Need recomendation/build for a dedicated Jellyfin server for a complete beginner!

Hostile_18

Hostile_18

Hostile_18

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Hi all.

I recently got into using Jellyfin, rather than play files directly off my PC and cast them to different TV's around the house. After a steep learning curve I have it setup great, but the idea of having my main PC on 24/7 isnt a great idea (with RGB fans, Power use etc), so was looking at all the different options. Honestly I'm over whelmed from Pre built NAS, to Intel Nucs, to just building a second PC just for this purpose. I've got two 4tb Sata SSD's + 2tb Sata SSD used for media that can be moved over to this new build, but if I went to one that only had room for one Sata SSD I could buy another 4Tb Nvme and have the similar storage. I generally prefer SSD storage as I'd like a very quiet/silent machine if its on 24/7.

Can someone help me in very basic terms what I'd need. Flexible budget upto around £500? Exlusively for a Jellyfin media server, primarily in my house but a nice extra would be outside the house. All my files are x265 including 4k Encodes (No Remuxs) going primarilty to new LG Oled TV's. Most streams at once will likely be two. Something sleek/adult that would fit in a home theater room, but if everything pointed going to traditional hard drives (even though I have the SSD's I could put it in the back room). Something really easy to use above all else, as you can probably tell I'm a complete beginner (can build PCs etc though).

Thanks for your help. There was just too much to research from compatability, form factors and what would be suitable for my needs etc. I know I'd of been researching days!
 
Thank you both, I'll look into all the suggestions now!

Seems like an Intel CPU is recommended of some kind. The N100 processor is meant to be good at this task and super low power. Only one motherboard in the UK though (Asrock) and it only has two Sata ports, one NVMe. So would perhaps have to add an Sata adaparer on thr Nvme slot. Perhaps a step up would give me more motherboard options and not too much of a higher power draw.
 
Ch3m1c4L said:
Yep Intel is recommended due to the igp encoding support and performance, for plex at least, so I assume the same in jellyfin. For your case, direct play and no transcoding, I imagine literally anything would be fine, but price wise, there isn't much in it between a an n100 and a low-mid range u or p cpu, which is a million times better at everything else, or if it does need to encode anything in the future.
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Thank you!

So Intel narrows it down. The N100 is like 6w so that's appealing, but I suppose when it's such low numbers it doesn't really matter too much.

So my three options (as I understand it are)

1: New PC build focusing on low power and storage.

2: Mini PC with a SSD/HHD Multi Tray Enclosure.

3: A dedicated NAS.

I've researched then all. What puts me off the NAS's is the cpu/Ram that comes with it seems super weak? But then I though it must be fit for purpose if the NAS has one job etc.

Kind of leaving towards option 2. As I'm worried if I go option 1 I might end up with a system that draws power similar to my main rig minus the 4090, which wouldn't be ideal if its on 24/7. The NAS looks a bit more complicated... people throw in a lot of words I dont understand when I've looked at it lol, think id be googling every step of the way lol.
 
Armageus said:
4. Cheap Mini PC + Very Cheap NAS (don't worry about CPU/RAM as the Mini PC can pick up the processing slack)
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Forgive my ignorance on this subject, but isn't that the worst of both worlds? Wouldn't it be better to get a Micro PC and a storage enclosure? Like this;



OR a NAS that can do both in one? If I did option 4 would i just be paying for something I wouldn't be using? (The NAS CPU, RAM etc). Also would a very cheap NAS not be very good at doing what I need it to do? If corners cut etc.

Sorry I'm out of my depth lol.
 
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Armageus said:
But those type of things cost almost as much as a "proper" NAS, and are connected by USB which isn't necessarily reliable (especially if you throw in options such as wanting RAID5/Unraid to maximise reliablity/space)




But then you unfortunately get sucked into the trap of either having to move further up the NAS vendors' product line to get an appropriate CPU/RAM/Features as they always segment them in annoying ways. (Or the other option of having to build something that meets your requirements, but is compromised in other ways e.g. aesthetics, noise, power consumption, cost)



But if it's a basic underpowered NAS that only has to do one thing well (i.e. serve files), it could be anything (whether that's a cheaper, lower spec Synology/QNAP/Asustor, or even an old 2nd hand HP Microserver).
You can then upgrade the two parts separately e.g. need more processing power, just chuck another micro PC into your docker cluster or whatever (without affecting your storage at all).
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Makes sense thank you. And I take it this option is probably better than just building a DIY computer from scratch? Where I probably wouldn't get good enough low levels power use for 24/7 use.

