Buying Used Servers for Self-Hosting

Quick Recommendation

Buy a used Dell OptiPlex 7060 Micro or Lenovo ThinkCentre M720q. They cost $100–$150 on eBay, draw 15–20W idle, accept up to 64 GB RAM, and run completely silent. These are the best value in self-hosting hardware right now.

If you need more compute or drive bays, a used Dell OptiPlex 5080 SFF ($150–$200) gives you a full-size desktop with room for 3.5” drives and expansion cards.

Avoid used rack servers (Dell PowerEdge, HP ProLiant) unless you have a server rack, don’t mind noise, and are prepared for 200–400W electricity bills. They’re powerful but impractical for most home setups.

Where to Buy

Best Sources (Ranked)

Source	Pros	Cons	Best For
eBay (refurbished sellers)	Largest selection, buyer protection, tested hardware	Variable quality, shipping costs	OptiPlex, ThinkCentre, rack servers
Amazon Renewed	Fast shipping, easy returns, quality guarantee	Higher prices than eBay	Hassle-free buying
r/homelabsales	Great prices, knowledgeable sellers	No buyer protection, limited selection	Specific parts, complete builds
Facebook Marketplace	Cheapest prices, no shipping	No protection, must inspect in person	Local deals
IT asset disposition (ITAD) companies	Bulk pricing, consistent quality	Minimum order quantities sometimes	Multiple systems
Craigslist	Cheap, local pickup	Cash only, no protection	Budget finds

eBay Tips

Buy from refurbished sellers with 98%+ feedback and 1,000+ sales. Search for “Dell OptiPlex 7060 Micro refurbished.”
Filter by condition: “Refurbished” or “Seller refurbished” — these have been tested and usually come with a 30–90 day warranty.
Check what’s included. Some listings are barebones (CPU + board only). Look for “complete system” listings that include RAM, storage, and a power adapter.
Make offers. Most eBay sellers accept offers 10–20% below listing price.

What to Ask Before Buying

Has it been tested? Does it POST? Does it boot to an OS?
What’s included? RAM? Storage? Power adapter? Wi-Fi card?
Any known issues? Dead USB ports, fan noise, cosmetic damage?
Service tag number? For Dell/HP/Lenovo, you can check the service tag on the manufacturer’s support site to see original specs and warranty history.

Best Used Systems by Use Case

For Docker Self-Hosting (Most People)

System	CPU	Max RAM	Form Factor	Price	Power
Dell OptiPlex 7060 Micro	i5-8500T	64 GB	Ultra-small	$100–$150	12–18W
Lenovo ThinkCentre M720q	i5-8500T	64 GB	Tiny	$90–$130	12–18W
Dell OptiPlex 7080 Micro	i5-10500T	64 GB	Ultra-small	$150–$200	12–18W
HP EliteDesk 800 G4 Mini	i5-8500T	64 GB	Mini	$100–$140	12–18W

Why these? T-series (low-power) CPUs, compact form factor, near-silent operation, enterprise reliability, and enough RAM for any Docker workload. The 7060 Micro is the sweet spot: widely available, well-priced, 8th gen i5 with QuickSync for Plex transcoding.

Detailed guides: Dell OptiPlex | Lenovo ThinkCentre

For NAS + Docker (More Storage)

System	CPU	Max RAM	Form Factor	Drive Bays	Price
Dell OptiPlex 5080 SFF	i5-10500	128 GB	Small form factor	1x 3.5” + 1x 2.5”	$150–$200
Dell OptiPlex 7050 Tower	i5-7500	64 GB	Tower	2x 3.5” + 1x 2.5”	$100–$140
Lenovo ThinkCentre M920t	i5-8500	64 GB	Tower	2x 3.5” + 1x 2.5”	$120–$160
HP ProDesk 600 G4 SFF	i5-8500	64 GB	Small form factor	1x 3.5” + 1x 2.5”	$100–$140

These have room for 3.5” drives and PCIe expansion (add an HBA for more SATA ports). Good for running TrueNAS or Unraid with a few drives.

For Proxmox / Heavy Compute

System	CPU	Max RAM	Price	Power
Dell Precision 3630 Tower	i7-8700 / Xeon E-2176G	128 GB ECC	$200–$300	40–80W
HP Z2 Tower G4	i7-8700 / Xeon E-2176G	128 GB ECC	$200–$300	40–80W
Lenovo ThinkStation P330	i7-8700 / Xeon E-2176G	128 GB ECC	$180–$250	40–80W

Used workstations are the hidden gem for Proxmox. ECC RAM support, Xeon CPUs, PCIe slots for GPUs and 10GbE, and tower cases that are quieter than rack servers.

See Used Workstations Guide.

For Rack Servers (Homelabs Only)

System	CPU	Max RAM	Price	Power
Dell PowerEdge R730	2x Xeon E5-2680 v4 (28C/56T)	768 GB	$200–$400	200–400W
HP ProLiant DL380 Gen10	2x Xeon Silver 4114 (20C/40T)	3 TB	$300–$600	150–300W
Dell PowerEdge R640	2x Xeon Silver 4116 (24C/48T)	1.5 TB	$400–$700	150–300W

Rack servers offer extreme compute density but come with serious trade-offs:

Noise: 50–70 dB under load. Louder than a vacuum cleaner.
Power: 200–400W idle. $210–$420/year in electricity.
Size: 19” wide, need a rack or shelf.
Weight: 15–30 kg.

