Key-only SSH with fail2ban and I sleep easy a night.
Key-only SSH with fail2ban and I sleep easy a night.
I would go for refurb, business line SFF machines. Something like ThinkCentre or Optiplex. Specific form factor based on drive needs but the smaller you go the more power efficient. I have one on the bigger side (internal psu) that runs about 12W idle.
Just double check that it can handle hardware transcoding. Should fit right in your budget!
I would go with 16GB for the kinds of things you listed.
If you don’t need a 3.5in drive then I would go even smaller to a mini form factor. It will definitely save you money on electricity. I think it’s the main choice here.