# Plex server with no computer? **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussions\ **Created:** [February 13, 2019, 10:36pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-server-with-no-computer/375536 "2019-02-13T22:36:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mwe21975](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e95f7d/32.png) [@mwe21975](https://forums.plex.tv/u/mwe21975)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2019, 10:36pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-server-with-no-computer/375536/1 "2019-02-13T22:36:47Z")
For years I have run a Plex server for myself and family from home which used two (8tb) external hard drives and whatever laptop I’m using at the time (usually the higher end i7 version) I sold my laptop 2 weeks ago and just figured I would get a cheap laptop to run plex from for us. It was a Samsung i3 120gb ssd. It went great until 2 ppl logged on and it couldn’t handle more than one transcode at a time lol. Started buffering bad. I was hoping to just get an iPad Pro for my daily work flow and let that cheap laptop be just for torreents and plex but that’s obviously out lol Am I really gonna have to get another i7 laptop just for torrents and plex along with this expensive ass iPad Pro? Lol. Suggestions?? ---
**Author:** ![ian78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5f8ce5/32.png) [@ian78](https://forums.plex.tv/u/ian78)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2019, 1:22am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-server-with-no-computer/375536/2 "2019-02-14T01:22:52Z")
How about the NVidia Shield ---
**Author:** ![Xhaka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/b487fb/32.png) [@Xhaka](https://forums.plex.tv/u/Xhaka)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2019, 1:48am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-server-with-no-computer/375536/3 "2019-02-14T01:48:10Z")
You really need to be more specific. Saying i3, i7 means little. A new i3 is far more powerful than a five year old i7. Hardware acceleration (quicksync). Is it enabled. If not is that a Plex Pass feature (No idea.) If your requirements are those couple of transcodes then a Shield may be your solution tion. Anything beyond that though you need to be far more specific than I changed from a CPU from some time this decade to another CPU from sometime in this decade. That’s before we even start on the type of files you share, your upload bandwidth etc… ---
**Author:** ![mwe21975](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e95f7d/32.png) [@mwe21975](https://forums.plex.tv/u/mwe21975)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2019, 2:03am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-server-with-no-computer/375536/4 "2019-02-14T02:03:10Z")
Lol. It was a 2010 Samsung laptop. I download my movies in 1080p ac3 or eac3. Transcodes remotely to audio aac and 720p for them and direct plays here at home for me. 150 down, 12 up. ---
**Author:** ![JamminR](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/jamminr/32/4261_2.png) [@JamminR](https://forums.plex.tv/u/JamminR)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2019, 3:30am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-server-with-no-computer/375536/5 "2019-02-14T03:30:56Z")
You’ve still not given much detail, so I’ll just cut it short. A 2010 I3 will usually _barely_ be powerful enough to transcode two 1080p streams to 720p, let alone with anything running in background. So, summarized, yes, you would have to get a more powerful machine to do transcoding for more than one person. Or, use handbrake or other app to pre-transcode down to 720p all your higher rate movies. I find that my 2013-2014 haswell i7 4790 will do 2-3 remote mp4 to mpegts transcodes and several direct plays locally if I keep my HD at 720p/~4kbps/640ac3. It’s not the best quality, no, but, doesn’t strain the bandwidth or cpu as much, and looks great on mobile, decent on bigscreen. ---
**Author:** ![mwe21975](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e95f7d/32.png) [@mwe21975](https://forums.plex.tv/u/mwe21975)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2019, 3:44am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-server-with-no-computer/375536/6 "2019-02-14T03:44:42Z")
I’ll just get another i7 laptop and the 2018 iPad instead of the iPad Pro model. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/plex/original/3X/2/a/2acb9765406f63293d357b4ec509ec39aa28f2ad.png) [@system](https://forums.plex.tv/u/system)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2019, 3:44am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-server-with-no-computer/375536/7 "2019-05-15T03:44:48Z")
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