Best/cheapest solution for Plex server and storage

mushtafa

mushtafa

mushtafa

Soldato
Joined
17 May 2013
Posts
2,943
Location
West Sussex, UK
I'm moving next month hopefully, and due to a downsize, I need to lose the PC.

When the PC does go, I need to find a solution for storage and Plex services.

I always wanted a Gen8, but the prices have almost doubled in the last year or two.

Is a Microserver the way to go, or are there cheaper NAS boxes that will work? Will the older Microservers be OK?
 
The number one question, as always with Plex servers, is do you need to transcode?

If no, you can run Plex on a Raspberry Pi ... if yes then you need more processing power.
 
xb8browney said:
I've just started using a plex server, I went with a refurbished office SFF 6th Gen I5 system for £150 and it works fine for the 2160p rips.
Click to expand...

Can this be set up so it can be maintained and updated remotely, so no need for keyboard/mouse/monitor etc?
 
I run mine on a Ubuntu Server VM which is hosted on my Gen 8 Microserver. If I need the Plex GUI for anything I just browse to its IP address otherwise I just use putty to connect and do any updates etc.
 
Thanks, think I need to do a lot more resource.

I want something that I can stick in a cupboard and forget about. Low power consumption at idle would also be nice.
It would only be used for Plex and data backup (pics etc)
 
I run my plex server on a hetzner cloud vbox and use Google G Suite Business for data storage. Playback via an rPi client under the tv.
Small monthly rental outlay, no hardware cost, no electricity, pretty sure Google will make a better job of backing up my data than I will.
 
you cant put a transcoding server in the cupboard, anything more than a few watts will need ventilation.
If your going to host on premise and need transcoding, and want quiet , then you will struggle to beat a byo desktop class solution in a nice big case with 140mm fans for silent running (if comfortable with BYO).
this design is best suited if you can backup to another storage/offsite, then you may not need raid in desktop class device with all its technical complexity - if you can stomach some downtime in the event of a catastrophic failure.

NAS solutions are expensive, noiser (small fans), less powerful for transcoding so only suited if not happy to BYO but are better suited if you need a raided solution.

If you need to transcode more than 2 streams concurrently then look into how many transoding streams the plex/gpu combination can support. may need a beefier cpu/multiple gpus...at the lower end (numbers of streams and resolution) an intel cpu alone with quicksync (without discrete gpu) will suffice.
 
Last edited:
As this has received a bump despite being weeks old, allow me to second the Hetzner option. Silent/low power: VPS + GDrive + Plex client of choice. I’ll include a shameless plug for PGBlitz (formerly Plexguide). It’ll cost you a few quid each month, probably not much more than powering a Gen8 + drives, but you get unlimited storage and vastly quicker connectivity and lower up-front costs.

If you want local, a cheap ITX intel setup with iGPU will be small/quiet, i’d still use GDrive though, as long as you don’t have awful connectivity it’s a no brainier.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom