I'm looking at putting together a Plex media server, so I'm looking at components/systems. I don't want to put it on my regular desktop, I'd like to put together a small dedicated system with an external hard drive, something that can sit in the cabinet under the TV.
I was looking at an Intel NUC system that was recommended by an article in Wired, but the article was dated last November, and I'm not sure that system has enough processing power for concurrent streams. I like the fact that it's a full system with pre-installed Windows, but I'm competent enough to be able to put together a system from components if needed. (I've done that for my previous two desktops.)
Does anybody have experience with small dedicated computers like this, and can recommend something with a little more horsepower?
Comments
Years ago. I gave up on all forms of media server because I felt like I was doing more tinkering than watching.
I run my Plex server on my regular desktop and haven't had any issues for the 3-4 years it's been there. I did get an external drive where all the movies, shows, etc are stored, but from a processing perspective, my system has never had any hiccups.
I know I could run it off my desktop, but I'm wanting to set up a separate stand-alone media server.
I have almost the exact same box. Not using Plex, though, I went with libreELEC (a minimalist Linux to do nothing but run Kodi). Installation worked first time, and I use a $5 remote I got on Amazon.
It should be fine on processing, storage is the issue. I have an external USB hard drive to hold actual media. Maybe one of these days I'll bite on a NAS.
I run mine off of a cheap Asus mini pc, think I got it at Best Buy. I've had it streaming to multiple locations simultaneously and it always works great.
Do you have a lifetime plex pass? If not, you should.
I setup my main budget plex server months ago on an old dell 7020 w/ i3-3475s/32GBRAM/SSD for OS/SSHD as DVR drive/& 10TB USB JBODs.
On a budget, it works for me. I know I could go crazier but my wallet (more so kids) dictated my setup at the time. I've found what's important no matter the system: transcode or make sure your media file is formatted in the right codec. You want your server processor to do as little transcoding on fly and just stream the media effortlessly. If it means you have two media servers, then you have two: one to do your processing and another to just stream/deliver content. Ultimately, that's where I'll end up evolving with my system (I think...)
Valuable things to consider in general:
Plex forum linky
One thing to consider too: PLEX is great until your internet goes down. EMBY is (from what I've gathered) a good alternative and/or complementing solution. EMBY can work offline and some other things I'm forgetting. It also has a lifetime pass available too.
anythjng else, just ask.
Not that my internet access is spotty or anything, but if it goes down, would I still be able to stream locally? The Plex server would be located on my home network.
Edit: And I plan to go with the lifetime pass.
Yes you can use plex locally without having internet, but you need to disable authentication for devices on your local network by basically whitelisting their IPs with plex. You can also do an entire subnet if you don't want to go through the hassle of giving all your devices static IPs or DHCP reservations. You also need to do this setup before you lose internet. Link with more details
I've tried before and I think I ran into problems. I didn't trouble shoot it at the time but I should have.
By default, the PMS web app authenticates access through http://127.0.0.1:32400/web. But I didn't stop to think there was an extra step for localhost access as decribed in Plex's support page.
For my own sake (and thanks for this thread and question) I should test out local network access without interwebs by disconnecting the WAN connection tonight (after the kiddos stop using their tablets or when they're asleep). I know there's got to be a way to use the Plex native app clients offline and locally but just need to figure it out.
Maybe someone in this wonderful forum has experience. If anything, I'll report back as soon as I find out myself.
EDIT: Mike06 for the win! Thx!
Everything depends on the variables. You could run multiple streams off a pretty low power server if you've set up your media to direct play. However if you want multiple streams of 4k content that requires a transcode, you need a pretty powerful processor. I used to have a dedicated computer with a J1900 Celeron processor, and that worked fine for at least one stream. Not sure how many times I did multiple, but I had my library shared with several friends. That was a Dell version of the NUC using an external hard drive. I ended up giving that to my parents, and using my gaming rig for Plex. I had exceeded the capacity of the external drive and just wanted a less complicated desk. There are multiple options for a server though, not limited to a NUC. There's a wireless router (Nighthawk X10) that can run Plex, several NAS servers, the NVIDIA shield, etc. Personally, if I was buying something specific for this, I'd look long and hard at the Nighthawk, or a NAS.
