Home Server PC recommendations

[Daniel_1104]

So I want to build a home server PC which I will keep in my attic in a 4u server case. I need my PC to do 3 things, run blue iris CCTV software, run home assistant and be a plex server. 

 

I have an 11th gen intel asrock motherboard spare, so I would like it use that to cut down on costs. I know blue iris can get away with an i3 but with everything combined idk if i’ll need an i5 or i7, so a recommendation would be nice, also i’m thinking of just getting basic 8gb ddr4 ram like 2400mhz. Not sure if I need a gpu for any decoding on plex, but I have a 1660s spare. I would also like the system to consume as less power as possible as i’m from the UK and electric is expensive.

 

Please let me know what you would recommend for me to get and a rough total power consumption that would be great thanks.

 

[Daniel_1104]

12 minutes ago, Daniel_1104 said:

So I want to build a home server PC which I will keep in my attic in a 4u server case. I need my PC to do 3 things, run blue iris CCTV software, run home assistant and be a plex server. 

 

I have an 11th gen intel asrock motherboard spare, so I would like it use that to cut down on costs. I know blue iris can get away with an i3 but with everything combined idk if i’ll need an i5 or i7, so a recommendation would be nice, also i’m thinking of just getting basic 8gb ddr4 ram like 2400mhz. Not sure if I need a gpu for any decoding on plex, but I have a 1660s spare. I would also like the system to consume as less power as possible as i’m from the UK and electric is expensive.

 

Please let me know what you would recommend for me to get and a rough total power consumption that would be great thanks.

 

Just a quick correction, it’s a 10th gen motherboard not 11th

[DrMacintosh]

You could get a used Intel NUC. That should be able to do all those tasks for cheap. Plex can use QuickSync for a few streams of light transcoding. 

[svmlegacy]

Why bother with a 4U? I just used a normal case for mine.

[Daniel_1104]

14 hours ago, svmlegacy said:

Why bother with a 4U? I just used a normal case for mine.

I have a server rack in my attic, so it’s just easier for me to put the PC in there.

[Daniel_1104]

15 hours ago, DrMacintosh said:

You could get a used Intel NUC. That should be able to do all those tasks for cheap. Plex can use QuickSync for a few streams of light transcoding. 

I have a few parts already just laying around so it’s probably cheaper to buy a normal PC. Also I want to stream 4k video, not sure if it will be able to do that 

[DrMacintosh]

4 hours ago, Daniel_1104 said:

Also I want to stream 4k video, not sure if it will be able to do that 

If it’s direct play, a toaster could stream 4K. If you’re transcoding 4K, you’re gonna need some dGPU power. 

[Daniel_1104]

3 hours ago, DrMacintosh said:

If it’s direct play, a toaster could stream 4K. If you’re transcoding 4K, you’re gonna need some dGPU power. 

I’m not really sure what transcoding is. I current run it off my gaming pc with a 5900x and a 3080 and I get it to play on my LG TV in 4k within the same household, so i’m not really sure what that classes as?

[DrMacintosh]

2 hours ago, Daniel_1104 said:

I’m not really sure what transcoding is. I current run it off my gaming pc with a 5900x and a 3080 and I get it to play on my LG TV in 4k within the same household, so i’m not really sure what that classes as?

There’s two ways that Plex serves content. The first way is direct play. Direct play is a 1:1 stream of your video. This needs a lot of bandwidth but next to no processing power. This requires your client device (your TV/computer/Apple TV) watching the content supports the codec that the video file is in. Example: an AppleTV can play a H.265 HEVC video, but an old Roku can’t. 
 

This leads us into the other kind of serving content. Transcoding. Transcoding is used when your client device can’t stream the video file natively. Your CPU/GPU kick in to process the video into something the client can play. Transcoding 4K video in real time requires pretty respectable hardware. This is also useful if you have cable internet with low upload speeds.