Major Plex Server Build for up to 15 Streams.

Hello,
This is my first build for a Plex server. It will need to be capable of streaming 15 streams either in 720 or 1080p.

To reduce the amount of transcoding all the video files have already been converted to mp4.

This is my configuration …

Server: Intel Core i7-5960X 3.0GHz 8-Core Processor
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-X99-SLI ATX LGA2011-3
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-3200
Network: 1 Gbps, with 250 Mbps guaranteed
Hard Drive: 2 x 8 TB, no RAID
OS: Ubuntu Desktop 12.04 “Precise Pangolin” LTS + x2go

Total price for the build is Total (5 / 8 Items): $1460.66

I will be using the Ubuntu Desktop OS because it makes installing the Plex software much easier than a headless server.

As for how many people it can handle …

It depends how the video is encoded (specifically its bitrate), but generally these are the bandwidth requirements …

720p = 2 - 5 Mbps = 125 - 50 streaming videos at one time
1080p = 5 - 10 Mbps = 50 - 25 streaming videos at one time

This is the theoretical limit of bandwidth, Also, if not serving MP4s then the server will have to transcode the video on the fly to MP4, so that the client can play it properly (since most clients only support MP4 natively). I will also have to transcode if the client is requesting the video in a lower resolution than it was encoded in (like a mobile phone requesting a 720p video). This takes up quite a bit of processing power. So the short answer is I don’t know how many people you can support. (FOR SURE)

With that being said all videos have been encoded in MP4.

For Plex specifically, you could do some debugging, like described here:

https://support.plex.tv/hc/en-us/articles/201575036-Why-is-my-video-stream-buffering-

Tail the Plex logs for the transcoding speed, as described in the article, and start playing more and more videos until that number gets down to 1.3. When you hit that, you’ll know the maximum number of video streams you can handle at one time.

I would guess I can support between 12 - 16 streams.

Based on the guide provided by Plex, the cpu should have a mark to support,

720p mark support 1000-1200
1080p mark score support 2000-2500

My processor: AVERAGE CPU MARK - 16000
Aswell my process is a 8 core what is amazing for this server setup.

Intel Core i7-5960X @ 3.00GHz + Compare Average CPU Mark
Cores: 8 (2 logical cores per physical), Max TDP: 140 W

Going off the guide from Plex that should have no problem streaming 13 - 16 S****treams.

If any one has a similar build please advise, similarly anyone that can stream 10 or more at the same time what’s your build ?

I believe there are a few threads about building a server for a high number of streams. Search around a bit, you should find at least one - it might have some good info in it.

I really could not find any builds. That’s a very good option that you have.

I know this is an old thread but just in case anyone’s reading and interested in the subject, those specs are overkill for serving 720P or 1080P MP4 streams. Even transcoding the streams down to serve a mobile phone, the CPU won’t even break a sweat; your limiting factor will be your outbound connection to the Internet, i.e. your upload bandwidth.

You could use a recent model Intel i5 CPU with Quicksync and make use of hardware-accelerated transcoding, this would use less power than a 140W CPU.

I am using a 5960X and an NVIDIA Quadro P2000 in my server, I can easily serve over a dozen 1080p and 4K streams, with transcoding. There’s no perceivable drop in performance, but the Quadro card allows hardware accelerated transcoding. I use Windows 10 Pro simply because I had a licence for it already. Note that you should avoid transcoding 4K HDR content simply because Plex doesn’t map the colours, so everything looks washed out. Whenever possible, I use DirectPlay to send 4K streams to clients which can handle 4K HDR natively (such as Apple TV 4K, Plex client for LG TV, my iPad Pro, etc.)