HTPC upgrade necessary (4K not smooth)

General Discussions Hardware
1

Hello,

Current setup:

  • PC which runs Plex Server. It is connected via (1Gbps) LAN.
  • AppleTV HD wich is connected via LAN. HDMI to my TV (HD, no 4K)

PC specs:

  • ASUS ROG Strix B450-F Gaming
  • AMD Ryzen 3 2200G
  • 2x8GB Corsair 3200Mhz DDR4
  • OS is installed on SSD
  • 4K video is located on classic drive (WD Ultrastar)
  • NO (!) video card installed since the PC acts as NAS. It runs Windows 10 and is solely used for Plex. It has an onboard video controller.

Problem I’m having: when playing a 4K video, it’s all but smooth.

Quick solution (I guess) is to upgrade the Ryzen 3 to a motherboard compatible 7 or 9.

OR …

Should I add a (good) graphics card that can do the transcoding?

I have a Plex Pass, so I can activate the “hardware acceleration”.

Which one would be the better solution?

Any thoughts are welcome.

Best regards,

2

Replace the ATV with a Shield Pro or ATV 4K.
Probably the cheapest solution.

3

Even the Shield Tube will do 4K direct play over a 1G LAN.

4

The tube will fail miserably with files of higher bandwidth, like UHD Bluray remuxes.

5

Can confirm, do not skimp out and get the Pro version vs the Tube. The extra 1GB of RAM gives you not only a better Plex experience, but a better experience using the damn thing in general.