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ETH Home Staking Collection
DVT Home Staking Curriculum
DVT Home Staking Curriculum
  • The DVT Home Staking Curriculum
  • Curriculum breakdown & timeline
  • Understanding ETH validators
    • Introduction to ETH Validators
    • Roles & Responsibilities of a node operator
    • Rewards and penalties
    • Importance of client diversity
    • Distributed Validator Technologies (DVTs)
    • Economics of using DVTs (WIP)
      • Diva Staking (WIP)
      • Obol (WIP)
      • SSV (WIP)
    • Bonded Validators
    • Economics of bonded validators (WIP)
  • Hardware & systems setup
    • Setup Overview
    • Hardware & system requirements
    • Procuring your hardware
    • Assemble your hardware
    • Practicing for free on Cloud VMs
      • Google Cloud
      • Alibaba Cloud
  • Linux OS, Networking, & Security
    • Install and prepare the OS
    • Networking & network security
    • Device level security setup
    • Verifying checksums
  • Installing & configuring your EL+CL clients
    • Set up and configure execution layer client
      • Nethermind
      • Besu
      • Geth
      • Erigon
      • Reth
    • Set up and configure consensus layer client
      • Teku BN
      • Nimbus BN
      • Lodestar BN
      • Lighthouse BN
      • Prysm BN
  • Keystore generation & MEV-Boost
    • Validator key generation
    • Set up and configure MEV-boost
  • Native Solo Staking Setup
    • Validator client setup
      • Teku VC
      • Nimbus VC
      • Lodestar VC
      • Lighthouse VC
      • Prysm VC
    • Depositing 32 ETH into your validator
    • Exiting your validator
  • Monitoring, Maintenance, and Updates
    • Set up monitoring suite
      • Installing & configuring Prometheus
      • Installing & configuring Node Exporter
      • Installing & configuring Grafana
      • Beaconcha.in App API
      • Client Uptime Check
    • Maintenance & Updates
      • Nethermind
      • Besu
      • Teku
      • Nimbus
      • Lodestar
      • Updating the monitoring suite
      • Preparing for Pectra
  • DVT Setup
    • Diva Staking
      • Diva Staking client setup
        • Default - All-in-one setup
        • Advanced - with standalone Lodestar VC
      • Registering your Diva node
      • Updating your Diva client
      • Monitoring your Diva Node
    • Obol
      • Techne Bronze Speedrun (Launchpad)
      • Obol + Bonded Validators (Techne Silver)
        • Obol + Lido CSM
    • SSV
      • SSV + Lido CSM (WIP)
      • SSV Operator
      • SSV Staker
  • Bonded Validators Setup
    • Lido CSM
      • Generating CSM keystores
      • Set Fee Recipient Address
        • Method 1: Configure on validator keys
        • Method 2: Configure on separate validator client
        • Verifying Fee Recipient Registered on MEV Relays
      • Upload/Remove/View validator keys
      • Rewards & bonds
      • Exiting CSM validators
        • "Lazy" exits (TESTNET ONLY)
        • Proper Exits
      • Role/Address management
      • Monitoring
      • Automations
        • CSM with ETHPillar
        • CSM with ETH Docker
        • CSM with Dappnode
    • Puffer
      • Non-Enclave: 2 ETH
    • Ether.fi
      • Receive distributed validator keyshares
    • Stader (WIP)
    • Rocketpool (WIP)
  • Liquid Staking Vaults
    • Stakewise V3
  • Mainnet
    • Mainnet Deployment
    • Heroglpyhs (WIP)
  • Best practices
    • Slashing prevention
    • Maximising uptime and performance
    • Optimising security
    • Managing your withdrawal wallet
  • Tips
    • Advanced networking
    • Downloading files from your node
  • Useful resources
    • General resources
    • Holesky Faucets
  • Automation/tools
    • ETHPillar
    • ETH Docker
    • Automated power on/off
      • Wake-on-LAN (WoL)
      • Network UPS Tools (NUT)
    • Validator Healthcheck Alerts
  • Solo Stakers Guild
    • Lido CSM+SSV+Obol (Testnet)
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On this page
  • Key considerations
  • Suggested Shopping List
  • Essentials
  • Optional
  • Cost considerations
  • Other Considerations
  1. Hardware & systems setup

Procuring your hardware

PreviousHardware & system requirementsNextAssemble your hardware

Last updated 5 months ago

Key considerations

As a home staker, some of the key considerations you'd have are:

  1. Space and aesthetic constraints in your home

  2. Getting familiar with hardware assembly

The Intel NUC and ASUS Mini PC form factors are recommended here because of these reasons. They have similar compact sizes, sleek black design, in-built cooling system, and a standardised motherboard layout — which are ideal properties for new learners to get up to speed on hardware requirements rapidly.

Suggested Shopping List

*Prices in USD

Essentials

Either builds are good options but the Intel NUC CPU set is slightly more expensive on Amazon. The RAM and storage components are also interchangeable across both builds so it ultimately comes down to which components you are able to get at the cheapest price based on your location (i.e. vendor availability).

