Is an AliExpress Homelab a Good Value?
Hackster.io••technology
Key Points:
- AliExpress is known for offering extremely inexpensive electronics, but the quality and reliability of these products can be highly variable, with some items being outright scams.
- Michael Klements built a homelab using only AliExpress purchases, spending $216 on a mini PC, SSDs, a router, an Ethernet switch, and a 3D-printed rack, selecting the cheapest options that met his minimum requirements.
- The mini PC and networking equipment performed as expected for their price, with the mini PC comparable to a Raspberry Pi 4 and the Ethernet switch working reliably, though the Wi-Fi router was slower than anticipated.
- The SSDs, however, were fraudulent, reporting 1TB capacity but only reliably storing about 120
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/GettyImages-22400154171-19eb2573d96647f8894478942b5721be.jpg)
