Plex Server or NAS

[ChrisGTL]

Hi all,

I see there are lots of other threads already in existance but didn't want to jump onto someone elses thread.

I have a Asustor NAS runnig 2 x 4TB (films) in JBOD and 1 x 2TB in Single (music). I also run SABNZB from the NAS which reads my RSS feed and automatically searches/downloads my wish list.

I have PlexServer (PlexPass) on the NAS which streams to 2 nVidia Shields, 1 xbox, 2 laptops, 3 TV's and some mobile phones. All my equipment is behind my VPN as I don't want any open ports.

As my kids get older and can stay up later I am finding we are all trying to watch movies at the same time which causes buffering and slowness generally.

I am a service engineer so often spend time away in hotels - currently I can VPN into my newtwork and stream from the Plex NAS.

I'd like to add more drives to my NAS as I am running out of space which gives me two options. Buy a bigger NAS with more power ready for the 4K era or build my self something which will do all the above.

I enjoy building computers and techy stuff so no problem there. Also, my NAS is sat right behind the sofa in the front room so any replacement would need to be quiet.

Any help/suggestions?

So far I have seen a Synology NAS capable of 4K transcoding for about £2k so anything less than that with more flexability would be great!

p.s - I've got a EVGA G2 750w PSU spare, 16GB DDR3 and Sapphire R9 380 Nitro if that helps!!

 

[shaf]

Hi,

I've recently setup xpenology. It's housed in a fractal design 304 case. Much cheaper than buying a NAS.

I was initially concerned about xpenology not being officially supported software but it's worked well and there is no critical data on there.

Maybe explore this?

 

[MG42Maniac]

I'd get a ITX case and stuff in a new (8th Gen+) Intel CPU that has the new iGPU in it, these are very good for transcoding. I'd either get a basic NAS just for storage or get a larger case and stuff the drives in there.

I am running a Fractal Design Core 500, i7 9700K, 16GB, 500GB NVMe and a Synology DS1618+ with 60TB. Works really well and I don't have any problems what so ever. I could have saved money and got a cheaper CPU but I got a great deal on the 9700K, plus wanted extra grunt if needed. I treated myself to the Synology as I'd never had a NAS and wanted to see what all the fuss was about!

 

[ChrisGTL]

I'd get a ITX case and stuff in a new (8th Gen+) Intel CPU that has the new iGPU in it, these are very good for transcoding. I'd either get a basic NAS just for storage or get a larger case and stuff the drives in there.

I am running a Fractal Design Core 500, i7 9700K, 16GB, 500GB NVMe and a Synology DS1618+ with 60TB. Works really well and I don't have any problems what so ever. I could have saved money and got a cheaper CPU but I got a great deal on the 9700K, plus wanted extra grunt if needed. I treated myself to the Synology as I'd never had a NAS and wanted to see what all the fuss was about!

Oh interesting. So you are running both a server and NAS? The server does all the transcoding/hard work and the NAS just feeds data into the server?

How does this connect up? Server and NAS into the router. Run Plex from the server and just map the drives of the NAS to the server?

 

[MG42Maniac]

Oh interesting. So you are running both a server and NAS? The server does all the transcoding/hard work and the NAS just feeds data into the server?

How does this connect up? Server and NAS into the router. Run Plex from the server and just map the drives of the NAS to the server?

Yeah, my NAS can transcode but it's poor at doing it. I share my library with friends and family and the NAS just lacks the grunt to do it.

Yeah, pretty much that is how it works. All the data movements are internal to the NAS (Downloads -> 4K HDR folder) so it's super fast. Also, if I want to, I can easily add two expansion units for an extra 10 bays, though this is not cheap. You an also get a bunch of applications for the NAS and run all your Plex duties from there. I believe Synology do sell a faster NAS that can do hardware transcoding so more suited to running Plex on it.

 

[GDL]

I've got a i4790K with around 55TB of spindle disk with Plex running inside a VM.
Plex just reads file shares of the host.

Nothing fancy but it works.

 

[Avalon]

Some of the advice offered already is questionable. ITX boards generally contain fewer SATA ports, the cases will hold less storage and frankly it’s just a horrible idea for a server unless you have a specific SFF requirement. Xpenology is nothing more than a hacked Synology OS that has repeatedly broken when updated, why anyone would think it’s a good shout for someone who is working away and can’t easily fix it remotely is beyond me. Unraid is inexpensive and does the same job, but better.

Off the shelf NAS hardware is generally over priced for what it is and under specified, you will get much better performance, expandability and value from building something, you can also choose components that will be quiet if that’s your goal.

Oh and 4K transcoding is pointless - Plex outputs 1080 H264 when transcoding, you would be much, much better off having a 1080 version than trying to transcode down a 4K. Any intel iGPU from the 6th gen onwards is essentially the same in terms of Plex, 7th gen got some HEVC advantages iirc that as of this month may finally be useful on something other than Windows if you like early beta builds.

If it were me, i’d buy a suitable case, use the existing PSU, put a decent cooler on a 7th gen intel CPU with iGPU and run Unraid. This gives you the ability to add additional disks based on whatever is the best £/TB at the time, supports hardware transcoding, dockers, VM usage etc. and can be expanded as your needs grow.

The other option is to run a remote server with unlimited cloud storage, it’s not got the upfront cost to purchase, comes with vastly superior connectivity compared to most homes and has zero noise/power costs. GSuite is about £8/m for unlimited, a modest VPS will set you back a couple of quid and come with up to 10Gb connectivity.