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I’m back for my annual update on the state of my home network (state-of-the-network?)

This year, I’ve gone in at the deep-end with a full 3-node Proxmox cluster for compute, and expanded from 2 to 3 storage servers.

Compute

Starting with Proxmox, I experimented with re-purposing an old i7 4770K build, but it would have been cost prohibitive to run it full time as it idle\’d at 60 watts. That would cost me $15 per month, while giving me less performance than a modern solution.

I picked up 2 mini pc\’s with AMD H 255 processors (8 cores, 16 threads), 32GB RAM, 2.5Gbe networking and 1TB NVME storage. These were the Beelink Ser9 and the GMKTEC K12. I also picked up some used PC parts (i5 7500, 16GB RAM, NR200 Case) for $70 and cobbled together a third node for the Proxmox cluster.

The 3 Proxmox nodes run the following containerised services:

• pi-hole
• pialert
• openspeedtest
• NUT (for monitoring UPS status)
• heimdall dashboard
• karakeep
• beszel
• netvisor
• sterling-pdf
• termix

In addition, they also host 4 virtual machines (VMs):

• Windows 11
• Linux Mint
• Home Assistant
• Docker (for Portainer)

I have configured high-availability (HA) across the 2 primary nodes, with the third node acting as the quorum breaker. These services help me monitor my home, network and systems, store and edit notes and test different operating systems.

Storage

For storage, I added a third Network Attached Storage (NAS) device – a Synology DS1621+, to complement my existing stack – a Synology DS920+ and an Unraid server. In total, across the 3 devices, I have 150TB of storage space. Data is replicated on all three. My critical data (~1TB) is also backed up automatically to the cloud. The media stack (photos and video) runs natively on my storage devices, as it avoids having to move data from my compute nodes to storage (even though I have a multi-Gig network).

I plan to eventually move the media stack to the compute nodes, but the challenge will be the end-user user interface. I looked at Immich for the photo backup solution, but will continue to use Synology Photos as it provides a smoother user experience. I\’m also stuck at mounting the storage devices to my compute nodes. This is entirely due to my lack of knowledge, for now.

To save electricity costs, I aggressively spin down the drives on the Synology units, as well as turn-off the Unraid server entirely. It serves as my cold backup that I spin up once a month to back up data. By doing this, I effectively have a 3-2-1 backup strategy in play.

Power

All my network, storage and compute devices are connected to Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS), so that in a power outage, my systems have time to automatically power down. The NUT server will get a warning from one of the UPS, and trigger all devices to shut down if power is not restored in 5 minutes.

Overall, across my 3 server nodes and 3 storage servers, I average at approximately 120W. If I include the network stack (2 x routers, 2 x 10G switched and 3 x 1G switches), the total average power consumption comes up to 200W, which equates to $39 per month, and accounts for 20% of my total electricity bill. I will need to find a way to reduce this running cost over the long term.

As 2024 comes to a close, I want to reflect on how my home network has evolved. This year, I made the big step up to 10Gbps WAN and LAN networks by changing my ISP as well as incorporating 10G routers and switches.

I started by upgrading my router to the new Wifi7 capable Asus RT-BE88U, and moved my previous primary router, the GT-AX11000 Pro to an AiMesh mode. I also use an old AX-56U as an additional node in one of my rooms. This was the year I finally retired the Gadget Review: Asus RT-AC5300 Router after 8 years of service. It was crumbling apart!

As my new primary router had 2 x 10G ports (1 being an SPF+ port), I figured it was time to jump into the world of 10Gbps internet speeds. I signed up with a new ISP who provided an XGS-PON network which generally delivers up to 8.2Gpbs real-world speeds. I had to get an SPF+ to RJ45 converter (TL-SM5310-T) to enable compatibility with the rest of my network equipment.

From the router, I added a TL-SX1008 TL-SX1008 8-Port 10G Desktop/Rackmount Switch which connected to the patch panels which runs Cat 5E to each room. I was worried that this older category of cabling would hamper my local network speeds. Thankfully, because of the short distance, I was seeing almost close to 10Gbps speeds.

I also had to add another TL-SX1008 to my study room to provide a 10G ethernet backhaul connection to the GT-AX11000 Pro as well as provide sufficient ports for my main PC and my server. I had to upgrade all my PCs/servers with PCIe 10G NICs which I bought cheaply off AliExpress. They all run the Marvell AQC113 chip.

I also got a new M4 Mac Mini to replace my ancient HTPC, and I configured it with a 10G ethernet port too. I also purchased a Thunderbolt 3/4/USB4 to 10Gbps adapter to plug into my laptop. I lastly added a 5Gbps USB dongle to add a high speed connection to my NAS.

