Nas/Media Server

Nevakonaza · 2 Aug 2025 at 02:09

Hey,

Been thinking for a while about building a Nas/Media server to digitise my DVD/Blu-ray collection, As we know disks don't last forever with diskrot and general wear/tear!

Now I'm unsure which route to really go down, Do i build a NAS with 3x 2TB drives and then use the app Plex to stream to the TV,

OR

Do i build a HTPC,With the same amount of storage, But with a Dedicated low profile GPU and connect straight to the TV.

Either method i was thinking of a Small form factor and a build that wont cost the earth.

These sort of specs -

Ryzen 3500 6 Core (Or intel equiv)
JGINYUE AMD B550 AM4
Intel Arc A310 4GB Low Profile
3x Seagate 2TB Barracuda HDD 7200RPM 256MB Cache

Is it important to have a dedicated GPU for a media server for Transcoding? Or will recent modern AMD or intel integrated graphics do the job fine?

Jimbo · 2 Aug 2025 at 04:19

I use Unraid in my little server I built. It has a GPU in it but it doesn't need to be used as it streams my movies flawlessly over my WiFi. I was using it without a GPU at all in there and was perfect. Spec wise is a cheap Asus B550 motherboard a Ryzen 3700X and 16 gig Corsair and 3 or 4 HDD biggest about 5TB and a 1TB SSD. Runs off a thumb drive in usb port. Works great.

ED209 · 2 Aug 2025 at 08:32

I turned my old PC in to a Plex server, specs are below and it has no dedicated GPU (using the on board Intel IGPU)

9700K (8 core 8 Thread processor)
32GB of ram
Gigabyte Z390 Motherboard.
1x 4TB Iorn wolf drive (Media Storage)
1 x 1TB NVME drive (OS)

Every now and then its also a Minecraft server for my son and his friends to play on which is why it has 32GB Ram. Connected via Ethernet cable and no issues at all but my Plex content is normally 1080P

I use Plex to stream to my TVs (All LG models), phones and 1 tablet (not all at the same time but at different points throughout the day)

Nevakonaza · 3 Aug 2025 at 06:34

Jimbo said:
I use Unraid in my little server I built. It has a GPU in it but it doesn't need to be used as it streams my movies flawlessly over my WiFi. I was using it without a GPU at all in there and was perfect. Spec wise is a cheap Asus B550 motherboard a Ryzen 3700X and 16 gig Corsair and 3 or 4 HDD biggest about 5TB and a 1TB SSD. Runs off a thumb drive in usb port. Works great.

Unraid is the one that allows disks of various sized to be combined right? i mean i do have a couple 1TB drives i could use then maybe a couple 2TB drives.

ED209 said:
I turned my old PC in to a Plex server, specs are below and it has no dedicated GPU (using the on board Intel IGPU)

9700K (8 core 8 Thread processor)
32GB of ram
Gigabyte Z390 Motherboard.
1x 4TB Iorn wolf drive (Media Storage)
1 x 1TB NVME drive (OS)

Every now and then its also a Minecraft server for my son and his friends to play on which is why it has 32GB Ram. Connected via Ethernet cable and no issues at all but my Plex content is normally 1080P

I use Plex to stream to my TVs (All LG models), phones and 1 tablet (not all at the same time but at different points throughout the day)

Interesting, i might do a "test run" system just built up caseless, As i do have an AM4 board and a Ryzen 1400,Just as a test might see how that goes.

alfalavala · 7 Aug 2025 at 07:45

You might want to try out Jellyfin instead of plex. Plex is nice but they push the plex pass and more and more features are behind the subscription now. Whereas Jellyfin does everything and is free.

The key items, in my opinion, that require plex pass are hardware transcoding, and mobile sync.

Semple · 7 Aug 2025 at 07:59

Depends whether running costs are a concern. It might be cheaper to build/reuse old PC components but they're absolutely more expensive to run than something that is purpose built as a nas meant for running 24/7.

JollyJamma · 7 Aug 2025 at 10:33

Semple said:
Depends whether running costs are a concern. It might be cheaper to build/reuse old PC components but they're absolutely more expensive to run than something that is purpose built as a nas meant for running 24/7.

I mean that is a factor but I don't think that most people will stress too much about the running costs of an old system as a whole but I suppose it really depends.

