HARDWARE PLANNING

What hardware does Immich need?

Immich is not especially demanding just to run, but photo indexing, facial recognition, smart search and video transcoding can create bursts of heavier work. Size the server around the library and features you actually plan to use.

Current published minimums

Immich currently lists 6 GB RAM minimum, 8 GB recommended, plus 2 CPU cores minimum and 4 recommended. It supports amd64 and arm64 platforms. Its machine-learning container on amd64 also has a current CPU instruction-set requirement, so very old processors deserve an extra compatibility check.

Use SSD storage for the database

Immich says its PostgreSQL database is typically around 1 to 3 GB and recommends keeping it on local SSD storage rather than a network share. The media library itself can live on much larger storage, but the database is latency-sensitive enough that separating its needs makes sense.

Do you need a GPU?

No. You can run Immich without a discrete GPU. Machine-learning jobs and video work can use CPU resources. Supported hardware acceleration can reduce that load, but it should be treated as an optimisation rather than a requirement for a basic installation.

What about a mini PC?

A modern mini PC with 8 GB or more RAM and enough attached or network storage can be a sensible Immich host. The main question is usually not whether the application starts, but whether your storage design, backups and video workload make the overall setup practical.

What about a NAS?

Some NAS platforms can run Immich directly, while another common design is to run Immich on a mini PC and keep bulk media on separate storage. Either approach can work, but the database still deserves fast local storage and backups need to include all relevant locations.

Use the photo storage calculator to estimate capacity, then compare mini PC vs NAS.

Source: current Immich requirements.