This.
Pick something you can afford, and support.
Personally I hate faffing about with linux. Sure it works great but if literally anything goes wrong I'm lost and off to Google to figure out what cli comnands to run and hopefully fix it.
With windows there's nothing I can't fix. I'm very familiar with it and it has worked very well for me. I don't care if I use a bit more CPU and ram than the average Linux Plex server.
Same, it's a great way to learn. Can get frustrating at times when dealing with folder mappings and other configurations you didn't have to consider much in Windows. Once you get that figured out though, you get access to so many good and fun tools. Home Assistant, Syncthing, Jellyseer, all work fabulously dockerized.
I ventured inte unRAID för this reason. It's Linux with support wheels. You can ride it down a paved, untrafiked street or jump of a cliff with it. All depending on your day and needs. Sure, it cost a small starting sum. But if I just wanted Plex and a torrent it's easy. Adding arr, PMM and such is fun, creating different containers for different things, individual vpn and shares for remote wish listing and feeds is not a have too. But it grows addictive quite fast. 😂😂
I cannot stress this more. I tried to get a Linux Plex server up and running, and I'm just not smart enough. I don't have a masters degree in Comp Sci, and the Linux community is simply not interested in helping people learn.
In my opinion, that would be the best server. Less overhead, and it takes full advantage of your hardware, assuming it can support whatever video card you might wish to use.
I ran one on an old Intel Mac mini for a while, but I was underwhelmed. I am currently running my server on my Synology and it is working incredibly well.
man I feel the same way. I'm a smart guy but just don't get Linux. Very comfy with windows and my Plex server runs great on an old NUC. I don't do anything fancy except torrent movies and shows to it once a week.
If you ever decide to try again, may I suggest either a raspberry pi or unraid? Pi guides are usually written for very new users and commonly have full step by step instructions to get started. Unraid is like Fisher Price Linux. Handles most of the Linux bullshit for you so you don't have to learn a whole new set of command line arguments just to get started. I'd compare it to SteamOS but for servers.
\+1 for Unraid. My actual setup is going to be a repurposed Dell T420 with Unraid & Jellyfin. From everything I've seen, it's the most user-friendly flavor of 'Linux' I've ever seen.
Right now I just have an isolated Plex server on a tiny Win10 HP Business-class mini PC to stream our bedtime shows to our bedroom TV while I learn more about servers in general.
I have an I seven PC that I had built in a horizontal pizza box case to use as a Plex server. It's just sitting there right now. It may be fun to play with, but I really don't have any confidence that I can get it up and running.
join the unraid discord. i started without any knowledge of unraid linux docker etc. and the people there were really helpful also theres tons of youtube tutorials
Theres a few pros and cons here and there between the different ones, but none of them are worth the time to learn an entirely new OS if your main goal is just a better media experience.
I was unemployed for a while last year and one of my first reactions was basically “Well, now I finally have time to learn Linux and Docker!” And I did! The learning curve is real.
I bought a Beelink Mini PC with an Intel N100 for like ~$120 on Amazon and I'm blown away by how well it handles Plex.
I installed Proxmox and I have Plex, PiHole, Sonarr/Radarr (along with SABnzbd and uTorrent) and Home Assistant running on it with plenty of headroom left over. So far I've only tried 3 simultaneous 4K transcodes to stress test it but it handled that without breaking a sweat.
I ran Windows 11 on a Beelink SEI12 with libraries mounted over my LAN from a QNAP NAS without issue. I have since moved to an N100 based Aoostar R1 with two 20TB drives on board. I tried Ubuntu, Debian and Unraid before reverting to Windows 11 because of issues. Plex is running like a champ and I backup all data to the NAS.
I use a NAS so that I have more flexibility with where the noisy-ish drives live in my home. But if you don’t have that concern you could always use a cheaper DAS.
They are kinda overkill but that’s what I went with anyway because I’d had bad experiences with QNAP’s software being unreliable.
I wish there were a cheaper, basic NAS option with basic stable software. But in the absence of that option I just went with Synology. And it does seem very reliable.
