Rack mount hardware is almost always expensive, loud, and power hungry. I just have never seen the point of building a home lab like this.
A single ATX desktop can do almost [1] everything a homelab at a fraction of the cost & power consuption. I think a lot of the reason for homelabs/server hardware was to get access to more CPU cores, now that 8+ cores are very cheap it is actually cheaper to buy a new consumer desktop than it is to run an old server.
What makes even less sense is wanting use to use software like vSphere or ESXi since its about 10x more complicated than just using virt-manager/QEMU. It's like using an excavator to dig a fire pit. Server hardware & software makes sense when it's not your home because then you do need a remote access tool like iDRACK. (There are DIY options if you just need something for personal use).
That said if you enjoy it as a hobby (or your homelab is actually a business thing) then go for it.
A single ATX desktop can do almost [1] everything a homelab at a fraction of the cost & power consuption. I think a lot of the reason for homelabs/server hardware was to get access to more CPU cores, now that 8+ cores are very cheap it is actually cheaper to buy a new consumer desktop than it is to run an old server.
What makes even less sense is wanting use to use software like vSphere or ESXi since its about 10x more complicated than just using virt-manager/QEMU. It's like using an excavator to dig a fire pit. Server hardware & software makes sense when it's not your home because then you do need a remote access tool like iDRACK. (There are DIY options if you just need something for personal use).
That said if you enjoy it as a hobby (or your homelab is actually a business thing) then go for it.