Stark_Source21

So, I'd be looking to pick something up second hand then?

Yeah, I'm just looking for a CCTV on front and back door to track deliveries and possible intruders in the night. Not sure i need motion/object detection for that, or do I? I'm not too fussed on having a fancy plex software package. A folder with my media feeding to my smart TV is good enough for me. Would be great to be able to feed this media to other devices in or away from home, but not ultimately necessary.

What if I split them and have two systems, one dedicated to plex/media, and the other to CCTV network?

The big three?

Hey guys, Was thinking of buying one of these for a HTPC, but also potentially a plex server and a small CCTV system for front and back door. I will have an added bay for HDDs. My question is will they be able to cope with this above tasks, and if not, why not, and if not, what spec would I be looking for? I'm looking for best bang for buck, and quiet. MINIX Z100-0dB Fanless Mini PC, Intel 12th Gen N100, 16GB DDR4, 512GB M.2 PCIe 3.0 x 4 NVMe SSD Windows 11 Pro Desktop Computer, 4K Dual Display/2.5G LAN/USB3.2/USB-C/WiFi 6/BT5.2/Vesa Mount: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CPLQWN73?th=1&psc=1 MeLE Silent Mini PC Quieter 4C Windows 11 Pro N100(up to 3.4GHz) 12th Alder-Lake 16GB RAM 512GB Micro Computer Triple 4K Display HDMI Full-Functioned USB-C WiFi5 BT5.1 Gigabit Ethernet for IOT Office: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CP3YL6J7?th=1&psc=1

Budget (including currency): £600 or less. The lower the better. Depends on value for money and fit for purpose. I don't want to waste money on unnecessariness. Country: UK Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: Essential Silent/Very Quiet System (I don't want to hear a fan whilst watching/streaming YouTube or movies) 4K 60Hz via Chrome with extensions running 4K 60Hz via VLC Basic Plex Server (to organise ripped movies) Desirable AV1 Encoding & Decoding Plex Server Transcoding Bonus Light gaming Other details: Will be hooked up to 1 Gig internet via LAN Will be connected to a 4k 60hz Smart TV Will be using wireless keyboard and mouse. Help Required: Would like to get feedback on any pros and cons I might be missing with the three options below. Budget & refurbished - Optiplex Cheaper, but new mid-range, yet more of a dead-end (Intel 11th Gen i5), Also new, and more expensive mid-range but entry-level and room for growth (AMD 7600 & AM5) So prioritising money and trying to get price as low as possible, I've got: 1. On eBay: The Optiplex 5060, i5-8500, GPU UHD630, 16 Gigs Ram (presuming DDR4), 256 NVME, Gigabyte Ethernet, W11 Pro - £210 This option lacks features like AV1 encoding or decoding. Would this be on the edge of handling 4k 60Hz on Chrome with extensions, maybe? Would it be quiet, and if not, would it be possible to change the fan? 2. New INTEL: Intel i5-11400, GPU UHD730, 16GB DD4-3200, 250GB M.2. NVME, 2TB HDD, 1Gig Ethernet, (OS not included): £408 (https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/wvYhZJ) Has AV1 decoding but not encoding Well capable of handling 4k 60hz on Chrome with extensions. Would be quiet and if not, fan could be upgraded, I imagine? Is the RAM ok? Would this be suitable for my use cases? However, if I prioritise longevity (AM5 Mobo) and functionality (multi-transcoding, AV encoding), potentially salvaging parts in the future for other builds and really going for a home server, I've got: 3. New AMD: AMD R5 7600, GPU on-board Radeon, 16Gb DDR5 5200, 256GB M.2 NVME, 2TB HDD, 2.5 Gig Ethernet, (OS not included): £540 (https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/user/stark_source/saved/Jc2kwP) This option is the most expensive, but might be worth it, given extra features and expandability? May be [currently] overkill for my use-cases? Offers more life going forward, as I could recycle parts if/when needed for other builds. Has AV1 encoding and decoding Should be well able to handle transcoding, right? Any feedback appreciated on the above options would be great. Any pros or cons I'm missing? Is any particular options overkill or not powerful enough for my use-cases? Any personal, subjective preferences (if you had the budget), and if so, why?