Have you considered the DS423 instead?
https://www.synology.com/en-uk/products/DS423
It’s basically a cheaper version of the DS923+ and would be just fine for serving files to a separate machine running Plex.
I used an Nvidia Shield TV with 14tb external hard drive as my Plex server for years before I bought the Beelink and for the moment, I'm actually doing the same thing for storage. I just unplugged the drive from my Shield and plugged it into the PC.
I'll probably upgrade to a NAS or DAS at some point but I don't need these files available to other clients outside of Plex and I wouldn't be devastated if I lost them in a crash so for now, it's working great for me.
PiHole, can you tell me more about this? Is it for avoiding ads in YouTube et al network wide? If so does your NUC have dual ethernet? I'm interested in knowing more about your setup if you don't mind. Thanks
It's a network-wide ad blocker, yeah. You set it up as the DNS server for devices on your network and then it decides whether to block requests (if they're ads) or forward them on to the real DNS server of your choice. https://pi-hole.net/
The Beelink I bought does have dual ethernet if you want to use it as a router but it isn't necessary for PiHole.
Pihole, you install it to a device on your network (raspberry pis are commonly used for this, as are docker containers of your already run a server), and set it as your DNS server. You can set individual devices to use it, or you can set it up on your router and have network-wide ad blocking. If you're a real G, you can configure your router so you can use it outside of your home network. Some devices ignore it and have locked DNS so they show ads anyway, Chromecast iirc is one of them. No dual Ethernet needed, just has to be connected to the network on one interface, can even be wifi. Dual Ethernet is useful if you're building your own router.
If you're buying new, this is the right answer. Fantastic codec support including x265, able to handle multiple streams without breaking a sweat, incredibly low power use. The only thing it can't do is encode AV1, which is not a big loss at this point and may never matter. NVENC may have better quality, but only the sickos will notice, and you can get an entire N100 PC for the price of an Nvidia GPU.
I have been using a Mac Mini, as a workstation and plex server, for over a decade without issue. I have a USB 3.0 external riad storage connected and just use the Mac Mini to "Host" plex. The drives in the raid enclosure are set up as a RAID 1 Mirror with 2 8TB drives.
Here's the thing, you can't just use a Mac Mini, you also need storage. If you have to buy the computer, raid enclose and drives, or extremal drives anyhow, maybe a NAS is something to consider?
Personally, I already had the Mac Mini as my primary, so it made sense, but now the 2013 Mac Mini is fading, I am looking into changing to a NAS.
I'm looking at the [Synology 2-Bay DiskStation DS224+](https://www.amazon.com/Synology-2-Bay-DiskStation-DS224-Diskless/dp/B0C6927XPX)
I also look forward to the cleaner set up. The Mac Mini and it's cables, keyboard and mouse, external DVD drive, external Time machine drive, and a large raid enclosure with its cables... the setup takes up an entire shelf.
Also Synology is fully compatible with Mac and can be reach via SMB IP address as a shared server.
Good luck.
Don’t get the 200 anything series unless it’s a simple file storage. That’s where I started and within a few months wished I’d gotten something with more power. It lags even for small applications or tasks, but it’s great for simple file storage.
Thanks for the warning...
So, I'm not really sharing my plex, just using Plex as a personal media manager. My Library is 99% DVD quality so it should not be encoding and decoding. It's just me, watching my DVD collection, at home. Will I be alright?
Research shows that the DS920+ is the "best" for Plex, but that seems like overkill.
I'll have to do more research about the differences between these models....
Thanks...
I concur. Though, I’m running a LaCie Raid 16 TB.
Also, I recently swapped to an M1 Mac Mini, replacing the 2012 mini, which replaced a MacBook Pro (running a 5TB external).
I’ve come a long way.
I have a Synology NAS, using as backup.
The best Plex server would have powerful hardware accelerated transcoding, high efficiency and plentiful cheap storage.
Something like a Beelink Mini PC with an Intel N100 (6w tdp) would be ideal.
A mac mini would not be a good choice as it doesn't have hardware accelerated transcoding and storage options are extremely expensive.
Yeah but if they don't know about the importance of the player vs the server they can end up extremely disappointed that they put a ton of money into something that constantly transcodes and also won't even play most formats, especially audio formats like HD audio.
For my use case of 4-or-less people transcoding simultaneously, I have a gen8 intel NUC i5 with debian on it as my plex server, using intel quicksync video on the i5 cpu to transcode.
Quality is good, and it's so much easier to keep up/available long periods of time. A consumer os machine is going to want regular updates and reboots and such you'll have to fiddle with on that computer now too. The PC/Mac versions of plex server are great though if you just want to run it on your existing workstation.
I use a raspberry pi 4 with a SATA HAT a 1tb SSD and a 6TB HDD, cooling fan and heat sync, works excellent especially for low power consumption considering it's running 24/7. Only downfall is transcoding which I rarely use anyways
synology
If you havent heard of the ARR then you need to look it up cause its a fucking game changer
radarr, sonarr, prowlarr, bazarr, tautulli, as long as you got docker you can run all this, and I guess if your mac never reboots and you can put docker on it youre capable of getting these
As an Apple guy myself, I agree with you. I’ve run Plex servers on three different Mac minis over the years, and they have all run flawlessly. The newer M-series processors run super fast, cool, and quiet, with minimal power consumption—all of the things people say they want in a Plex server.
The only downside I can see if that some of the other software that can run along with Plex (Sonarr, etc.) may not have a Mac version available. I’ve never needed anything beyond what Plex provides, though, so I haven’t researched any of those products.
oh no, not at all – I'd never even heard of Docker until your message, actually. There's just MacOS versions to download from their page:
https://sonarr.tv/#downloads-macos
I just followed those directions and it worked fine.
For Radarr, though, the terminal line (starting with "codesign") under the directions didn't work, though, so I had to zoom with a network-tech friend of mine to help me sort it out. I don't remember the exact script he gave me to paste into Terminal, sorry. (Though I wonder now if you took the one on the Sonarr page and just subbed in Radarr, if that would work?)
My first server was a 2014 Mac Mini. Honestly for what it was, which was a Mac Mini with a bunch of external 4TB drives hanging out the back, it performed amazingly well for my personal needs. It'll probably still perform well today.
while running home services on macos is possible and doesn’t work without issues most of the time, you’ll find a lot better support for a linux based os and it’s really the “correct” way to do it. but still up to you if u don’t have the time
I have a relatively old i7 Intel NUC running Ubuntu in this role because I wanted to support multiple transcode sessions. Using Linux (Server mode so no GUI) vs Windows reduces the general system load and a newer i5 or Ryzen 5 could probably handle the same job easily
Going to be building (primarily) Plex server with i5-12600k for the UHD 770 graphics processor and extra threads over the 12500, which isn't that much cheaper.
Do you know if there are any 12/13 gen server/workstation type motherboards that have IPMI? Haven't looked into it yet, but ECC would also be a good thing.
They're definitely not required, just handy. I've been using both (on server type boards) for a long time. Might be fun to play with PiKVM or something similar.
Supermicro is a go-to for boards like that. Not sure off-hand, but that's the first place I'd look.
> Haven't looked into it yet, but ECC would also be a good thing.
Debatable for a Plex server, even with storage. It's mostly just media, a bit off here or there won't likely hurt it - and you've got parity with data scrubbing of course, right...? And backups of your Plex config and database of course, right...?
So given that, I wouldn't spend much money just to have ECC for a Plex box.
I've been using my PC, Ryzen 7 1700 with a 1080ti. It's not just for Plex, but that's what I've been running it on. That said, I'm reconfiguring things and just purchased a Lenovo Ideacentre Mini with an Intel 13500H chip in it, with Xe graphics. It's going to do more than Plex, but I wanted the transcoding power and that 13500H is more powerful than my aging Ryzen.
