# Energy efficient Plex Media Server **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussions\ **Created:** [December 18, 2017, 3:37am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/energy-efficient-plex-media-server/218016 "2017-12-18T03:37:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![RichSPK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@RichSPK](https://forums.plex.tv/u/RichSPK)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2017, 3:37am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/energy-efficient-plex-media-server/218016/1 "2017-12-18T03:37:25Z")
I’ve been running my PMS on a circa-2006 Dell Precision 490 workstation for years. It’s been great, but I’d like to move to something more energy efficient. My first thought was a NAS, but those are more expensive than I’d like, and most don’t have a lot of computing power for transcoding. Someone suggested an Intel NUC to me, and that seems like a good idea, but I specced out a 7th-gen i5-powered NUC with memory and a hard drive and it came out to around $800. That’s no cheaper than a good NAS. Would I be happy with an older and/or slower NUC? Are there other options I should consider? Also, with a NUC hooked up to my TV, Steam gaming becomes tempting. Is anyone gaming on a NUC while PMS is running? Is that a satisfying experience? If gaming isn’t in the picture, I’d probably run a NUC on Linux. ---
**Author:** ![TheMovieContinuum](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/themoviecontinuum/32/244834_2.png) [@TheMovieContinuum](https://forums.plex.tv/u/TheMovieContinuum)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2017, 4:21am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/energy-efficient-plex-media-server/218016/2 "2017-12-18T04:21:50Z")
The funny thing is the more powerful the processor, the more energy you will be using. So a high-end NAS that can transcode and basically act like a server… will not be close to the efficiency of a lower-end NAS. What I do is a compromise: I run an energy-hog server only when I need the horsepower. I sync all the files to a NAS which is on 24/7 (but has very limited processing power). Because my movies are created/coded in a universal MP4 format… there is never a need for transcoding when on the same network - I can watch on any device with no alterations necessary. For remote viewing, like if I go on vacation or something… I leave the server on and use it instead as it can transcode as needed. So I never really worry about burning 500+ watts all the time with a server… I think my Ready-NAS only uses 100 watts at most when in use, and 5 watts when not lol. Your mileage may vary… ---
**Author:** ![sremick](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/sremick/32/4480_2.png) [@sremick](https://forums.plex.tv/u/sremick)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2017, 8:35pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/energy-efficient-plex-media-server/218016/3 "2017-12-19T20:35:15Z")
It’s not a given. My NAS has more than enough horsepower to transcode multiple streams at once and only draws 35W idle despite having 6 hard drives. It’s on 24/7. If you depend on transcoding, you shouldn’t be using the computer for anything else, especially something low-end like a NUC. ---
**Author:** ![RichSPK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@RichSPK](https://forums.plex.tv/u/RichSPK)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2017, 11:14pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/energy-efficient-plex-media-server/218016/4 "2017-12-31T23:14:12Z")
> @sremick said: > If you depend on transcoding, you shouldn’t be using the computer for anything else, especially something low-end like a NUC. That’s a good thought, but I live alone, so it’s unlikely my hypothetical NUC would ever be transcoding and gaming at the same time. ---
**Author:** ![edddeduck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/da6949/32.png) [@edddeduck](https://forums.plex.tv/u/edddeduck)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2018, 4:14pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/energy-efficient-plex-media-server/218016/5 "2018-01-06T16:14:01Z")
> @TheMovieContinuum said: > The funny thing is the more powerful the processor, the more energy you will be using. So a high-end NAS that can transcode and basically act like a server… will not be close to the efficiency of a lower-end NAS. What I do is a compromise: I run an energy-hog server only when I need the horsepower. I sync all the files to a NAS which is on 24/7 (but has very limited processing power). Because my movies are created/coded in a universal MP4 format… there is never a need for transcoding when on the same network - I can watch on any device with no alterations necessary. For remote viewing, like if I go on vacation or something… I leave the server on and use it instead as it can transcode as needed. So I never really worry about burning 500+ watts all the time with a server… I think my Ready-NAS only uses 100 watts at most when in use, and 5 watts when not lol. Your mileage may vary… I have an 8 drive QNAP with an i7 CPU even when transcoding 4 or 5 streams I don’t see the power usage go over 100W by much and most of the time it idles much lower (it runs more than just Plex). 500w+ 24/7 is more than my entire house usage by over 100 Watts. 😃 That’s crazily inefficient so I can see why you don’t run that 24/7. ---
**Author:** ![jjrjr1](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/jjrjr1/32/10993_2.png) [@jjrjr1](https://forums.plex.tv/u/jjrjr1)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2018, 4:24pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/energy-efficient-plex-media-server/218016/6 "2018-01-06T16:24:24Z")
Don’t know about a NUC. But I use a Lenovo i7 passmark around 7k. At idle it uses 5 watts. When fully loaded transcoding is uses 30 watts. Nothing I have seen does much better… Also I use USB connected drives as they use MUCH less power than a NAS and MUCH cheaper with NO loss of performance. ---
**Author:** ![Ranieri\_e\_Nicole](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/ranieri_e_nicole/32/95157_2.png) [@Ranieri\_e\_Nicole](https://forums.plex.tv/u/Ranieri_e_Nicole)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 1:02am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/energy-efficient-plex-media-server/218016/7 "2018-11-02T01:02:35Z")
What model of PC do your exactly use? And how manu esternalizzazione driver do your have? May i do the same with 6 drives (3.5 inch each). Thanks ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/plex/original/3X/2/a/2acb9765406f63293d357b4ec509ec39aa28f2ad.png) [@system](https://forums.plex.tv/u/system)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2020, 12:17am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/energy-efficient-plex-media-server/218016/8 "2020-01-08T00:17:40Z")