A renewed Dell Wyse 5070 thin client with 4 GB sold for about $95 on Amazon this week (listings checked November 2026). A 16 GB stick of DDR4 laptop memory cost $98 to $118 on the same day. That inversion sums up the used thin client homelab market. The box idles under 5 W and runs Pi-hole, Home Assistant or a small OPNsense firewall. The parts you add are what cost money, so the right purchase is the unit that needs the fewest of them.
We compared five thin clients that homelab buyers actually find for sale: the Dell Wyse 5070, HP t640, HP t740, Fujitsu Futro S740 and Dell OptiPlex 3000 Thin Client. Each is rated on CPU, RAM ceiling, second-NIC options, idle power and used price. Specs come from Dell, HP and Fujitsu documents, and idle figures from those documents, ENERGY STAR and published wall-meter readings. For more CPU in the same footprint, our used tiny PC guide starts where these stop.
Thin clients for a homelab compared: CPU, RAM, NIC and idle watts
Five boxes, six specs. The idle column uses a measured wall reading where one is published and the maker figure where it is not. Read the source note in each pick section before you compare two numbers taken on different meters.
| Model | CPU | RAM (official / reported) | Storage | Second NIC route | Idle | Best job |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dell Wyse 5070 | Celeron J4105 or Pentium Silver J5005, 4 cores | 8 GB / 32 GB | M.2 SATA only | Dell option port (RJ45 or SFP), or E-key M.2 | 2.7 W headless (measured), 4.6 W (Dell) | Pi-hole, Home Assistant |
| HP t640 | Ryzen Embedded R1505G, 2 cores, 4 threads | 32 GB / 32 GB | M.2 SATA or NVMe (PCIe 3.0 x4) | E-key M.2 | 4.2 W headless (measured) | Light Proxmox |
| HP t740 | Ryzen Embedded V1756B, 4 cores, 8 threads | 32 GB / 64 GB | One NVMe M.2 plus one SATA M.2 | Half-height PCIe x16 slot wired x8 | 19 to 20 W (measured) | pfSense, OPNsense |
| Fujitsu Futro S740 | Celeron J4105, 4 cores | 8 GB / 16 GB (one slot) | M.2 2280 SATA | E-key M.2 2230 (unconfirmed for a NIC) | about 3 to 5 W (owner figures) | Fanless DNS or HA in Europe |
| Dell OptiPlex 3000 Thin Client | Celeron N5105 or Pentium Silver N6005, 4 cores | 16 GB (2×8) / not reported | M.2 2230 SSD | Optional Dell SFP | 4.5 W (ENERGY STAR) | Home Assistant |
Two groups fall out of that table. The Wyse 5070, Futro S740 and OptiPlex 3000 Thin Client idle under 5 W but top out at four slow cores. That is plenty for DNS filtering and Home Assistant, and short for anything virtualised. The two HP Ryzen boxes trade watts for headroom. The t640 still idles near 4 W headless with a faster CPU and an NVMe slot. The t740 is the only one with a real PCIe slot, and it pays for it with four times the idle draw. Our verdicts:
- Best for Pi-hole and Home Assistant: Dell Wyse 5070, because it is the cheapest box with a measured idle under 3 W.
- Best for light Proxmox: HP t640, the only low-idle box with NVMe and an official 32 GB ceiling.
- Best for pfSense or OPNsense: HP t740, since its x8 slot takes a quad-port Intel card.
- Best in Europe: Fujitsu Futro S740, fanless and sold refurbished for well under 100 EUR.
- Newest silicon: Dell OptiPlex 3000 Thin Client, with the most reviewed renewed listing of the five.
How the specs, watts and listings were checked
Refurbishers sell thin clients by the pallet, and listing titles are often wrong about the CPU or the flash size. So every figure here traces to a maker document or a named measurement:
- Maker specs: the Dell Wyse 5070 tech specs and user guide, HP QuickSpecs for the t640 and t730, the HP t740 datasheet, the Fujitsu Futro S740 data sheet and the Dell OptiPlex 3000 Thin Client spec page.
