help building server for security cameras.

[Falco5150]

never built a server before and not quite sure what specs I would need for what I'll be using it for.

 

what I want it for.

to be a dvr for (at least for now) 4 1080p 30fps cameras.

to be a local network backup for all my media.

to be able to simultaneously run at least 2 4k plex streams.

 

priorities.

size: the smaller the better (no bigger than an atx mid tower)

intel cpu (preferably a bit over powered for later use cases I may find for it) (would still like to know minimum specs for current use case for comparison).

if I can get away without a gpu that would be nice.

price: I would hopefully like to keep in the $500-$1000 range, but $ is not the deciding factor here

 

power consumption, noise, and heat output are a non issue. it will be kept in the garage and I have solar.

 

why do I want to build a server?

there have been quite a few breakins in my neighborhood lately, so it's definitely time to get some security cameras. and I don't see any point in paying a cloud service to record for me when I could build a server to do it. which I could also then use to stream plex instead of having my pc running all the time heating up my room.

 

I've built gaming pc's before so im familiar with hardware, but I've never built anything like this.

any information you can give me at all that may be of some use like camera recommendations, sorftware for viewing from my phone, recording software, literally anything at all, it will be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks in advance for any help given.

[Electronics Wizardy]

How much storage do you need?

 

What program do you plan to use for the dvr?

 

How do you plan to keep footage? All footage for x time, or just events, and how many of either

 

Do you need plex transcoding?

 

Do you mind used hardware?

 

Does it have to be intel? the 2700x is a darn good value here.

 

What os do you want to use? Do you plan on using vms?

[Falco5150]

25 minutes ago, Electronics Wizardy said:

How much storage do you need?

 

What program do you plan to use for the dvr?

 

How do you plan to keep footage? All footage for x time, or just events, and how many of either

 

Do you need plex transcoding?

 

Do you mind used hardware?

 

Does it have to be intel? the 2700x is a darn good value here.

 

What os do you want to use? Do you plan on using vms?

not sure how much storage I need for dvr. I would like at least 2tb for my media. storage space isn't the biggest concern as long as it's expendable.

 

no idea what program to use for the dvr. I was looking at blue iris, unless you know of something better.

 

I was thinking id like to keep all footage for 30 days. I would prefer them to record full time, and if there's a way to get the software to highlight motion that would be nice, but I don't 100% trust motion activation only.

 

yes I need plex transcoding.

 

I don't mind used hardware, and would definitely prefer Intel. (like I said $ isn't really a limiting factor here. if you look at my current pc specs you can see that. that doesn't mean I don't like savings where I can get it though.) Im not totally opposed to amd, but if the price difference is within a few $100 then id rather stick with Intel. unless the difference is astronomically outrageous.

 

no idea on the OS yet.

as far as vms go, I don't have a particular use for one right now, but I may later down the road which is one of the reasons id prefer the system be a bit over powered. unless you think I should run the cams and plex on separate vms.

 

I know the kind of storage space I'm looking at here is gonna be pretty expensive, so as long as I can expand on it later I don't need it all at once. I could always add a drive later just for plex/ media stuff

 

 

[Electronics Wizardy]

59 minutes ago, Falco5150 said:

I was thinking id like to keep all footage for 30 days. I would prefer them to record full time, and if there's a way to get the software to highlight motion that would be nice, but I don't 100% trust motion activation only.

Its going to be about 1tb for the storage you want, so id plan in about 2tb just to be safe here.

 

59 minutes ago, Falco5150 said:

yes I need plex transcoding.

If you need 2 4k streams at once with plex transcoding your gonna need a lot of power. Id probably go gpu here, but that needs plex pass.

 

1 hour ago, Falco5150 said:

no idea what program to use for the dvr. I was looking at blue iris, unless you know of something better.

Yea blue iris will work well here.

 

1 hour ago, Falco5150 said:

no idea on the OS yet.

Since blue iris and lots of other nvr software is windows only, id probably just run this all on windows and use storage spaces for storage. Fairly easy to use. If you can get windows sever cheap/free(school, work) that will work well.

 

 

 

Here is what id look into getting.

 

PCPartPicker part list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/w2kxCb
Price breakdown by merchant: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/w2kxCb/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel - Core i7-8700K 3.7 GHz 6-Core Processor  ($369.99 @ Amazon) 
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master - Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($26.50 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte - Z390 M GAMING Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($143.99 @ Newegg) 
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory  ($249.89 @ OutletPC) 
Storage: Crucial - MX500 500 GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive  ($74.99 @ Amazon) 
Case: Fractal Design - Node 804 MicroATX Mid Tower Case  ($119.98 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: EVGA - SuperNOVA G3 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($65.88 @ OutletPC) 
Total: $1051.22
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-11-30 16:14 EST-0500

 

Then add storage drives as you see fit, board has 6 sata ports, get a hba to add more ports when needed.

 

[Falco5150]

2 minutes ago, Electronics Wizardy said:

Its going to be about 1tb for the storage you want, so id plan in about 2tb just to be safe here.

 

If you need 2 4k streams at once with plex transcoding your gonna need a lot of power. Id probably go gpu here, but that needs plex pass.

 

Yea blue iris will work well here.

 

Since blue iris and lots of other nvr software is windows only, id probably just run this all on windows and use storage spaces for storage. Fairly easy to use. If you can get windows sever cheap/free(school, work) that will work well.

 

 

 

Here is what id look into getting.

