8GB vs 16GB home server: 16GB is the sweet spot for real breathing room

8GB will run Plex and a few containers, but you’ll hit swap or OOM kills the moment you transcode a 4K stream or spin up a database container. 16GB gives you real breathing room for Plex, Pi-hole, Home Assistant, and a database without stress. The jump from 8 to 16GB is the most cost-effective upgrade, and DDR4 is cheap right now.