- Idle power: Gough Lui’s Tektronix PA1000 readings for the Wyse 5070 and t640, the ServeTheHome wall-meter result for the t740, the ENERGY STAR record for the OptiPlex 3000, and maker figures elsewhere.
- Listings: the Amazon Creators API plus a US-locale page read on November 1, 2026, with condition taken from the title and the buy box, never from the API condition field.
- Used bands: eBay blocked automated reads, so the refurbished bands come from a thin client buying guide that dates them February 2026, and German prices from dated Notebookcheck deal reports.
Amazon prices sit well above those refurbished bands, dated February 2026 at $40 to $70 for a Wyse 5070 and $50 to $80 for a t640. The premium buys an Amazon return window and a seller you can send a dead unit back to. On a box under $100 that is worth more than it sounds, because surplus stock can arrive with a BIOS password set or a worn flash module. We excluded listings marked Used and titles that did not name the CPU.
Step 1: Match the thin client to the job
Pick the job first, because these boxes differ less in speed than in what you can plug into them. A DNS filter needs only the onboard port. Home Assistant wants a few gigabytes of RAM and a USB radio. A firewall needs two ports with good FreeBSD drivers, and Proxmox needs RAM and fast storage. Read against the specs, the jobs map like this:
- Pi-hole or AdGuard Home: any of the five, so buy on idle watts and price, which points at the Wyse 5070 or Futro S740.
- Home Assistant OS: a Wyse 5070 with 8 GB or the OptiPlex 3000 Thin Client, both UEFI x86 boxes with low idle.
- pfSense or OPNsense above 1 Gbit/s: the HP t740 with an Intel PCIe card, nothing else here has the slot.
- Proxmox with two or three small VMs: the HP t640 with 16 or 32 GB and an NVMe drive.
A thin client stops making sense once the job needs more than four cores, more than 32 GB or a second drive bay. At that point a used Lenovo M920q from the tiny PC roundup costs about $210 to $240 renewed and replaces two thin clients. For a new Home Assistant box instead, our mini PC for Home Assistant picks start with Intel N150 machines.
Step 2: Buy the Dell Wyse 5070 for Pi-hole and Home Assistant
Measured idle under 3 W is why the Wyse 5070 became the default homelab thin client.
Gough Lui measured a J5005 unit with 8 GB and a SATA SSD at 2.7 W idle with only Ethernet attached. With a keyboard, mouse and monitor it read 5.6 W, and Prime95 pushed it to 13.7 to 15.6 W. Dell rates the slim chassis at 4.6 W idle on RJ45. Over a year, 2.7 W is about 24 kWh. Both CPU options, the Celeron J4105 and Pentium Silver J5005, are 10 W four-core Gemini Lake parts. Parkytowers published 5070 cpuinfo flags that include aes, so OpenVPN and IPsec with AES-GCM get hardware help. WireGuard uses ChaCha20 and gains nothing from AES-NI.
Storage and networking are the limits. Dell officially supports 8 GB across two SO-DIMM slots. Parkytowers confirmed 16 GB working and reports 32 GB, though 16 GB modules were hit and miss before a BIOS update. The single storage slot is M.2 2260 or 2280 SATA only, and an NVMe drive Gough Lui fitted was not detected. Networking is one Realtek gigabit port. Dell sells a second RJ45 or an SFP port for the option bay, but footnote 9 of the spec sheet makes WiFi, SFP and the second RJ45 mutually exclusive.
Home Assistant OS runs from the generic x86-64 image. Owners keep hitting one failure: a community thread marked solved in December 2024 traced a 5070 that would not boot HAOS to Secure Boot. Skip the 5070 if you need NVMe speed or a VM host. Skip the Extended chassis too unless you will use its PCIe slot, because Dell rates it at 9.7 W idle.
