# Mac Pro as Plex server **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussions\ **Created:** [April 10, 2017, 5:05am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/mac-pro-as-plex-server/188010 "2017-04-10T05:05:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Patrick1610](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/patrick1610/32/10701_2.png) [@Patrick1610](https://forums.plex.tv/u/Patrick1610)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2017, 5:05am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/mac-pro-as-plex-server/188010/1 "2017-04-10T05:05:45Z")
Hi, I have seen a used Mac Pro and would love to know how good it would be as a Plex server. How many 1080 streams/transcodes could it handle and will it be fast enough for intensive usage? See image for specs. Thanks in advance šŸ™‚ Patrick ---
**Author:** ![Patrick1610](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/patrick1610/32/10701_2.png) [@Patrick1610](https://forums.plex.tv/u/Patrick1610)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2017, 6:50am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/mac-pro-as-plex-server/188010/2 "2017-04-10T06:50:46Z")
I have two other options for comparison. I donā€™t know what the big difference between the processors is so Iā€™d be glad to receive some knowledge. ---
**Author:** ![roennie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ee7513/32.png) [@roennie](https://forums.plex.tv/u/roennie)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2017, 7:52am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/mac-pro-as-plex-server/188010/3 "2017-04-10T07:52:38Z")
Youā€™ll want the passmark score: [PassMark - Intel Xeon X5670 @ 2.93GHz - Price performance comparison](https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Xeon+X5670+%40+2.93GHz) As [this article](https://support.plex.tv/hc/en-us/articles/201774043-What-kind-of-CPU-do-I-need-for-my-Server-) notes: > Very roughly speaking, for a single full-transcode of a video, the following PassMark scores are a good guideline for a requirement: > > - 1080p/10Mbps: 2000 PassMark > - 720p/4Mbps: 1500 PassMark ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_W](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/peter_w/32/6556_2.png) [@Peter\_W](https://forums.plex.tv/u/Peter_W)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2017, 10:05am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/mac-pro-as-plex-server/188010/4 "2017-04-10T10:05:36Z")
Another factor to take into account for, now that HW transcoding is ā€œon the horizonā€, is the graphic card. Iā€™m not involved enough in the pros and cons to give a really good/in depth advice here, but I would urge anyone who is about to buy a server right now, with Plex transcoding as its main purpose, to look at the Alpha thread. There are differences between AMD and Nvidia for instance, some Nvidia cards canā€™t handle more than 2 transcodes whereas AMD can handle more. Such small details can be a decisive factor. > **[Plex Media Server - Hardware Transcoding Preview (closed)](http://forums.plex.tv/discussion/250946/plex-media-server-hardware-transcoding-preview-2-1-4-0-3224#latest)** > > Happy holidays, forum users! Weā€™ve got something special in store for you with this release: it enables hardware transcoding for Windows, macOS, and Linux for Plex Pass users. Using hardware transcoding reduces CPU usage and power consumption, and... (Just remember, I wouldnā€™t recommend installing that Alpha as your main Plex server. It is meant as a test and is a bit behind right now in version (not merged with main branch)). ---
**Author:** ![Patrick1610](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/patrick1610/32/10701_2.png) [@Patrick1610](https://forums.plex.tv/u/Patrick1610)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2017, 11:34am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/mac-pro-as-plex-server/188010/5 "2017-04-11T11:34:08Z")
Looking at the pass mark, how is it possible that my Mac mini (pass mark around 3400) is not able to transcode a 1080p file with subtitles to my chrome cast or lg tv? Should be powerful enough? ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_W](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/peter_w/32/6556_2.png) [@Peter\_W](https://forums.plex.tv/u/Peter_W)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2017, 1:22pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/mac-pro-as-plex-server/188010/6 "2017-04-11T13:22:13Z")
That passmark score is a _very_ rough estimate. Burning in subtitles adds extra, if it is VC1 codec it adds extraā€¦ etc etc. ---
**Author:** ![Patrick1610](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/patrick1610/32/10701_2.png) [@Patrick1610](https://forums.plex.tv/u/Patrick1610)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2017, 2:39pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/mac-pro-as-plex-server/188010/7 "2017-04-11T14:39:50Z")
Thanks! So for Some videoā€™s the 3400 wonā€™t be enough? You Were also talking about hardware transcoding. What are the requirements for that? Iā€™ve got the possiility to buy a newer mac mini server (late 2012) with IntelĀ® Core i7-3615QM Processor (Passmark 7380). For the passmark this Will be a huge boost but Will i be Able to have HW transcoding? ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_W](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/peter_w/32/6556_2.png) [@Peter\_W](https://forums.plex.tv/u/Peter_W)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2017, 7:04pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/mac-pro-as-plex-server/188010/8 "2017-04-11T19:04:01Z")
