Plan my build
Short on time? Describe your goal in one or two sentences — the Planner asks only what is genuinely unclear, then recommends the system with reasoning and alternatives. Telling your whole life story instead — family, devices, needs? Use Describe your life.
How the planner works
- 1Describe your goal in plain language — “Plex for 4 people, backups, Home Assistant, 1000 €, silent”.
- 2The engine resolves your intent into workload requirements and picks the system architecture first.
- 3Compare the builds, check energy and risks, then decide.
What you get
- Multiple builds: Smart, Value, Long-term, Silent, Efficiency — each with reasoning
- System Blueprint: mission, architecture, compute, storage, networking, upgrade path
- Explainable scores: DNA, future-proof score, homelab risk, energy cost and upgrade path
Telling your whole story instead? Describe your life →
Frequently asked questions
Planner, Describe or Builds — which should I use?
Planner: you roughly know what you want to run — Plex, backups, Docker, a budget — and want a fast decision in a short chat, including reuse of hardware you own. Describe: you want the full picture from your life story — family, devices, needs — with system architecture, build, storage, backup, energy, risks and a phased buy-now vs later roadmap. Builds: you prefer to browse proven scenarios and pick the one that fits.
Is the planner free?
Yes. The decision engine runs instantly and the build pages are free. Prices use real market data when available, otherwise a spec-based estimate marked with ≈.
What do I get from the planner?
Multiple builds: Smart, Value, Long-term, Silent, Efficiency — each with reasoning System Blueprint: mission, architecture, compute, storage, networking, upgrade path Explainable scores: DNA, future-proof score, homelab risk, energy cost and upgrade path
Can I plan around hardware I already own?
Yes. Save your devices under My hardware and tick “Use my hardware” in the planner — the engine reuses what fits and you only buy what is missing.