Help me Build my Plex Server

Morien on 28/09/2022 - 19:50
Last edited 06/12/2022 - 09:10 by 1 other user

Hey everyone,

I'd like to build a NAS, but seeing as the last computer I built had an AMD Athlon XP, I need some guidance.

Here are the needs:

  • support for 10 3.5" drives (I currently have 8, but would appreciate a little room to grow)
  • Hardware transcoding capability (eg. Intel Quick Sync), so no F series processor.
  • Minimal power consumption

I have looked at the ICY BOX IB-3810U3 external case. I could repurpose an old NUC I have that supports hardware transcoding, however looking at the prices, it doesn't appear I'd save any money at all over building new. (I also don't mind/would enjoy building it).

It will be used primarily as a Plex server, torrent box and general file server, so power requirements aren't high, afaik. I'm comfortable with the software side of things, and will likely build it off Ubuntu Server.

Also, I do not need the storage drives. I already have them.

What I have penciled in:

  • Case: Fractal Design Node 804 $179
  • CPU: Intel Celeron G6900 $79
  • Mobo: MSI PRO H610M-B DDR4 LGA 1700 Micro-ATX Motherboard $135
  • Ram: GeIL 16GB Kit (2x8GB) DDR4 Orion Rust Red C16 3000MHz $75
  • Storage: Samsung 970 EVO Plus 250GB M.2 NVMe SSD $75
  • PSU: SilverStone Essential 550W 80Plus Gold $95

Total: $638

I haven't done much price comparison with that, as I'm sure there will be better suggestions out there anyway. If I went second hand the oldest I'd prefer is an 8th gen Intel cpu (Quicksync seems to have hit its stride in that generation), however I'm having a bit of trouble finding just the parts I need (happy for some direction there as well, based in WA).

Some notes:
16GB of ram is probably unnecessary, however can be used as a Ramdisk for transcoding. That said, with an NVMe drive in there, is there any point?

Mobo only has 4x SATA 6Gb/s ports. What do I need to do to be able to attach an extra 4-6 drives? Also, do I need a different PSU to support that many drives? Would it be better to go modular or can I get cheap enough splitters?

Finally, with the 13th gen cpus under a month away, I can wait that extra time if it means better options.

Update Dec 6 2022

I'd like to (finally) build my Plex server/NAS.

I already have storage, but will need to build the rest of the system. Currently have 6 3.5" storage drives, but would like the room to add more later.

PCPartPicker Part List

Type Item Price
CPU Intel Core i3-10105 3.7 GHz Quad-Core Processor $159.00 @ Centre Com
Motherboard MSI B560M-A PRO Micro ATX LGA1200 Motherboard $129.00 @ Scorptec
Memory Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory $74.77 @ Amazon Australia
Storage Western Digital Green 240 GB M.2-2280 SATA Solid State Drive $48.00 @ Skycomp Technology
Case Fractal Design Node 804 MicroATX Mid Tower Case $229.00 @ JW Computers
Power Supply Antec NeoECO Classic 550 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply $85.00 @ MSY Technology
Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
Total $724.77
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-12-05 16:06 AEDT+1100

Any thoughts on this build? Would I be better off with different parts?

Thank you

Computing

Comments

  • Mechz on 28/09/2022 - 19:58
    +1

    You'll need a PCIe SATA expansion card for more drives. Maybe even 2 of them.

    I would get a bigger PSU because they're cheap and it's not worth the hassle troubleshooting something insufficient.

    Lastly, do not buy a Celeron. Just get an i3 or i5.

    • DreadPirateRoberts on 28/09/2022 - 20:06

      Celeron won't be able to transcode 4k nicely. The Celeron in my NAS can't even transcode 1080p with PGS subtitles without lagging.

      Not sure how to setup SSD caching like Synology but you won't want that on your primary drive as the r/w will kill it quicker.

      If I had my time again, I wouldn't care about the CPU so much and would slap in a cheap and power efficient graphics card for transcoding. Something like a 1660 should be sufficient.

      You might also want to look into hardware RAID controllers which plug into your PCIe. Easier and more reliable than software RAID which I don't trust too much

      • Morien on 28/09/2022 - 20:10

        As bad as it might sound, I'm not looking for RAID. Anything that I can't afford to lose is backed up in multiple cloud servers.
        This is just for media and the occasional short term local storage. So if I lose a movie, I just get it again.

        Does the Celeron you have use hardware transcoding? Or is it software? Checking on prices for 1660 it looks like it will blow out my budget.

