What components do i need to build a plex server

General Discussions
1

Hi everyone,

So I want to be able to stream to multiple users potentially at same time at 1080p. I currently have about 7tb of content on external drives. I want to move it all into one location so plex can just pick it up. From what i’ve read i’m thinking I want a diy nas to store my stuff and then a pc that will have plex media server. But i’d like to know some trusted components that you guys use or recommend. Or a more suitable setup.
Some goals this system should accomplish:

  • Stream/transcode 1080p to min 3 users local and remote combination.
  • Store lots of data (have 7tb of data, expect this to grow) so needs to be scalable to add more space
  • Have some good backup (RAID or other solutions)
    I expect i will get 3 4tb HDD for storage and an extra one or two for RAID backup. So with that in mind the budget is £1000 - £2000.
    I expect that I could easily be having 5-7 users top.
    I really want to know case, ram, cpu, hdd which ones to go for.

Thanks

2

No need for a NAS if you’re running the server on your computer. You could just plug a drobo into it or just load up the computer with hard drives. I use the Drobo 5D. Holds 5 drives and you can assign protection against one or two drive failures. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VGR8JAij0s
You’ll want to know if you’re streaming or transcoding. Streaming requires no power. Transcoding does.

For a CPU I went with a Intel 5820 6 core. I have had as many as 4 simultaneous transcoding stream(that I know of) without breaking a sweat. And I was gaming at the same time.
I have also used a Core i7 920(first gen) and a Core i72600(2nd gen) with multiple streams without issue.
Case doesn’t matter. Whatever fits what you want.
Plex doesn’t use much ram. I’ve run it on 8gb systems all the way up to 64gb systems.
This system is also my main desktop/gaming rig.

3

The Drobo looks nice but seems like i’d rather build my own. Any chance you can post your setup i.e. all components.
Thanks archer75

4

i7 with a SSD 8gig ram (For Case… I implemented a Lenovo Laptop)
Run Windows
Decent Router
All the Hard drives you need for media and backup

Should be able to do that for under $1k (don’t know exchange rate LOL)

Unless you are a Techno-Geek, this keeps it simple and works wonderfully

If you are a Techno-Geek There are hundreds of esoteric implementations you can find on this forum to choose from.

Either way… Have Fun!

5

I’ve gone the build my own route. I’ve built and ran other servers. One holding 22 drives. Just got tired of dealing with it.
I don’t recall all my specs off the top of my head. Just build a computer like you would any other. More sata ports the better for more drives.

My current CPU is 5820k. The skylake is a faster processor but I opted to go with more cores specifically for plex serving in addition to video encoding. This is my main desktop. I’m not running a separate server. At the same time plex is streaming i’m also gaming.
You certainly do not, for any reason, need a server CPU.

My motherboard is an asus. I don’t recall which one. But i’d have no problem getting a gigabyte or EVGA.
For ram I went with crucial 32gb. Mostly because it was cheap and didn’t cost much more than smaller kits. I don’t need that much ram for plex or encoding or gaming. My wife uses photoshop and that can make use of more ram.

Video card doesn’t matter for streaming. If you aren’t gaming on this machine then get whatever is cheap if your motherboard doesn’t have IGP.

I would really not go with a NAS as your are running PMS on the computer you’re building it will have to stay on 24/7 to serve plex. As a result i’d just use the computer to house all the drives as well. The case i’m using now can handle a ton of drives(CM stacker) but I opted to use a drobo instead. It’s direct attached.

For hard drives I went with 4tb Seagate NAS drives. The seagate NAS reviewed much better than the WD NAS in terms of reliability so that’s what I went with. Hasn’t failed me. I did buy them in stages. Because my previous servers ran WHS and Win 10 you can have a drive pool with redundency with mis-matched drives. As can my drobo now. So I started with some drives, added more as I needed, then replaced the smaller ones when it became necessary. Pop one out, one in and done.
I do have a ton of drives of all sizes. Mostly WD and i’ve had many failures over the years in several different computers. WD green, blue and black. Lost plenty. Though warranty replacements have been painless.

6

Quiet and small, but still have room for internal drives was my priority. I convert my media so it can be direct played, so transcoding (cpu) wasn’t that important - tested and can do two 1080p transcodes at 10Mbps. Running Windows 10 pro.