While I didn’t need a 10Gbps network, this new setup works seamlessly and I’ve not had any network disruptions in the month that I’ve had it running. With this upgrade, my home network is setup with high bandwidth networking that will enable me to explore setting up a homelab to experiment with Proxmox and Docker on my server. Additionally, a 10Gbps NAS may be on the horizon in a year or 2. 😅

Nvidia RTX 3000 GPU’s have been in short supply literally from the minute they launched. There have been countless forum threads, tweets and Youtube videos dedicated to how impossible its been to find and buy one of these elusive GPUs. It looks like a combination of actual user demand, short supply, and scalpers have made it almost impossible to get your hands on one of these cards.

I have been targeting the RTX 3070 to pair with my Asus VG259QM, so that I could maximise that 240Hz refresh rate. So after reading about the kerfuffle surrounding the RTX 3080 launch, I didn\’t hold out much hope that I would be able to buy one. On launch day itself (October 28), it was no surprise to see all the online stores immediately go out of stock. I took a trip down to the local PC mall, and was aghast at the marked up prices the retailers were selling the cards for. For a US$500 / S$750 GPU, the shops and scalpers were asking over S$1000!

I reached out to the distributor directly, and even they could not tell me when more stock would come in to be listed on their online store. I resigned to the fact that I would probably not get a new GPU this year, as the shortages were expected to last until 2021. So lo and behold, to my immense surprise, that same distro releasing exactly 1 piece of the Zotac RTX 3070 Twin Edge OC at 6pm on 30 October through their online store. I was randomly refreshing the online ecommerce store, and there it was – 1 piece left in stock! I have never gone through a checkout process that fast!

Five days later, I welcomed this baby to its forever home:

Granted, I did end up paying a slight markup, but it was less than 10%, so no major issues there. I was actually more worried that the online store would cancel my order, as there were numerous reports on other sites (i.e. Reddit) of that happening to other users.

So I was relieved when it shipped on Monday.

Here are the specs:
GPU GeForce RTX 3070
CUDA cores 5888
Video Memory 8GB GDDR6
Memory Bus 256-bit
Engine Clock Boost: 1755 MHz
Memory Clock 14 Gbps
PCI Express4.0 16x
Display Outputs3 x DisplayPort 1.4a (up to 7680×4320@60Hz)
HDMI 2.1* (up to 7680×4320@60Hz)
*Ultra High Speed HDMI Cable is required to support 8K/60FPS or 4K/120FPS
HDCP Support 2.3
Multi Display Capability Quad Display
Recommended Power Supply 650W
Power Consumption 220W
Power Input2 x 8-pin
DirectX12 Ultimate
OpenGL4.6
Cooling Ice Storm 2.0
Slot Size Dual Slot
Card Length231.9mm x 141.3mm x 41.5mm / 9.1\” x 5.6\” x 1.6\”
Accessories2 x Dual 6-pin to 8-pin cable
Manual

I had it installed in my rig in about 5 minutes

Damn that looks good! I fired up the 3D Mark benchmarks and these were the scores:

Time Spy: 12133
TIme Spy Extreme: 6025
Port Royal: 8038

Next, i jumped into Shadow of the Tomb Raider and ran the benchmark

130 FPS on average is crazy with those ‘Highest’ settings! And my god does the game look gorgeous with raytracing and DLSS. I’ve seen at least a 30% improvement over the RTX 2070 (which has been donated to my daughter’s PC, btw). This is probably the largest performance jump across generations I’ve seen in the last 10 years. The GPU boosted up to 1950 MHz, which is an astounding number!

I also ran GS:GO, and it was a constant 240 fps throughout the game. That is absolutely nuts!

My one concern about this card is the idle temperature. At max load through out a game, it’s peaked at 72 C, which is pretty good. However at idle, it stays at 55 C, because the fans don’t turn on until it hits 60 C. I’ve tried to use Ice Storm to plot a custom fan curve, but it doesn’t seem to stick after a restart. Might have to try Afterburner eventually.

Overall, I must say that the combination of the RTX 3070 and a high refresh rate (more the 240fps) 1080p monitor is as good as it gets in 2020, and is at least on par with the 1440p/144Hz and 4k/60Hz options. Might need to get my hands on one of those ultra wide QHD monitors. Gah, why does the AW3420DW have to be so pricey!

If you’re gaming at those higher resolutions, then I would recommend that you look at the RTX 3080 or the RTX 3090. But for 1080p, the RTX 3070 is more than enough to keep you in those high framerates.

p.s. Shireen, don’t be such a kay poh