Review & Homelab Experience

Quick Verdict
The HP EliteDesk 800 G4 SFF is a surprisingly capable entry-level NAS server for homelabs with moderate storage and self-hosted app needs. It’s silent, energy-efficient, and powerful enough for media servers, containers, and backup targets. However, limited drive bays and non-ECC RAM mean it's best for tier-2 tasks—not mission-critical storage.

Final Score: 7.5/10 – Great value for budget homelabbers, with some important caveats.

At-a-Glance Specs

Test Setup & Methodology

Hardware:

• HP EliteDesk 800 G4 SFF, i5-8500, 16 GB RAM
• 256 GB NVMe (system), 2× 4 TB WD Red Plus (ZFS mirror), 512 GB NVMe cache
• Gigabit Ethernet

Workloads:

• SMB file transfers (large & small files)
• Streaming: Jellyfin (3 concurrent transcodes)
• Docker containers: Immich, Nextcloud, Arr Stack
• Backups: Restic & SyncThing
• Benchmarks: iperf3, fio, rsync

Note: Used as Primary storage, backup target, and media server.

Design, Build Quality & Noise

• Chassis: Tough steel, tool-less design, simple drive install.
• Expansion: 1× 3.5" + 1× 2.5" + 2× M.2 slots ; possible expansion for 1 more 3.5" drive and PCIe HBA for more drives.
• Cooling: Quiet 92mm stock fan, 65–70°C CPU under load, drives stay below 42°C.
• Noise: Virtually silent, quieter than most consumer NAS units, suitable for any room.

Software & Features

TrueNAS SCALE Setup

• Disable Secure Boot in BIOS before install.
• TrueNAS booted easily to NVMe; web UI up in minutes.
• 256 GB NVMe for OS + system dataset; 2× 4 TB HDD for mirrored pool.

Storage Management

• ZFS mirror, lz4 compression, weekly scrubs.
• Snapshots, replication, smart alerts—smooth experience.
• Caveat: Non-ECC RAM requires extra backup discipline.

Apps & Ecosystem

• Jellyfin, Immich, Nextcloud deployed fine via TrueNAS SCALE’s app catalog.
• i5-8500 handles Jellyfin transcodes and Docker apps with plenty of headroom.
• 16 GB RAM is good for starters; upgrade to 32 GB if running heavy apps.

Backups

• SMB shares for Proxmox and Windows.
• Restic for encrypted offsite backups—no bottlenecks or issues.

Performance Benchmarks

Sequential SMB (1 GbE):

• Write: 112 MB/s
• Read: 115 MB/s (network limited, saturates Gigabit link)

Multi-client SMB:

• 3 clients: ~108 MB/s combined (network, not disk limited)

Random 4K IOPS (fio, ZFS mirror):

• Read: ~380 IOPS
• Write: ~180 IOPS (HDD limited, ZFS ARC helps)

Jellyfin + Backup Mixed Load:

• 3 transcodes + rsync backup: No stutter, stable throughput, 60% CPU use

NVMe L2ARC Cache:

• Cached reads up to 2 GB/s for hot files (e.g., Immich image previews)
• Most streaming tasks are disk-limited, little cache benefit there

Power, Thermals, Reliability

• Idle: 6–8W, With drives: 20–25W, Heavy load: 65–75W
• Annual cost: ~$26 at average 25W, very efficient
• Reliability: 3 months 24/7; no issues, clean SMART, no TrueNAS crashes

Pros & Cons

Pros:

• Whisper-quiet, low-watt 24/7 operation
• Strong CPU for apps, transcoding, ZFS
• Compact, discreet form factor
• Cheap & easy to find used
• Good Docker/self-hosting support

Cons:

• No ECC RAM (limits ZFS reliability for critical data)
• Only 2× internal drives (needs HBA for >2 drives)
• 1 GbE only—PCIe slot could upgrade but adds cost
• Desktop-class hardware not designed for NAS duties

Alternatives: Synology DS923+, QNAP TS-464, Jonsbo N2 DIY NAS (ECC, more bays, higher price).

Verdict

For homelab beginners, Jellyfin/backup servers, and self-hosted app enthusiasts, the HP EliteDesk 800 G4 SFF is one of the best ways to start with a NAS on the cheap. Know its limitations—mirror only, no ECC, 1 GbE—but it’s hard to beat for the price, noise, and efficiency. Don’t use for mission-critical data unless backed up elsewhere.

Tested: March 2025, TrueNAS SCALE 24.10, i5-8500, 16 GB RAM, 2× 4 TB ZFS mirror, 256 GB NVMe boot