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Low Power Plex/Jellyfin Server

sandals100
By sandals100
in New Builds and Planning
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Go to solution Solved by DrMacintosh,

I would seriously consider an M2 Mac mini. The power and power efficiency in such a small, cool, and quiet computer can't be understated. Plex supports hardware accelerated Transcoding and Apple Silicon is simply unrivaled when it comes to video hardware acceleration. 

 

This is an video based on an M1 Mac mini, M2 only improves things from here:

What you have to consider is storage, you need an external solution of some sort. I recommend a 4 bay DAS. I personally bought the OWC Mercury Elite Pro Quad and love it: 

https://www.amazon.com/OWC-Mercury-Elite-Storage-Enclosure/dp/B09SC124GS/ref=sr_1_3?crid=1581X4AHTIT17&keywords=owc+mercury+elite+pro+quad&qid=1686625507&sprefix=owc+mercury+elite+pro+quad%2Caps%2C230&sr=8-3&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.f5122f16-c3e8-4386-bf32-63e904010ad0

 

Of course individual drives will work, they are just messy. 

 

Posted

Budget (including currency): A$1000

Country: Australia

Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: Plex/Jellyfin

Other details: 

 

Hi All,

 

Looking at building a new plex/jellyfin server to replace my current solution (Plex running on my 5900x/6900xt workstation) in an attempt to lower the power usage of having a pc running 24/7. I've done as much research as I can and I'm receiving a lot of mixed info.

 

My current Plex server has predominantly 4k movies and plays to a 4k TV and on occasion a 1440p laptop which I usually end up playing in 4k too instead of converting to a lower quality.

 

After looking online I've concluded that I should only be looking at intel cpu's with a passmark score of 17000 and above however I have seen people using AMD based PC's with no issue (myself included). Is anyone able to advise if there's any hidden issues with using an amd based system? My AMD based options are a bit cheaper. I don't have Plex Pass so I have no access to hardware transcoding however I am open to switching to JellyFin as well if it allows me to build a cheaper system using AMD. 

 

My preferred build would be a NUC/mini pc based system so I can fit it in my media cabinet easily. I've found the following:

Intel:

https://www.mwave.com.au/product/msi-pro-dp10-13m-barebone-sff-pc-i51340p-wifi-bt-black-ac61825 $799 

AMD:

https://www.mwave.com.au/product/asus-mini-pc-pn52-barebone-kit-amd-ryzen-5-5600h-ac60894

 

Any help would be appreciated.

 

 

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I would seriously consider an M2 Mac mini. The power and power efficiency in such a small, cool, and quiet computer can't be understated. Plex supports hardware accelerated Transcoding and Apple Silicon is simply unrivaled when it comes to video hardware acceleration. 

 

This is an video based on an M1 Mac mini, M2 only improves things from here:

What you have to consider is storage, you need an external solution of some sort. I recommend a 4 bay DAS. I personally bought the OWC Mercury Elite Pro Quad and love it: 

https://www.amazon.com/OWC-Mercury-Elite-Storage-Enclosure/dp/B09SC124GS/ref=sr_1_3?crid=1581X4AHTIT17&keywords=owc+mercury+elite+pro+quad&qid=1686625507&sprefix=owc+mercury+elite+pro+quad%2Caps%2C230&sr=8-3&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.f5122f16-c3e8-4386-bf32-63e904010ad0

 

Of course individual drives will work, they are just messy. 

 

Laptop: 2019 16" MacBook Pro i7, 512GB, 5300M 4GB, 16GB DDR4 | Phone: iPhone 13 Pro Max 128GB | Wearables: Apple Watch SE | Car: 2007 Ford Taurus SE | CPU: R7 5700X | Mobo: ASRock B450M Pro4 | RAM: 32GB 3200 | GPU: ASRock RX 5700 8GB | Case: Apple PowerMac G5 | OS: Win 11 | Storage: 1TB Crucial P3 NVME SSD, 1TB PNY CS900, & 4TB WD Blue HDD | PSU: Be Quiet! Pure Power 11 600W | Display: LG 27GL83A-B 1440p @ 144Hz, Dell S2719DGF 1440p @144Hz | Cooling: Wraith Prism | Keyboard: G610 Orion Cherry MX Brown | Mouse: G305 | Audio: Audio Technica ATH-M50X & Blue Snowball | Server: 2018 Core i3 Mac mini, 128GB SSD, Intel UHD 630, 16GB DDR4 | Storage: OWC Mercury Elite Pro Quad (6TB WD Blue HDD, 12TB Seagate Barracuda, 1TB Crucial SSD, 2TB Seagate Barracuda HDD)
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2 hours ago, DrMacintosh said:

I would seriously consider an M2 Mac mini. The power and power efficiency in such a small, cool, and quiet computer can't be understated. Plex supports hardware accelerated Transcoding and Apple Silicon is simply unrivaled when it comes to video hardware acceleration. 

 

This is an video based on an M1 Mac mini, M2 only improves things from here:

What you have to consider is storage, you need an external solution of some sort. I recommend a 4 bay DAS. I personally bought the OWC Mercury Elite Pro Quad and love it: 

https://www.amazon.com/OWC-Mercury-Elite-Storage-Enclosure/dp/B09SC124GS/ref=sr_1_3?crid=1581X4AHTIT17&keywords=owc+mercury+elite+pro+quad&qid=1686625507&sprefix=owc+mercury+elite+pro+quad%2Caps%2C230&sr=8-3&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.f5122f16-c3e8-4386-bf32-63e904010ad0

 

Of course individual drives will work, they are just messy. 

 

Never actually considered the mac's, the price is also quiet attractive for what there. Would there be a minimum ram spec I should aim towards? 

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2 hours ago, sandals100 said:

Never actually considered the mac's, the price is also quiet attractive for what there. Would there be a minimum ram spec I should aim towards? 

8 is already a plenty for solely Plex.

 

Refurbished Mac mini Apple M2 Chip with 8‑Core CPU and 10‑Core GPU (A$849.00)

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10 hours ago, sandals100 said:

Never actually considered the mac's, the price is also quiet attractive for what there. Would there be a minimum ram spec I should aim towards? 

If all your are going to do with is is Plex, (and I use mine as an SMB server also) all you really need is the base config with 8GB of memory and the 256GB of storage (internal size won't matter bc your media will be on external drives). If you want to run VMs on it, maybe get the 16GB version.

Laptop: 2019 16" MacBook Pro i7, 512GB, 5300M 4GB, 16GB DDR4 | Phone: iPhone 13 Pro Max 128GB | Wearables: Apple Watch SE | Car: 2007 Ford Taurus SE | CPU: R7 5700X | Mobo: ASRock B450M Pro4 | RAM: 32GB 3200 | GPU: ASRock RX 5700 8GB | Case: Apple PowerMac G5 | OS: Win 11 | Storage: 1TB Crucial P3 NVME SSD, 1TB PNY CS900, & 4TB WD Blue HDD | PSU: Be Quiet! Pure Power 11 600W | Display: LG 27GL83A-B 1440p @ 144Hz, Dell S2719DGF 1440p @144Hz | Cooling: Wraith Prism | Keyboard: G610 Orion Cherry MX Brown | Mouse: G305 | Audio: Audio Technica ATH-M50X & Blue Snowball | Server: 2018 Core i3 Mac mini, 128GB SSD, Intel UHD 630, 16GB DDR4 | Storage: OWC Mercury Elite Pro Quad (6TB WD Blue HDD, 12TB Seagate Barracuda, 1TB Crucial SSD, 2TB Seagate Barracuda HDD)
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