Homelab

Enterprise Server Price Tracker

Q: Why do so many listings say 'no CPU/RAM'?

Those are barebone listings -- just the chassis, motherboard, and PSUs. CPUs and RAM for these platforms are commodity used server parts sold separately on their own huge secondary market, and buying them yourself is almost always cheaper than paying a seller's markup for a pre-configured unit, plus you get to pick exactly the CPU generation and RAM capacity you want.

Q: How loud are these, really?

Genuinely loud, especially at boot -- 60-70+ dB is common for stock server fans running at full speed before the BIOS and management controller settle in. Most units idle down significantly once fully booted, but this is a real practical consideration for a home office, not a fringe complaint. Many homelabbers either accept the noise, relocate the server to a garage or basement, or use fan-speed workarounds through the management controller.

Dell PowerEdge, HPE ProLiant & Supermicro — Used Rack Servers

Once a small form factor node stops being enough drive bays, CPU cores, or RAM capacity, this is the next step up: full-size rack servers from corporate fleet refresh cycles. This tracks current listings across the Dell, HPE, and Supermicro lines homelabbers actually buy, most sold barebone so you can spec your own CPU and RAM.

Disclaimer: This is a personal tracking tool I built for my own use, not a professional pricing or comparison service. Listings, prices, and outbound links are pulled from third-party sources and can be stale, inaccurate, or broken — I'm not responsible for their accuracy or where a link leads. Always verify details directly with the retailer or source before you rely on them.

When a Mini PC Isn't Enough Anymore

A small form factor node covers most first-Proxmox-box needs, but it tops out fast: one or two drive bays, two SO-DIMM slots, and a single low-power CPU. A rack server trades noise and power draw for real headroom — 8 to 12+ drive bays, dual-CPU sockets with real core counts, and RAM capacity measured in hundreds of gigabytes on cheap used ECC RDIMMs.

That headroom is what makes these the go-to for anyone running Ceph or ZFS across many drives, a virtualization host with a real VM count, or a transcoding farm that needs more than a couple of cores. It's a genuine step up in capability, not just a bigger box.

The Three Lines on This Page

Dell PowerEdge

The most common used rack server brand by volume, with the R730/R730xd/R740 lines especially well documented in the homelab community — parts and firmware guidance are easy to find.

HPE ProLiant

DL360/DL380 units are the closest direct competitor to Dell's lineup, often trading at a slight discount for equivalent specs since the community skews more toward Dell.

Supermicro

Less standardized since Supermicro sells many chassis/motherboard combinations rather than a few fixed models, but often the cheapest way to get a high bay count in a barebone 2U chassis.

