# Plex server on Windows 10 vs. Shield Pro? **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussions\ **Tags:** server-windows, server-nvidia-shield\ **Created:** [February 10, 2020, 3:31pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-server-on-windows-10-vs-shield-pro/540428 "2020-02-10T15:31:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jeffddntdt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a88e4f/32.png) [@jeffddntdt](https://forums.plex.tv/u/jeffddntdt)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2020, 3:31pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-server-on-windows-10-vs-shield-pro/540428/1 "2020-02-10T15:31:11Z")
I did see one other topic about this but they mainly got into maintaining the system and add-ons, but I would like peoples take on more of the reliability and performance differences of the systems. Things that I would like to accomplish with change: 1. Space, Given that I really don’t need the PC for anything other than Plex, Having a PC sitting around for just the occasional use can take up a lot of room. The alternative considered is a Shield pro with storage on a NAS tucked away in a closet. 2. Performance, Over the years I have been concerned that Windows makes modifications that requires saving of resources for possible future multitasking, thus not ever fulling using the resources available. I have had issues in the past and currently with streaming content (not transcoding just streaming). I have considered buying the Shield TV for the Samsung’s as opposed to using the dedicated app. With the Shield Pro designed to deal with media/gaming is the hardware/performance better than my current setup? Currently I have my windows 10 with a Ryzen 5 1600 and a Radeon R5230 GPU, with the Samsung app as the players. I recently came to the conclusion that the only need for the PC is to run the Server. So which would be better? Current set-up or Shield Pro with Shield TV and NAS for storage? ---
**Author:** ![jeffddntdt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a88e4f/32.png) [@jeffddntdt](https://forums.plex.tv/u/jeffddntdt)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2020, 4:54pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-server-on-windows-10-vs-shield-pro/540428/3 "2020-02-11T16:54:10Z")
I guess I really don’t need the shield pro since all clients will have the shield tv. The only question would be about transcoding for mobile devices. I am under the impression that NAS’s may have an issue with transcoding from 4k to a 1080 or 720 for mobile devices.? But all I’m talking about here maybe one or (at Max) 2 transcodes at a time. ---
**Author:** ![rossdcurrie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/439d5e/32.png) [@rossdcurrie](https://forums.plex.tv/u/rossdcurrie)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2020, 5:00pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-server-on-windows-10-vs-shield-pro/540428/4 "2020-02-11T17:00:32Z")
Trying to run Plex Media Server on a Shield is a recipe for headaches and grey hair. Shield Pro works great as a player though. ---
**Author:** ![martintzonev](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/martintzonev/32/86853_2.png) [@martintzonev](https://forums.plex.tv/u/martintzonev)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2020, 11:09pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-server-on-windows-10-vs-shield-pro/540428/5 "2020-02-11T23:09:59Z")
If you can get away with using a decent PC which is always on and you have access I can guarantee you’ll have a better time using it. I have used plex servers on various PCs for about 3 years and using all sorts of clients (mobile and others) during that time and it has been a blast. The only problem for was that I wanted my servers to be always accessible and most of them were laptops which were stationary most of the time but when I had to put them away or travel it was becoming a problem. In addition to that my latest one has a very loud fan because of the beast hardware inside it and sometimes it’s becoming an annoyance to leave it on. Because of that I purchased Nvidia Shield Pro 2019 so I an always-on Plex server which I can put tons of content on and be powerful enough to handle high resolution transcoding (prior to that I had a Raspberry Pi 4 server which was fantastic for direct play but wasn’t good enough for transcoding so I had to upgrade). I’ve had the Shield for a few days now and it has been an utter failure to get it going from day one. Nvidia client support is currently looking into some issue with the built-in file sharing while I’m waiting for someone here to maybe try and assist me with getting the Plex server to actually register in the web app so I can load my libraries. Long story short - I was extremely excited about getting the Shield and solving all of my previous issues only to be terribly disappointed on arrival. I still hope that these issues are resolved soon and I end up getting what I want and what the Shield is bragging about but only time will tell. So yeah, Windows setup all day long, if you can go with it comfortably. EDIT: I forgot about this post but just in case someone stumbles upon it from now on - my issue has been resolved and the Shield has been working like gangbusters. Even though it has some quirks here and there, overall it’s been everything I’ve needed and more. I would definitely recommend it as a cheaper alternative to an always-on PC. ---
**Author:** ![JasonNalley](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/jasonnalley/32/24210_2.png) [@JasonNalley](https://forums.plex.tv/u/JasonNalley)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2020, 11:14pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-server-on-windows-10-vs-shield-pro/540428/6 "2020-02-11T23:14:09Z")
> [@jeffddntdt](#): > > I am under the impression that NAS’s may have an issue with transcoding from 4k to a 1080 or 720 for mobile devices.? So will the shield, and most PC’s that don’t have Hardware transcoding enabled. 4K → Any other format (including 4K → 4K) is extremely CPU intensive. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/plex/original/3X/2/a/2acb9765406f63293d357b4ec509ec39aa28f2ad.png) [@system](https://forums.plex.tv/u/system)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2020, 9:05pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-server-on-windows-10-vs-shield-pro/540428/8 "2020-05-13T21:05:08Z")
This topic was automatically closed 90 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.