My biggest factors with using old hardware is the fact that old consumer drives aren't designed to be run as NAS storage and there are certain data storage features that may be very much necessary at keeping data valid (such as using ECC RAM or a proper RAID card for a RAID array to add proper redundancy).

My old gaming rig is a AMD 5700X with 32gigs of RAM and an RX 580 8gig and I want to turn it into a NAS with a RAID card, 4 enterprise refurbish drives and running HexOS.

I have a Mac Mini which is now my main work machine and am very happy with it running things I need now (Docker with Immich and FreshRSS) but I'd like to move that to the NAS and just underclock the CPU and GPU to reduce the wattage.

Yes, running a Snapdragon X CPU or Apple Mac silicon would be far more efficient in running costs but I'd rather spend the money on electricity to make sure that my data is properly backed up.

spile · 8 Aug 2025 at 06:54

I’ve just upgraded my ten year old 2 bay Qnap to a 4 bay Qnap. It has been so solid I decided to keep it as a dedicated NVR.

Bluecube · 8 Aug 2025 at 07:29

JollyJamma said:
My biggest factors with using old hardware is the fact that old consumer drives aren't designed to be run as NAS storage and there are certain data storage features that may be very much necessary at keeping data valid (such as using ECC RAM or a proper RAID card for a RAID array to add proper redundancy).

My old gaming rig is a AMD 5700X with 32gigs of RAM and an RX 580 8gig and I want to turn it into a NAS with a RAID card, 4 enterprise refurbish drives and running HexOS.

This is a massive overspec for a basic NAS though nothing wrong with that. I’d lose the graphics card and run a headless Unraid setup. That would also let you get rid of the RAID card (needlessly complicates things) as Unraid uses a parity drive to maintain data integrity. At this level there’s little need for ECC RAM either. Same with refurbished enterprise drives which can be noisy. Have a look at WD Red drives but you’ll likely be fine with any hard drive for your needs.

hornetstinger · 8 Aug 2025 at 07:34

Bluecube said:
This is a massive overspec for a basic NAS though nothing wrong with that. I’d lose the graphics card and run a headless Unraid setup. That would also let you get rid of the RAID card (needlessly complicates things) as Unraid uses a parity drive to maintain data integrity. At this level there’s little need for ECC RAM either. Same with refurbished enterprise drives which can be noisy. Have a look at WD Red drives but you’ll likely be fine with any hard drive for your needs.

yeah that is OTT, high power consumption heat etc. I raspberry Pi5 will be plenty, and only use 10W or something like that. Not sure how you'd have multiple drives on a Pi5 though, I'd want it to have 2/4 sata ports or something.

JollyJamma · 8 Aug 2025 at 09:34

Bluecube said:
This is a massive overspec for a basic NAS though nothing wrong with that. I’d lose the graphics card and run a headless Unraid setup. That would also let you get rid of the RAID card (needlessly complicates things) as Unraid uses a parity drive to maintain data integrity. At this level there’s little need for ECC RAM either. Same with refurbished enterprise drives which can be noisy. Have a look at WD Red drives but you’ll likely be fine with any hard drive for your needs.

Appreciate your help.

I do already have a HexOS key (I bought during the first round of early access so it cost me £85 IIRC) and will proceed with using that for now.

I do hear you on the noisy drive issue and will look into it. I see WD Red are no longer SMR and have moved to CMR which is great.

Skilid · 8 Aug 2025 at 09:40

I built an Unraid box for £300 (minus HDDs) with all brand new parts. It used a Pentium Gold, 8GB RAM, & 500GB Sata SSD for cache. Ran like a clock, even with Plex transcodes on the iGPU, it was more than enough. I've since upgraded the CPU to something beefier as I'm expanding what I'm using it for. Unraid can have a bit of a learning curve, and licence costs have increased since I purchased, but it's a great way to get a custom NAS up and running on low end hardware. If you go down this route, I recommend Intel over AMD. Better power cosumption and the iGPU works flawlessly with Plex. No discreet GPU required. Never used Jellyfin myself, but heard good things.

InkZ · 14 Aug 2025 at 10:51

I have a mini ITX build and use Unraid. Unraid is amazing, definately worth the cost.