My current setup at home is two aging systems, one gaming PC that I usually put to sleep when not using and one 24hr server hidden away in a cupboard. Both are in need of an upgrade fairly shortly and I’m just wondering if a single system would be a viable option?
I’m not hosting THAT many services really. Most are just media related that would be unused when sat at the PC gaming as it’s just me that uses any of it. A strong enough CPU should be able to handle everything anything though shouldn’t it?
It seems like a good idea to me but I’m no expert. Is there anything obvious I’m missing?
I’d still recommend a separate server for numerous reasons:
You can save power instead of letting your gaming PC run 24/7. The lowest I’ve ever seen my gaming PC idle at is 125W, whereas my dedicated DIY NAS idles at 27W. That’s a huge difference in your electricity bill over the long-term, although it really depends on what area you live in. My PC kicks out a lot more heat than my server though so it does make a difference when it comes to my AC bill!
You may want stable software for your server (ie Debian) and bleeding edge (Arch Linux) for your gaming PC, or you may want Linux for your server and Windows for gaming, etc.
Separate server provides better uptime. I would hate to interrupt a big transfer to my Nextcloud just because I needed to restart my PC to do system updates.