When I first started planning my home server, I seriously considered building it around a used Xeon E5 platform.
刚开始规划家庭服务器时，我确实认真考虑过二手 Xeon E5 平台。
In the Chinese used hardware market, Xeon E5 processors are almost impossible to ignore.
在国内的二手硬件市场里，Xeon E5 几乎是一条绕不开的路线。
Some models cost only a few dozen RMB.
几十元就可以买到一颗拥有大量核心的 E5 处理器。
For that price, it is possible to get a processor with a large number of cores, a large cache, and specifications that once belonged to expensive workstations or servers.
花几十元，就可能买到一颗拥有大量核心、大容量缓存，而且曾经属于高价工作站或服务器的处理器。
On paper, the value looks almost absurd.
从纸面参数来看，这种性价比甚至显得有些不合理。
A processor with twelve, sixteen, or even more cores naturally looks more like a “real server CPU” than a six-core Ryzen 5 2600.
一颗拥有十二核、十六核甚至更多核心的处理器，看起来当然比六核心的 Ryzen 5 2600 更像一颗“真正的服务器 CPU”。
I researched several models, including the Xeon E5-2666 v3, E5-2696 v4, and other higher-end options.
我当时研究过不少型号，包括 Xeon E5-2666 v3、E5-2696 v4，以及一些规格更高的型号。
The more cores I saw, the more attractive the platform became.
看到的核心数量越多，这个平台看起来就越有吸引力。
It is easy to assume that a server should have as many cores as possible.
人们很容易认为，服务器就应该拥有尽可能多的核心。
But my home server is not a data centre.
但我的家庭服务器并不是一座数据中心。
Its main jobs are running a small Minecraft server, providing NAS storage, hosting Docker services, supporting personal projects, and leaving room for future experiments.
它的主要用途是运行一个小型 Minecraft 服务器、提供 NAS 存储、承载 Docker 服务、支持个人项目，并为以后的一些实验留下空间。
Those workloads do not automatically become faster just because the processor has twenty cores.
这些任务并不会因为处理器拥有二十个核心，就自动运行得更快。
Minecraft was one of the most important factors in the decision.
Minecraft 是这次选择中最重要的因素之一。
A small Minecraft server often depends more on single-core performance and main-thread performance than on the total number of available cores.
对于人数较少的 Minecraft 服务器来说，单核性能和主线程表现，往往比处理器拥有多少个核心更加重要。
My server spends most of its time with three or fewer players online.
我的服务器绝大多数时间同时在线人数不超过三人。
There is no realistic reason to maintain a platform designed for heavy parallel workloads just to support a few friends building houses and losing villagers underground.
为了让几个人盖房子、在地下室里弄丢村民，长期运行一套面向重度并行负载的平台，并没有太大必要。
The NAS workload is also lighter than it first appears.
NAS 的负载也没有最初想象中那么夸张。
Basic file sharing, backups, and storage management do not require a high-end processor.
基础文件共享、备份和存储管理，并不需要一颗高端处理器。
Unless the server is constantly transcoding video, running many virtual machines, or performing heavy checksums and encryption, a normal six-core CPU is already enough for many home users.
只要服务器不需要持续进行视频转码、运行大量虚拟机，或者执行高负载校验和加密，一颗普通六核处理器就已经能够满足很多家庭场景。
Docker can also make a server look busier than it really is.
Docker 也很容易让一台服务器看起来比实际更加繁忙。
Running ten containers does not mean ten applications are using the CPU at full load at the same time.
运行十个容器，并不代表十个程序会同时让 CPU 满载。
Many containers spend most of their lives waiting quietly for a request.
很多容器绝大多数时间都只是安静地等待一次请求。
People like to use quantity to create the appearance of activity.
人们很喜欢用数量制造一种繁忙的错觉。
Once the screen is filled with container icons, it can feel as if the server is processing a national computing project.
当容器图标排满一屏之后，仿佛服务器已经在处理国家级计算任务。
In reality, it may only be waiting for three people to join Minecraft.
实际上，它可能只是在等待三个人进入 Minecraft。
This does not mean Xeon E5 processors are useless.
这并不意味着 Xeon E5 没有价值。
Their advantage is still very real.
它们的优势依然非常明显。
For very little money, they can provide a large number of cores and strong multi-threaded performance.
只需要很低的价格，它们就能提供大量核心和很强的多线程性能。
If I needed to run many virtual machines, perform long parallel workloads, host a large number of users, or build a cheap workstation, an E5 platform could still be an excellent option.
如果我需要运行大量虚拟机、进行长时间并行计算、为很多用户提供服务，或者搭建一台低成本工作站，E5 平台依然会非常有吸引力。
The problem was not the processor itself.
问题并不完全出在处理器本身。
The processor may cost only a few dozen RMB, but the complete platform has other costs.
处理器本身可能只值几十元，但整个平台还有其他成本。
The motherboard, memory, cooling, power supply, electricity use, noise, and time spent diagnosing unusual hardware problems all matter.
主板、内存、散热、电源、耗电、噪音，以及排查各种硬件问题所需要的时间，都属于成本。
A cheap CPU does not guarantee a cheap or trouble-free server.
便宜的 CPU，并不代表整台服务器一定便宜，也不代表它不会带来麻烦。
Used E5 motherboards can vary greatly in quality.
二手 E5 主板的质量差异可能非常大。
Some are original workstation or server boards, while others are rebuilt or manufactured specifically for the used hardware market.