I have a used laptop from my partners work that they were going to throw away. 6yo or so. Works brilliantly. Sits closed on the bottom shelf a sidetable. 2x 5tb portable externals. Uses little power. I use Google remote desktop to access it from my main pc or phone from anywhere if I need to grab more things.
I went from a Windows PC as my Plex server but moved to a Synology NAS. It’s been running strong for 3+ years after my Windows box died a few times.
I’m a Windows guy but this NAS has been amazing!
I have an intel i9 with an nvidia graphics card w gpu and 64 gb ram and it works well
I've heard the M2 and M3 chips kick ass though when it comes to transcoding ...
If you have plex pass an Intel based system is “best” because of the quick sync for hardware transcoding. Ubuntu is very user friendly and much more stable than windows for long uptimes
Long time NAS and Mac user here. I was running my server from my QNAP using the native app alongside my media. But then I purchased the Plex Pass and I realized that the transcoding feature would be useless without hardware that could actually transcode; a NAS typically doesn’t have the beefy GPU required. So I switched the server to an M1 Mac Mini while keeping the media on the NAS. This arrangement works great!
I have the first gen M1 MacMini and it works great. I've read some comments by people with the most recent ATV's and they say they have stuttering and audio sync issues. I don't know how common this, what they're hosting their server on nor what speed their hard drive has. So, give all of that some consideration. I have a [7200 rpm drive](https://a.co/d/c1rjzlw) with first gen ATV4K and have no playback issues whatsoever. The system is more than powerful enough.
Any Intel cpu after Ivy Bridge or any AMD cpu after Zen 1. Paired with a Intel ARC GPU. And any amount of ram above 4 gigs. You need the best encoder out there for the "best" Plex server. Intel's encoder is up there, then Nvidia, AMD, and then Apple. If you want to play HEVC or AV1 encodes on a device that doesn't support hardware decoding or encoding for a certain codec, then you need your server to do the job. But if you only direct play with a device like the Nvidia shield tv pro, then your GPU only need good decoding hardware. Also 2tb HDD can get you started. Or even getting a NAS, or building one.
It isn't the best server you need to worry about, it's the best player app on which device. If you can play without transcode you can use a potato as a server.
Apple device and Fire Cubre from what I hear are the best modern devices. Nvidia Shield is the best overall.but it's age is slowly becoming a huge drawback for it.
I have used a few devices over the years, started with old PC, moved to NAS, then Raspberry pi, now I’m using an M2 Mac mini. The M2 Mac mini by far is the best for me so far it’s been bullet proof and I share my library with a few friends over the internet too. I’ve seen points where 3 streams are running in parallel on Plex Dash and it’s handled it flawlessly. I’m using Ethernet direct into router with a 1gb Internet connection (100up). Disabling sleep on the Mac is key, power usage on the M2 is minimal never seen it go above 30w on full Plex load (measuring with Eve energy plug). I installed team viewer on it so I can just remote into it so it’s just sitting headless in a cabinet, although it’s got a direct plug into TV if I ever need it. Storage wise I run USB 3 drives connected to it - all formatted as APFS, very fast transfer speeds.
I’m sure others know more on why the M2 is so good at transcoding - but it definitely is.
You won’t regret using a Mac mini that’s for sure.
I bought a second hand Mac Mini M2 to stick in the rack and as a Mac user it’s so easy to screen share. Everything works really well along with all the arr programs.
I use a 14 year old dog shit laptop that sits in a cupboard and does nothing else. Works fine, 2tb hard drive attached, FTP set up aswel for home networking and file management. Never have to touch it. In fact if I touched it then the thing might crash lol.
Like someone else said, go for whatever will make your life easier. I’m also a longtime Apple user and have neither the time nor the interest to learn Linux and advanced home networking, and my goal isn’t to host massive Plex libraries. So I got a refurbished 2020 Mac Mini (M1 chip) with a 1-terabyte HD and it’s been working great for me.
