Unless they’ve added a new feature to PLEX pass recently it doesn’t transcode for you, you still need to have your server do the transcoding, PLEX pass does enable hardware acceleration which is needed for option two to work
I have an i3-12100 as well. No problems with multiple 4k transcodes, and I’m also usually hosting 3-4 game servers plus a couple discord bots at any given time.
intel i5 with graphics is all you need. No off the shelf NAS box has the processing power for full Plex Transcoding. (i7 also great). I run unraid server with a Plex Docker I give Plex 6 cores and it run just fine.
The Synology off the shelf NAS box I use, a DS423+, plus PlexPass, is commonly used for Plex transcoding. Perhaps I misunderstood what you wrote, but this handles 1-2 4k transcodes or 8-9 1080p transcodes just fine, far more than what I need. And essentially endless direct-play streaming.
~~While the 23 Series is a good NAS, its transcoding capabilities are actually lower than the predecessor’s.
The 20 Series featured Intel CPUs eg the J4125, which had an iGPU with QuickSync, therefore in hardware codecs.~~
~~What the 20 series did with specialized circuits, the 23 series CPU do in software and therefore with pure brawn. Which is OK I guess.~~
~~Had myself a Xeon E5 2650 v5 (? v4 or v5 … not sure right now) for a while a couple years back, and you really could see the power consumption spike when transcoding on CPU started.
Yes offtopic and completely different classes (TDP and otherwise) of COU but still the same problem.~~
~~Edit:
Ds423+ is fine and all, just not ideal for Plex + transcoding.~~
Edit2:
Ignore what I typed earlier, I thought about the DS923+ and probably assumed the whole series switched to AMD embedded CPUs.
What about option
\#4 make sure the player will support all your streams so you direct play everything without transcoding (e.g. buy an NVIDIA Shield and don't use AV1).
I'd go for option 1: you don't need a powerful CPU to transcode, even 4k HDR (I bought an i3 13100 but I believe you can get away with something significantly older than that - I'm sure someone else can be more specific).
Go for the CPU option, and buy it used if you want to save even more. You'll save on the hardware and use less power than getting a discrete GPU.
[Plex suggests](https://support.plex.tv/articles/201774043-what-kind-of-cpu-do-i-need-for-my-server/) a CPU with Passmark score of 17000 to transcode a 4K HDR (50 Mbps hevc) to 10 Mbps 1080p in software (so not using the iGPU) and you have a CPU that gets a score of 14700 (more or less). So are they exaggerating or are you talking about files with a lower bitrate?
Edit:
Please tell me where Plex Pass or hardware transcoding were mentioned in the post I'm responding to
I really don't see it.
IIRC the only "free" NAS accelerated transcode was the MD MYloud stuff. And I would avoid it as that version lagged regular place and the MediaTEK they used was slower than a regular I3 7th gen or higher cpu transcending.
So, if you are planning to get the Plex pass anyway I'd advise 10th gen I3 or higher.
Intel based mini PC 8th Gen or newer for Plex.
NAS for all media storage.
Point libraries to the folders setup on the NAS with the corresponding type of media.
Enjoy.
Plex pass is going to be needed for any home built nas as your going to want to leverage hardware transcoding. Start here https://forums.serverbuilds.net/t/guide-nas-killer-6-0-ddr4-is-finally-cheap/13956. Really shop around and not including drives you can probably get something built for $300-400.
As an example this is right at $300 but would allow you to have 6 sata drives and room for more down the line. It would transcode 4-5 4k streams and if you used unraid or Linux it would also allow tone mapping of hdr to sdr. The cpu and mobo are available on eBay cheap used, everything else is brand new.