        Thanks

        • DreadPirateRoberts on 28/09/2022 - 20:19

          Hmm rebuilding a media library is a pain. I have a bunch of TV shows and movies where the torrents just don't exist anymore for them. RAID gives me piece of mind in case a drive fails (along with regular backups)

          Yeah that's fair enough. GPU is a bit excessive but I'm tired of trying to work out what will transcode properly (though it's really only an issue for anime).

          I have the Intel Celeron J3455 which is pretty old now and does use hardware transcoding. The G6900 chip looks pretty good (at ~5x the power draw) so you might not have any issues.

          • iDroid on 29/09/2022 - 08:02

            @DreadPirateRoberts: RAID isn't a backup - it only protects against drive failure, almost any other cause of data loss is not protected by RAID.

            The idea of RAID is to keep critical systems running when a drive fails - it's just redundancy.

            RAID increases the probability of drive failure since more drives are required - each drive adds another chance of failure.

            If I accidentally format a partition on a RAID system then it'll happen to all copies.

            If I get hit by some ransom-wear, then all drives become encrypted and are lost.

            RAID is IMO a waste of time and money unless you have a critical system where you want to have 100% uptime.

            Backups need to be disconnected from the machines/network.

            /rant

    • Morien on 28/09/2022 - 20:07

      Thank you.

      Mwave have SilverStone ECS06 6 Port SATA3 PCIe Controller
      Something like that? Or is that an expensive one?

      Cheapest non-Celeron I found (after a quick look) was Intel Core i3 10105 Quad Core LGA 1200 3.7GHz CPU Processor for $179. 10th gen, so would need a different motherboard.
      Gigabyte H510M DS2V LGA 1200 Micro-ATX Motherboard is close enough at $139

      Sound good?

      • Mechz on 28/09/2022 - 21:01

        99 seems pretty good for 6x SATA expansion. I last bought one a decade ago for less I am sure but who knows haha.

        Your mainboard is probably much of a muchness as long as it has enough slots etc. CPU will do the job but you might be able to nab a second hand board and cpu for cheaper.

        I am just now retiring a Xeon workstation from ~2009 and replacing with an 8th gen i7. It was running fine with an AMD RX550 the only thing I needed to add for 4k mkv playback but I wanted to replace my 8 year old drives with bigger ones and thought it was time to refresh.

  • duk242 on 28/09/2022 - 20:04

    Depends how hardcore you want to go and what OS you're going to run…
    I run 5x8TB + 3x4TB drives using TrueNAS Scale with this:
    Fractal Design R5 Mid Tower, Ryzen 3 3200G, B450-AORUS-Pro mainboard, 32GB RAM and an LSI SAS2308-8l 8 port SAS card flashed into IT Mode.

    Plus side of going something like TrueNAS Scale means your drives run in a nice big RAID so you can lose a drive without data loss, but if you've got a bunch of random sized drives and you'd rather just use Windows, that's probably OK too.

    Definitely go a Modular PSU - just for the space saving inside the case and they're not that much more expensive and don't cheap out too much as a bad PSU can really ruin your day!

    As for the Plex encoding - I'm not too sure here. I know running some of the Linux based OSes (like TrueNAS Scale) you might have some trouble getting Plex up and running properly using hardware encoding.
    I had Plex running, but ended up getting rid of it as I play everything using Infuse on my AppleTV (via SMB shares) and it handles every format I've thrown at it with no worries.

    Hope some of what I said helped :)

    • Morien on 28/09/2022 - 20:13

      Thanks, that does help.

      Regarding Plex and Linux, I am replacing an old NUC that is currently doing transcoding jobs on it. Needs some tinkering, but hardware transcoding actually works really well under Linux based server (better than Windows in the case of Quick Sync).

      This is the second time I've heard about the LSI SAS2308-8l 8 port SAS card flashed into IT Mode. Heard there are a lot of clones out there though, but is that a problem?

      Edit: https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/192875144030?chn=ps&_ul=AU&mkevt… Not a bad price at $70. Is this what you are talking about? Thanks

      • duk242 on 28/09/2022 - 20:16

        I don't know if mine was a refurb or what, but I grabbed it off ebay with 2xSAS->4xSATA connectors for ~$90 a couple years back.
        It has been 100% rock solid this whole time (before that, I was using the SATA ports on the motherboard that would crap out if did too much)

  • thadius83 on 28/09/2022 - 20:22

    Just a thought.

