GPU HW transcoding on GTX880M?

Plex Media Server Desktops & Laptops
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Server Version#: 1.20.1.3252
Player Version#: Various players, Android TV, Android Mobile, Xbox One, WebOS, OperaTV, LibreELEC…

I have dedicated an old laptop (ASUS G750 with i7, 32GB’s of RAM and a GTX880M GPU) to act as a server.

I’m running Ubuntu 18.04 OS and a Plex server without any issue for years (9 years to be exact, migrated the DB and Library from various hardware in that time). All transcoding is done by the CPU at the time (i do not have a Plex Pass). I must add that i do not have any issue with performance from the CPU (for now), but i would like to spread the “job” of transcoding to the GPU. Storage is network based (multiple NAS devices). Whole library is 1080p and 4K (with some media in HEVC/HDR 10bit).

What kind of performance in GPU transcoding could i expect from that GPU?

I know i could buy the monthly license and test it out (i will do that sure), but wondering if anyone has some experience with that GPU or a similar one from that generation of GTX GPU.

Thankful for any input. :slight_smile:

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That machine won’t do the trick, I’m afraid: https://developer.nvidia.com/video-encode-decode-gpu-support-matrix
No support for H.265. That rules out 4K support.
How many concurrent trancodes it may be able to handle is unknown to me.

In general, the laptop form factor is not a good suit for a Plex server. Mainly because of cooling issues, but also because electronics are often “throttled” in one or the other way to achieve lower power consumption/heat dissipation.

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I appreciate your reply, but the machine does the trick for years now (multiple transcodes of 1080p content with an SSD RAID array inside the enclosure). Running multiple vm’s/containers via Proxmox. The cooling form factor is solved with modification of the laptops enclosure (no need to go deep in the details), BIOS firmware is also modified for the throtling, so no issues with cooling/performance. In general i would agree with your hardware recommendation for other users.

Even without H.265 support for the 4K (CPU is ok with one stream), could the GPU handle H264 (arround 80% of the library)?

Could not find any real-life experience on the forums or reddit. :slight_smile:

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The above linked table says it does support H.264.
I have no real-life experience with the chip, sorry.

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Tnx for the reply. I’ve seen that in the support matrix (tnx for the link), yes.

Well, i guess, i should buy the pass and try it out and report here after the fact. :slight_smile:

I hate to throw good and in many tasks capable hardware. I have a machine with 2070GPU for gaming, and that is next in line to host Plex, after the current hardware setup dies out. :slight_smile:

Thanks again for the reply and assistance. :slight_smile:

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