For your router setup, it sounds like you’re looking for a high-performance system to act as a gateway for your entire network. Given your fiber internet connection (10 Gbps up/down), you’ll want components that can handle that kind of throughput efficiently.

Suggested Hardware: Processor (CPU): A multi-core processor like an Intel i7 or i9, or AMD Ryzen 7 or 9 would be ideal. These chips offer good processing power for managing high-bandwidth traffic.

RAM: 16GB of RAM should be more than sufficient for most routing tasks. If you plan on running additional services like firewalls, VPNs, or network monitoring tools, you could consider going up to 32GB for added headroom.

Ethernet Ports: Since you need at least two Ethernet ports, make sure to choose a motherboard with built-in dual NICs (Network Interface Cards) or add a dedicated dual-port Ethernet card. You’ll also want to look for support for 10Gbps Ethernet adapters if you’re aiming to fully utilize your fiber connection’s speed.

Storage: Since you’re mainly using this as a router, SSD storage is typically unnecessary unless you’re running a network service like a DNS cache or logging heavy traffic data. A small SSD or even a regular HDD would suffice.

No GPU Needed: You’re right, you don’t need a GPU for routing tasks unless you’re running other applications like video rendering or gaming servers.

This setup should provide the stability and performance you’re looking for, and ensure that your network can fully utilize that 10 Gbps fiber connection.

Also, while we’re discussing performance and efficiency, if you’re interested in expanding your use of AI, especially for networking tasks like optimizing configurations or generating reports, I recommend checking out ChatGPT Español. It’s a great tool for automating language-based tasks, translating configurations, or even generating documentation for network setups in Spanish

Like other people suggested here, use opnsense instead of pfsense, and wireguard instead of openvpn. What I did for my homelab was to get a used HP t620 thinclient and an Intel 350 card with 2x 1gbps ports. You say you have 10gbps, so you would need a card that can handle that, and maybe a beefier CPU. For my setup, this tiny 65€ machine is not even feeling it. Single digit cpu usage for 2 wireguard connections, a little over 1GB RAM usage for a handful of services. I think for you an n100 with 4gb of ram is more than enough, but going for 8gb will be better and it will not be much more expensive.

Just kinda flipped through his guide. It’s a bit dated on knowledge and techniques, even for beginners.

You don’t need a computer for a router. Get a router that ships with OpenWRT and start there. GL.iNet makes good and affordable stuff. Use that for your ad blocking, VPN, and so on to get started.

I’d just skip OpenVPN altogether and get started with Wireguard or Headscale/Tailscale.

If you want to run other heavier services, start out with a low-power minipc until you’re settled on what your needs or limitations are. You can get a very capable AMD minipc for $250-300, or an n100 low-power for a bit cheaper. Check out Minisforum units for this. Reliable, good price, and solid warranty.

If you deal in heavy storage, maybe consider adding a NAS to the mix, but maybe that’s a further steps. OpenWRT is a good starting point just to get your basic network services and remote access up, then just move on from there.

A good and fun starting point for some people is setting up Home Assistant on a minipc or Raspberry Pi (honestly, the costs of Pi boards now is insane. Might be good just to get the minipc).

This guide seems pretty dated in terms of technologies and approaches used so I wouldn’t follow it 100%.