I needed a server at home. Something with more than my NAS, but still small, because space is a premium in my small office. My NAS is awesome, but the processor and memory are limited, and I wanted to run more containers, and even some game servers.

I first learned of the new generation of mini pcs with the advent of the Intel NUC. A little digging and I found similar designs based around AMD processors, which I tend to prefer in the price/performance category. One company in the fray is Beelink. Their website leaves a lot to be desired, but overall their mini pcs seem to be popular.

I took a chance on the GTR4 model. It comes with a Ryzen 9 4900h, 32GB of DDR4, and a 500GB M.2 NVME drive. The specs are close to what I needed, so I decided to buy it, and do a couple upgrades. 64GB of DDR4, 2TB M.2 NVME, and this little box has what I need to run a bunch of virtual servers.

The next decision was how to design the software layout on the machine. Knowing that I need to run game servers AND some lightweight web services (in containers), I started with a bare metal virtualization foundation (also known as a Type 1 Hypervisor). Originally, I intended to use VMWare ESX, but due to its limited hardware compatibility, it wouldn’t work in this case. In another first, I tried out Proxmox.

Proxmox is a complete Type 1 hypervisor, with a web based GUI available for management. It’s fairly intuitive to get basic functionality, and it doesn’t take too long to get use to the software/configuration.

I started with a linux VM to run several containers (I use docker and docker compose running on Ubuntu Server) – currently running the following:

Portainer – I simple UI for basic management of Docket Containers. Not perfect, but improves admin.

Heimdall – A webpage of links to other pages/apps. I use it to make accessing local stuff easier.

Homebridge – Home automation tool. Let’s me link non homekit devices with homekit.

Uptime Kuma – A simple website availability monitor

Teamspeak – Voice chat server I use when gaming with my kids

TS3 Manager – A web GUI for managing Teamspeak.

….with more to come soon.

The performance on that first Linux VM and the containers was excellent, so I moved onto my next project – A Counter-Strike Source game server. I haven’t built one in a while, and I wanted to try out the Service Creation Tool I saw in the Steam forums. Supposedly, It can simplify creating a number of game servers. The only downside is that it’s a windows utility only. So, my next VM was Windows Server 2022. Windows is a bit more heavy on base resource consumption, especially with ram. Good thing I have plenty

The Server Creation Tool is fine, but I likely will delete this VM and build a linux machine for this as well. I don’t think it really accomplishes a lot for me. For now, though, its running, so onto the next.

The final VM is back to linux, and It’s a Minecraft Server. Yea, my kids still play Minecraft, and they like having their own dedicated shared world. This is the one I was most nervous about, as even with a few users, it tends to burst CPU utilization at times, and I didn’t know how it would work on a mini pc, sharing resources with a bunch of other virtual computers. So far, even after increasing the render distance in the config, it’s been fast, and no in game lag! I will soon be opening the ports up to allow a few users from outside of my network to access it. Time will tell how it handles the workload, but so far I am pleased.

The final task was where to put this mini server. I have a plywood sheet (painted white) that my main network gear is flush mounted onto, and it had some remaining space. Being a 3d printing nerd, I decided to design and print a basic bracket to hold this mini pc on that board:

Overall, I am happy with the project, so far. I have other virtual server plans to add, and hopefully it continues to run fast and quiet.

How big?

The stock tires on my truck were 275/55r20, and were about 31.2″ in diameter. My goal was to increase tire diameter without going so far as to need lots of modifications for fitment. In the end, I went with a goal of ~33″ in diameter, while maintaining the same width as stock (275mm). I picked this based on research across the internet, which honestly was a bit inconsistent. Essentially, wheel offset, tire width, and tire diameter all work in conjunction and if not properly accounted for can causing rubbing when turning or compressing the suspension. There are solutions such as lifting the truck more and even trimming material from impact bars and plastic trim to compensate.

Even with my small increase in tire diameter, many sources of information recommended “leveling” the truck. This basically means lifting the front of the vehicle so that it is roughly level with the rear, as many trucks come stock with a “rake – the front being noticeably lower than the back. This creates more space for larger tires up front. The back already has enough space for the size of tire I want.

The other things to consider:

Tire Types

• Mud – Great for primary off-road activities, not great for a lot of road use due to noise and vibration
• All Terrain – The “do it all” of truck tires, blending All Season road comfort with some added off-road ability
• All Season – Great for on road in all weather conditions
• Hybrid – A blend between All Terrain and Mud

I went with All Terrain – Hoping it would still be nice on the road, but give me extra traction in bad weather and when I take a path less traveled.

Load Rating

There are several ratings for load capacity based on intended use. Being this is an F150, and I tend to carry fairly light loads and spend most time on paved surfaces, I only needed a standard load rating. Here is one of many resources available on the topic: https://www.worktruckonline.com/329088/how-to-understand-truck-tires-load-ratings-sizes-more

Speed Rating

Simply put, how much of a lead foot are you. :). This is a truck, buuuuuuut I still like to get where I am going. T rating (118MPH) seemed like a safe bet. Here is one of many resources available on the topic: https://www.tiresplus.com/tires/tire-buying-guide/tire-speed-rating/

There are other factors to consider, such as what the tires look like!

My short list:

….and the one I chose:

Specifically the 275/60r20 is my tire of choice, and they are 33.1″ in diameter. So far, I am happy with my choice. Ride comfort is still good, and while road noise has increased, it’s actually a little less than I anticipated for an All Terrain. Only time will tell how it holds up, but for the first 2,000 miles, they’ve been great.

Diameter and Width – My stock wheels are 20” in diameter, and 8.5” in width. These measurements are key, as they relate directly to the tire options. Tires are made in many sizes and widths, but they must be matched to compatible wheel. I knew that I wanted to stick with a 20” diameter, and stay around 9” in width so I could run a pretty standard width tire (as the truck spends most of its time on the road), but a slightly larger outer diameter. My stock tires are 275mm in width (275/55R20). They are about 31” in outside diameter. There is another post on tires coming soon!

Offset – Refers to the variance in the mounting position from center and affects the position of wheel. Often, aftermarket wheels have near zero or negative offsets to make them sit further out and have a more prominent or aggressive stance. Stock wheels on the F150 are classified as +44, so the wheels and tires tend to sit hidden completely under the wheel well. My goal was to move the wheel position slightly outward to have a more flush look than stock. So, I needed to stay somewhere in the + offset territory.

There are a number of other factors to be aware of, such as:

Load rating (how heavy is the truck and how much weight do you tend to carry)
Bolt Pattern (the size and spacing of holes for mounting – can be specific to brands/models of truck)

Here was my short list of wheels:

….and the one I picked!

These wheels are awesome! Weighing in @ 43.5lbs, and a load rating of 2500lbs each, they are solid. The blue is even better in person, as there is a bit of a metallic shimmer, and overall glossy look:

I once owned a Mazda B3000 4×4, something like:

After many years, and many cars and SUVs, I decided to finally move back to a truck. And this time around, I will be customizing to my desire. I’m pretty excited to get started, making changes a little at a time, such as wheels, tires, suspension, etc. My goal is to do as much of the work myself, and log my progress in posts on this site.