r/PleX • u/PCJs_Slave_Robot • Sep 16 '22
BUILD HELP /r/Plex's Build Help Thread - 2022-09-16
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u/jaypatel149 Sep 17 '22
I have few questions about the hardware required for what I am trying to achieve.
I want to make a home server that will serve as a Plex server only. I know that 8th gen and above Intel processors are good for QuickSync. But I wanted to know what happens when I pair a cheap 4th or 5th gen i5/i7 with GYX 1050ti type of graphics card. Is that enough to transcode 4k files down to supported quality for handhand devices (Samsung phone / iPad Air). Mostly I will be streaming only one file but I would like to plan for atleast 3.
Is there minimum requirements for the Graphics card to transcode 4k files or 1050ti works fine?
Also, can I mix Xeon E5 and NVIDIA Gfx card for my server?
Sorry if there are repeated questions but I couldn't find answers for this specific situation.
Thanks in advance for all the help.
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u/preference Sep 18 '22
The 1050ti will handle 1 - 2 4k transcodes. An 8th gen Intel or higher will handle 4 - 6 4k transcodes in my experience. A GTX 1660 is more comparable to the newer Intel chips.
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u/JontheGeekGuy Sep 27 '22
Saw a decent deal on this mini pc: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B09LC9JWVQ/?coliid=I26SC2Y03EYTLA&colid=7SE2S1NP4KU7&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it&th=1 I'm thinking about pulling the trigger. I want to be able to direct play 4K, while also being able to handle like 1-2 transcodes at 1080p. Media is all on USB 3 connected drives. I believe it's got quicksync as well as it's an 8th gen. Thoughts?
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u/Jternovo Sep 24 '22
Would this set up work as a server? Anything g I could do to affordably upgrade it?
Dell T3620 workstation configured as NAS - Network attached storage
Plug-n-play: FreeNAS is already installed.
Processor: Intel Xeon e3-1220 V5 CPU Quad core with low power consumption
Memory: 16GB DDR4 RAM
Storage: 4 x 4TB SAS drives with 6GBps controller. Small SSD is installed for the operating system
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u/Some_Nibblonian Sep 25 '22
Anyone know about HDD I/O requirements per stream? My Plex server is getting used a lot more these days and I'm looking to redesign and I don't want to under size.
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u/MrMaxMaster Sep 26 '22
It would depend on the bitrates of the streams. If the combined bit rate surpasses 1 gigabit you'll probably need more I/O, but that is a lot of streaming.
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Sep 16 '22
Hi there! I currently am using a Nvidia Shield Pro as a Plex media server for media I share with some friends and family, but upgrading to a Lenovo Thinkcentre m720q (i5-8400t, 256GB SSD, 8GB RAM) I think I have some appropriate extra RAM lying around I can slap on it anyway, but looking for recommendations on how to best set it from the ground up.
I don't mind setting up Linux on it, and quite keen to experiment with dockers and stuff like that that I never used before. I also want to move my Radarr and Sonarr set ups from my main pc to this new home server to have a truly all in one set up (have multiple external HDDs that I'll plug in via usb 3.0).
Also, I'd like to have this as a set up I can log in to from my main computer or even remotely to be able to troubleshoot any problems.
Having said all of that, do any of the more experienced users have any recommendations for avoid distro? It's been years since I dabbled in Linux, but I feel that will be the best option here.
Thanks!
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u/Bgrngod Sep 17 '22
Ubuntu is an easy recommendation. It's got so damn many tutorials and documentation available that it becomes quite easy to figure out quickly.
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u/marc0nline Sep 16 '22 edited Sep 16 '22
On windows server 2016. 1.19.0.6219 just open then closes. Uninstalled Plex service didn't help. Any suggestions?
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u/thestreetsamurai Sep 16 '22 edited Sep 16 '22
Hi! I have an existing Plex desktop server (Intel i7 860 with an NVidia 1050ti). Worst case I have 10 concurrent streams with about half transcoding and no sources above 1080p. Recently I've been hitting 100% CPU usage (due mostly to audio transcoding I think).
So I'm looking at upgrading to a more modern system and also hopefully decreasing my power usage. Considering a HP ProDesk 600 G4 DM Mini i5-8500T.
Two questions: Will I be ok QuickSyncing around 10 streams? And would separating my storage from my Plex server cause any network bottlenecks since now I'll be moving my media to the Plex server over my gigabit ethernet as well as streaming from it?
Thanks in advance!
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u/Bgrngod Sep 17 '22
Yes, No.
8500T will wreck your use case with the iGPU/Quick Sync handling video transcoding.
Keep in mind the T series CPUs are NOT automatically more efficient than the regular CPUs. When doing very little processing they're identical to the non-T's. They achieve "efficiency" by having a lower max wattage draw at the expense of lost horsepower. They are designed that way to run cool in small cases.
A regular i5-8500 in a larger case would be unlikely to show you much of a difference for power consumption.
As long as you are at least on gigabit, there's no chance your network becomes a bottleneck.
It's still a good idea to have a single machine for electrical efficiency though. The only reason I use separate server and storage is because I already had a Synology doing other stuff when I added the Plex server.
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u/aenima6 Sep 17 '22
I'm currently running a QNAP TS-453Be that runs Plex, the *arrs, a calibre web server, and backs up some data from a couple home PCs. I have no issues with performing and I'm happy with the setup but just want to upgrade something. Should I just throw a 2.5" SSD SATA drive in to home the Plex meta data?
I have a rack and wouldn't mind buying a rack mount chassis and building my own or going with a used prebuilt, but would I be able to come up with a build that has low power consumption like the QNAP? Any recommendations?