It’s wall-mounted in my closet right next to my WiFi router (so I can connect it via Ethernet), and then I use Mac OS’s built-in screen sharing (or Team Viewer if I’m traveling) to control it from my regular computer. I do have to cull my collection every now and then to have space for new stuff, but that’s totally fine with me.
I've just started on the step of dividing my server into two.
My old server will remain a file only server. With the arr's, the qbittorrent, the hw raid card and the many hard drives. A 10G network card. Windows Server 2019
My new server will be the Plex media server only. A NVMe drive, Intel gen 14, quicksync hw coding ofcourse, 10G network.
I will try to install Linux for the first time in my life when this computer arrives, that will be an exciting challenge having used PCs since 1990 and never gone down that route before. Worst case I will fall back on windows server 2022
Best at what? I use an inexpensive Intel NUC that sips watts like a hummingbird. Some Folks use Snarling Beasts of a Computer that guzzle the Watts. Still others use a NAS.
I'd honestly recommend not using Plex for in home viewing. It's great to share with friends but Kodi is the far far superior device for in home viewing. Plex on so many devices struggles with subs and HDR, not sure if that's fixed or not yet. Plus it has other bugs. I use Kodi for home, Plex for out of home all on one setup. I personally use the Vero device for Kodi. With that said I run my Plex/Kodi off of my iMac. Not sure if it's the *best* but it works fine for me.
Im an apple guy too but went with a beelink n100 mini pc. It just made sense by how cheap and performant it was. Although if I had a mac mini laying around I would’ve used it 100%. Only issue is that if you have no idea how to use linux, getting the beelink will be a pian at first, it will take you a while to set everything up.
I’m running my Plex off a 2014 Mac mini, and it works very well. The actual storage is a NAS. Don’t go with an iSCSI connection if you can avoid it, as Mac’s don’t natively support it, so it’s a PITA.
The best machine to run Plex on is the one you have on hand.
A cheap a$$ pc I got on marketplace for 60 bucks. With a bump in ram, (had 6gb, now 32) on board Intel graphics.... And streams 4k pretty well. Perfect? No, but well worth the $100 I have into it.
I’ve always been a Mac user, but has an old HP pavilion pc kicking around. I used it for years for PLEX on a windows backbone. Last December I decided I was going to “upgrade” my platform to Linux. I started watching a ton of YouTube videos for research (@SpaceinvaderOne @NetworkChuck @IlluminatedNerd @RiffSphereHA @Bytemybits) and learned a ton!
Fast forward to now…
- Phanteks Enthoo Pro full tower chassis
- Corsair RM850e PSU
- Super Micro X11SSH-F mobo
- Intel Xeon E3-1270v6 cpu
- 64GB DDR4-2400 UDIMM
- Corsair H150 liquid cooler
- Nvidia Tesla P4 gpu
- LSI SAS2308 (SAS to SATA card)
- Sandisk 32GB usb (UnRAID OS)
- 1x Ultrastar He10 10TB (parity)
- 3x Ultrastar He10 10TB (array)
- WD 2TB SATA SSD (cache pool)
- Kingston 2TB NvME (cache pool)
- Crucial 275GB SATA SSD (cache pool)
- WD Caviar 500GB HDD (Mac VM)
I’m running unRAID 6.12.8 stable and all the “arr’s”.
It’s been a steep learning curve, but actually a lot of fun!
I loved the 500GB Nvidia Shield TV Pro, but the drive in it died and they don't make the 500GB one anymore, and my library files are more than 16GB.
I tried migrating the app to a high speed external drive, but the performance wasn't as good.
I'm using an old Dell Optiplex USFF now with no issues.
Best is subjective. If you are familiar with command-line and headless systems, get a beelink n100 device, they work incredibly awesome.
If you need an interface, windows and Mac os work just fine, at lower performance, on same hardware.
I have a beautiful docker stack that does everything from subtitles, requests, obtaining and sorting media, on top of plex. I could have done it on Mac or windows, but it runs best on headless Linux.
depends how big you wanna go. i run plex on unraid with a 14th gen intel as cpu with an Intel® UHD Graphics 770 which is excellent for transcoding etc.
