Ampere Altra homelab build
High-core-count Arm homelab configuration centered on the ASRock Rack ALTRAD8UD platform and 1 TB of ECC memory.
Captured on November 17, 2025 with Newegg pricing. This Arm-first design targets dense virtualization and Kubernetes control planes while emphasizing quiet thermals inside a tower chassis.
- Estimated hardware subtotal: $7,066.31 (before tax/shipping)
- Compute platform: ASRock Rack ALTRAD8UD-1L2T bundle with an Ampere Altra M128-26 (128 Neoverse N1 cores at 2.6 GHz) and integrated dual 10 GbE.
- Memory footprint: 1 TB (8 × 128 GB) DDR4-2933 ECC LRDIMMs, occupying every slot for maximum consolidation headroom.
- Storage & expansion: Samsung 990 PRO 2 TB NVMe boot/cache drive, Broadcom 9400-8i tri-mode HBA, and dual SFF-8643 to SATA breakouts to feed up to eight drives immediately.
- Power & thermals: 1.6 kW ATX 3.1 PSU plus ten Noctua 140 mm fans and auxiliary 92 mm spot cooling keep the passively cooled CPU, HBA, and drive cages within spec.
Bill of materials
| Role | Item | SKU | Qty | Unit Price | Extended | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chassis / acoustics | Fractal Design Define 7 XL (dark tint TG) | N82E16811352120 | 1 | $254.99 | $254.99 | Sound-damped full tower with modular drive cages (6 × 3.5 in + 2 × 2.5 in included, 18 positions max) for dense storage. |
| Compute base | ASRock Rack ALTRAD8UD-1L2T + Ampere Altra M128-26 bundle | N82E16813140135 | 1 | $2,149.00 | $2,149.00 | 128-core Arm server CPU, dual 10 GbE LAN, and passive 2U cooler on a deep micro-ATX board. |
| Power delivery | ASRock Phantom Gaming PG-1600G (ATX 3.1 / PCIe 5.1) | N82E16817955003 | 1 | $199.99 | $199.99 | 1,600 W PSU with 12V-2x6 harnesses for accelerator or storage expansion cards. |
| Primary OS / cache | Samsung 990 PRO 2 TB NVMe SSD | N82E16820147861 | 1 | $189.99 | $189.99 | PCIe 4.0 boot/cache device delivering 7 GB/s-class reads for ZFS special devices or VM images. |
| Power harnessing | StarTech PYO2SATA SATA power Y splitters | 9SIA1K682A3800 | 4 | $15.99 | $63.96 | Adapts PSU SATA runs into eight additional drive feeds without secondary PSUs. |
| Memory | NEMIX 1 TB (8 × 128 GB) DDR4-2933 ECC LRDIMM kit | 9SIA7S6BW24233 | 1 | $3,621.35 | $3,621.35 | 1 TB ECC RAM removes the typical homelab bottleneck for Proxmox/Talos clusters and analytics workloads. |
| Thermal management | Noctua NF-A14x25r G2 PWM Sx2-PP kits | 9SIAADYKB59265 | 5 kits (10 fans) | $84.95 | $424.75 | Push/pull 140 mm sets keep airflow laminar across drive cages and the passive CPU heat sink. |
| Storage cabling | Enlabs SFF-8643 to 4 × SATA breakout cables (0.5 m) | 9SIACJF8TR1154 | 2 | $13.89 | $27.78 | Breaks the HBA mini-SAS ports into individual SATA channels for JBOD or ZFS mirrors. |
| Spot cooling | Noctua NF-A9 PWM 92 mm fan | 9SIAZTUKCA0825 | 1 | $25.50 | $25.50 | Targets localized hot spots such as the SAS HBA or VRM zones. |
| Storage expansion | Broadcom / LSI 9400-8i Tri-Mode HBA | 9SIBT5SKEV9153 | 1 | $109.00 | $109.00 | PCIe 3.1 x8 controller supplies eight 12G lanes (SAS / SATA / NVMe) for future disk pools. |
Component gallery
Fractal Design Define 7 XL
ASRock Rack ALTRAD8UD-1L2T bundle
ASRock Phantom Gaming PG-1600G PSU
Samsung 990 PRO 2 TB NVMe
StarTech PYO2SATA splitters
NEMIX 1 TB ECC LRDIMM kit
Noctua NF-A14x25r G2 PWM kit
Enlabs SFF-8643 to SATA breakout
Noctua NF-A9 PWM
Broadcom / LSI 9400-8i HBA
Compatibility checklist
| Check | Details |
|---|---|
| Case ⇆ motherboard | The Define 7 XL supports E-ATX / ATX / mATX / mITX / SSI-CEB / SSI-EEB boards with a 23.78″ × 9.45″ × 22.28″ interior and removable drive cages. The ALTRAD8UD-1L2T board is a Deep Micro ATX design measuring 9.6″ × 10.5″, so it mounts with ample clearance while still leaving room for front drive cages. |
