Hello,
From what I’ve read about NAS usage, seems they cannot match the horsepower of a PC with a Hi end Proc., correct? I’ve been wanting to switch to a NAS but after pouring over all the NAS forums and compatibility list it seems for being able to transcoded 4k and have multiple streams I would want a hi end PC. Sound right?
Thanks
Tbone
You don’t need a high end PC to transcode, just one with a processor that has an integrated GPU with Intel Quck Sync Video (QSV) and a Plex Pass to allow HW transcoding and tone mapping.
Many people use a NAS for storage and a little N100 based min-PC for their Plex server.
There are several NAS models listed on the Plex NAS comparability list which can do HW transcoding and tone mapping as they have an Intel Celeron CPU which supports QSV (look at models which have yes for columns I-L and H.264 Output for columns M and N.
NAS models with a N-series Celeron would be preferable to a J-series as it’s newer and has more supported codecs.
These typically handle around 4 concurrent 4K transcodes or many more 1080P transcodes. If you’re doing more than that the a dedicated GPU starts becoming necessary.
Hi. Thank you for the quick reply. My confusion lies in a couple plex articles…… here is a section from one article “ What kind of CPU do I need for my Server?”
If you want very basic minimum suggestions:
If you’ll need to support more than one simultaneous transcode, you’ll need a more powerful processor.
Do you see my quandary? You reference a celeron proc being able to handle multiple streams….
Thanks
Tbone
That article refers to software transcoding where the CPU is doing the work, in which case you need a more powerful CPU.
Note specifically at the bottom of that article.
With a compatible processor, Plex Pass subscribers can take advantage of hardware-accelerated streaming, which typically allows for the handling of content that the CPU might not be able to handle itself just with regular software transcoding. It can also be more power-efficient.
Hardware accelerated streaming doesn’t require a powerful CPU as it offloads the work to a GPU.
The support articles really need updating as they can result in confusion as you have found.
An i3 with Intel QSV using HW transcoding will easily handle multiple 4K streams.
I was able to transcode/tone map 3x 4k HDR files to 1080p SDR … With an i3-7100. Any semi-modern Intel chip with a Quick Sync GPU will work well.
I would look for bargains in 10th gen and later because there are reasons to also want a decent CPU, like audio transcoding and Sonic Analysis tasks.
Wow!!! Thanks for clarifying that. It has been a source of confusion for me for quite sometime now lol!
That all being said…… I probably would not have more than 3 or 4 simultaneous streams ( and I think thats a stretch ) happening. Would a NAS suffice for my needs then?
Im trying to consolidate my geek set up. In tired of maintaining a desktop. Would rather have a NAS and a laptop to access it if the need ever arrived.
I will probably run 3 - 12 TB drives so maybe a 4bay NAS. Which would be best? QNAP? Terramaster? Guessing $400-600 range. Give or take a few bucks
Thanks,
Tbone
“It depends.”
It depends on if those streams are direct play, transcoded, or transcoded AND tone mapped, and that depends on the kind of file and the kind of client. It depends on the CPU/GPU in the NAS. It depends on the OS of the Plex server.
I don’t know all the modern NAS hardware but if there is one that has an Intel CPU with GPU it’s probably a good candidate.
You can build your own NAS on the hardware of your choice with Unraid. This is very popular for Plex.
You can also use any kind of NAS plus a separate Plex server that is some kind of mini PC. It does mean you have to maintain another computer but a Linux server is very easy to maintain. I basically never do anything to mine except run the update command and reboot it once in a blue moon.
Currently that is what I am doing. I have a raid in a windows box. Now that I have a better understanding of things, I may just rebuild it with the correct intel CPU ( currently have an AMD ) and load Ubuntu. Im tired of MS & windblows…… I can get an intel cpu MB combo for free so thats a bonus ( vs buying a NAS ).
Thanks for all the help!!
Tbone
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