If you want to get things working then never “tinker” with things, maybe it’s not worth it. But if you want to learn and be able to try new things it is really helpful. Having a new VM not breaking existing VMs reduces risk when trying something new.

I think GPU passthrough has improved since you have used it. Some command line prep work is still necessary, but the passthrough config is done in the GUI.

This is worth more time to think about. Thank you.

Syncthing is a better fit for your use case. As much as I appreciate having my Nextcloud setup, it can also be a pain in the ass some times.

Someone I know organized a group buy and bought a box of them.

I am running an Arc A40 on an Ubuntu VM for Plex. They only problem I have is VM not booting after it is restarted. Restarting the host fixes the issue.

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000091844/graphics.html

I would also make sure you have a Proxmox install USB ready to go just in case.

I can’t give you specifics but generally what is likely necessary:

1. Backup anything important. You will be doing things that risk loosing data.
2. Make a bootable USB with a live Linux.
3. Look up instructions on resizing partitions.
4. Boot into the live Linux from the USB
5. Resize your existing Proxmox partition

I am running Plex with an Intel A40 in Ubuntu server. Worked well for me as Ubuntu had the drivers baked in before they made there way into a Debian release.

In general checkout LearnLinuxTV on YouTube. Lots of good guides.

Other people have suggested good info to gain nuisanced knowledge. I recommend starting with a simple fact. With enough time and/or the right conditions all storage will fail. Design your setup with redundancy. I personally had to replace 2x 12tb drives this year. I have raidz3 (3 parity drives) and a hot spare. So I just bought cheap replacements from a reputable seller on eBay and consider it part of the cost of self hosting.

Just put them in a separate library and only share it with people that ask for it.

I think there is an author that said, “Books aren’t completed, they are abandoned.” Code can feel the same.

They didn’t WANT to make budget cards. They wanted mid/high end cards but fell short. But it’s better to sell at a lower price then to completely eat the cost for hardware they already made.

Not really. They get big headlines to scare people off and make it more difficult for casual people to get started. They don’t need to make it impossible for everyone, just impractical for most.

A used older desktop is a good starting machine. I think Unraid is a good starting point as the community is more welcome to completely new people needing a lot of help. Also this channel has a tone of good guides for Unraid: https://youtube.com/@SpaceinvaderOne?si=A8BWLbMq42KzHD8I

I suggest starting off cheap to learn. Then you can spend money as you determine what is necessary based on problems you encounter. One VERY important thing to remember is that HDDs fail, power surges kill motherboards, water leaks kill the whole thing. If you don’t want to loose family photos, MAKE SURE YOU HAVE IT BACKED UP OFF YOUR SERVER. Preferably “off-site”.

If a MAC is going to do everything you need it’s not a bad choice. As for a PC if you want a desktop it won’t be using laptop parts. Some parts can be the same between laptops and desktops like storage and Wifi cards, but you will still want to verify. If you want to learn about building a desktop PC start by making a build on PCPartPicker. Then bring post the build to get additional feedback. If you just want a working machine check out pre-built options.

You honestly sound like your stressed out and in fight/flight mode. The first step is just acknowledging where you are mentally and how it’s going to make everything seem worse than it really is.

Sorry my implied meaning didn’t come across. It’s not better for users, it’s better for Valve as they are not taking on responsibility for maintaining other devices.

It would be nice if Valve did that, but I don’t see that happening. They have only done this much because Microsoft wanted to pull an Apple by not allow non-MS markets on Windows. At least with Valve being privately owned they are content to just keep feeding the goose laying the golden eggs.

They have done better than that. They got the community to adapt their image to other devices. Now there is broader device support for mobile Linux gaming and they aren’t on the hook to maintain it. But since it’s open source, can’t really be mad about it.