Brand

Form Factor

Condition

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Server	Brand	Form Factor	Condition	RAM	Bays	Price	$/Bay	Deal
HPE ProLiant DL360 Gen9 1U Server - 8-Bay, No CPU/RAM ProLiant DL360 Gen9 · eBay	HPE	1U	Used	Barebone	8-Bay	$139.00	$17.38/bay	View Deal
Dell PowerEdge R630 1U Server - 8-Bay, No CPU/RAM PowerEdge R630 · eBay	Dell	1U	Used	Barebone	8-Bay	$149.00	$18.63/bay	View Deal
Dell PowerEdge R730 2U Server - 8-Bay, No CPU/RAM/HDD PowerEdge R730 · eBay	Dell	2U	Used	Barebone	8-Bay	$219.00	$27.38/bay	View Deal
Supermicro SuperServer 2U 12-Bay Server - Barebone, No CPU/RAM SuperServer 2U · eBay	Supermicro	2U	Used	Barebone	12-Bay	$259.00	$21.58/bay	View Deal
HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen9 Server 2x Xeon E5-2680 v4 64GB RAM 8-Bay ProLiant DL380 Gen9 · eBay	HPE	2U	Used	64 GB	8-Bay	$299.00	$37.38/bay	View Deal
Dell PowerEdge R730xd 12-Bay Server - Barebone, No CPU/RAM PowerEdge R730xd · eBay	Dell	2U	Used	Barebone	12-Bay	$319.00	$26.58/bay	View Deal
Dell PowerEdge R730 Server 2x Xeon E5-2690 v4 64GB RAM 8-Bay PowerEdge R730 · eBay	Dell	2U	Used	64 GB	8-Bay	$329.00	$41.13/bay	View Deal
Dell PowerEdge R630 Server 2x Xeon E5-2680 v4 128GB RAM 8-Bay PowerEdge R630 · eBay	Dell	1U	Used	128 GB	8-Bay	$389.00	$48.63/bay	View Deal
Supermicro SuperServer 2U 12-Bay 2x Xeon Silver 4114 96GB RAM SuperServer 2U · eBay	Supermicro	2U	Used	96 GB	12-Bay	$399.00	$33.25/bay	View Deal
HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen10 2U Server - 8-Bay, No CPU/RAM ProLiant DL380 Gen10 · eBay	HPE	2U	Used	Barebone	8-Bay	$419.00	$52.38/bay	View Deal
Dell PowerEdge R740 2U Server - 8-Bay, No CPU/RAM PowerEdge R740 · eBay	Dell	2U	Used	Barebone	8-Bay	$459.00	$57.38/bay	View Deal
Dell PowerEdge R730xd Server 2x Xeon E5-2683 v4 128GB RAM 12-Bay PowerEdge R730xd · eBay	Dell	2U	Used	128 GB	12-Bay	$479.00	$39.92/bay	View Deal
Dell PowerEdge R740 Server 2x Xeon Gold 6130 128GB RAM 8-Bay PowerEdge R740 · eBay	Dell	2U	Used	128 GB	8-Bay	$649.00	$81.13/bay	View Deal
HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen10 Server 2x Xeon Gold 6138 256GB RAM 8-Bay ProLiant DL380 Gen10 · eBay	HPE	2U	Used	256 GB	8-Bay	$749.00	$93.63/bay	View Deal

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a full rack server, or is a small form factor node enough?

It depends on what you're running out of. A small form factor node (see my SFF tracker) is quieter, sips power, and is plenty for a handful of lightweight VMs or containers. A rack server earns its keep once you need more than a couple of drives, dual-CPU core counts, or RAM capacity a mini PC's two SO-DIMM slots can't touch — think Ceph, a real virtualization host, or a transcoding farm. The tradeoff is noise, power draw, and needing an actual rack or a tolerant spot for one.

Why do so many listings say "no CPU/RAM"?

Those are barebone listings — just the chassis, motherboard, and PSUs. CPUs and RAM for these platforms are commodity used server parts sold separately on their own huge secondary market, and buying them yourself is almost always cheaper than paying a seller's markup for a pre-configured unit, plus you get to pick exactly the CPU generation and RAM capacity you want.

How loud are these, really?

Genuinely loud, especially at boot — 60-70+ dB is common for stock server fans running at full speed before the BIOS and management controller settle in. Most units idle down significantly once fully booted, but this is a real practical consideration for a home office, not a fringe complaint. Many homelabbers either accept the noise, relocate the server to a garage or basement, or use fan-speed workarounds through the management controller.

What's the power draw like compared to a mini PC?

Idle draw on a dual-CPU rack server commonly runs 100-200+ watts even lightly loaded — several times what a small form factor node pulls. That adds up fast if you're running it 24/7, so it's worth running the actual numbers against your electricity rate before committing, the same way you'd size up a GPU's power cost.

Do I need iDRAC or iLO Enterprise licensing?

Dell's iDRAC and HPE's iLO management controllers both ship with a free basic tier, but full remote KVM and virtual media access — genuinely useful for a headless server you're not standing in front of — typically requires an Enterprise license, sold separately. Used license keys circulate on the secondary market, though transferability isn't guaranteed by either vendor's terms, so treat that as a real risk rather than a sure thing.