Hello fellow Plexers,
Currently I run my Plex server off of my desktop computer with Windows Storage Spaces external 8 HDD case connected through USB 3.0
As my collection grows and I’ve started adding more 4K files, I need to step it up and think about scalability and future proofing. So I’m planning to build my own home server system and hook it up directly to my router with ethernet.
My goal is to have a server that is on 24/7, scalable in storage space (i.e. being able to easily add or replace HHD’S) and able to run two concurrent streams, up to 4K HDR.
Budget : 1.000 -1.500 EUR feasible?
It’s my first time building a server, so please be gentle with me 
Here’s what I had in mind:
OS: Unraid. Write speeds are slow but it’s not hardware locked like RAID is and I can hotswap drives and use drives of different sizes. Also, will be using double parity to have some redundancy, although a full backup would be safer.
Case: two options
- Fractal Design 7 XL: closed so I need to open it up to change or add drives, but it’s compact
Define 7 XL — Fractal Design - An actual server rack: any suggestions here?
Motherboard: depends on the rack, but honestly I have no idea what I need to pay attention to aside from having enough SATA ports
CPU. again, no idea which one to get or what to pay attention to
Graphics card: Do I need one for 2 streams? If so, any suggestions?
Ethernet card: any suggestions there? I guess I’d better go with one that can handle cat7 cables to be future proof?
Power? Cooling fans? Other aspects I need to think about?
As you can see I’m literally a novice, so any help or links to Youtube videos so I can educate myself would be greatly appreciated. I’m very excited to learn more and build this project over the course of the year, but I have along road ahead of me.
Thank you in advance for any help you can give me 