    Look at using a quadro p400/p600 for transcoding. They handle upto 4 x 4k streams, and you can pick them up for $50~100

    An IT flashed SAS HBA with breakout cables is what you need, 4 drives per sas port.

    • Morien on 28/09/2022 - 21:06

      That opens up the cpu options for me. Thanks

  • Bid Sniper on 28/09/2022 - 20:30

    here I am using a junker celeron NUC with a 4TB drive jammed into it.

    I had a Fractal Design Node 804 case, its great but I think max 8 drive, 6 on the racks on the right bay and two on mobo compartment.

    whats teh power draw vs a base Ryzen CPU?

    • boomramada on 28/09/2022 - 20:44
      +1

      Here I'm using x2 WD drive with Raspberry Pi, look like OP planning to backup the Netflix 😆

      • Morien on 28/09/2022 - 21:05

        Netflix, Disney, Prime rolled into one.

        But still have nothing to watch.

        • boomramada on 28/09/2022 - 21:21

          Dont you have NBN? Just download, watch then delete 😉

  • MantistobogganMD on 28/09/2022 - 21:40

    just my opinion. i had a 40tb Nas running to an i7 nuc for plex for a few years. in the end it wasn't worth the hassle and i found plex share on reddit in the US for $20 a month. it has literally everything ever on it and i dont have to stuff around setting up and fixing things if they break.

    i found it easier and more convenient to just subscribe to a plex share, there is a subreddit dedicated to them

  • Morien on 05/12/2022 - 16:06
    Merged from Plex server - Help me build

    I'd like to (finally) build my Plex server/NAS.

    I already have storage, but will need to build the rest of the system. Currently have 6 3.5" storage drives, but would like the room to add more later.

    PCPartPicker Part List

    Type Item Price
    CPU Intel Core i3-10105 3.7 GHz Quad-Core Processor $159.00 @ Centre Com
    Motherboard MSI B560M-A PRO Micro ATX LGA1200 Motherboard $129.00 @ Scorptec
    Memory Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory $74.77 @ Amazon Australia
    Storage Western Digital Green 240 GB M.2-2280 SATA Solid State Drive $48.00 @ Skycomp Technology
    Case Fractal Design Node 804 MicroATX Mid Tower Case $229.00 @ JW Computers
    Power Supply Antec NeoECO Classic 550 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply $85.00 @ MSY Technology
    Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
    Total $724.77
    Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-12-05 16:06 AEDT+1100

    Any thoughts on this build? Would I be better off with different parts?

    Thank you

    • pegaxs on 05/12/2022 - 16:15
      +10

      Just buy a NAS that supports Plex and you’re done. Or just buy a cheap NUC and an external drive.

      • Mechz on 05/12/2022 - 18:24
        +2

        You missed the bit about already having 6x drives and wanting more.

        • pegaxs on 05/12/2022 - 22:36

          You know you can get NAS devices with more than 6+ bays in them, yeah?

          Or that OP can buy a 6 bay now, fill it with the drives they have, then expand later with another 6 bay unit? You can even set them up to sync with each other as if it is just one huge drive.

          • Morien on 06/12/2022 - 00:06

            @pegaxs: Hey pegaxs, was looking for a NAS, but one that supports 6 drives or more plus supports Plex, will cost almost three times the above build.

      • Ramrunner on 08/12/2022 - 15:59
        +1

        Hmm. The ones that actually handle 4K Transcoding with decent quality/no stuttering are damn expensive though. Cheaper to build your own box in a lot of cases.

      • Shootinputin89 on 19/09/2023 - 20:22

        Just in case anyone else comes across this in the future: Don't buy consumer NAS boxes. They're not worth it. They lack upgrade potential. Are limited in their use-case as a NAS. Build your own machine - it allows you to use it how you want, and upgrade part by part. And certainly don't buy them to transcode on Plex.

    • OkayFray on 05/12/2022 - 16:22

      I'd personally avoid the Fractal Nodes. I considered one for mine, but they're getting pretty old and from what I can see they aren't exactly that easy to swap drives around in. If it were my build I would opt for a Fractal Meshify 2 XL, Fractal Meshify 2, or find a Fractal Define 7 or Define 7 XL. Or even a second hand R5 or R6. If you want to go a bit cheaper, an antec p101 silent is a great option too.

      That said, they're all bigger cases. If size is a problem for you, the nodes might be a preference.

