Need some advice building a Plex Server

wumbat · January 15, 2023

Hi all,

I'm rebuilding a Plex/media server, my budget is $3,000 USD.

I had one that I've had to fix too many times so I've resorted to rebuilding the internals but keeping the same case (if possible).

I bought this off of a classmate in high school (around 2013) and it's technically lasted me for over 10 years.

And while I've fixed this PC numerous times, I've never built a system from scratch (motherboard, CPU, fans and case have not changed since I bought it) which is where I would like a little bit of help to make sure I'm getting good components and that there isn't something else I would need for this build.

Here is my plan currently is to use this system for Bluray disc ripping, encoding/compression via Handbrake and using Plex server.

Here is what I have (and would like to reuse)

Storage (m.2 boot and movie storage hdd)
Case (In Win BUC 101 Mid-Tower)
NOTE: I'm not opposed to getting a new case, I figured that I can save a little bit of money by reusing this
Internal SATA Bluray optical disc drive
Peripherals (monitor, mouse, keyboard, etc).

Here is what I'm looking for (basically, the important stuff)

CPU great for Encoding
GPU for Plex transcoding
RAM (at least 32GB)
Power Supply (with enough SATA power connections for around 6 hard drives and 1 optical drive)
Compatible motherboard (with enough SATA ports for at least 2 hard drives and 1 optical drive, I'll later get a RAID controller card)
Fans (case has storage for 3, I'll also need a CPU fan)
Space for RAID card and Network card (but I won't put these in till later)

In my research, what I've found is the biggest limiting factor is case size and clearance for a GPU. CPU cooler could also be an issue.

For reference, my current case clearance

Width: 11.5in/292.1mm

Height: 7in/177.8mm (from bare inner chassis) or 6in/152.4mm (measured from current motherboard at PCIe height)

This is not exactly meant to be a very flashy build, so colors of the components won't really matter. I'm looking for functionality.

I'm also choosing not to reuse the fans that came with this case, I might as well replace them since they are over 10 years old.

Here is the link to what I've put together so far (some of the things I've put on the list is also based on availability at a nearby MicroCenter)

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/CVKRtn

Am I on the right track? Is there something else I would need? Are there any components where I'd hit a bottleneck (i.e., I know Core i9's run hot, would my current selection be okay for this during a long encoding session)?

Thanks in advance!

Blue4130 · January 15, 2023

19 minutes ago, wumbat said:

Hi all,

I'm rebuilding a Plex/media server, my budget is $3,000 USD.

I had one that I've had to fix too many times so I've resorted to rebuilding the internals but keeping the same case (if possible).

I bought this off of a classmate in high school (around 2013) and it's technically lasted me for over 10 years.

And while I've fixed this PC numerous times, I've never built a system from scratch (motherboard, CPU, fans and case have not changed since I bought it) which is where I would like a little bit of help to make sure I'm getting good components and that there isn't something else I would need for this build.

Here is my plan currently is to use this system for Bluray disc ripping, encoding/compression via Handbrake and using Plex server.

Here is what I have (and would like to reuse)

Storage (m.2 boot and movie storage hdd)

Case (In Win BUC 101 Mid-Tower)
NOTE: I'm not opposed to getting a new case, I figured that I can save a little bit of money by reusing this

Internal SATA Bluray optical disc drive

Peripherals (monitor, mouse, keyboard, etc).

Here is what I'm looking for (basically, the important stuff)

CPU great for Encoding

GPU for Plex transcoding

RAM (at least 32GB)

Power Supply (with enough SATA power connections for around 6 hard drives and 1 optical drive)

Compatible motherboard (with enough SATA ports for at least 2 hard drives and 1 optical drive, I'll later get a RAID controller card)

Fans (case has storage for 3, I'll also need a CPU fan)

Space for RAID card and Network card (but I won't put these in till later)

In my research, what I've found is the biggest limiting factor is case size and clearance for a GPU. CPU cooler could also be an issue.

For reference, my current case clearance

Width: 11.5in/292.1mm

Height: 7in/177.8mm (from bare inner chassis) or 6in/152.4mm (measured from current motherboard at PCIe height)

This is not exactly meant to be a very flashy build, so colors of the components won't really matter. I'm looking for functionality.

I'm also choosing not to reuse the fans that came with this case, I might as well replace them since they are over 10 years old.

Here is the link to what I've put together so far (some of the things I've put on the list is also based on availability at a nearby MicroCenter)

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/CVKRtn

Am I on the right track? Is there something else I would need? Are there any components where I'd hit a bottleneck (i.e., I know Core i9's run hot, would my current selection be okay for this during a long encoding session)?

Thanks in advance!

That GPU is completely overkill for plex transcoding. All together, that PC is kind of nuts for a plex NAS. How much time do you plan on ripping disks/encoding? Is it a daily occurance?

Electronics Wizardy · January 15, 2023

Are you just using the gpu for encoding? Id just use the intel iGPU. The encoder on that card is pretty powerfully, and does about the same as the 3070. The only reason I see to get a dGPU for encoding is for AV1 with a arc or rtx 4xxx or 7900 card. I'd argue its too early for av1 for most uses, so Id just stick to h.265 for now.

Id probably get 2x 16gb dimms instead of 4x 8.