Mini PC for Plex Server/CCTV - specs good enough or not?

[Stark_Source21]

Hey guys, 

 

Was thinking of buying one of these for a HTPC, but also potentially a plex server and a small CCTV system for front and back door. I will have an added bay for HDDs. 

 

My question is will they be able to cope with this above tasks, and if not, why not, and if not, what spec would I be looking for? I'm looking for best bang for buck, and quiet. 

MINIX Z100-0dB Fanless Mini PC, Intel 12th Gen N100, 16GB DDR4, 512GB M.2 PCIe 3.0 x 4 NVMe SSD Windows 11 Pro Desktop Computer, 4K Dual Display/2.5G LAN/USB3.2/USB-C/WiFi 6/BT5.2/Vesa Mount:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CPLQWN73?th=1&psc=1
 

MeLE Silent Mini PC Quieter 4C Windows 11 Pro N100(up to 3.4GHz) 12th Alder-Lake 16GB RAM 512GB Micro Computer Triple 4K Display HDMI Full-Functioned USB-C WiFi5 BT5.1 Gigabit Ethernet for IOT Office:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CP3YL6J7?th=1&psc=1

[Needfuldoer]

The N100 can't hold a candle to even a 12th gen i3. It will play media and emulators just fine (it's much faster than a Raspberry Pi), but it's going to struggle to run Plex and act as a security NVR (especially if you want it to do motion or object detection).

Edited March 13 by Needfuldoer

[jaslion]

12 minutes ago, Needfuldoer said:

The N100 can't hold a candle to even a 12th gen i3. It will play back media just fine, but it's going to struggle to run Plex and act as a security NVR (especially if you want it to do motion or object detection).

And for motion/object detection its best to have a google m.2 ai accelerator chip anyway. Makes it EXTREMELY better.

 

I'd just make a fully contained build with hdds in the case and some more powerfull components like yiu suggest.

 

A n100 is an amazing chip for simple tasks but plex and cctv is like a lot more than just simple stuff.

 

If its just holding a networked folder and being a cctv with basic functions it will work however keep ecpectations low. This is basically a i5 3440 give or take as depending on what power profile the n100 is limited to its slower than that.

 

Pretty standard to have mid range cpu performance from 10 years ago for about 5w intels been doing that for a looong time.

[Motifator]

Do NOT buy TRASH mini PCs off Amazon. They suck large time.

Buy barebones Asus and fill it in.

[m9x3mos]

2 hours ago, Motifator said:

Do NOT buy TRASH mini PCs off Amazon. They suck large time.

Buy barebones Asus and fill it in.

The majority of them do depending on what your want to do with them. I have a beelink one that has dual intel 2.5 g ports and it works pretty well. 

[m9x3mos]

3 hours ago, Stark_Source21 said:

Hey guys, 

 

Was thinking of buying one of these for a HTPC, but also potentially a plex server and a small CCTV system for front and back door. I will have an added bay for HDDs. 

 

My question is will they be able to cope with this above tasks, and if not, why not, and if not, what spec would I be looking for? I'm looking for best bang for buck, and quiet. 

MINIX Z100-0dB Fanless Mini PC, Intel 12th Gen N100, 16GB DDR4, 512GB M.2 PCIe 3.0 x 4 NVMe SSD Windows 11 Pro Desktop Computer, 4K Dual Display/2.5G LAN/USB3.2/USB-C/WiFi 6/BT5.2/Vesa Mount:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CPLQWN73?th=1&psc=1
 

MeLE Silent Mini PC Quieter 4C Windows 11 Pro N100(up to 3.4GHz) 12th Alder-Lake 16GB RAM 512GB Micro Computer Triple 4K Display HDMI Full-Functioned USB-C WiFi5 BT5.1 Gigabit Ethernet for IOT Office:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CP3YL6J7?th=1&psc=1

For that use case I would recommend looking into getting a 8th Gen intel mini pc instead from one of the big three. 

The m290q now is getting pretty cheap and will have more horses.

[Stark_Source21]

27 minutes ago, m9x3mos said:

For that use case I would recommend looking into getting a 8th Gen intel mini pc instead from one of the big three. 

The m290q now is getting pretty cheap and will have more horses.

 

The big three?

[m9x3mos]

1 hour ago, Stark_Source21 said:

 

The big three?

Dell HP Lenovo

[Stark_Source21]

8 hours ago, Needfuldoer said:

The N100 can't hold a candle to even a 12th gen i3. It will play media and emulators just fine (it's much faster than a Raspberry Pi), but it's going to struggle to run Plex and act as a security NVR (especially if you want it to do motion or object detection).

What if I split them and have two systems, one dedicated to plex/media, and the other to CCTV network?

[Stark_Source21]

8 hours ago, jaslion said:

 

 

If its just holding a networked folder and being a cctv with basic functions it will work however keep ecpectations low. This is basically a i5 3440 give or take as depending on what power profile the n100 is limited to its slower than that.

 

 

Yeah, I'm just looking for a CCTV on front and back door to track deliveries and possible intruders in the night. Not sure i need motion/object detection for that, or do I? 

 

I'm not too fussed on having a fancy plex software package. A folder with my media feeding to my smart TV is good enough for me. Would be great to be able to feed this media to other devices in or away from home, but not ultimately necessary.  

[Stark_Source21]

2 hours ago, m9x3mos said:

Dell HP Lenovo

So, I'd be looking to pick something up second hand then?

[m9x3mos]

1 minute ago, Stark_Source21 said:

So, I'd be looking to pick something up second hand then?

That is correct. The Lenovo ones are quite solid and are much more capable than those mini pcs and have similar idle power draw. 

I have a m920q that is connected with a 5 bay orico drive enclosure running truenas for a while now and has been very stable. 

Plus with those you can upgrade storage and ram which is not a given on many n100 machines.