1st July 2025

- Hey mates, learning people! 👋

As I embark on a new chapter, I'm on the hunt for some serious hardware to fuel my learning adventures. I'm diving into Linux, networking, AI, and various other tech areas, but without breaking the money.

I need your collective wisdom on cost-effective options for:

- **Switches & Routers:** Building a reliable and efficient network for home lab.

- **CPU & Storage:** Powering my learning activities and handling large data.

- **RAM:** Enhancing performance and multitasking capabilities.

- **AI Hardware:** Affordable alternatives to expensive Nvidia cards for large language models.

Some of the project already working on are .

- ATM Self hosting Linux stuff like Nextcloud on nixos, openwrt BananaPi, NAS which i want to migrate from synology to opensource, ofcourse self hosted wallet are doing gr8 on umbrel. Also trying on Local AI models one at a time as advised by @ghost Any recommendations or resources you can share would be greatly appreciated! I'm open to learning about reliable brands, deals, and helpful tips & tricks. 💡 Also thanks to @d3fault Changing gears from telecom design to my linux based tech journey.