 

PCPartPicker part list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/w2kxCb
Price breakdown by merchant: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/w2kxCb/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel - Core i7-8700K 3.7 GHz 6-Core Processor  ($369.99 @ Amazon) 
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master - Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($26.50 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte - Z390 M GAMING Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($143.99 @ Newegg) 
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory  ($249.89 @ OutletPC) 
Storage: Crucial - MX500 500 GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive  ($74.99 @ Amazon) 
Case: Fractal Design - Node 804 MicroATX Mid Tower Case  ($119.98 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: EVGA - SuperNOVA G3 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($65.88 @ OutletPC) 
Total: $1051.22
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-11-30 16:14 EST-0500

 

Then add storage drives as you see fit, board has 6 sata ports, get a hba to add more ports when needed.

 

so you think an 8700k would be ok without a gpu?

I'm not opposed to getting plex pass.

 

and it's basically just the 8700k, 32gb of ram, and a decent psu and cooler and I should be good?

 

would it be worth while to spend a little extra on on something like the i7 9700 and just skip the gpu and plex pass?

 

or should the 8700k already be a little overkill?

[Falco5150]

also, is Windows server necessary? if im not able to get a deal on it through school, would win 10 pro work?

[Electronics Wizardy]

12 minutes ago, Falco5150 said:

so you think an 8700k would be ok without a gpu?

I'm not opposed to getting plex pass.

You won't get 2 4k streams at once on a 8700k, but if you need dual 4k streams at once on the cpu, your looking at spending much more money(probalby 1000+ for a i9, unless you go threadripper).

 

13 minutes ago, Falco5150 said:

and it's basically just the 8700k, 32gb of ram, and a decent psu and cooler and I should be good?

Yep, thats my suggestion. Seems like a good fit here. I picked those parts as there were all mid range, and would work well here. Get a ssd for boot aswell, I got a m.2 to save the sata port and drive bay for a storage drive.

 

14 minutes ago, Falco5150 said:

would it be worth while to spend a little extra on on something like the i7 9700 and just skip the gpu and plex pass?

 

or should the 8700k already be a little overkill?

If you want dual 4k transcoding on the cpu, your gonna need much more than a 9700 or 9900k. THe 9700 is very similar in performance to the 8700k, so thats why I picked the 8700k.

 

14 minutes ago, Falco5150 said:

also, is Windows server necessary? if im not able to get a deal on it through school, would win 10 pro work?

Windows server isn't needed, but If you can get it for free id use it. It has less bloat and apps preinstalled, and a better gui for storage spaces. They will preform the same, and windows 10 pro will work just fine here. You can use linux here, but you need windows for blue iris. Id sugest just a single windows system unless you want to dive into vms or already know about linux.

[Falco5150]

40 minutes ago, Electronics Wizardy said:

You won't get 2 4k streams at once on a 8700k, but if you need dual 4k streams at once on the cpu, your looking at spending much more money(probalby 1000+ for a i9, unless you go threadripper).

 

Yep, thats my suggestion. Seems like a good fit here. I picked those parts as there were all mid range, and would work well here. Get a ssd for boot aswell, I got a m.2 to save the sata port and drive bay for a storage drive.

 

If you want dual 4k transcoding on the cpu, your gonna need much more than a 9700 or 9900k. THe 9700 is very similar in performance to the 8700k, so thats why I picked the 8700k.

 

Windows server isn't needed, but If you can get it for free id use it. It has less bloat and apps preinstalled, and a better gui for storage spaces. They will preform the same, and windows 10 pro will work just fine here. You can use linux here, but you need windows for blue iris. Id sugest just a single windows system unless you want to dive into vms or already know about linux.

ok cool thank you so much.

 

 

if I did decide to get a gpu & plex pass later on what gpu would you recommend? and if I went that route would an i5 8400 be ok?

 

and if I went with the 8400 would it run at least 1 4k stream for now?

 

basically should I just get the 8700k anyways, or with a gpu would I not need that much cpu anymore?

[Electronics Wizardy]

Just now, Falco5150 said:

if I did decide to get a gpu & plex pass later on what gpu would you recommend? and if I went that route would an i5 8400 be ok?

The igpu should be good for now it has quicksync. Id try that first.

 

1 minute ago, Falco5150 said:

basically should I just get the 8700k anyways, or with a gpu would I not need that much cpu anymore?

Id still suggest the 8700k. If you want to save money go with the 2700x, its faster and much cheaper.

 

 

[Falco5150]

21 minutes ago, Electronics Wizardy said:

The igpu should be good for now it has quicksync. Id try that first.

 

Id still suggest the 8700k. If you want to save money go with the 2700x, its faster and much cheaper.

 

 

ok thanks. that's what im gonna do then. would it be worth it to overclock?

 

and what gpu would you recommend later on?

[Electronics Wizardy]

1 minute ago, Falco5150 said:

ok thanks. that's what im gonna do then. would it be worth it to overclock?

 

and what gpu would you recommend later on?

I wouldn't overclock as your using a lot of power for a small perfornace bump, you can try it later if just need a bit more cpu power.

 

For gpu id get a 1050 for a cheaper gpu, or a p2000 if you want faster. The quadros have unlimited nvenc streams.

[Falco5150]

11 hours ago, Electronics Wizardy said:

I wouldn't overclock as your using a lot of power for a small perfornace bump, you can try it later if just need a bit more cpu power.

 

For gpu id get a 1050 for a cheaper gpu, or a p2000 if you want faster. The quadros have unlimited nvenc streams.

ok cool thanks for everything.