First time home server build OS question

[EmergencyMetalServices]

So ill be buying an old upgraded Dell OptiPlex with the following specs:

-i7-8700
-Nvidia Quadro T600
-16GB RAM
-240GB Boot SSD
-500GB HDD

I'm a totally newbie when it comes to server stuff. For reference I only have experience in Windows. (If its possible to do all this in windows, please say so!) All I need this machine to do is:

run Plex (with hardware transcoding on the t600)

Home Assistant

and a VPN for obtaining totally *legit* files for Plex.

I'd like to be able to remote in from my main rig for as much as possible since I don't have a spare monitor, the 500g HDD is being replaced by a WD red 4tb NAS drive to start out.

I'd like an ecosystem that is as new user friendly as possible. I'm hoping for recommendations, or if anyone has a good walkthrough they could link to.

Thank you in advance!

[Electronics Wizardy]

18 minutes ago, EmergencyMetalServices said:

-Nvidia Quadro T600

I'd remove that to save power and use the better encoding power of the 8700's igpu

 

18 minutes ago, EmergencyMetalServices said:

(If its possible to do all this in windows, please say so!)

Yup you can do that easily. Just install the programs and vms you want to use on windows.

 

If you want a OS other than windows I'd look at unraid or truenas.

[Donut417]

34 minutes ago, EmergencyMetalServices said:

So ill be buying an old upgraded Dell OptiPlex with the following specs:

-i7-8700
-Nvidia Quadro T600
-16GB RAM
-240GB Boot SSD
-500GB HDD

I'm a totally newbie when it comes to server stuff. For reference I only have experience in Windows. (If its possible to do all this in windows, please say so!) All I need this machine to do is:

run Plex (with hardware transcoding on the t600)

Home Assistant

and a VPN for obtaining totally *legit* files for Plex.

I'd like to be able to remote in from my main rig for as much as possible since I don't have a spare monitor, the 500g HDD is being replaced by a WD red 4tb NAS drive to start out.

I'd like an ecosystem that is as new user friendly as possible. I'm hoping for recommendations, or if anyone has a good walkthrough they could link to.

Thank you in advance!

If you're going to run Windows make sure you set your connection to metered. This way Id doesnt download and automatically install updates / Restart. I had issues with that when I ran Plex on Windows 10. 

 

I have Plex installed under Ubuntu myself. I like it because while it's a bit more work to get things the way you need them. I can SSH in to my Plex server from my Mac, using two commands I can update the entire server, the OS, Software and of course Plex. 

 

I dont know much about Home Assistant or how to set up a VPN. 

 

OH, if you want to do Remote Desktop however you will need a HDMI dummy Plug or your going to have to learn the command line, the computer wont display anything if there is no monitor present, which is what the dummy Plug is for as it "Acts" like its a monitor. 

[johnt]

15 minutes ago, Donut417 said:

OH, if you want to do Remote Desktop however you will need a HDMI dummy Plug or your going to have to learn the command line, the computer wont display anything if there is no monitor present, which is what the dummy Plug is for as it "Acts" like its a monitor. 

I don't think this is accurate anymore. I certainly did have issues with Windows 7/8, and I needed a headless plug to make RDC or TeamViewer to work.

 

But Windows 10/11 and at least the recent versions of the Linux distros I've tried let you use RDC to manage the device through a GUI without a dedicated screen or headless plug. This was also the case when I tried TeamViewer recently (before I realized my router has a VPN). I had the best luck with Mint Cinnamon for RDC. And I think Unraid/TrueNAS have a web interface.

 

The newer OSes just create a virtual monitor nowadays when connecting over RDC. 

[Donut417]

3 minutes ago, johnt said:

I don't think this is accurate anymore. I certainly did have issues with Windows 7/8, and I needed a headless plug to make RDC or TeamViewer to work.

 

But Windows 10/11 and at least the recent versions of the Linux distros I've tried let you use RDC to manage the device through a GUI without a dedicated screen or headless plug. This was also the case when I tried TeamViewer recently (before I realized my router has a VPN). I had the best luck with Mint Cinnamon for RDC. And I think Unraid/TrueNAS have a web interface.

 

The newer OSes just create a virtual monitor nowadays when connecting over RDC. 

Im pretty sure Im using the latest Ubuntu LTS and I had to use a dummy Plug. Though I just use SSH because I find it easier to update and go. 

[johnt]

3 minutes ago, Donut417 said:

Im pretty sure Im using the latest Ubuntu LTS and I had to use a dummy Plug. Though I just use SSH because I find it easier to update and go. 

Ubuntu was stupid difficult. I couldn't get RDC to work no matter what I tried. xrdp has been reliable on every other distro except Ubuntu. Drove me crazy! I tried the latest version too (not the LTS).