u/Cloud__Saiyan

I’m excited to finally get started with my first homelab.

Picked up 3 × HP ProDesk Mini 400 G6 systems to build a small but practical home lab cluster.

Specs per node:
Intel Core i5-10500T
32 GB RAM
512 GB SSD
Wi-Fi + Bluetooth
Windows 11 Pro currently installed

My plan is to use these as a small 3-node lab for learning and hands-on practice with:

Proxmox / virtualization
Kubernetes
GitOps with Argo CD or Flux
Terraform and automation
Monitoring with Prometheus/Grafana
Home network segmentation and VLAN testing
Small self-hosted services

I’m pairing this with a new UniFi setup, so the goal is to build a clean home network + homelab environment.

Any advice for a 3-node mini PC cluster? Things you wish you did differently when starting out?

Finally starting my first proper home networking setup and I’m excited to get hands-on with UniFi.

U7 Pro
U7 Lite
Switch Lite 8 PoE
Flex Mini 2.5G
2 × Flex Mini

The plan is to move away from Telus Cisco ISP/router-style setup and build something cleaner for the whole house with better Wi-Fi coverage, VLANs, IoT separation, guest Wi-Fi and a small homelab network.

Any first-time setup tips, common mistakes to avoid or must-change settings before I start?