      • Morien on 05/12/2022 - 18:47

        Good advice. Thanks

        • TightLikeThisx on 06/12/2022 - 07:29
          +1

          Define 7s are excellent choices. Great sound dampening and plenty of space to upgrade. With a case like this you can fit a bigger motherboard which gives you more upgrade options i.e 10gbe, HBAs, Nvidia Quattro cards for unlimited transcodes.

      • Shootinputin89 on 19/09/2023 - 20:23

        R5 is still being sold new, and is much more suited for NAS purposes than the R7.

    • stjep on 05/12/2022 - 16:23

      Really comes down to what you want the server to do. If all it's going to do is handling direct play then you need nothing more than a Raspberry Pi. If you want to transcode then the sky is the limit depending on what and how many simultaneous transcodes.

      I've been reasonably happy with a Pi handling all my media and just direct playing h264 and h265 content. Replacing it with a NAS soon but even that will only ever do direct play.

      • Morien on 05/12/2022 - 18:47

        Needs transcoding.

        I've currently got a NUC with 6x externals dangling off of it. One sneeze and there are I/O errors. I want to put it all in a single enclosure.

        • Fuzzy Toaster on 05/12/2022 - 20:25

          I'm looking at NUCs for a Plex server. Is an i3 enough for 4K transcoding with subtitles?

          • Morien on 06/12/2022 - 00:07

            @Fuzzy Toaster: Any NUC with Intel Quicksync later than 7th gen will do great.

    • garetz on 05/12/2022 - 16:30
      +1

      If you are spending more than $500 you are better off getting a nas/nuc.

      You are overspending on the case, and underspending on the ssd, 240gb ssd is not going to last very long.
      https://www.scorptec.com.au/product/hard-drives-&-ssds/ssd-m… is better for the ssd.

      for the price you are better off with a 5600g - https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B092L9GF5N

      • Morien on 05/12/2022 - 18:44
        +2

        Is AMD an option for hardware decoding? Intel Quicksync seems to be the transcoding darling from what I see.

    • Typical16-bitEnjoyer on 05/12/2022 - 16:31

      That case is overkill. Get a cheaper quality tower.

      What software are you going to run? Highly recommend UnRaid which means you'll need a quality USB stick.

      • Morien on 05/12/2022 - 18:45

        Yeah, I'm now considering the Antec p101 or other alternatives.

        Straightforward Ubuntu Server with Plex installed.

    • 7ekn00 on 05/12/2022 - 16:48

      If transcoding, can't beat 5600G + cheap mobo + cheap RAM and you are set ;)

      • Morien on 05/12/2022 - 18:47

        Evidently I'll need to look more into AMD transcoding options.

        Thanks

        • 3v3rqu357 on 05/12/2022 - 19:34

          Be aware AMD will be a software based decode with Plex rather than hardware accellerated.

          https://support.plex.tv/articles/115002178853-using-hardware…
          https://www.reddit.com/r/unRAID/comments/qhuxmc/do_ryzen_apu…

          I own a ryzen and am no intel fanboy :), but it's not for my Plex box.

        • Typical16-bitEnjoyer on 05/12/2022 - 20:17

          Just stick with the highest passmark CPU you can afford. I've always preferred software decode as it just works.

        • Riczter on 05/12/2022 - 22:24

          I disagree, I've been researching this myself and the general consensus from the Plex reddit page and similar sources seems to be that the intel chips with quicksync are significantly better and way more efficient than software transcoding on AMD.

          I also recommend a NVMe SSD rather than a SATA SSD. Wont make a huge difference, but the drive will be hosting your transcode data (unless you use a ramdisk) and all your metadata, as well as running the OS, so there can be noticeable benefit from a speedy drive, depending on what OS you use. Though i am assuming based on the specs you are looking at that this is for a multiple user plex server. If its just for a single user then its probably fine.

          • 7ekn00 on 06/12/2022 - 10:28

            @Riczter: QuickSync will jam up with just two transcode streams (not just decode) :/

            QuickSync transcode is fine for a very low use server, anything else, software works far better - my 5600G handles up to 6 x 4k transcodes concurrently (and yes, I tried QuickSync after reading all the "rar rar quicksync" crap!)

            • Riczter on 06/12/2022 - 14:13

              @7ekn00: That’s not true (depending on what version of quicksync you are referring to). A modern 10/11/12 Gen Intel cpu should be able to do many 4K transcodes without breaking a sweat and at a fraction of the power use.