OK, so prioritising money and trying to get price as low as possible, I've got: On eBay: The Optiplex 5060, i5-8500, GPU UHD630, 16 Gigs Ram (presuming DDR4), 256 NVME, Gigabyte Ethernet, W11 Pro - £210 However, if I prioritise longevity (AM5 Mobo) and functionality (multi-transcoding, AV encoding), potentially salvaging parts in the future for other builds and really going for a home server, I've got: New AMD: AMD R5 7600, 32Gb DDR5, 256GB M.2 NVME, 2TB HDD, 2.5 Gig Ethernet, (OS not included): £570 (https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/jrvvh3) [Edit, added an Intel version below:] New INTEL: Intel i5-11400, 32GB DD4-3200, 250GB M.2. NVME, 2TB HDD, 1Gig Ethernet, (OS not included): £433 (https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/vbTVgB) I think the bang for buck may lie with AMD in terms of new options, as the has more longevity, maybe? Any advice on the above, given my use cases in original message? 32Gb Ram is overkill I think, but might come in handy in future. That said, £570 seems like a lot for a 4k HTPC/Plex Server, but I could be struggling to catch up with inflation here. Any feedback appreciated.

Saw this on ebay: Optiplex 5060, i5-8500, GPU UHD630, 16 Gigs Ram (presuming DDR4), 256 NVME, Gigabyte Ethernet, W11 Pro - £209.85 Thoughts? Good enough for my use cases?

In addition to my message above, have had a look around: Cheapest Dell New comes in around £369 (13th Gen i3 13100, Intel UHD 730, 8GB Ram, 256 GB M.2: https://www.dell.com/en-uk/shop/desktop-computers/inspiron-small-desktop/spd/inspiron-3020-small-desktop/cd205001) HP comes in about the same: https://www.hp.com/gb-en/shop/product.aspx?id=7M500EA Would either of those be good enough for what I'm looking for in terms of processing power and RAM?) Would you idea of upgrading the fan apply to these two options? It's kind of embarrassing, but I've tried to keep up with tech for years and find myself totally unable to know what CPU are capable of what tasks... it's a spec jungle and none of the numbers mean anything anymore. I would be tempted to get into the used market, but nervous about that atm.

Know any good new sff Dells or HPs off hand that would fit the bill? They would likely not have a GPU, and just onboard CPU Intel UHD graphics, right? I didn't realise these systems would be the same price or better bang-for-buck. Thought the difference between sff and usff would be negligible. (Good idea of upgrading the fan if needed.)

Any suggestions on what I should go for, and where that would leave me, price-wise. Happy to push budget if needed.... don't want random buffering during 4k streaming or fan going really wild due to over-heating. What price-range would we be talking for the specs I mentioned? Would a larger form-factor help re: noise while reducing cost?

Hi guys, Looking to achieve the following: Quiet fan, ideally silent device when under specified use-cases below 4k YouTube/Netflix/Prime Streaming via Chrome with extensions running 4k movie playing direct from device storage Enough ports to achieve WiFi/Bluetooth mouse and keyboard Solid WiFi Gigabyte Ethernet Bonus: basic plex server I was thinking the N95 or N100 chip would be good enough, but on the pre-builds with said chips, some talk about fan noise. (Example: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0C49GBZ66/ and https://www.amazon.co.uk/NiPoGi-Lake-N100-Computer-Desktop-Bussiness/dp/B0CP6T3646) I would be looking to keep the budget as low as possible, maybe below £250. Any advice? Have any of you out there purchase such a device recently and can confirm "silent" but powerful to achieve the above?

Any advice on how I do this from a computer via WiFi? Or a link to any guides on how to do so? This is the bit I'm confused by,....

I would like to hear possible solutions to viewing content on my Smart TV with the flexibility of a PC/Chrome Browser. I find negotiating apps, especially via a remote to be incredibly frustrating. This includes work apps (banking and office etc), streaming services and social media. They usually a more limited, less customisable version of what I can access via Chrome browser on my PC, and I miss the ease of use a keyboard and mouse. What I'm looking for includes: 1) Being able to watch 4k 60fps content off Chrome Brower on Smart TV. 2) Able to use Chrome extensions 3) Able to internet fully via Chrome (or alternative customisable browser (i.e. with extensions) (able to open and edit office docs, streaming services, social media) without need for their relevant apps 4) Via WiFi preferred, to avoid drilling into walls, or needing to build a new mini-rig. Would like to be able to do this from my current/new rig, which would be in a different room on the same network 5) Easy interface - wireless keyboard and mouse 6) Bonus would be being able to play games from my current/new rig (in a different room) on the Smart TV also. What are my possible options here? Is Chromecast a via solution? What about a Steam Deck? NVIDIA Shield? Do I need a NAS? If just a PC (already have one) how to I do this via wifi? Any advice appreciated. Despite trying to keep up with tech, I find this area, especially, around networking, particularly confusing.

So, so far suggestions seem to be aim for: 3080 equivalent GPU AMD 5000 series Convert old rig into NAS