So I am brand new to homelab using a laptop from 2010 that I am running proxmox with VMs (home assistant, virtual desktop and docker container utilizing portainer). I think scraping by is an understatement. I want to find a mini pc that I will set up the same way (boot into proxmox), and would like to add NAS. I do not care on model, but would like to spend around $100-150 for something use. Are there minimum system requirements that I should look for so that I don’t need to update in a year or so?
A used Optiplex is usually the recommendation I see. They’re plentiful and usually capable, so long as it has a decent CPU and enough RAM to handle what you put on it.
Any modern CPU, like a 6th gen intel or newer, should be fine.
I think if you look at your local used listings and ebay you should be able to get something that fits the bill. If cost up-front is a concern, then operating cost is also a concern, so you should be considering power draw of the system as well.
I used this spreadsheet to help me choose a recent Lenovo M710 SFF (i5-7500) build I did for pfsense. It’s not perfect, not all mobo pairings are included, but it gives a starting point for power consumption.