Personally, I use an old (2011) desktop, but I hear that the Nvidia shield with an external drive is popular for Plex servers.
You could probably get by with one of the higher end NUCs, something with an i3 or and i5 processor. The one linked in that article probably isn't going to work if you have to do any kind of transcoding though, which you will if you plan on streaming to any kind of mobile device. The i3's and i5's have onboard video processing, which helps with transcoding, the Celeron linked in that article does not.
a NUC (of just about any variety) has the necessary horsepower to run plex or really any other type of media server platform. However, depending on your planned use you may want to consider other options particularly if you want the plex server to also host the data files you may want a device that can hold a bit more data. Personally, I use a plex server plugin on a FreeNAS server - simple and lots of storage, and i'm addressing my NAS needs at the same time.
As it was pointed out earlier in the thread, you want something that is going to be relatively power efficient (which the NUC is) since it will be running constantly, but that's only if you're going to be counting pennies over multiple years of runtime.
Yes, power efficient and quiet is something I'm looking for, though quiet may not be that necessary if I'm going to locate it by the main router (which is increasingly looking like the plan). Your comment about addressing additional NAS needs is interesting, as I'd not thought about having one before, but adding a NAS to do Plex and photos (among other things) is intriguing, to say the least.
Ditto what others have said about transcoding. If you don't need to transcode you can get away with lower powered options, if you need to transcode you will want something with some power especially if you want to transcode multiple streams at once. I would also recommend going for a wired connection between the server and your router, especially if you are doing multiple streams.
I've used plex for years and have been very happy. My only gripes have been that the pictures in the media library randomly disappear and reappear for some shows and movies. To be fair I haven't really taken a hard look to try to find a solution for that. I also disliked when they started requiring logins for devices on your local network, this can be remedied through changing settings on the server, just didn't like the forced switch over without any obvious warning.
Lots of good information, and thanks for the responses.
So, the more I'm looking into this, the more my head is spinning from all of the options. What I'm looking for is a stand-alone setup (not part of an existing computer) that won't take up a lot of space (I'm now thinking this will be on a shelf next to the main router) but has the horsepower for multiple concurrent streams. I have not yet begun to digitize all of my media, so since transcoding seems to be a huge concern, I am able to save off my media in the most efficient codec/format/resolution that could (theoretically) minimize transcoding issues. The Nvidia Shield looks interesting, but it is a duplication of capabilities that I already have (a FireTV at each TV). The Intel NUCs that I originally started looking at seem to be getting a good bit pricer as I look up at the i5 and i7 versions that can handle the load. And I haven't even started looking at a NAS, though that (or a dedicated small form-factor PC) may be the ultimate choice.
I found an article from this year (https://nascompares.com/guide/best-plex-media-server-nas-2018/) comparing NAS devices for Plex servers, and came up with this NAS (WD Diskless My Cloud Pro Series PR2100 ). What's interesting (other than the price and size) is that the Intel CPU in this device has built-in video transcoding for Plex, so that would minimize the transcoding concern, right?
Once I get the hardware figured out, though, what next? What do y'all use for digitizing media? How do you format your storage? Do you save everything in a particular codec/format/resolution? Would I use my current PC to digitize media and just store the data remotely on the device (whatever I end up with) or do I need to disconnect it and connect it to my PC for initial data storage? (That would impact the hardware route I take.)
I think I have a long way to go on this, but I want to start, as I've been putting this off for a long time. I just need to get a good idea of the road ahead.
Edit: Oh, one more thing I've been asked to consider: Does Plex have an option to segregate files of a certain media type? I've got two young kids in the house that are pretty savvy with streaming media, so I want them to be able to use Plex to get at the kids movies. But I also want the non-kids movies on there as well. Does Plex have the capability to handle kid-friendly vs non-kid-friendly via some sort of password system, and if so, do I need to do anything initially to set that up (like separate folders or some such)?
I originally looked at the pre-built NAS enclosures, but ended up building my own FreeNAS server because the pre-built stuff just doesn't have the expandibility of a build your own. The more I thought about it, the more I knew I would regret it when I ran out of space on a 2 or 4 bay enclosure. Figured I'd just bite the bullet and spend a little bit more to build something I know will last me.
