Media server build

[EcstacyOfGold]

My basket at OcUK:

• 1 x Aerocool Integrator 500W 80 Plus Bronze Power Supply (SKU: CA-23M-AE) = £37.99
• 1 x Kolink KLM-003 Micro-ATX Case - Black (SKU: CA-054-KK) = £27.95
• 1 x Crucial P3 PLUS 500GB M.2 2280 PCI-e 4.0 NVMe Solid State Drive (SKU: HD-079-CR) = £33.95
• 1 x Kingston Fury Beast 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 PC4-28800C17 3600MHz Dual Channel Kit (SKU: MY-29A-KS) = £35.99
• 1 x Intel Core i5-12600K 3.70GHz (Alder Lake) Socket LGA1700 Processor - Retail (SKU: CP-69X-IN) = £149.98
• 1 x Thermalright Assassin King 120 SE CPU Air Cooler - 120mm (SKU: COO-TLR-03267) = £17.99

Hello, I am currently picking out parts for a media server, it will use Plex.

I already have a 20TB HDD which is why that is not listed. I have probably gone a bit overkill with the CPU but honestly that is a great price for that CPU and as I don't want to add a GPU for transcode...spending a bit extra on future proofing + Intel 770 iGPU feels very worth it.

I am a bit stuck on motherboards, I did pick out a MSI PRO B760M-P DDR4 (link to MSI website) on another website for £90 but I was worried this MB may have poor VRM/ capabilities that would not allow this CPU to meet full potential, then again if all I am doing is media streaming then will that really matter? Happy to spend a bit more if it means getting the right board.

I also think the fan should fit fine in that case based on dimensions, but a sanity check on that would be great.

Any general advice on this build and thoughts on whether this motherboard is sufficient would be appreciated, thanks!

 

[Tetras]

I am a bit stuck on motherboards, I did pick out a MSI PRO B760M-P DDR4 (link to MSI website) on another website for £90 but I was worried this MB may have poor VRM/ capabilities that would not allow this CPU to meet full potential, then again if all I am doing is media streaming then will that really matter? Happy to spend a bit more if it means getting the right board.

Probably not, no, but personally I'd at least like to see a heatsink on the VRMs.

 

[EcstacyOfGold]

Probably not, no, but personally I'd at least like to see a heatsink on the VRMs.

Thanks, that is a good call out.

I found Gigabyte B760M DS3H AX which might be a better option in that regard. The only thing that is a little off putting here is the extra bells and whistles like WIFI, I will never use it for this build, so feels like fluff that I will just be disabling in BIOS on day 1, I loved the simplicity of the MSI even if it was very budget - but having WIFI is not a deal breaker of course.

I see this one supports DDR5, so I guess I should change my RAM if I land on this one.

 

[hornetstinger]

What exactly is this for? Music, video storage? Plex transcoding? Media playback?

HTPC are really old hat, it's really easiest to use a NAS for storage (or just build a low power PC) with freenas.

Then use audio streamers and video streamers.

I'm using Wiim Ultra audio streamer, with Amlogic Kodi video streamer, with a NAS for video/audio storage.

 

[Tetras]

Thanks, that is a good call out.

I found Gigabyte B760M DS3H AX which might be a better option in that regard. The only thing that is a little off putting here is the extra bells and whistles like WIFI, I will never use it for this build, so feels like fluff that I will just be disabling in BIOS on day 1, I loved the simplicity of the MSI even if it was very budget - but having WIFI is not a deal breaker of course.

I see this one supports DDR5, so I guess I should change my RAM if I land on this one.

That particular board has 2x DP and 1x HDMI too, which is handy.

 

[EcstacyOfGold]

What exactly is this for? Music, video storage? Plex transcoding? Media playback?

HTPC are really old hat, it's really easiest to use a NAS for storage (or just build a low power PC) with freenas.

Then use audio streamers and video streamers.

I'm using Wiim Ultra audio streamer, with Amlogic Kodi video streamer, with a NAS for video/audio storage.

Title of post is "media server build" and first post explicitly mentions Plex, transcode and media streaming. If I was to expand on that I could add that I will want to stream 4K HDR content as a standard and have the ability to transcode multiple streams simultaneously - if that requirement arises. One of my goals here is to take advantage of improved Intel QuickSync in the more modern CPUs, otherwise I would have probably just repurposed my 4770k build for this. I will also stream music and audiobooks but I can't imagine there is a big lift there compared to video.

I definitely appreciate there are more budget/ innovative ways to achieve a "media server" but if I end up spending £400 on this...which seems to be the case right now, that is more or less budget in my eyes for this purpose. This setup also gives me space in the unit to install more 20TB HDDs as needed and it is a simple architecture I am comfortable with.

 

[Wegason]

Yeah you were quite clear. Any reason for a 12600K over something like a 12500 or 12500T? The iGPU is the same and they both run cooler than a K chip, and are cheaper.

 

[EcstacyOfGold]

Yeah you were quite clear. Any reason for a 12600K over something like a 12500 or 12500T? The iGPU is the same and they both run cooler than a K chip, and are cheaper.

Thanks for the recommendations, I think it is mainly because of the discounted price of the 12600K at £150, correct me if I am wrong but it seems very attractive at that price in "well why the heck not" kind of way lol.

I had a Google round and I don't see those CPUs as being quite as available as the K, and when I did find some they didn't seem to be much cheaper, or even in some cases much more expensive.

Do you think there are any downsides to using the K for this purpose?

 

[Tetras]

I had a Google round and I don't see those CPUs as being quite as available as the K, and when I did find some they didn't seem to be much cheaper, or even in some cases much more expensive.

You could get one cheaper second hand, but yeah, the discount never really applied to the 12500/12600 for whatever reason. The 12500/12600 also lack the E-Cores that the 12600K has.

 

[ATIorNvidia]

I wouldn't worry about getting a board with better VRMs/heatsinks if it's just a plex/storage server, especially if it allows you to save money on DDR4. I'd just get a used 12100 which can be had for <£70.

 

[Wegason]

Problem with a 12100 is it does not have the same iGPU as the 12500 and up have, UHD770.

 

[Wegason]

Thanks for the recommendations, I think it is mainly because of the discounted price of the 12600K at £150, correct me if I am wrong but it seems very attractive at that price in "well why the heck not" kind of way lol.

I had a Google round and I don't see those CPUs as being quite as available as the K, and when I did find some they didn't seem to be much cheaper, or even in some cases much more expensive.

Do you think there are any downsides to using the K for this purpose?

K will run hotter but does have E cores. 12500T and 12500 are often available from a certain second hand store that is red and three letters

 

[WARburton]

I wouldn't worry about getting a board with better VRMs/heatsinks if it's just a plex/storage server, especially if it allows you to save money on DDR4. I'd just get a used 12100 which can be had for <£70.

for plex this would be over kill.... go with this

 

[ATIorNvidia]

Problem with a 12100 is it does not have the same iGPU as the 12500 and up have, UHD770.

For Plex transcoding they're functionally identical unless you need to do 10+ 4K streams at once or something.

 

[jigger]

Seems a touch OTT for running Plex. You can literally run a plex server with e-waste.

 

[Lord Alibaski]

Waste of money if it's only for those reasons put your hard drive in a caddy and just search for this

NucBox G3 Plus Mini PC With Intel Twin Lake N150​

 

[smilingcrow]

I'd buy a higher rated PSU than bronze.
I would specifically look for one that has decent efficiency at the low wattage that this will typically use.
Make sure the fan is idle at low loads too if noise is an issue.