Fractal Design Arc Mini R2 Black Window High-Airflow MATX Mini Tower Computer Case
GIGABYTE GA-H87M-HD3 LGA 1150 Intel H87 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel MB
Intel(R) Core™ i3-4150 CPU @ 3.50GHz (stock cpu cooler)
CORSAIR RM Series RM450 450W ATX12V v2.31
CORSAIR XMS 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM
Asus 24x DVD-RW Serial-ATA Internal OEM Optical Drive
Vantec 4-Channel 6-Port SATA 6Gb/s PCIe Card (added for future hd’s)
Icy Dock Trayless Tray less hot swappable drive cage (back-up drive)
Noctua NF-F12 PWM Cooling Fan (extra fan added)
(2) x 120GB SSD (one for the OS and one for plex data)
(2) x 3TB WD drives (Media)
(1) x 2TB Seagate drive (Media)
3 Open 3.5" drive bays

7

Whew…

Lots of techno-equipment.

I still vote for my simple configuration
i7 Laptop with 8 gig ram, 256gig SSD ($600-$700) … (Oh Yeah, Laptop sits on a laptop cooler… Really cheap)
Windows 7
Nitehawk router ($199)
Small UPS ($99)

Put PMS on it you have a server that will run very well for you.

My server runs 24x7 and is dedicated to only PMS (No Gaming etc.)

I have heard folks mention power consumption…
A laptop uses much less power than a tower… usually VERY quiet… and it sort of has it’s own built in UPS…
Meaning you only need a pretty small UPS to keep router and drives running.

The biggest expense becomes your disk space very quickly, depending on your library.
(My Case is approx. 100tb of available disk)

I maintain a library of over:
3500 Movie titles (Most all 1080p including 3D and 4K)
20000 TV shows (Complete series classic television mostly and documentaries)
60000 Music titles.
A Collection of Books On Tape
Family Photos.
Synced Photos from phones.
Home Movies
About 800 educational video courses

I also keep 2 backup copies of my media library (One copy being on portables for travel and offsite backup)
(LOL My Disk Farm is ridiculous…)

I allow remote access to family from Los Angeles to Seattle, Orlando, and Boston

I have physically run performance test and an able to run 5-7 streams depending on level of transcoding.

I also locally stream 4k to 2 roku4s in direct play.

So I ask.
Unless one just loves to play with all the bits and bytes (Which I normally do), why the big techno lists of gear and software???

Keep it simple… practical… and cheap!!!
LOL

Another note: From my experience, the simpler something is the more reliable it will be. LOL some of the problems I have seen folks have here blow me away since PMS has worked perfectly for me for years… But notice the systems and configurations that seem to have the most problems…LOL … Not so simple.

And BTW this post was asking “What Do I NEED to set up a PMS”

8

The list I posted isn’t anything special. Anybody can put those parts together and it’s not expensive. Without the OS and drives - around $500.00.

9

@astrofisher
I understand bro…
I love doing that stuff also.
But my config cost about the same but worked right out of the box… no pain.

Cheers
John

I did add a couple more things to the list LOL

10

Yes, but the OP is asking about a DIY NAS. I ran the server off a laptop, then an old p4 running xp, before I built my current setup. I’m simply showing the OP my list of components as I believe he/she might find it helpful, although the cpu would need to be more powerful to suite the OP’s listed requirements.

11

If you’re after a NAS type setup, then have a look at my sig (and that of sremick). Those will give you the base of what you’re after, “just” leaving backups.

Even if you don’t use FreeNAS as the base, it’s worth reading the various hardware guidance posts on the FreeNAS forums. You don’t have to follow all the guidance there slavishly, but at least if you decide not to you’ll understand the implications.

For backups, I’ve got a local backup running by using a Pi and some USB disks, and cloud backup using a spread of providers (Backblaze B2, Google and Amazon Cloud Drive). The Pi isn’t an ideal solution, since the disks there aren’t mirrored, but it works well enough and allows me to verify the backups are restorable.

12

I would not use a laptop simply because of the heat it generates in such a small form factor. I worry about heating over time and longevity. And then cost. Laptops tend to be more expensive than equivalent desktops.
I am a huge fan of keeping things simple but my opinion is a laptop isn’t the way to go for CPU intensive tasks like transcoding.

13

I heard my name. Yes, see my sig, but I’d update as follows for modernization:

Motherboard: ASRock Rack E3C236D2I
CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1270 v5
RAM: Crucial CT16G4WFD8213

14

Thanks guys.
All helpful information