Budget NAS for Plex Server

[BeornBear]

I am interested in setting up a Plex server. Synology appears to be a good name for NAS. Will Synology DS120j be able to run as a Plex Server?! Or alternatively Synology DS220J? I will only be running  videos at 1080p. 

 

 

[Electronics Wizardy]

How many tb do you need?

 

do you need transcoding in plex?

 

Whats your backup plan for the data?

[BeornBear]

I am considering dual 2 TB Harddrives. I only have 50 GB in files now. I need to convert 75 DVDs into a digital format. I only have one 32" Television HD. It is not 4k compatible. 

[Mophead]

On 11/28/2020 at 5:36 AM, BeornBear said:

I am considering dual 2 TB Harddrives. I only have 50 GB in files now. I need to convert 75 DVDs into a digital format. I only have one 32" Television HD. It is not 4k compatible. 

Have you thought about potentially picking up an ex-Corp system like one of the small form factor Dell Optiplex boxes?

 

You can usually get these on eBay for mega cheap, probably way cheaper than a synology box like you mentioned.

This is the second NAS you mentioned on Amazon (UK)

 

 

Dell box on eBay UK

 

My a argument is: You can do way more with a desktop than a Synology box. You will have a bit more of a learning curve compared to a pre-build NAS solution, but you get way more bang for your buck, and you'll have so much more room to grow. 

 

 

 

[Donut417]

On 11/27/2020 at 5:51 PM, BeornBear said:

I am interested in setting up a Plex server. Synology appears to be a good name for NAS. Will Synology DS120j be able to run as a Plex Server?! Or alternatively Synology DS220J? I will only be running  videos at 1080p. 

 

 

My suggestion would be to use an old system if you have one laying around. I use my old gaming system for my Plex server. It handles multiple transcodes, with little to no issue. Does the 3 streams I need without any trouble. 

[BeornBear]

If I were to obtain a PC, it would need to be headless. For practicality, a Synology NAS appears to be a more attractive option. I have access it remotely from my desktop pc or laptop. I can access the NAS when I am travelling abroad. It comes down to the choice of a Synology NAS DS120j, DS220j or DS118+ single bay. 

[Donut417]

4 hours ago, BeornBear said:

If I were to obtain a PC, it would need to be headless. For practicality, a Synology NAS appears to be a more attractive option. I have access it remotely from my desktop pc or laptop. I can access the NAS when I am travelling abroad. It comes down to the choice of a Synology NAS DS120j, DS220j or DS118+ single bay. 

If your going to NAS route, I would suggest against single bay NAS. Leave your self an option to add more storage as your library grows. 

[Fizban11]

I want to do the same, but need some advice.  My first decision is a NAS vs RAID storage connected to my PC by thunderbolt or mini-SAS.  
 

I am comfortable doing a PC build, but this will be my first server build and I would like to get it right the first time so I don’t waste money.  Currently, I have maxed out the 6 SATA HDD’s I could fit in my PC case with ~ 35 TB for my current collection.

 

As a jumping off point, I watched the “320 TB in a normal case!! - The DIY 4K editing NAS” video from 10 months past.  Given 10 months has passed, what HW would you use today and how would you change it for a PLEX storage utilizing 12 Gb SAS HDD’s and SSD’s for cache.