I’ve done a little bit of reading on the hardware acceleration topic and from what I can gather is that Plex will use the CPU if it supports Quick Sync. If you also have an Nvidia or AMD GPU it can use that too… but when?
If your Windows computer also has a dedicated graphics card, such as an NVIDIA or AMD GPU, some functions of Intel Quick Sync Video may become unavailable when the GPU is in use. If your computer has one of these GPUs, please install the latest NVIDIA drivers for Windows or AMD drivers for Windows to make sure that Plex can use your dedicated graphics card when Intel Quick Sync Video becomes unavailable.
That is as clear as mud. When will it choose one over the other? When is the CPU not ever available?
OK, so maybe it doesn’t matter in my case. My server uses a XEON X5660 that does not support QS. If I install an NVIDIA or AMD GPU will it use it? Is it required that the CPU also support QS for this whole mess to work?
Basically, I want to speed up the server, if possible, with a dedicated GPU. Help!
Here’s another somewhat unrelated question. What would be the best option for a new PMS box? I have a NAS for storage, so that’s not a concern. Would an NVIDIA shield be my best bet? Does it act just like a PMS server install on Windows? I don’t want to directly connect it to a TV, I want it to hide in my basement in the utility room.
I must preface this by saying that I do not own a Shield, but many do. I believe the preference is to get the Shield Pro for running as a server due to the storage size which allows for greater database expansion. Those are also no longer made, which is the bummer.
Honestly, I’d get a cheap regular Windows box with a processor that supports QuickSync. It depends on your usage scenario, but they say to aim for a processor that Passmark scores at least a 2,000 for every 1080 stream you plan to run. This of course gets negated quite a bit when QuickSync is mixed in. I don’t know the specific math, but I’ve heard tales of CPU loads dropping to next to nothing with Hardware Acceleration enabled.
Also, the Windows platform appears to receive a lot of support, so there’s that too.
Don’t know your budget, but I picked up my i7 last year open box at Best Buy for under $700, and she runs strong. I can only assume prices have dropped significantly since.
There’s a thousand opinions about what setup works best. Whatever you do, definitely aim for processor QS support if it’s in your budget.
I could build a new server for less than that, but at this point I can keep rocking the XEON processor box until it can’t handle the bitrates anymore. Then I’ll upgrade.
@AmazingRando24 said:
I must preface this by saying that I do not own a Shield, but many do. I believe the preference is to get the Shield Pro for running as a server due to the storage size which allows for greater database expansion. Those are also no longer made, which is the bummer.
Amazon has the Pro model, fyi. it doesn’t look to be discontinued.
@AmazingRando24 said:
All I know is that in order to use Hardware Acceleration, you must also have a processor that supports Intel QuickSync.
Speculation:
I think if you’re outside of the QuickSync support area, it really doesn’t matter as you’re using purely CPU for Plex related functions.
Hmmm. I read more of that article… I don’t know if you are correct.
Tech specs
To provide reliable Hardware-Accelerated Streaming across a variety of hardware and platforms, Plex Media Server supports several different hardware acceleration engines.
The optimal video engine is selected by Plex Media Server in the order of priority shown in the table below.
Plex supports automatic fallback from hardware to software. If the hardware video engine fails to decode or encode a video, Plex will seamlessly switch to using software without causing an error.
*The listed native system system decoders/encoders are only used when they indicate that hardware acceleration is available. Otherwise, Plex uses its own bundled software libraries (libavcodec/x264) for maximum compatibility and quality.
Get it while it’s hot. It’s no longer listed on nVidia’s site.
As a player, the Shield is nearly beyond compare. It can direct play almost any file thrown at it. If attempting a server though, many have said the Pro is superior. The database can grow beyond the stock Shield’s capacity easily.
On windows at least, you can use either quicksync (intel) or dedicated nvidia card for HW transcoding. Plex will use whichever is designated as the ‘primary’ display in windows.
I don’t have any amd cards, so cannot speak to their performance or capabilities.
@FizzBEAUC said:
Hmmm. I read more of that article… I don’t know if you are correct.
I’m pretty sure QuickSync is still a requirement to get any use out of it. That’s been standard since it was introduced over a year ago, and I’ve heard no change. Earlier in the article, it specifically states QS among other factors must be present for use. I think everything that follows in the article assumes the requirements have been met. It will follow a chain of command in what it uses and how it uses it, provided it’s able to do it to begin with.
I think the final star at the end solidifies that.
From what im aware i think @AmazingRando24 is correct.
I think QS is needed for HW encoding (server side) and a Nvidia etc can only help client side. (decoding)
I have a Shield.
I have a server (Kabylake)
I have an HTPC (Nvidia graphics)
I personally only use the Shield as a client and then only for HDR Content. I have no faults with the Shield it excels with HDR but its just not the prettiest interface and things just seem to have slid with the last few updates (Android TV in general seemingly, although sure to be fixed.)
Depending on any anticipated usage I would definitely go all out server upgrade. CPU usage is just amazingly low with 3 or 4 transcodes. There is no way that i wouldn’t get at least 10 transcodes and the 2000 passmark is a thing of the past with HW assisting.
If its all beyond your needs and a couple of transcodes will suffice then the Shield will be fine.
BTW… The Shield pro is definitely discontinued but not necessarily out of stock everywhere.
The server I have is very capable in every other aspect, just not hardware accelerated encode/decode. It’s not that it can’t do the job, it’s just that I want it to perform better… if possible. Wish there was a way to just boost it a little bit, but alas it does not appear to be in the cards for this old workhorse (Dell PE R610).
I definitely don’t need another client, I have an xbox one (crappy plex machine) and a new Roku Ultra or whatever it is which works very well. Maybe a simple little pc is in my future.
I definitely don’t need another client, I have an xbox one (crappy plex machine) and a new Roku Ultra or whatever it is which works very well. Maybe a simple little pc is in my future.
Yeah to be honest if you have a Roku Ultra you have a pretty capable client.
As for the server its just a fact that things are moving on regards video performance. If you don’t need the CPU cycles for anything other than Plex then you don’t need them at all.
A 10000 passmark CPU from years ago without QS will not perform anywhere near as well as a recent very modest Skylake/Kabylake when it comes to transcoding.
Alrighty!! So I just installed PMS on my Windows 10 PC, Core i7 3770k (no QS support), with an NVIDIA GTX 1050 ti. Playing a movie locally on the PC, telling it to transcode (auto).
This leads me to believe that it is NOT a requirement to have a QS enabled CPU in order for the GPU to be used. Am I right? I could be crazy, it’s been known to occur.
