Need assistance with a new Plex Server build. AMD vs INTEL and more

Plex Media Server Desktops & Laptops
1

Hi !

First, thanks for reading this. I did a lot of research over the past few days but I am still a bit confused. Any feedback is really appreciated.

My current setup is

i7 920 with a passmark of 2670
6GB Ram
500GB HDD for OS/Apps
Windows 10

All my media reside on a Synology NAS and will remain there.

I have additional family members who would like to use Plex and I am also thinking of purchasing a Plex Pass ! I would like to upgrade my server and future proof it as much as possible including maybe 1 or 2 4K transcode (although, YES I will try to direct play as much as possible)

For my new build, I was thinking

AMD Ryzen 5 1600 - Passmark 12 506
AMD Ryzen 7 2700 - Passmark 15 851
500GB SSD for OS/Apps
8 or 15 GB RAM
Windows 10

&

GPU 1050i or something like this

Would this be an ideal Plex Server ? My understanding is this would allow to have excellent performances, using the GPU for many +15 1080 transcoding. I would also be able to do 1 or 2 4K transcoding + many 1080 transcoding simultaneously.

I see a lot of people recommending Intel for QuickSync but if I go the AMD route + GPU would this not be better ? Again I want to future proof for 1 or 2 4K transcode.

Can anyone please comment ? I would like to buy my new parts today.

This will be a stand alone server for Plex, SABNZBD, Sonarr, Radarr, etc. I will also be using handbrake from time to time.

Thank you everyone !

2

The GPU provides the horsepower for transcoding and conversion of the video, so the AMD processor is fine. Intel does have a few codecs built into their modern procs, but if you install a GPU then you don’t need to worry about it. I would buy the fastest proc you can afford.

3

For GPU, if I want to futureproof a bit and let’s say 2 x 4K transcode & 6-10 1080p transcode, which GPU should I aim for ?

Also, is the driver hack still works for Nvidia on Windows for more than 2 feeds ?

Thanks !!

4

Based on https://www.elpamsoft.com/?p=Plex-Hardware-Transcoding

1050ti looks like a strong choice. It can be had for 150$

Will driver hack work on this to allow +2 feeds ?

5

This topic was automatically closed 90 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.