I currently run Plex on my Synology DS918+ NAS, however I do also have a NUC (NUC12WSHi7 Wallstreet Canyon Tall NUC, i7-1260P CPU), currently running Roon in my house. I have been wondering whether I should install ubuntu server on the NUC (so I can run a number of things too, Roon, pihole and a few others) and transfer over the Plex install from the NAS. The NAS would still hold the files. I only access files locally on my network, and only 1 or 2 streams.
Will my experience of using Plex on the NUC be any different than on the NAS?
I have found a vast improvement in running a NAS for storage and mounting it on my Ubuntu PMS that I have running on a NUC w/ an i7. I built the Ubuntu box expressly so I would have a machine that could do HW transcoding. My NASs are homebrew TrueNAS core boxes. I have had family members pulling 3 transcoded streams at a time from the Ubuntu PMS box & the CPU wasn’t even breaking a sweat. The FreeBSD version of TrueNAS has no HW transcoding so 1 - 3 streams can max out the CPUs depending on what is playing.
Considering that this is a 12th gen CPU, you should find good driver support under Linux. Though I am not sure if the Iris GPU poses an issue in this regard.
You want to install a good quality brand NVMe stick for OS and Plex data folder.
Don’t be tempted to put the plex data folder onto an external hard drive, connected by USB. It won’t do you no good.
Don’t skimp on the RAM size either. Make it as large as is reasonably affordable.
I currently have a 250GB Samsung 970 EVO Plus, M.2 (2280) PCIe 3.0 (x4), NVMe SSD in there. I would install ubuntu server on it, then Plex, Roon, pihole etc.
I have an 8GB (1x8GB) Crucial CT8G4SFRA32A DDR4 Laptop Memory, PC4-25600(3200), Non-ECC module. Should I add another 8gb?
Definitely. If you are going to run more containers on it, I’d even extend to 32 or 64 GB. This not only improves responsiveness, but also saves write cycles on your SSD, as the OS doesn’t have to swap as often.