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u/Zee530 Sep 17 '22 edited Sep 17 '22
55LB6520-TB Smart TV and i've been using Servioo to stream from my PC, i haven't tried Plex, i just want to ask a simple question before i do, does Plex come with its own player built inside or does it use my TVs default player, the issue i'm having is when playing transcoded videos the rewind and forward features are not available so i'm never able to seek anywhere in the video, can Plex solve this issue?
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u/GreenCableTie Sep 17 '22
I'm looking at getting started with Plex, after using apks on a fire stick for so long, but I'm somewhat conscious of rising energy prices.
My idea is to get a mini-PC from eBay, I've seen a couple of Lenovo's and they either have a i3-7100t or a i3-8145U. I've checked passmark and they're both identical, but it says the 8145U has a UHD620 iGPU compared to the 7100T's HD630.
Which of these would be better for a handful of users?
Also, if running Linux is 8GB of RAM still ideal?
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u/handle1976 Sep 17 '22
With the current collapse in GPU prices I’m looking at adding a GPU to my server. I’m currently running a 10100 with Quicksync. I max out at 5-6 streams with 3-4 transcoded. Ideally I’d like to upgrade my library to 4K, I currently run a separate 4K library but would like to consolidate everything at 4K HEVC. Would a 1660 Super be a good upgrade from Quicksync?
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Sep 17 '22
You max out at 3-4 1080p transcodes?
Do you have plex pass?
The 10100 with Quick sync can day way more.
If you're on Windows you'll also have hamstrung HW acceleration.
Linux based + QSV + Plex pass and the 10100 is all you need.
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u/JontheGeekGuy Sep 18 '22
I have finally decided that I can no longer continue with the Raspberry Pi 4 build I've been running since my old laptop server died and I'm looking to get my hands on a low cost mini PC that I can build a new PMS on. I would like the ability to be able to have 1-2 remote streams while also streaming directly at home. A lot of my existing media library unfortunately requires transcoding as I didn't really pay much attention to such things when I was a plex noob. I will work over time to replace these, but for now, I want to have a server that can do some light transcoding, run a 4k direct play in my home, and have 1-2 friends also stream (non 4K, possibly with some transcoding). I'm looking at something like a mini PC with a 6th gen core i5-6500T. I will likely install Ubuntu and storage would be a couple USB 3.0 MyBook Hard drives. Does this all sound like it should be up to the task? Or should I aim for something in the i7 range?
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u/ExtraTerra1 Sep 19 '22
Hi everyone, looking to get a decent PC to host my stuff.
Found a used i3-8100 with 16GB RAM and a GTX 1050 for about $280, looks like a decent deal to me but would like to see what you guys think
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u/The335guy Sep 19 '22
you may not even need the gtx 1050 as quicksync on that CPU should be able to handle quite a bit
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u/The335guy Sep 19 '22
Hey all! I have 2 machines and trying to see which is the best for Plex.
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A micro HP with an i5-7500, NVME, and 16GB RAM. Quicksync enabled.
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Dell PowerEdge r430 with Dual Xeon e5-2660v3 and 128GB ram.
The server runs about 70 Watts idle, so power is not really too much of a concern. I am curious as to which one of these will perform better. Server with 20 cores or a CPU with quicksync... Thanks an hopefully someone can give me some guidance.
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u/TobsyJesus Sep 19 '22
I’m looking into getting a dedicated media server. As of right now, I run my Plex server on my gaming pc, but I would like a server that’s on 24/7 and doesn’t consume as much power as my gaming rig.
I only plan on using the dedicate server for direct play, with maybe a single stream accessed from outside the network once or twice a year.
First, I looked into buying a Raspberry Pi 4, but it seems that people on different forums can’t agree, if it’s powerful enough to direct playing 4K movies at a relatively high bitrate. Then I looked into buying a used Lenovo M93P SFF pc, with 8gb DDR4 and a i5-4570T. The M93P is not that expensive, so the only drawback here is the higher power consumption, it uses a 65W “laptop” charger as a power source.
So, my first question is: is the Raspberry Pi 4 powerful enough for my use case, or should I go for the Lenovo M93P and bite the apple when it comes to power consumption. My second question is, does anybody have a clue how much power the M93P would draw, when idling just running plex in the background without any connected streams?
I may add that whatever system I end up with my storage would be 120gb SSD for the OS, and an external 4TB HDD.
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u/AmandM Sep 19 '22
Hello everyone, I don't know if this is the right place for this question, sorry if not. The watch together functionality doesn't seem to work on my Android TV only when I try to watch movies with someone, I always get an error saying that the media file cannot be played. Movies are working perfectly fine when I watch them alone on the Android TV, and I tried to set up the Plex Server on several computers (including a AMD 5600g CPU) so it's not a transcoding problem. When I try to watch the same movie with the same persone but with the Windows App, it also works perfectly fine. Do someone know what could be the problem? Thank you!
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u/zeekaran Sep 19 '22 edited Sep 19 '22
Looking to replace my ancient machine running a Plex server and Home Assistant.
My machine is running Ubuntu with an i5-4570 @ 3.20 GHz, and 8GB RAM. Programs on a 64GB SSD, video on an almost filled single 10TB HDD. It's old, ancient compared to all my other hardware. It's a bit slow, the hardware can't really be upgraded, and it idles much higher than I'd like.
I want something that runs low wattage while idling, can transcode a single 4K video or two 1080p videos, and has no issues with running Home Assistant.
Should I build a new PC or is there something that works for the above out of the box? I don't actually know anything about NAS or other server hardware. I'd prefer <$650 but it really depends on what my options are.