Hi, I currently have a QNAP TS-121 but it has a ARM processor thus not great for Plex(need a quick x86 Intel CPU)… I’m looking at replacing it and wondering what was the most cost effective way.
Options-
Get a PC put it in a cupboard and run Plex Media Server
Get a QNAP TS-251 Turbo (will this be ok for Plex to run effectively?)
Buy a second hand Mac Mini and use it with Plex Media Server
I ideally want just a NAS as it is the right tool for the job, I don’t mind the other options but I’m worried about power consumption and if it will work as well or not having as easy access as a NAS drive would be.
I don’t want to spend more than £300.
Please help I hear so many different opinions and just want a NAS/device that will enable me to watch all my movies on all the devices I choose locally and remotely.
Thanks for taking time to read this and I’d appreciate any comments people have to offer. ( I wish Plex just had a support number!!)
I use a chromebox that’s hacked to run Ubuntu…but it’s essentially a poor man’s Intel NUC. They are cheap, “powerful enough” if you don’t need a lot of transcoding/have a ton of users (and as it’s an i3 it is likely going to serve you far better than most NAS boxes in any price range anywhere close to that), and use almost no power.
Chromebox/NUC running an OS you’re comfortable with and a large USB3 drive (or several of them if you prefer) for the media is pretty cost effective…and totally portable. I unplugged the whole thing, stuck it in my laptop bag, and took it to the beach with me a few weeks ago
(the second hand mac mini would have msot of the same benefits of power usage, size, etc…the real question would come down to “how second hand” and would it have more or less “oomph” than a similarly priced PC?)
Your budget is really going to make this difficult.
There are basically two options: A) build your own unified NAS/PMS so you can run everything on one box and not have to duplicate things, or B) have a dumb low-powered dedicated “off the shelf” NAS appliance in-conjunction with a PMS box running on whatever hardware/OS you’re most-comfortable supporting. A) can be cheaper depending on your ultimate needs, but will require more motivation to learn some things outside of your current repertoire. B) will be the easiest for the average layman but can be cheaper or more-expensive, depending.
My box outline in my sig represents an “A” option that draws 30W idle and has proper hard drive redundancy.
I have a Qnap 1st gen TS-251 (white) with a Celeron pro. It does an okay job as a PMS server but, I noticed the transitions from one chapter to the next. This was not trascoding either.
I put the PMS on my computer with an Intel i3 where it ran much, much better.
I haven’t done a whole lot research on a NAS that would run PMS but I guess It would be in the $750 range to get a NAS with a better pro…I haven’t teased myself with a better NAS now that I know more about them so there may be better options.
I assume one of your better options may be getting some kind of inexpensive PC or laptop.with the best pro in your budget. PMS is CPU is intensive.
Also The more you’re able to do yourself (PC wise) the better. If your’re a novice Free NAS may not be for you. Can you use a Linux OS? If you can that would mean a free OS! For example I use a Lenovo Think Server as a PC. It came without hard drive and OS. I started off with a HD I had and eventually put in a SSD.I think the Lenovo was around $300 or less. My point, as far as PC’s go you have options.
I have been running http://www.freenas.org/ for years now. It’s stable and allows you to run Plex as well as other things. The OS runs on a USB or you can place it on some other solid state drive. You’ll be able to idle the drives containing your actual data if you choose to. It might cost your more than £300 but it would most likely be worth it in the long run as the system would last you for years lowering it’s cost of ownership.
@kfort said:
You’ll be able to idle the drives containing your actual data if you choose to.
+1 for FreeNAS, but do not try to do this. It’s a futile effort that tries to address a non-existent problem by creating several real new ones in the process.
could use ubuntu, which if you are interested in the other pass features works fine, i did have plex on freenas and switched to ubuntu which finding better