I think it may balloon the budget. With a decent microcomputer been £200 and a entry level NAS been about £500? (Not sure I want to spend hundreds on a one or two drive unit).

The other solution I've seen is get a Microcomputer with 3 storage bays (be that a mixture of NVME or 2.5 Sata SSD). That will take me to a decent 12tb that would suffice for my needs. Hmm I've got some googling to do lol.
 
Armageus said:
Decent Micro PC - Dell Optiplex 3060 Micro (i5-8500T/8GB RAM/256GB SSD) - used ~£125
Decent Entry Level NAS - Asustor DriveStor 4 AS1104T - 4 Bay - 2.5GB ~ new £255
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Micro PC wise there's a lot of good new options from Beelink et al. So not too worried there. I Googled the NAS and the tech power up review opened quite harshly lol

"To lower the price, Asustor installed half the RAM, 1 GB of DDR4, and there are no drive caddies, so you cannot remove or install any drives on the fly without the top and side cover removed. Like the Pro model, the plain Drivestor 4 supports PLEX, but it will have a tough time transcoding high bit-rate or high-resolution media. With only 1 GB of RAM and without an iGPU, this makes total sense"

Seems strange to me why these really expensive NASs have so weak CPUs and like 1gb ram in 2023. Unless its a different costs in this market.

Edit: Oh wait this wouldn't matter if the Mini PC does the work?
 
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Thank you for all that information! Last question I'd you don't mind haha. Considering all the NAS parts I'll be bypassing using a mini PC when looking at other NAS models what should I be looking for/focusing on performance or spec wise that will affect me? :)
 
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Thank you for everyones information, very informative!

I have finally ordered one. I've got a "LincStation: World's 1st Unraid 6-bay All SSD NAS" coming. Thry just started shipping last week. Suits my needs perfectly and a great price for being an early backer £240. I can fit my 2x 4tb Crucial MX's in straight away and add 4x 4tb Nvmes as and when I need them. Completely silent in the living room and super low power to be on 24/7.

If for what ever reason I need to add a mini PC on top, thats not a problem either! :D
 
Ch3m1c4L said:
That looks like a perfect solution for your needs and the fact you already have ssd's.
Had I known it existed, I'd have recommended it lol.
May well be in the future once ssd pricing is reasonable for 10's of TBs I move over to similar and then use a network file system to cluster several together. God I love how small compute can be now compared to ten, let alone 20, years ago.
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100%. I just love the complete silence and low footprint... I think my 4090 Evo XL Gaming PC idles at about 180w, so this at 10w or what ever is so much better. Quite excited what the future revisions will look like of this as well, with the price point being so accessible. It will be a learning curve now with Unraid and how I organise the SSDs. That said tempted to just have them all as I would in a PC and use Backblaze as a fail safe.
 
Ch3m1c4L said:
If the data isn't critical, no real reason to have a parity drive, with relatively few ssd's vs many hdd's, when you've got online backup too. But, restoring from BB can be a pain, you get a zip, then have to extract, so need double the space free of whatever you restore.
But for copies of movies it's a bit of a non issue. Family photos and business stuff, is a bit different, but if that's only a few-couple hundred gb can literally just have an extra copy on a second drive rather than a full 4tb ssd for parity :)
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Yeah I think losing a drive would be a pain no matter what lol. If I back up a 4tb drive does that mean Id have to unzip it on a 8tb drive... yikes! lol. TBH i think its really unlikely a drive will fail when the content is going to be stationary for the majority of its life. I'm more worried about my tv shows. While I have the discs, I sometimes source from all over the world for the best picture, plus the work catogorising it and adding art etc etc. Just that peace of mind I wouldnt have to go through all that again. I also have a stance on Disney+ shows that don't have home media, but I won't go into that here lol.

One day they will all get replaced with 8tb drives no doubt, if prices keep going in this direction. :)
 
I've got a technical question if someone can help a beginner lol;

If my PC has one 2.5gbe connection, the NAS has one 2.5gbe connection and my Internet modem has one 2.5gbe connection (my Internet speed is 1 gigabit) which device should I be plugging into the 2.5gbe connection on the modem, the NAS or PC for the fastest speed when transferring files from the PC to the NAS? Do I need to buy some kind of splitter to connect both devices to the 2.5gbe port on the modem? Sorry for the daft question just starting out, not even sure if Internet speed will affect transferring files from one local device to another like this.
 
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