Home lab enthusiasts can achieve effective setups without high expenses on server-grade hardware. Utilizing inexpensive options like N100 mini-PCs or repurposing older devices can yield satisfactory results for various DIY projects.
In 2025, an Acer Predator Helios 300 gaming laptop from 2017 was utilized successfully for running multiple virtual machines, demonstrating its capability despite being considered outdated for Windows 11 compatibility. Equipped with an i7-7700HQ processor, 16GB of DDR4 memory, and a GTX 1060 GPU, the laptop managed to operate a Windows 11 virtual machine effectively after installing Proxmox 9.1.1.
During testing, the virtual environment performed adequately with only four v-cores and 8GB of memory allocated to Windows 11. Additionally, Debian was deployed alongside CLI instances of Ubuntu Server and Alpine Linux, showcasing the laptop's versatility for moderate home lab workloads.