| Case ⇆ PSU | The chassis calls for a standard ATX power supply (bottom-mounted, up to 250 mm with both drive cages installed). The PG-1600G is an ATX 3.1 unit with a 135 mm fan and fully modular harnesses, so it aligns with the Define 7 XL’s PSU bay and cable channels. |
| CPU ⇆ motherboard | The bundle ships with a Single Socket (LGA 4926) Ampere Altra M128-26 processor already matched to the ALTRAD8UD-1L2T board, which officially supports Ampere Altra / Altra Max CPUs, eliminating socket/BIOS guesswork. |
| Memory ⇆ motherboard | ALTRAD8UD-1L2T exposes 8 × 288-pin DDR4 slots (registered ECC, up to 256 GB per DIMM at DDR4-3200). The NEMIX kit is 8 × 128 GB DDR4-2933 ECC LRDIMM (PC4-23400, 1.2 V), so each module meets the board’s pinout, voltage, and buffering requirements with plenty of capacity headroom. |
| NVMe ⇆ motherboard | The motherboard provides two M-key M.2 slots (PCIe 4.0 ×4) supporting 2280/2230 lengths. Samsung’s 990 PRO is an M.2 2280 NVMe 2.0 drive that runs at PCIe 4.0 ×4, so it drops straight into either onboard slot without adapters. |
| Expansion ⇆ motherboard | Four PCIe 4.0 ×16 slots (slot 5 is full-length ×16 electrically) are available. The Broadcom/LSI 9400-8i HBA is a PCIe 3.1 ×8 low-profile/MD2 card, so it seats in any of the ×16 slots while remaining backward-compatible with PCIe 4.0 slots. |
| HBA ⇆ breakout cables | Broadcom’s 9400-8i exposes two internal SFF-8643 Mini-SAS HD (x4) connectors, and each Enlabs cable terminates in one SFF-8643 plug that fans out to 4 × SATA ends. This pairing lets the HBA service up to eight SATA disks immediately. |
| Storage power | The PG-1600G is fully modular with native SATA power leads; every StarTech PYO2SATA adapter converts one SATA plug into two SATA outputs, supplying eight extra drive connectors to match the breakout cables. |
| Cooling plan | Define 7 XL offers mounts for up to 9 × 140 mm fans (front/top/bottom) plus a Nexus+ 2 hub that powers three PWM and six 3-pin fans. Five Noctua Sx2-PP kits (10 × 140 mm) fully populate those positions, while the included multi-brackets and internal tie-downs make it easy to secure the 92 mm NF-A9 as a spot cooler near the HBA or VRM section. |
Architecture notes
- Compute density: The Ampere Altra M128-26 (128 Neoverse N1 cores at 2.6 GHz) enables dozens of concurrent Kubernetes nodes, CI runners, or sandbox tenants without x86 licensing overhead while keeping idle power reasonable.
- Memory ceiling: 1 TB of ECC LRDIMM allows aggressive VM consolidation, in-memory analytics, or Talos control/data planes on a single chassis.
- Storage strategy: The Samsung 990 PRO anchors boot and cache duties. The LSI 9400-8i plus dual SFF-8643 fan-outs expose eight SATA bays immediately and keep tri-mode capability intact for future U.2 NVMe shelves. SATA power splitters align with the Define 7 XL drive cage layout.
- Thermals and acoustics: Ten 140 mm Noctua fans configured in push/pull maintain airflow with minimal static-pressure noise, while a 92 mm add-on covers blind spots (HBAs/VRMs). The Define 7 XL’s padded panels keep the build office-friendly.
- Power headroom: A 1.6 kW ATX 3.1 unit with modern 12V-2x6 connectors offers generous margin for GPUs, NIC upgrades, or external storage enclosures.
Outstanding considerations
- Storage media: Select the actual HDD or U.2/U.3 NVMe mix (capacity, RPM, endurance) to populate the HBA fan-outs; update this page once SKUs are decided.
- Networking: Dual 10 GbE ports ship on the motherboard, but plan for PCIe 25/40 GbE or fiber modules if you expect backhaul saturation.
- Out-of-band management: Validate IPMI/BMC firmware, separate the management network, and rotate credentials before rack deployment.
- Rack integration: The Define 7 XL is a tower; if rack-mounting, reserve shelf space, add airflow baffles, and secure rails/straps for seismic compliance.
- Software stack: Decide between Proxmox, Talos, bare-metal Kubernetes, or mixed roles; document PXE/cloud-init pipelines and base images.
Last updated: November 17, 2025.