.

Why this PSU?

Only ~44 € but scores 79.3% efficiency at 20 W idle load in Cybenetics tests — just 1.6% less than the Corsair RM550x which costs more than double. Non-modular and no zero-RPM mode, but hard to argue with the price.

⚠️ Install order

• Plug in the CPU power cable before lowering the PSU into place — the PSU will cover part of the motherboard once installed
• Feed unused cables (SATA, PCIe) through the top hole before closing up
• A Molex Y-splitter is mandatory (see below)

PST = daisy-chainable

Each fan has a male + female PWM connector, so you can chain fans together without a hub. The MC12-LE0 has 6 fan headers anyway, so chaining isn't strictly necessary — but useful on other boards.

Placement

• 2 fans in the motherboard chamber
• 2 fans in the HDD chamber
• 5th fan is a spare / replacement
• The case fan mounts align perfectly with standard 120 mm hole spacing

Why flat cables?

The MC12-LE0 has 4 of its 6 SATA ports facing sideways — standard right-angle or straight cables barely fit once the board is in the case. Thin flat cables (like the ones Wolfgang links from AliExpress) reduce clutter dramatically.

Pro tip

Connect all SATA cables to the motherboard before lowering it into the case. Route them through the window at the case bottom, then connect to the backplane from below.

Why not a SATA adapter?

Molex-to-SATA power adapters have a history of fire hazards caused by thin conductors under high current. A Molex Y-splitter is a simpler, safer solution. Wolfgang used the StarTech PYO2L.

What it solves

The MWE 550 PSU ships with 3 Molex connectors. The Sagittarius case backplane needs 4. One Y-splitter on the last Molex chain solves this completely.

Any cheap NVMe works

Wolfgang used a no-name unit for ~25 €. 256 GB is plenty for the OS and Docker containers. The M.2 slot is PCIe 4.0 on this board — even a PCIe 3.0 drive will work fine.

Note

If you already have a spare M.2 NVMe drive lying around — just use it. No need to buy anything specific.

Why Exos X18?

Helium-filled, CMR, 7200 RPM — quiet and cool compared to older air-filled enterprise drives. Wolfgang used 3 refurbished units bought on Amazon ~18 months before filming and they've been flawless. The case can hold up to 8 drives.

What to avoid

• SMR drives + ZFS = severe performance issues. WD Red (non-Plus/Pro), some Seagate Barracuda models.
• Older air-filled enterprise drives (pre-X18 Exos, older WD Gold) — loud and run hot
• Always check diskprices.com for best price/TB in your country

10 GbE via SFP+

Dual-port 10 GbE SFP+ card. Wolfgang uses this for high-speed NAS access and video editing over the network. PCIe 3.0 ×8. Well-supported by Linux kernel (i40e driver). Requires SFP+ DAC cables or optical transceivers.

Budget alternative

For a cheaper single-port 10GbE option, look for used Intel X550-T1 (RJ45) on eBay — no DAC cables needed, plugs into a standard switch port.

When to add this

Only needed if you transcode heavily in Plex/Jellyfin or need AV1 hardware encode/decode. The Ryzen 4650G iGPU already covers H.264 and HEVC. The Arc A310 adds AV1 and higher simultaneous stream counts. Low-profile single-slot, 50 W TDP, short bracket included.

Note

The Ryzen iGPU must be disabled in BIOS if you install a dedicated GPU in order to avoid conflicts in some software stacks (e.g. Jellyfin hardware acceleration). Check the software docs for your media server of choice.

When to add this

The MC12-LE0 has 6 SATA ports. The case supports 8 drives. Adding this card gives you 6 more SATA ports (12 total) and unlocks all 8 HDD bays plus more. ASM1166 chip has solid Linux support and does not require an HBA IT-mode flash.

Note on ZFS

For ZFS, a real HBA in IT mode (e.g. LSI 9207-8i flashed to IT firmware) gives more direct drive access and is preferred by power users. The ASM1166 PCIe SATA card is fine for Unraid, TrueNAS with ZFS, or simple JBOD setups.