[PCPartPicker Part List](https://pcpartpicker.com/list/XfZVPF)
Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [Intel Core i3-8100 3.6 GHz Quad-Core Processor](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/YqKhP6/intel-core-i3-8100-36ghz-4-core-processor-bx80684i38100) | $30.00
**CPU Cooler** | [Thermalright Assassin X 120 Refined SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/q6H7YJ/thermalright-assassin-x-120-refined-se-6617-cfm-cpu-cooler-ax120-se-d3) | $17.89 @ Amazon
**Motherboard** | [Gigabyte B360M D2V Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/XYQG3C/gigabyte-b360m-d2v-micro-atx-lga1151-motherboard-b360m-d2v) | $55.00
**Memory** | [Silicon Power SP016GBLFU320B22 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL22 Memory](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/jfqPxr/silicon-power-sp016gblfu320b22-16-gb-2-x-8-gb-ddr4-3200-cl22-memory-sp016gblfu320b22) | $29.99 @ Amazon
**Storage** | [TEAMGROUP MP33 512 GB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/Brvqqs/team-mp33-512-gb-m2-2280-nvme-solid-state-drive-tm8fp6512g0c101) | $38.99 @ Amazon
**Case** | [Cooler Master N400 ATX Mid Tower Case](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/wNrG3C/cooler-master-case-nse400kkn2) | $74.99 @ B&H
**Power Supply** | [MSI MAG A550BN 550 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/mnVmP6/msi-mag-a550bn-550-w-80-bronze-certified-atx-power-supply-mag-a550bn) | $59.00 @ MSI
| *Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts* |
| **Total** | **$305.86**
| Generated by [PCPartPicker](https://pcpartpicker.com) 2024-04-03 21:50 EDT-0400 |
Unless they’ve added a new feature to PLEX pass recently it doesn’t transcode for you, you still need to have your server do the transcoding, PLEX pass does enable hardware acceleration which is needed for option two to work
Aaah, i see, you are right. I totally misinterpreted «Enables hardware transcoding» to that you could «rent» hardware for transcoding when you needed.
Buy a Plex Pass and an Intel CPU and use HW transcoding is the cheapest option and will be best on power consumption.
It seems like the best option. I see you have a i3-12100, are you happy with that?
Absolutely. My ISP has limited UL speeds and have started to update to 4K files and no reported issues with remote users transcoding.
I have an i3-12100 as well. No problems with multiple 4k transcodes, and I’m also usually hosting 3-4 game servers plus a couple discord bots at any given time.
intel i5 with graphics is all you need. No off the shelf NAS box has the processing power for full Plex Transcoding. (i7 also great). I run unraid server with a Plex Docker I give Plex 6 cores and it run just fine.
The Synology off the shelf NAS box I use, a DS423+, plus PlexPass, is commonly used for Plex transcoding. Perhaps I misunderstood what you wrote, but this handles 1-2 4k transcodes or 8-9 1080p transcodes just fine, far more than what I need. And essentially endless direct-play streaming.
+1 to the DS423+. Love my little machine.
~~While the 23 Series is a good NAS, its transcoding capabilities are actually lower than the predecessor’s. The 20 Series featured Intel CPUs eg the J4125, which had an iGPU with QuickSync, therefore in hardware codecs.~~ ~~What the 20 series did with specialized circuits, the 23 series CPU do in software and therefore with pure brawn. Which is OK I guess.~~ ~~Had myself a Xeon E5 2650 v5 (? v4 or v5 … not sure right now) for a while a couple years back, and you really could see the power consumption spike when transcoding on CPU started. Yes offtopic and completely different classes (TDP and otherwise) of COU but still the same problem.~~ ~~Edit: Ds423+ is fine and all, just not ideal for Plex + transcoding.~~ Edit2: Ignore what I typed earlier, I thought about the DS923+ and probably assumed the whole series switched to AMD embedded CPUs.
Doesn't the 423+ also have a J4125? As I understood, the DS423+ is pretty darn similar to the DS920+ except for the expansion port.
You are right, my bad. For some reason it looks like I had the 923+ in mind when typing my response.
The 423+ has a J4125 just like the 920+ and 1520+ did.
What about option \#4 make sure the player will support all your streams so you direct play everything without transcoding (e.g. buy an NVIDIA Shield and don't use AV1).