有些是原装工作站或服务器主板，有些则是面向二手市场重新生产或改造的产品。
That does not make every board unreliable.
这并不代表所有这类主板都不可靠。
But it does make the platform more difficult to evaluate.
但它确实让整个平台更难判断。
A home server is expected to stay powered on for long periods of time.
家庭服务器往往需要长时间开机。
For me, stability, power consumption, noise, cooling, and replacement parts mattered more than winning a specification comparison.
对我来说，稳定性、功耗、噪音、散热以及配件是否容易更换，比参数表上的胜负更重要。
I did not want a server that only looked impressive in a benchmark.
我不希望搭建一台只在跑分时看起来很强的服务器。
I wanted a machine that could stay in the room, remain quiet, and continue working without making me suspect the motherboard every few days.
我想要的是一台可以长期放在房间里、保持相对安静，并且不会让我每隔几天就怀疑主板又出了什么问题的机器。
In the end, I chose a Ryzen 5 2600 and an MSI B450M Mortar motherboard.
最终，我选择了 Ryzen 5 2600 和 MSI B450M Mortar 主板。
The Ryzen 5 2600 has six cores and twelve threads.
Ryzen 5 2600 拥有六核心十二线程。
It is not a new processor, and it is not a specialised server CPU.
它不是一颗新处理器，也不是什么专门的服务器 CPU。
But it provides enough performance for Minecraft, NAS tasks, Docker services, and my personal projects.
但它已经能够为 Minecraft、NAS、Docker 服务以及个人项目提供足够的性能。
The processor cost me about 170 RMB.
这颗处理器大约花了 170 元。
The used MSI B450 motherboard cost about 130 RMB.
二手 MSI B450 主板大约花了 130 元。
Most of the other parts, including the memory, SSD, graphics card, and hard drives, came from hardware I already owned or had sitting unused.
其他配件，包括内存、SSD、显卡和机械硬盘，大部分来自我已经拥有或者闲置的设备。
The low total cost did not come from finding one magical component.
整台服务器之所以能够以很低的成本完成，并不是因为我找到了一件神奇硬件。
It came from reusing parts I already had and only buying what was actually missing.
真正节省成本的，是尽量利用手里已有的配件，只购买真正缺少的部分。
The original plan was to use an ASUS motherboard that I had brought back from Canada.
我原本计划使用一块从加拿大带回来的 ASUS 主板。
Unfortunately, it stopped working after returning to China.
但它回国之后直接损坏了。
I spent some time trying to revive it before eventually accepting the fairly simple conclusion that it was dead.
我花了一段时间尝试抢救，最后才接受了一个非常朴素的结论：它已经坏了。
People who build computers and people who write software often share the same bad habit.
装机的人和写程序的人，往往有一个共同的坏习惯。
They believe that trying the same thing one more time might suddenly create a different result.
他们总觉得，再尝试一次，也许就会突然出现不同的结果。
Most of the time, it does not.
大多数时候，并不会。
I replaced it with the used MSI B450 board and completed the server around the Ryzen 5 2600.
最终，我更换了一块二手 MSI B450 主板，并围绕 Ryzen 5 2600 完成了整套服务器。
The AM4 platform also gives me a clearer upgrade path.
AM4 平台还给我保留了一条更加清晰的升级路线。
If I eventually need more performance, I can replace the processor with a stronger compatible AM4 model without rebuilding the entire machine.
如果以后真的需要更强性能，我可以在兼容范围内更换更强的 AM4 处理器，而不需要把整套机器重新购买一遍。
That flexibility is useful for a home server whose future workload is still uncertain.
对于一台未来用途还可能继续变化的家庭服务器来说，这种升级空间很有价值。
Looking back, I do not regret choosing the Ryzen platform instead of Xeon E5.
现在回头看，我并不后悔最终没有选择 Xeon E5。
The E5 platform offers more cores and can be much faster in heavily parallel workloads.
E5 平台拥有更多核心，在重度并行负载下也可能明显更强。
But my goal was never to buy the highest possible core count for the lowest possible price.
但我的目标从来不是用最低价格买到尽可能多的核心。
My goal was to build a server that matched my actual workload.
我的目标是搭建一台真正符合自己实际负载的服务器。
A server does not need a server-class processor simply because it is called a server.
一台机器并不会因为被称为服务器，就必须使用服务器级处理器。
It needs hardware that solves the tasks it is expected to perform.
它需要的，是能够解决实际任务的硬件。
For my Minecraft server, NAS, Docker services, and personal projects, six cores and twelve threads are enough.
对于我的 Minecraft 服务器、NAS、Docker 服务和个人项目来说，六核心十二线程已经足够。
Lower maintenance cost, a familiar platform, easy replacement parts, and future upgrade options are more useful to me than a long list of unused cores.
更低的维护成本、更熟悉的平台、更容易找到的配件，以及未来的升级空间，对我来说比一长串用不到的核心更加重要。
The Ryzen 5 2600 is not the fastest option.
Ryzen 5 2600 并不是性能最强的选择。
It is not the newest, the most efficient, or the most impressive.
它也不是最新、最省电或者最值得炫耀的选择。
It is simply a reasonable balance between price, performance, platform, and my real needs.
它只是在价格、性能、平台和我的真实需求之间，达到了一个足够合理的平衡。
For a home server, being reasonable is often more valuable than having the most dramatic specification sheet.
对于一台家庭服务器来说，“足够合理”往往比“参数最夸张”更加重要。