Question Choosing network platform

[s_petro]

Greetings all,

I am trying to figure out the best way to build my home network.
I have 4 pieces of hardware I can use...

1) A TP-Link C2300 router with a dual core 1.8GHz processor
2) A UniFi USG Security Gateway at 500MHz.
3) A UniFi AC Pro access point
4) An 8 core AMD desktop (Nvidia 5XX series card) proposing to use as server (not a lot of heavy work for it)

With this equipment, what would you say would be the best use for the listed equipment.
Should I continue to use the TP-Link router since it has a faster processor speed vs the USG?
What about security? My question at this point is, if routing uses packet inspection, wouldn't the processor speed need to be, at least, 2X what your internet connection speed is to keep up with the data flow?
So the TP-Link is at 1.8GHz and, from what I found, the USG is at 500MHz, and I have a 500Mb internet service.
I cannot change the TP-Link's firmware as the bootloader is locked.
OR...should I use the desktop as a gateway/router (using Ubuntu server, Windows server, ClearOS, or other), use the AC Pro or TP-Link(in AP mode) to have as an all-in-one server?
My experience with CLI or Docker is sketchy at best.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks all!
Petro

 

[SamirD]

It depends on what your goal is.

One thing for sure is that you need to use whatever router can keep up with your Internet, that's for sure. Personally, I'd use the tplink as an additional ap so then you would have 2 APs and the unifi usg as your router. Then configure the system with freenas or just load it full of drives and share them to be a cheap nas.

 

[s_petro]

I guess general backups, storage of music, maybe a Plex, Kodi, or Emby service.
"General" purpose stuff.

 

[SamirD]

Yeah, pretty much what I wrote earlier except run a bare metal hypervisor on the system and run everything you need in vm's.