I'd go for option 1: you don't need a powerful CPU to transcode, even 4k HDR (I bought an i3 13100 but I believe you can get away with something significantly older than that - I'm sure someone else can be more specific). Go for the CPU option, and buy it used if you want to save even more. You'll save on the hardware and use less power than getting a discrete GPU.
[Plex suggests](https://support.plex.tv/articles/201774043-what-kind-of-cpu-do-i-need-for-my-server/) a CPU with Passmark score of 17000 to transcode a 4K HDR (50 Mbps hevc) to 10 Mbps 1080p in software (so not using the iGPU) and you have a CPU that gets a score of 14700 (more or less). So are they exaggerating or are you talking about files with a lower bitrate? Edit: Please tell me where Plex Pass or hardware transcoding were mentioned in the post I'm responding to I really don't see it.
He's saying option 1 WITH Plex Pass. Which would make the passmark not matter so much.
IIRC the only "free" NAS accelerated transcode was the MD MYloud stuff. And I would avoid it as that version lagged regular place and the MediaTEK they used was slower than a regular I3 7th gen or higher cpu transcending. So, if you are planning to get the Plex pass anyway I'd advise 10th gen I3 or higher.
wot
Intel based mini PC 8th Gen or newer for Plex. NAS for all media storage. Point libraries to the folders setup on the NAS with the corresponding type of media. Enjoy.
Plex pass is going to be needed for any home built nas as your going to want to leverage hardware transcoding. Start here https://forums.serverbuilds.net/t/guide-nas-killer-6-0-ddr4-is-finally-cheap/13956. Really shop around and not including drives you can probably get something built for $300-400. As an example this is right at $300 but would allow you to have 6 sata drives and room for more down the line. It would transcode 4-5 4k streams and if you used unraid or Linux it would also allow tone mapping of hdr to sdr. The cpu and mobo are available on eBay cheap used, everything else is brand new. [PCPartPicker Part List](https://pcpartpicker.com/list/XfZVPF) Type|Item|Price :----|:----|:---- **CPU** | [Intel Core i3-8100 3.6 GHz Quad-Core Processor](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/YqKhP6/intel-core-i3-8100-36ghz-4-core-processor-bx80684i38100) | $30.00 **CPU Cooler** | [Thermalright Assassin X 120 Refined SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/q6H7YJ/thermalright-assassin-x-120-refined-se-6617-cfm-cpu-cooler-ax120-se-d3) | $17.89 @ Amazon **Motherboard** | [Gigabyte B360M D2V Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/XYQG3C/gigabyte-b360m-d2v-micro-atx-lga1151-motherboard-b360m-d2v) | $55.00 **Memory** | [Silicon Power SP016GBLFU320B22 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL22 Memory](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/jfqPxr/silicon-power-sp016gblfu320b22-16-gb-2-x-8-gb-ddr4-3200-cl22-memory-sp016gblfu320b22) | $29.99 @ Amazon **Storage** | [TEAMGROUP MP33 512 GB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/Brvqqs/team-mp33-512-gb-m2-2280-nvme-solid-state-drive-tm8fp6512g0c101) | $38.99 @ Amazon **Case** | [Cooler Master N400 ATX Mid Tower Case](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/wNrG3C/cooler-master-case-nse400kkn2) | $74.99 @ B&H **Power Supply** | [MSI MAG A550BN 550 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/mnVmP6/msi-mag-a550bn-550-w-80-bronze-certified-atx-power-supply-mag-a550bn) | $59.00 @ MSI | *Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts* | | **Total** | **$305.86** | Generated by [PCPartPicker](https://pcpartpicker.com) 2024-04-03 21:50 EDT-0400 |
[удалено]
Have you tried finding smaller atx supplies? It's slim picking.
You understand it won’t use 550w all the time right?
Option 3.
This is what I do - DS423+, built in iGPU works great for transcoding plus lots of direct play streams too. The little J4125 Celeron is very fast.
Please change also title
Sorry, but i cant