Looking to build a dedicated plex NAS and am wondering if anyone has a link to a good guide or minimum specs I need to stream and transcode 1080p files with 4k in mind in the future.
Or would buying a ready NAS like a Synology be a better route?
According to this article you need around 2000 Passmark to transcode 1080p content.
You should definitely ready about hardware transcoding preview it will be game changer.
Now 4k is more challenging to transcode. My MacMini with over 8k passmark was at it’s limits during transcoding to iPhone.
The question of hardware has no proper answer. Both solutions have pros and cons.
I have PMS on MacMini and Nas serving media. For me much better solution then 2in1 but then again, that’s my personal opinion.
Maybe good option is to wait and see which Nas models will support hardware transcoding.
P.S. Love your avatar.
You can see my sig for a combo NAS+PMS solution with a lot of transcoding power. However 4K is another matter. I advise avoiding trying to transcode 4K and instead keeping a separate 4K library with pre-transcoded 4K video that can directplay to your 4K client, then separate 1080p editions of the same content for everyone else.
@sremick said:
You can see my sig for a combo NAS+PMS solution with a lot of transcoding power.
I build a very similar server!
Love the Fractal Design Node 304 case. So perfect for a home server even though it is a little tight.
- Intel Core i7-6700 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (Passmark: 10032)
- Gigabyte GA-Z170N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard
- Scythe Kotetsu 79.0 CFM CPU Cooler
- Sandisk Z400s 256GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive
- Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory
- SeaSonic 350W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply
- Western Digital Red 3TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive (3x)
If your content is in the right format you won’t need to transcode.
@interconnect said:
If your content is in the right format you won’t need to transcode.
& you don’t want to serve media outside your home. In this case the feeblest NAS is sufficient. I am currently using a 4TB Seagate Personal Cloud NAS as server & for clients either a Amazon Fire TV 4K or Roku 3 & it all works perfectly. It’s a myth that you need to spend a fortune on an enormous server to enjoy Plex.
Agreed. A little bit of foresight in getting your media in the right format goes a long way and makes for a better overall experience. My media almost never transcodes. Best combination is mkv container, with h264/x264 during codec at level 4.1 and DD or DTS audio.