Intel (ASUS now) NUC Build

Component
Model
Estimated Cost
Link

CPU + motherboard + case

Intel NUC i5-1240P bare bones + case

$508

https://www.amazon.com/Intel-NUC-NUC12WSHv5-Barebone-System/dp/B0BSLQKRZK/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2IEGBS85E0JS7&keywords=intel+nuc+i5+12th+gen+barebone&qid=1703419811&s=electronics&sprefix=intel+nuc+i5+12th+gen+barebon%2Celectronics%2C360&sr=1-3

RAM

32GB Lexar DDR4-3200 SODIMM

$68

https://www.amazon.com/SODIMM-Laptop-Performance-Upgrade-LD4AS016G-B3200GSST/dp/B09KY6SXLZ/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2DYFPEB0TH9SD&keywords=16GB%2BLexar%2BDDR4-3200%2BSODIMM&qid=1703419934&s=electronics&sprefix=2x%2B16gb%2Blexar%2Bddr4-3200%2Bsodimm%2Celectronics%2C322&sr=1-3&th=1

Storage

ADATA S70 2TB NVMe Gen4 SSD

$157

https://www.amazon.com/XPG-2TB-GAMMIX-Blade-AGAMMIXS70B-2T-CS/dp/B093DNV47J/ref=sr_1_3?crid=1HDMZZ3ZR7J7M&keywords=ADATA%2BS70%2B2TB%2BNVMe%2BGen4%2BSSD&qid=1703420049&s=electronics&sprefix=adata%2Bs70%2B2tb%2Bnvme%2Bgen4%2Bssd%2Celectronics%2C323&sr=1-3&th=1

Total

$733

ASUS Mini PC

Component
Model
Estimated Cost
Link

CPU + motherboard + case

ASUS Mini PC Ryzen 7 4700U

$350

https://www.newegg.com/p/1VK-001S-02DH9

RAM

Crucial RAM 32GB DDR4 3200MHz

$73

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07ZLC7VNH?th=1

Storage

SAMSUNG 980 (or 990) PRO SSD 2TB

$165 - $185

https://www.newegg.com/samsung-2tb-980-pro/p/N82E16820147796

Total

$588 - $608

Dappnode

If you don't want the hassle of sourcing and assembling your own components, you can go for pre-built Ethereum home staking hardware for a premium.

Dappnode selects the optimal hardware components by taking into account upcoming Ethereum network upgrades and testing them rigorously so you can be assured about future-proofing and quality.

Check out the various options on their site using my affiliate link below (no price difference):

Optional

Component
Model
Estimated Cost
Link

4TB SSD Storage*

TEAMGROUP MP34 4TB

$210*

https://www.amazon.sg/TEAMGROUP-Internal-Compatible-Desktop-TM8FP4004T0C101/dp/B08Z7LN8NM

Networking (Optional if your current router works well)

TP-Link Wifi 6 AX1500 Smart WiFi Router

$81

https://www.amazon.com/WiFi-6-Router-Gigabit-Wireless/dp/B08H8ZLKKK/ref=sr_1_5?crid=2NBX76K6ZA24V&keywords=TP-Link+Wifi+6+AX1500+Smart+WiFi+Router&qid=1703420097&s=electronics&sprefix=tp-link+wifi+6+ax1500+smart+wifi+router%2Celectronics%2C344&sr=1-5

Power

Cyberpower CP425SLG** (or another USB compatible UPS if not available in your region)

$58

https://github.com/trevhub/guides/blob/main/CheapUPS.md

Miscellaneous

2x CAT7 LAN cables, 2x new 8GB USB drive

$27

*Actual price of this 4TB SSD might depend on the promotion period. Given that the Dencun upgrade is likely to arrive in a couple of months, it might be good to future-proof your build with a 4TB SSD in exchange for a slight increase in cost.

**Setup instructions for an automatic shutdown in the event of a power outage and subsequently powering on after recovery can be found in the corresponding link.

Cost considerations

  1. Revenue: A single ETH validator will generate between 4.0% (median) to 5.3% (mean) yield. At ETH price = USD2300 (28th Jan 2024), this will give you an income of between USD2944 to USD3900 per year.

  2. Cost: The minimal hardware cost described here is USD753 and electricity is negligible at around USD90 (SGD120) per year

  3. Payback Period: ~3 months at median; ~5 months if no block proposals are received

However, you will be able to run many "vanilla" validator keys, along with multiple liquid staking service on just a single set of hardware to make your operations more capital efficient — e.g. running with 2 validator keys doubles your revenue without increasing your cost base.

Leveraging on liquid staking services like Diva Staking will allow you to further scale your TVL and income as a solo staker without increasing your capital proportionally.

Other Considerations

For learners with more advanced knowledge in building home servers, you might want to consider building a device that supports ECC RAM. This will cost slightly more but can potentially save a large amount of troubleshooting time if there is a RAM failure. More information around this topic can be found on the Ethdocker resources below:

The trade-offs, however, are that (i) you will likely require a larger form factor and (ii) because ECC RAMs non-consumer components, it might take a few weeks for your vendor to replace (not readily available) your RAM if there is a RAM failure.

If you plan to purchase any other SSDs, you should first refer to this list compiled by Yorick Downe and prioritise SSD models listed in the “Good” category —

You may also refer to the full list in this google sheet and filter for models with DRAM and TLC (under NAND type) -

https://gist.github.com/yorickdowne/f3a3e79a573bf35767cd002cc977b038
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1B27_j9NDPU3cNlj2HKcrfpJKHkOf-Oi1DbuuQva2gT4/edit#gid=0
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Intel NUC
ASUS Mini PC