I have been using Kodi on a nuc for some years now but I want to go over to Plex. I prefer the mobility outside of the LAN and synchronzed playback between devices.
As I am alone, I will only be running one stream at the same time. I was thinking of getting the below system as both the server and main client. (I play my movies in 1080p incl. DTS-HD MA).
NUC6I3SYH
8GB Ram
??GB m.2 SSD (to install the OS on)
5400 rpm hdd (to store all my media)
My questions are:
Is this NUC powerfull enough or should I spend another 120 EUR and get the I5 version?
What OS should I best be running for this (Windows/Openelec/other?). The intention is to use it solely as a media server/player.
Based on the OS, how much GB should my SSD drive at least be?
Will the 5400 rpm speed of the hdd cause issues when playing media?
go with the operating system you feel most comfortable with, there is no clear advantage to use one system over another.
I would say 256GB for OS and Plex optimal. If you planning on generating video preview thumbnail for large collection then you might consider 512GB but then again, you are asking about single HDD to store all your media, which can’t be that many so 256GB should be ok for you
I have been using Kodi on a nuc for some years now but I want to go over to Plex. I prefer the mobility outside of the LAN and synchronzed playback between devices.
As I am alone, I will only be running one stream at the same time. I was thinking of getting the below system as both the server and main client. (I play my movies in 1080p incl. DTS-HD MA).
NUC6I3SYH
8GB Ram
??GB m.2 SSD (to install the OS on)
5400 rpm hdd (to store all my media)
My questions are:
Is this NUC powerfull enough or should I spend another 120 EUR and get the I5 version?
What OS should I best be running for this (Windows/Openelec/other?). The intention is to use it solely as a media server/player.
Based on the OS, how much GB should my SSD drive at least be?
Will the 5400 rpm speed of the hdd cause issues when playing media?
Anything else I should be thinking of?
Much appreciated for any help!
P.
I have 4 NUC’s so I have a fair idea what I am talking about.
The i3 will be fine but remember the media format plays a big part of the end result.
8gb will be fine.
120gb is plenty if you dont keep thumbnails.
5400rpm is fine for an external drive…
OS - use what you know - I have windows 10 and I would guess it’s the most commonly used globally.
Also think of using the NUC as the server with a client connected to your network and the TV.
Client could be a roku, shield, raspberry pi, appletv4 , xbox, Fire, phone and google cast - almost anything.
And they can cost from US$40 to $200
but remember the media format plays a big part of the end result --> almost all my movies are mkv. h264 + DTS or DTS-HD MA
120gb is plenty if you dont keep thumbnails. --> I will be keeping thumbnails for the covers and the summary screen but that’s about it I think.
I have windows 10 and I would guess it’s the most commonly used globally The reason why I am not sure about windows as OS is because I thought that with windows you have to boot the NUC in windows and then go into the plex app. I want it to boot straight into Plex (but maybe that’s possible too with windows).
Also think of using the NUC as the server with a client connected to your network and the TV This is actually the main idea. But if I can find an affordable 2.5 inch that can hold my entire library, I think it’s easiest to have it all stored on the NUC itself. This way I can also take the NUC with me when I travel and have all the content with me.
My server is a NUC with a N3150, 4 GB Ram, 1TB 5400 rpm hard disk. It’s a nice system because it’s “all in a box” you go wherever you want and bring all your media with you. Pros and cons and comparing to your solution…
Your setup is much better as far as CPU is concerned. I can happily transcode a 1080p h264 4Mbps for subtitles or a 720p h265 2Mbps, it’s good for my use and your NUC has double the grunt. You have more RAM and the OS on a SSD drive separated from data disk which is very useful especially when you’ll run out of disk space (buy the largest drive you can afford, now you can find 2.5" 2TB drives for 100 euro, my 1TB is already almost full and it will be a nightmare since the OS is there too :O). Also if you can find a NUC with both SSD and internal 2.5" HD, that’s a very nice very compact solution.
It’s nice to use the same NUC for client and server, when my smart TV app goes crazy I can rely on good old HDMI, sadly though it’s not so easy anymore to use such a setup when you don’t have a wi-fi and internet connection.
The disk, 5400 rpm, is slow. But you don’t have the OS on that so you’re good. As for the SSD size, for my library of 500 movies and 1TB I have an OS+PMS partition of 100GB and it’s half empty, but I have thumbnails disabled.
That’s great info man. I was looking into 2.5inch drives and you are right that 2tb seems to be the max at the moment (there are 4TB ones but they are 15mm thick and won’t fit, which is a shame).
What do you mean when you say sadly though it’s not so easy anymore to use such a setup when you don’t have a wi-fi and internet connection Is your locally stored media dependend on an internet connection?
@P21 said:
What do you mean when you say sadly though it’s not so easy anymore to use such a setup when you don’t have a wi-fi and internet connection Is your locally stored media dependend on an internet connection?
You need to be signed in on plex.tv to have plex work, and even if you can add server addresses that don’t need the sign in, I did some tests with a virtual machine and I wasn’t able to make OpenPHT talk with PMS with only localhost connection Used to work some months ago
I don’t understand what the problem should be if the files are all synced locally to the NUC.
I have synced some files locally to my phone, turned of my synology diskstation (which is currently the Plex server for trial). To be sure I turned off wifi on my phone and wireless carrier. The local synced media plays fine on the phone.
Would this not be the same scenario when you cut the NUC server from the LAN and only play the local synced media (so NUC as a client)?
Used to work some months ago