No, for some videos 3400 will not be enough. A 30Mbit 1080p VC1 + burn in subtiles transcode to a 4Mbit 720p will req much more. The req as of now are shown in the link I gave above. Though these might change over time as it matures. A recent iGPU from Intel with Quicksync seems to be a good option. Another option is to just expand upon your storage and reencode copies of your files beforehand, thus circumventing the need for a live transcode. ---
**Author:** ![NateDawg1169](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bc79bd/32.png) [@NateDawg1169](https://forums.plex.tv/u/NateDawg1169)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2017, 4:37am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/mac-pro-as-plex-server/188010/9 "2017-04-12T04:37:21Z")
I run a souped up late 2008 mac pro, dual quad xeons, 32 gb memory, geforce 680 ti. Works great, run about 8 transcodes simultaniously without issues. Cant wait to upgrade to the round model, less power consumption. At 8 transcodes the 100 mm fan for the xeons fires a steady jet stream of heat off the cpus. Heats my house. ---
**Author:** ![Patrick1610](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/patrick1610/32/10701_2.png) [@Patrick1610](https://forums.plex.tv/u/Patrick1610)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2017, 8:09am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/mac-pro-as-plex-server/188010/10 "2017-04-12T08:09:04Z")
Sounds great @NateDawg1169! Exactly what Iā€™d want! Is it a 3.1 or a 4.1? What processors are in there exactly? Is the power consumption that bad? ---
**Author:** ![Patrick1610](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/patrick1610/32/10701_2.png) [@Patrick1610](https://forums.plex.tv/u/Patrick1610)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2017, 12:16pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/mac-pro-as-plex-server/188010/11 "2017-04-12T12:16:20Z")
@Peter_W Will the late 2012 Mac Mini 2.3GHz quad core with 12021 pass mark will be enough for multiple simultaneous 1080 transcodes? ---
**Author:** ![NateDawg1169](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bc79bd/32.png) [@NateDawg1169](https://forums.plex.tv/u/NateDawg1169)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2017, 3:12pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/mac-pro-as-plex-server/188010/12 "2017-04-12T15:12:25Z")
Itā€™s a 3.1 I upgraded them to the 3.2 GHz quads not sure exactly what model number that puts them at my system report doesnā€™t specify what series of xeon. I am running a 980 watt PSU, and at a heavy load my ups reports the average wattage consumption being about 790. ---
**Author:** ![Patrick1610](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/patrick1610/32/10701_2.png) [@Patrick1610](https://forums.plex.tv/u/Patrick1610)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2017, 4:30pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/mac-pro-as-plex-server/188010/13 "2017-04-12T16:30:13Z")
Hmm, Thanks for al the great help! Iā€™m really in doubt now. Not sure whether I should invest in a somewhat older Mac Pro (and accepting the power consumption) or I should buy a late-2012 Mac Mini with SSD and enough RAM (8-16). Any suggestions? ---
**Author:** ![Patrick1610](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/patrick1610/32/10701_2.png) [@Patrick1610](https://forums.plex.tv/u/Patrick1610)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2017, 4:36pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/mac-pro-as-plex-server/188010/14 "2017-04-12T16:36:54Z")
Iā€™m sorry, the Mac Mini has a 12021 benchmark, the passmark is 7380! šŸ˜‰ ---
**Author:** ![malm10\_hotmail\_com](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/53a042/32.png) [@malm10\_hotmail\_com](https://forums.plex.tv/u/malm10_hotmail_com)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2019, 3:39pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/mac-pro-as-plex-server/188010/15 "2019-06-22T15:39:02Z")
Hey just thought I would add - Im using an upgraded 2006 mac pro 1,1 with a bios update to run os 10.11 here are the specs: - 2x 2.66ghz dual core xeon - 32gb ram - Radeon HD 5770 - 128 GB SSD boot drive [all parts on ebay totalled about 500$ CAD including shipping] im still testing it out but it seems for streaming over the internet it can handle 2-3 transcodes at a time (or moreā€¦ not sure yet). My questions are: - what is my bottleneck when streaming over the internet? CPU, RAM, or internet connection? istat menus shows the CPU is maxing out with 2 encodes but i can do a 3rd without any issues it seems. the video card also appears maxed out all the time :S could be some kind of bug. I do not have a plex pass. - Has anyone had experience doing multiple simultaneous encodes over the internet with those Seagate archive drives? [model# st8000dm004] apparently they have very slow write speeds but ok reads. I guess Im wondering if i want to stream more/faster, should I upgrade the CPUs, try a plex pass for HW encoding, or upgrade the video card first? also need to upgrade the storage soon but feel like a NAS drive might be kind of overkill if the data isnt valuable. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/plex/original/3X/2/a/2acb9765406f63293d357b4ec509ec39aa28f2ad.png) [@system](https://forums.plex.tv/u/system)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2020, 11:05pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/mac-pro-as-plex-server/188010/16 "2020-01-07T23:05:48Z")