Only buy a rack server if you have a basement, garage, or dedicated server room. They’re impractical in a living space.

See Used Enterprise Servers.

What to Check When Receiving Used Hardware

Physical Inspection

External damage — dents that might affect internals, bent I/O ports
All ports work — test every USB port, Ethernet, display output
Fan noise — listen for bearing noise (grinding, clicking). Replace fans if needed ($5–$10).
Power adapter — verify correct wattage. Dell Micro uses 65W or 90W depending on model.
Dust — blow it out with compressed air. Heavy dust = poor cooling.

BIOS and System Check

# Check CPU and RAM after OS install
lscpu                    # CPU model, cores, features
free -h                  # Total RAM
sudo dmidecode -t 17     # RAM module details (speed, size, ECC)
lspci                    # All PCI devices (network, storage, etc.)
lsblk                    # Storage devices
sudo smartctl -a /dev/sda  # Drive health (install smartmontools)

Stress Test

Run a 30-minute stress test to catch thermal and stability issues:

# Install stress tools
sudo apt install stress-ng memtester

# CPU stress (all cores, 30 minutes)
stress-ng --cpu 0 --timeout 30m

# RAM test (test all available RAM — takes hours for 32+ GB)
sudo memtester $(free -m | awk '/Mem:/ {print int($7*0.9)}')M 1

Watch temperatures during the stress test:

# Install and run temperature monitoring
sudo apt install lm-sensors
sudo sensors-detect  # accept defaults
watch -n1 sensors

If temperatures exceed 85°C under stress, the cooling solution needs attention (reapply thermal paste, clean heatsink, replace fan).

Cost Comparison: Used vs New

Approach	Cost	Power (Idle)	Annual Electricity	Performance
New mini PC (N100)	$150–$200	6–10W	$6–$10	Good for containers
Used OptiPlex Micro	$100–$150	12–18W	$13–$19	Better than N100
New mini PC (N305)	$300–$350	10–25W	$10–$26	Great for containers
Used OptiPlex SFF	$150–$200	20–35W	$21–$37	Great + expansion
Used workstation	$200–$300	40–80W	$42–$84	Excellent + ECC
Used rack server	$200–$600	200–400W	$210–$420	Massive overkill

The sweet spot is the used OptiPlex Micro: better CPU than a new N100 mini PC, cheaper to buy, slightly more power draw but still under $20/year. The upgrade path to 64 GB RAM makes it more future-proof.

What to Avoid

Dell OptiPlex x010 and older (7010, 9010) — Sandy Bridge/Ivy Bridge CPUs. No QuickSync worth using, DDR3 RAM, USB 3.0 only on some ports. Outdated.
Anything with DDR3 — DDR3 is end of life. Limited capacity (usually 32 GB max), expensive to upgrade, higher power consumption.
Rack servers without a plan for noise — they will ruin your home office. Fan-swap mods exist but void warranty and aren’t guaranteed quiet.
HP MicroServers (Gen8/Gen10) — popular on forums but overpriced and underpowered compared to OptiPlex alternatives. The Gen10 Plus is decent but costs more than an equivalent OptiPlex.
Anything marketed as “gaming PC” on eBay — overpriced, often poorly built, consumer-grade components.
Systems without a power adapter — OEM power adapters cost $20–$30. Budget for it if not included.

Upgrade Priorities

When you receive a used system, upgrade in this order:

RAM — Most used systems ship with 8 GB. Upgrade to 16–32 GB DDR4 ($20–$50). This is the single biggest performance improvement.
Storage — Add an NVMe SSD if the system has an M.2 slot. A 500 GB NVMe ($30) transforms boot and container performance.
Network — If you need faster than 1 Gbps, add a USB 3.0 to 2.5GbE adapter ($15). See 2.5GbE Guide.
Cooling — Replace thermal paste on the CPU ($5) if the system is 3+ years old. Arctic MX-6 or Noctua NT-H1 are reliable choices.

FAQ

Are refurbished servers reliable?

Enterprise hardware (Dell OptiPlex, Lenovo ThinkCentre, HP EliteDesk) is designed for 5–7 year corporate lifespans with daily use. A 3-year-old refurbished unit typically has 60–70% of its expected lifespan remaining. These are more reliable than consumer desktops. Buy from sellers with good ratings and a return policy.

How old is too old?

Stick to 8th gen Intel (2018) or newer for practical reasons: DDR4 support, USB-C, NVMe, decent QuickSync. 6th-7th gen works but you’re paying similar prices for less capability. 5th gen and older: skip.

Should I buy a warranty?

eBay’s 30-day return policy is usually sufficient. If the system works for 30 days, it’ll likely work for years. Extended warranties on used hardware are overpriced — the cost of the warranty often approaches the cost of just buying another used system.

Desktop vs server hardware?

Desktop hardware (OptiPlex, ThinkCentre) is better for home self-hosting: quiet, low power, compact, cheap. Server hardware (PowerEdge, ProLiant) is better if you need ECC, hot-swap drive bays, redundant PSUs, or IPMI remote management. Most self-hosters should buy desktop-class used hardware.