Regarding the segregation of media, Plex allows you to grant multiple user accounts access to your server. You can set up each user so that it has access to specific media folders on your server. You could create an account for the kids and then only grant it access to media in your "Kids" folder.
I thought about that, but if I'm filling up both bays of a 2 bay enclosure down the road, I would just buy two new HDs that are twice (at least) as large as what I have in the bays, and copy the data over. Besides, I think it would take a long time to fill up 4 TB. A friend who does this told me he has about 340 movies, filling up almost 1TB. I don't see myself putting up that much into a NAS any time soon. But I'll look into FreeNAS just in case.
How would that work if we are both using the same Plex app to access the server? Does the Plex client allow for different profiles like Netflix?
Plex has what they call your "Plex Home", which is basically all the users in your household. If you set that up, you can get functionality similar to Netflix profiles. It allows you to switch profiles without having to sign out and sign in. You can also protect accounts with a PIN, so if you don't want the kids signing into your profile, you can set a PIN and prevent them from accessing your content.
When I built my server, I included a bluray drive and use it, along with MakeMKV to rip my collection (along with anyone I know who will let me borrow their
drivesedit:disks). Before I added additional storage, I would funnel the MKVs through HandBrake to reduce the file size, but now I just leave them as is.Just curious, what types of media will you be adding, and do you have anything already converted?
My original plan was just to make a streaming movie server, and to rip all of the DVDs I have to it. Since I'm starting to lean towards a NAS, I'm thinking about adding pictures and music to it. But the main reason I'm putting it together is for streaming the movies that I already own.
I have nothing converted at this time, so I can choose the file format that would be most efficient for my setup. So I got that going for me. =^)
I don't recommend the NUC as a media server. I uses these things in a lab, they are good for sshing into servers and performing development / sysadmin tasks or standard office work.
Here is why :
- HD space is limited. Since you desire a media server, you will likely use all the space on a 250 GB SSD or 500 GB SSD pretty quick.
- If you plan on transcoding video, you'll need more processing power and therefore some more cooling power. Most NUCs do not utilize a CPU fan. I believe it is possible to add a low profile quiet fan to a NUC.
- I've also seen the power connector on the NUC mainboard fail 3 times in 2 years, rendering the NUC inoperable. You would then have to buy a new NUC then install your old SSD and RAM in the new chassis. This may not be an issue on newer NUC models, if they changed the power connector part.
- A more powerful NUC may suit your needs ? https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIAA0S61T4016
Yeah, I think I'm moving away from the NUC as Plex Server idea, mainly due to the processing power issue. Once you get up to the more powerful ones, there just seems to be better options in the price range. My thought was to pair it with an external HD, so space wasn't the issue, but I just can't seem to get over the processing concern.
You should be ok if all your video files are in h264 codec or even future proofed in the h265 codec. PMS can optimize files (if needed) so that the client can view the media. That's just one variable in the "processing power riddle".
I run an hdhomerun prime to eliminate the use of cable boxes. Often, I am DVRing content to view later. Programs get recorded in the ancient .TS mpeg 2 format leaving me with YUGE files. I don't do any transcoding to h264 or h265 because I mostly watch locally and my client devices have no issues with decoding or bandwidth. On occassion, I have watched remotely and my server has had to optimize the video to deliver it to my device while the server records a show or two. It's done okay on the old i3-3475 processor but that's when I start to think about media file optimization and future upgrades. There isn't much if a demand for multiple streams in my household yet but I'll def have to post process and transcode files into a more efficient codec at some point. Hopefully it won't cost so much to acquire new systems and components when I crossthat bridge.
To echo some of the comments here, I would recommend something a little bigger than a NUC. Once you start messing around with Plex, I have a feeling you are going to find that you may want more transcoding power than you originally thought. This happened to me when I added an OTA tuner card to my server to record TV.
Live transcoding works ok out of the box, but I am going to need to do some serious trial and error to get it to a quality that I am happy with.
While it has been years since I actively used Windows for personal use I would recommend running a Linux distro if you plan on just having your Plex server running headless. I have absolutely no data to back this up, but I just feel like you will be able to squeeze more out of your processor that way.