On Amazon, the best stocked unit was a renewed J4105 with 8 GB and a 256 GB SSD at about $141. A renewed J5005 with 8 GB sold for about $135 with one left. The 4 GB J4105 unit at about $95 is enough for Pi-hole alone. Expect to pay about double the refurbished band for the Amazon return window. Check the current Wyse 5070 price on Amazon.
Step 3: Buy the HP t640 for light Proxmox
Low idle, NVMe and a 32 GB ceiling make the HP t640 the thin client that still works as a small Proxmox node.
HP QuickSpecs list the Ryzen Embedded R1505G with 2 cores and 4 threads at 2.4 to 3.3 GHz. Memory is two DDR4 SO-DIMM slots at up to 2400 MT/s, and storage is one M.2 socket sold with SATA or NVMe drives. Gough Lui measured that socket at PCIe 3.0 x4, so a cheap 2280 NVMe drive runs at full speed. On Ubuntu 24.04 his meter read 4.2 W idle headless and 7.9 W with peripherals. Load ran about 21 to 23 W. HP rates long idle at 8.45 to 8.62 W for a 32 GB unit running ThinPro.
Two cores is the real constraint. A Home Assistant VM, a Pi-hole container and one small service fit in 16 GB, as the Proxmox RAM sizing guide explains. Transcoding or a busy database will queue, though. The onboard NIC is a Realtek RTL8111. The second M.2 slot is E-key, and Gough Lui ran an eMMC module in it through an adapter, so it carries PCIe. HP only offers an Allied Telesis fibre NIC for it, which excludes WiFi. Skip the t640 if you need four cores or more than two firewall ports.
The only buyable Amazon unit was a 4 GB, 16 GB flash configuration at about $183. A marketplace seller lists it with a New buy box, so it is surplus stock rather than a refurbished unit. That is more than double the February 2026 refurbished band for a t640, and this unit has only 4 GB, so it still needs RAM and an NVMe drive before Proxmox is usable. Buy it there for the return window, or treat refurbishers and auction sites as the main market. Check the current HP t640 price on Amazon.
Step 4: Buy the HP t740 for a pfSense or OPNsense router
A real PCIe slot sets the HP t740 apart from every other box here, and it is the reason to buy one for a firewall.
HP lists a four-core Ryzen Embedded V1756B (eight threads, per parkytowers), two SO-DIMM slots for up to 32 GB of DDR4-3200 and a 90 W adapter. Its one half-height PCIe x16 slot is wired x8. Parkytowers adds two M-key M.2 slots (one NVMe, one SATA), an E-key 2230 slot and an owner report of 64 GB working. The onboard port is a Realtek RTL8111HSH, and cpuinfo shows the aes flag. Netgate calls Intel NICs best practice because of their FreeBSD drivers, and OPNsense agrees. So the slot is where an Intel I350 or I226 card goes.
Power and noise are the cost. ServeTheHome measured the t740 at 19 to 20 W idle and 65 to 90 W under load. Unlike the fanless 5070 and S740, it has a fan. STH also advises keeping the add-in card to 10 W or less. A quad-port card plus the onboard port gives five interfaces, enough for WAN, LAN and three VLAN or DMZ segments. Skip the t740 for a DNS-only box, because it burns about 15 W more than a Wyse 5070 around the clock.
Amazon sells the t740 as New surplus at about $275 to $280 for 8 GB and 64 GB of flash from a marketplace seller. Notebookcheck reported a German refurbisher selling the same configuration for 89.99 EUR in a December 2025 deal. That gap is the widest in this guide, so watch refurbishers if you can wait. Our pfSense and OPNsense hardware guide compares new fanless boxes with built-in Intel ports, and some cost less than a t740 plus a card. Check the current HP t740 price on Amazon.
Step 5: Look for the Fujitsu Futro S740 in Europe
Same J4105 chip as the Wyse 5070, no fan, and cheaper still on the German refurbished market: the Futro S740 is the European pick.
