Learn
Straight answers for planning, powering and running a homelab rack. Each guide comes with a calculator, and a way to see the result on your own rack in 3D.
Free calculators
Rack Density Calculator
How many devices fit before space, power or cooling runs out.
CalculatorTokens per Watt Calculator
Tokens per kWh and cost per million tokens for your home AI box.
CalculatorHomelab Power Cost Calculator
What your whole lab costs per month, device by device.
Calculator10-inch Rack Planner
Will it fit? Width, depth and U for a 10-inch mini rack.
CalculatorIdle Savings & Payback
What a lower idle draw or a new box saves, and when it pays back.
UPS Runtime Calculator
How long your UPS keeps the lab up, and how big a UPS you need.
Guides
10-inch mini rack planner: what fits and how to lay it out
A 254 mm panel, about 222 mm between the rails, 44.45 mm per U. Check width, depth and U before you buy.
Homelab power calculator: what your lab really costs
Monthly cost = average watts × 730 ÷ 1,000 × your price per kWh. Idle draw is most of the bill.
Proxmox power usage: measure it, then cut it
Proxmox has no power meter of its own: measure at the wall or the UPS, then cut idle watts.
Tokens per watt: how efficient is your local AI box?
Divide tokens per second by watts: that is tokens per joule. Multiply by 3.6 million for tokens per kWh.
How much power does a homelab use?
From 10–20 W for one mini PC to 300–900 W for a rack of used enterprise servers.
Rack diagram from Excel
One row per device (rack, U, model) gives a rack elevation and a 3D view.
Homelab rack layout
Network at the top, heavy gear and the UPS at the bottom, room left to grow.
Homelab cable management plan
Keep patch panel and switch together, label both ends, keep the port map in a sheet.
Have a rack already? See it in 3D →