Uploaded August 2023 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Are you thinking about a home lab refresh this year? The Mini PC market has exploded with many options. In this episode, we take a look at a mini PC I picked up from Amazon, how well it can run VMs, and the possibilities of using mini PCs for home lab hardware moving forward.
★ Subscribe to the channel: youtube.com/channel/UCrxcWtpd1IGHG9RbD_9380A?sub_confirmation=1
★ My blog: virtualizationhowto.com
★ Twitter: twitter.com/vspinmaster
★ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/brandon-lee-vht
★ Github: github.com/brandonleegit
★ Facebook: facebook.com/people/VirtualizationHowto/100092747277326
★ Discord: discord.gg/Zb46NV6mB3
Introduction to mini pc home labs - 0:00
A new mini PC that I picked up from Amazon - 0:57
Describing the GMKtek G2 Nucbox - 1:30
Describing the TDP values at idle and turbo - 1:45
Overview of the networking and gotchas with VMware ESXi - 2:25
Using a USB NIC with VMware ESXi and supported Realtek adapter - 2:52
Looking at the storage on the Nucbox - 3:39
Overview of the Nucbox connected using the ESXi host client - 4:09
Looking at vCenter Server monitoring after powering on VMs - 4:40
Looking at the specs in VMware ESXi - 5:13
Powering up additional VMs on the Nucbox - 5:33
Looking at performance metrics after powering on additional VMs - 5:55
Opening virtual machine consoles and looking at performance - 6:12
Pulling down a Docker container and running it in a VM on the Nucbox - 6:49
Thinking about the mini pc as a Docker container host - 7:20
Overview of the cost of the Nucbox - 7:36
Mini pc vs server thoughts on price, value, and power consumption - 8:14
Discussing power efficiency and electric costs - 9:16
Rethinking a home lab refresh with mini pcs? 9:30
Concluding thoughts on mini PC market that is growing and becoming more powerful - 10:03
Check out the following writeups:
Mini PC vs Server: Best Home Lab Server in 2024?
virtualizationhowto.com/2023/08/mini-pc-vs-server-best-home-lab-server-in-2024
Mini Server for Home Lab: GMKtek Nucbox G2
virtualizationhowto.com/2023/08/mini-server-for-home-lab-gmktec-nucbox-g2
5 Tips to install ESXi on a Mini PC:
virtualizationhowto.com/2023/08/5-tips-to-install-esxi-on-a-mini-pc
Are you thinking about a home lab refresh this year? The Mini PC market has exploded with many options. In this episode, we take a look at a mini PC I picked up from Amazon, how well it can run VMs, and the possibilities of using mini PCs for home lab hardware moving forward.
★ Subscribe to the channel: youtube.com/channel/UCrxcWtpd1IGHG9RbD_9380A?sub_confirmation=1
★ My blog: virtualizationhowto.com
★ Twitter: twitter.com/vspinmaster
★ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/brandon-lee-vht
★ Github: github.com/brandonleegit
★ Facebook: facebook.com/people/VirtualizationHowto/100092747277326
★ Discord: discord.gg/Zb46NV6mB3
Introduction to mini pc home labs - 0:00
A new mini PC that I picked up from Amazon - 0:57
Describing the GMKtek G2 Nucbox - 1:30
Describing the TDP values at idle and turbo - 1:45
Overview of the networking and gotchas with VMware ESXi - 2:25
Using a USB NIC with VMware ESXi and supported Realtek adapter - 2:52
Looking at the storage on the Nucbox - 3:39
Overview of the Nucbox connected using the ESXi host client - 4:09
Looking at vCenter Server monitoring after powering on VMs - 4:40
Looking at the specs in VMware ESXi - 5:13
Powering up additional VMs on the Nucbox - 5:33
Looking at performance metrics after powering on additional VMs - 5:55
Opening virtual machine consoles and looking at performance - 6:12
Pulling down a Docker container and running it in a VM on the Nucbox - 6:49
Thinking about the mini pc as a Docker container host - 7:20
Overview of the cost of the Nucbox - 7:36
Mini pc vs server thoughts on price, value, and power consumption - 8:14
Discussing power efficiency and electric costs - 9:16
Rethinking a home lab refresh with mini pcs? 9:30
Concluding thoughts on mini PC market that is growing and becoming more powerful - 10:03
Check out the following writeups:
Mini PC vs Server: Best Home Lab Server in 2024?
virtualizationhowto.com/2023/08/mini-pc-vs-server-best-home-lab-server-in-2024
Mini Server for Home Lab: GMKtek Nucbox G2
virtualizationhowto.com/2023/08/mini-server-for-home-lab-gmktec-nucbox-g2
5 Tips to install ESXi on a Mini PC:
virtualizationhowto.com/2023/08/5-tips-to-install-esxi-on-a-mini-pc