Fujitsu lists the Celeron J4105, one SO-DIMM slot for DDR4-2400 with 8 GB as the official maximum, SATA M.2 storage and a Realtek RTL8111G port. Notebookcheck reports 16 GB working in the single bank. It also describes an M.2 2280 SATA slot plus a short M.2 2230 slot for WLAN, which Notebookcheck mentions for a second SSD through an adapter. We found no confirmed report of a 2.5GbE card in that slot. An owner-run S740 collection on GitHub Pages lists about 3 W idle and 14 W load, and parkytowers lists 5 W idle. Neither states a method, so treat 3 to 5 W as an estimate.
One slot means a hard 16 GB ceiling. So the S740 is a single-purpose box for DNS, Home Assistant or a WireGuard endpoint, not a VM host. Amazon US had no S740 listing on our check date, only RAM and adapters for it. In Germany, Notebookcheck reported a 2025 deal on a 4 GB unit with a power supply for just under 40 EUR, and the February 2026 refurbished band was 50 to 80 EUR. US buyers will find the Wyse 5070 easier to source for the same job.
Step 6: Consider the Dell OptiPlex 3000 Thin Client for newer silicon
Newer silicon and the best reviewed renewed listing we found put the OptiPlex 3000 Thin Client on this list.
Dell offered it with a Celeron N5105 or Pentium Silver N6005, both four-core Jasper Lake chips with AES-NI on Intel ARK. Memory was 8 GB (1×8) or 16 GB (2×8) of DDR4 at up to 3200 MT/s. Storage is a 256 GB M.2 2230 SSD or 64 GB of eMMC, and networking is one RJ45 with an optional SFP. There is no PCIe slot. ENERGY STAR lists 4.5 W long idle for an N6005 unit with 16 GB, close to the Wyse 5070.
Its catch is the 2230 drive slot. 2230 NVMe drives cost more per gigabyte than 2280 drives, and the 32 GB SSD in the renewed listing only suits Home Assistant or Pi-hole. The Amazon unit was a renewed N5105 with 8 GB at about $107 to $119 over our two checks, with 20 reviews, the most of any thin client here. Skip it for a firewall, since the only Dell-supported second port is SFP. Check the current OptiPlex 3000 Thin Client price on Amazon.
Step 7: Plan the second NIC before you buy
A firewall needs two interfaces, and every box here ships with one Realtek port. FreeBSD drives the RTL8111 with the re driver and it works, but pfSense and OPNsense documentation both steer you to Intel. Our NIC guide for OPNsense and pfSense covers the driver differences. Which route is open depends on the box:
| Route | Boxes | Link | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Half-height PCIe card | HP t740 (also t730, Wyse 5070 Extended) | x8 on the t740 | Quad Intel I350 cards fit; STH advises 10 W or less |
| M.2 E-key (A+E) adapter, Intel I226-V | Wyse 5070, t640 (S740 unconfirmed) | PCIe 2.0 x1 on the Wyse 5070, per Gough Lui | No vendor support; the port needs a cable out of the case |
| Dell option port (RJ45 or SFP) | Wyse 5070, OptiPlex 3000 TC (SFP) | Dell part | Excludes WiFi on the Wyse 5070; Dell part prices vary |
| USB 3 Ethernet adapter | All | USB 3.0 | Easiest to fit, the weakest choice for a firewall |
Treat the E-key route with care. PCIe 2.0 x1 carries about 500 MB/s, and a 2.5GbE port needs roughly 312 MB/s, so the lane is not the problem. We found no published, measured report of an I226 card running in a Wyse 5070, though. Gough Lui also saw an NVMe adapter in the same slot drop off the bus under load. On a Wyse that shipped with WiFi, the card occupies that slot, so remove it first for either NIC route. The Raxmolo I226-V M.2 A+E card at about $16 and the UEEGO I226-V card with a 20 cm cable at about $25 are cheap enough to try. Buy them inside a return window.
For the t740, a low-profile quad-port card such as the ipolex quad-port card at about $54 is the predictable route. The listing describes it as I350-AM4 based, and the I350 runs on the igb driver that both firewall distributions have shipped for years. It is a non-Intel-branded board, so check the chip markings when it arrives.
