Hi all. I currently run my PMS on a Linux file server with an AMD Athlon X2 4850e (Dual-Core 2.5GHz), 2GB RAM.
The transcoding is a little slower than I’d like, but I’m not too worried. If it does become popular though, and my wife and I hit the system at the same time, we’re definitely gonna “fight” over the CPU. I also have a large-ish library, and haven’t loaded all of it.
I was wondering whether upgrading to the AMD Phenom II X4 940 (Quad Core 3.0GHz), the memory to 4GB (max supported by MoBo) , or both, is worth the investment. Or if I should just save up and build a better system down the line.
The 940 is a nice jump from the 4850e, but still not great. That might hold you over for a while if it’s just the 2 of you using Plex. Plex doesn’t use much memory but 2GB is pretty low. Unless you go hog wild and really get into using Plex, upgrading these 2 should work.
Plex is MUCH more processor dependent than memory. Unless there are other memory intensive tasks happening the would actually tie up memory then upgrading the processor will have more positive impact than adding memory ever could.
If this is only a Plex server then 2 gb of memory is plenty.
However the AMD Phenom II X4 940 only rates a Passmark of 3,646 so upgrading to it would only mean that I could support one 1080p transcoded stream at a time. So, if it were me, I would build a better system with a processor with a Passmark of at least 7,000 or even better 9,000 to 11,000. Such machines can be had for under $700.00 preassembled so, if you want to build one, you should be able to come in well under that.
In fact with some shopping around you can beat $500.00 (I saw one a couple of days ago for 425.50 on Amazon) for a preassembled computer with a Passmark of 7,000 or better so upgrading your processor to an inadequate one makes little sense.
Or buy your wife a present - a brand new Plex client that can handle all your files without transcoding. A win-win, she gets happy and your server gets happy too
Yeah, get a Raspberry Pi and install Rasplex, DirectPlays just about everything except HEVC. CEC enabled so you can use your TV remote and put the RPi out of sight behind the TV.
Thanks for all the input! I already have an HTPC running Kodi, but the remote streaming/transcoding features in Plex are really amazing.
As far as getting her a capable client, she does a lot of her watching on her iPad during breaks, etc. Like I mentioned, I’m hitting decent encoding times (2-3x realtime), but since I can get that CPU upgrade pretty cheap (~$50 on ebay), I wanted to know if it’d be worth the expense. Even though it’s cheap, I think I’ll look into replacing the MoBo/CPU combo when I start hitting the wall in terms of capability.
