16GB is smart, not overkill

16GB is smart, not overkill.

Not overkill. Go for it.

8GB is fine for Home Assistant and a couple containers today. But you’re already running Docker, which means the “a few containers” will become “more containers” within weeks. HA itself can eat 2-3GB if you add cameras or integrations. Add Zigbee2MQTT, a database, maybe a small media server, and you’ll be right up against 8GB.

The NUC8i5BEH takes SODIMM DDR4, which is cheap. A 16GB kit (2x8GB) runs about $30-40. You’re not throwing money away — you’re buying headroom so you don’t have to mess with it again. The only downside is you lose dual-channel if you just add one 8GB stick, but even that’s fine.

Future you will thank you.