Step 8: Budget the RAM and SSD upgrade
Memory now costs more than the boxes, so the upgrade path sets the real price. On November 1 a Crucial 16 GB DDR4-3200 SO-DIMM listed at about $118 and a Crucial 2×16 GB kit at about $224. A DDR4-3200 module falls back to the 2400 MT/s these Gemini Lake and R1505G platforms run, so buy the cheapest one from a known brand. Upgrade cost per box, at those Amazon prices:
| Box | Storage to add | RAM worth adding | Upgrade cost (approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wyse 5070 | Crucial MX500 250 GB M.2 SATA, about $75 | None for Pi-hole; 16 GB for HA plus extras, after a BIOS update | $0 to $193 |
| HP t640 | Kingston NV3 500 GB NVMe, about $109 | 16 GB for Proxmox, 32 GB kit for more VMs | $227 to $333 |
| HP t740 | Kingston NV3 500 GB NVMe, about $109 | Usually ships with 8 GB, enough for a firewall | $109 plus the NIC |
| Futro S740 | M.2 2280 SATA drive | One 16 GB module at most | Drive plus up to $118 |
| OptiPlex 3000 TC | M.2 2230 NVMe (Dell shipped a PCIe SSD) | Second 8 GB module | Varies with 2230 prices |
Read against the box prices, the cheapest route is a unit that already has the RAM and SSD you need. A renewed Wyse 5070 with 8 GB and a 256 GB SSD at about $141 costs less than a 4 GB unit plus an SSD. For the t640 the upgrade can cost more than the machine, so a used tiny PC with 16 GB installed often comes out cheaper for Proxmox. Check the M.2 type before ordering a drive. The Wyse 5070 and Futro S740 take SATA only, and a 2230 drive will not reach the screw post in a 2280 slot.
Thin clients we left out: HP t730 and t630
Two models came up often in homelab threads and did not make the picks, and the 4 GB units linked above come with a warning:
- HP t730: it has the PCIe slot firewall builders want, but HP rates long idle at 19.4 to 19.7 W on a 35 W RX-427BB with DDR3L, and Amazon only had Used buy boxes.
- HP t630: parkytowers lists about 12 W idle (no method given) for a GX-420GI, and the t640 is the newer, faster box.
- A warning on 4 GB units: they stay on the list because they are fine for Pi-hole, but for anything heavier the memory now costs more than the box, so count the upgrade into the price.
Leaving out the t730 was the hard call, because a quad-port card in it makes a capable router. It idles at about the same draw as the t740 on a slower, older CPU with DDR3L, so the t740 is the better use of the same watts. A t730 found locally for a few dollars still works. Just do not pay Amazon prices for one.
Idle watts converted to kWh per year
A homelab box runs all year, and each watt of idle draw is 8.76 kWh per year. Multiply by your own tariff to get the running cost. At European tariffs, a t740 or t730 can burn its own purchase price in electricity within a few years:
| Box | Idle | Source | kWh per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wyse 5070 (J5005, headless) | 2.7 W | Gough Lui, PA1000 | about 24 |
| Futro S740 | about 3 to 5 W | Owner figures | about 26 to 44 |
| HP t640 (headless, Ubuntu) | 4.2 W | Gough Lui, PA1000 | about 37 |
| OptiPlex 3000 TC (N6005) | 4.5 W | ENERGY STAR | about 39 |
| Wyse 5070 Extended | 9.7 W | Dell spec sheet | about 85 |
| HP t740 | 19 to 20 W | ServeTheHome | about 166 to 175 |
| HP t730 | 19.4 to 19.7 W | HP QuickSpecs | about 170 to 173 |
About 150 kWh a year separates a Wyse 5070 from a t740, and that is the price of the t740 slot. For DNS filtering and Home Assistant it buys nothing, so the 5070 or S740 wins. A firewall routing more than a gigabit through Intel ports earns those watts, and a new fanless box from the firewall guide is the alternative to price against it. A second NIC or a USB drive adds to every figure above, so measure your own box at the wall once it is built.
