Howto & Style

Turn an Old PC Into a Proxmox Server with GPU Passthrough

📚 Main topics

Repurposing an old PCAn existing gaming PC can become a flexible home server, but suitability depends on its age, power draw, and the work you want it to do. The example system has an Intel i5, 64 GB of RAM, and an SSD. 0:00
Hardware upgradesThe build adds a 10 GbE network card and a separate NVMe drive for VM storage. The video also covers checking RAM, cooling, power supply capacity, and available PCIe slots. 1:03
Choosing an operating systemTrueNAS Community Edition suits storage-focused setups; Unraid is presented as beginner-friendly but paid; Proxmox offers free virtualization and control; Linux installed directly is another option for experienced users. 9:21
Installing Proxmox and preparing a VMThe process includes installing Proxmox, using the no-subscription repository for home use, updating the system, and setting up dedicated VM storage. The video uses a VM for GPU passthrough. 12:30
GPU passthrough and networkingAfter enabling virtualization and IOMMU in the BIOS, Proxmox is configured to load VFIO modules and pass the GPU to a VM. The 10 GbE card is used at the Proxmox host level so the host and its VMs can benefit. 14:04
Possible server workloadsSuggested uses include Plex or Jellyfin, Nextcloud, a reverse proxy, and monitoring services. A GPU can also support remote video editing, media transcoding, local AI workloads, or a gaming VM. 10:57

✨ Key takeaways

Plan around RAM and storageFor multiple VMs, the video recommends at least 32 GB of RAM, with 16 GB as the stated minimum. Storage and RAM are likely to limit how many workloads the system can run before its CPU does. 2:37
Check compatibility and powerPCIe passthrough depends on the motherboard, IOMMU groupings, and adequate power for the GPU. Some hardware may need extra troubleshooting, such as blacklisting host drivers. 6:44
Match the setup to the goalA home server offers more flexibility and power than a NAS, but typically uses more electricity, makes more noise, and requires more setup and maintenance. 18:16

🧠 Lessons learned

Keep the OS and VM storage separate if usefulThe creator prefers installing Proxmox on one drive and placing VMs on another, though both can share the boot drive. 3:07
Treat extra passthrough changes as troubleshootingFirst try the basic VFIO and IOMMU configuration; only move on to blacklisting host drivers or other workarounds if the GPU does not work. 15:07
Consider idle power consumptionOlder PCs can draw substantial power even when idle, so an old machine is not automatically a cost-effective server. 8:18

🏁 Conclusion/next steps

Decide whether repurposing makes senseAn old PC is a good candidate if you already own it and want to learn virtualization or need a capable, flexible server. For a quiet, low-power, low-maintenance system, consider an efficient NAS or a purpose-built option. 18:16
Try the configuration and expandFollow the linked beginner’s guide and written passthrough instructions, then add services that suit your needs. The creator invites viewers to share their experiences and plans to see how the setup holds up over time. 18:46

Transcript excerpt

0:00 Most people are spending hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars on a NAS or a home server when they already have the hardware to build one sitting in a closet. An old gaming PC, a handme-down desktop, the machine you replaced 2 years ago. That's hardware that you can actually use. In this video, I'm going to take a PC I had sitting around and turn it into exactly that. I'll cover how to pick the right OS. Add some hardware to it to improve it as a home server, then install and configure it.

0:32 By the end, you'll have a working home server built from hardware you already own. Before we get into any of the software side, let's talk about the actual hardware I'm working with. This is a PC I had sitting around that I built almost 5 years ago. It has an i5 processor, 64 gigs of RAM, which is the one upgrade I made back then that will help immensely with this, and a 500 gig 2 and 1/2 in SSD. It's a pretty capable machine, and it's way more than enough

🔒 The full, searchable transcript is available with Pro.

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