              If your experience with quicksync has been different to the vast majority of everyone else using it, you shouldn’t assume quicksync is bad, you should assume that you have done something incorrectly

    • TightLikeThisx on 05/12/2022 - 16:59
      +1

      Check whether the codecs you want to watch are supported by your CPU:
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_Quick_Sync_Video.

      Consider using the zfs filesystem and mirroring your boot drives so that if one dies you are fine.

      Consider adding a HBA to the mix it will let you add drives as you go. This gives you lots of options for expansion down the path by adding a SAS expander or External SAS so you use an external enclosure for internal speeds.
      https://youtu.be/qccpopxc_Uos

      Consider getting a better quality power supply. Ideally you don't want to split sata power connectors. If you can sort out the airflow with a more powerful PSU and a HBA you will be able to jam some extra 2.5" SSD's into the case if you want.

    • kekw on 05/12/2022 - 17:13

      if is just direct play or no concurrent transcoding then a pre-owned usff on ebay for less than $200 is the way to go. Keep the rest of your budget for external storage.

    • Kaz0551 on 05/12/2022 - 17:39

      Mines a 2nd hand m9 tiny

    • 3v3rqu357 on 05/12/2022 - 18:35
      +2

      Like most your choices (though I have no experience with that case specifically). I had previously gone the NAS route for plex and have switched to my own box.

      It depends on if you see yourself doing transcoding. I didn't, and then had to switch. IMO with NAS's and plex if you want transcoding support you have to be careful on the model you buy. Plex have a big spreadsheet. Then end up spending a fair amount more to achieve the same amount of raw CPU power anyways, as most of the lower end intel based NAS units are running celerons much slower than repurposed i5 4570 that my plex box is running on

      two points:

      • see that case for $160 https://www.ple.com.au/Products/648684/fractal-design-node-8… , if you are in or can get it shipped from WA?

      • (potential over-future proofing) - may want to consider AV1 decode, though would be a bump up in cost in CPU and MB. Intel Quicksync from 11th gen onwards supports. As there is no 11th gen i3, maybe a 12th gen i3 like a 12100? Not that plex yet supports it, so it's a bit of guesswork. however the codec has a lot of support going forward by all my reading.

      • Morien on 05/12/2022 - 18:49

        Great advice. Thanks!

    • FoxJump on 05/12/2022 - 19:34

      where do people get all the movie content to host on their plex servers from?

      • randomusername2017 on 05/12/2022 - 19:49

        They digitize their old VHS home movies.

        • FoxJump on 05/12/2022 - 20:18

          I have personally done this.
          yet. i have zero desire in viewing all that content.

          The past is a curiosity but not entertaining

      • Typical16-bitEnjoyer on 05/12/2022 - 20:14

        Shhhhhhhhh

        • FoxJump on 05/12/2022 - 20:19

          :)
          Personally, i have 3tb of photos, digitized home videos etc.

          I .. really don't see how any one could amass, say 20TB of content without doing anything illegal, or perhaps, legal as they may have purchased BR/DVD and ripped them for archival purposes.

    • Sk2018 on 05/12/2022 - 19:36

      Hi Morien,

      I would strongly suggest you consider NVIDIA Shield Media Player. Its an Android based Media player and supports all sorts of video/audio formats (4K Atmos etc.). Get a good SSD 1TB or something and plug it in to NVIDIA Player.

      Install Plex Server and Client both on NVIDIA Shield and you are ready to go.

      Media Player $298 (Check Amazon)
      SSD 1 TB Approx $150

      That's it!!!

      I have just setup mine last week and works like a charm! Even when you put Media Player on Sleep the plex server continues to work brilliantly on other devices….

      • Morien on 05/12/2022 - 20:50

        Hey mate. I already have all of the media player hardware, and I already have all of the storage. Server will be so that I don't have to have a bunch of drives dangling off usb hubs. Thanks for your input, though

    • bargaino on 05/12/2022 - 21:10

      Seems like a lot of trouble. I just used an old laptop with broken screen.
      6th gen i3, just manages to transcode for remote watching, but mostly serves locally so no transcode needed.
      Am I missing anything by using such an old box?

      • juzza87 on 05/12/2022 - 21:20

        ✔️ Quicksync
        ✔️ Energy efficient notebook CPU
        ✔️ Built in UPS battery
        ✔️ Compact form factor

        Only thing I could fault is if you wanted to stick lots of 3.5" shucked hard drives into it, you'd want a reliable enclosure with cooling.

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