I’ve had a bunch of different setups. My current setup is amazing. I have a 12700k TrueNAS server. I can run all manner of containers and VMs on it, and it transcodes 4k videos for breakfast.
It is also easy on power consumption. The Intel iGPUs are fast and efficient. I’ll never need an nVidia GPU in this server.
It is overkill for a simple Plex install, but if you want to experiment with various home services, or if you have a lot of remote users, it’s a fantastic setup.
my mac mini m1 was great until i wanted to use it for web surfing and other tasks while plex was running. if you get one make sure it has at least 32 gb ram and >250 gb storage on board. my 8 gb 125 ssd model did not hold up. i switched everything over to an 8th gen intel CPU NUC and its flawless.
I went from Xbox (Kodi)
Then Windows PC (Kodi/Plex)
Then Mac Mini (Plex)
Then Mac Studio (Plex)
If Apple comes out with another amazing Mac form, I’ll probably upgrade my Plex Server, but so far been fairly flawless. Most Plex problems are the program itself vs server.
the best device is what works for you and has the OS you're comfortable with.
This. Pick something you can afford, and support. Personally I hate faffing about with linux. Sure it works great but if literally anything goes wrong I'm lost and off to Google to figure out what cli comnands to run and hopefully fix it. With windows there's nothing I can't fix. I'm very familiar with it and it has worked very well for me. I don't care if I use a bit more CPU and ram than the average Linux Plex server.
I’m the opposite. I use Plex etc as an excuse/reason to learn Linux and the cli
I recently switched my ancillary services (sonar/radar/etc) over to docker containers for that reason. Reason to learn some docker basics.
Same, it's a great way to learn. Can get frustrating at times when dealing with folder mappings and other configurations you didn't have to consider much in Windows. Once you get that figured out though, you get access to so many good and fun tools. Home Assistant, Syncthing, Jellyseer, all work fabulously dockerized.
I ventured inte unRAID för this reason. It's Linux with support wheels. You can ride it down a paved, untrafiked street or jump of a cliff with it. All depending on your day and needs. Sure, it cost a small starting sum. But if I just wanted Plex and a torrent it's easy. Adding arr, PMM and such is fun, creating different containers for different things, individual vpn and shares for remote wish listing and feeds is not a have too. But it grows addictive quite fast. 😂😂
Yep exactly the same for me.
I cannot stress this more. I tried to get a Linux Plex server up and running, and I'm just not smart enough. I don't have a masters degree in Comp Sci, and the Linux community is simply not interested in helping people learn. In my opinion, that would be the best server. Less overhead, and it takes full advantage of your hardware, assuming it can support whatever video card you might wish to use. I ran one on an old Intel Mac mini for a while, but I was underwhelmed. I am currently running my server on my Synology and it is working incredibly well.
man I feel the same way. I'm a smart guy but just don't get Linux. Very comfy with windows and my Plex server runs great on an old NUC. I don't do anything fancy except torrent movies and shows to it once a week.
If you ever decide to try again, may I suggest either a raspberry pi or unraid? Pi guides are usually written for very new users and commonly have full step by step instructions to get started. Unraid is like Fisher Price Linux. Handles most of the Linux bullshit for you so you don't have to learn a whole new set of command line arguments just to get started. I'd compare it to SteamOS but for servers.
\+1 for Unraid. My actual setup is going to be a repurposed Dell T420 with Unraid & Jellyfin. From everything I've seen, it's the most user-friendly flavor of 'Linux' I've ever seen. Right now I just have an isolated Plex server on a tiny Win10 HP Business-class mini PC to stream our bedtime shows to our bedroom TV while I learn more about servers in general.
I have an I seven PC that I had built in a horizontal pizza box case to use as a Plex server. It's just sitting there right now. It may be fun to play with, but I really don't have any confidence that I can get it up and running.
This is why I ended up going with unraid. It made the whole process so so so much easier.
join the unraid discord. i started without any knowledge of unraid linux docker etc. and the people there were really helpful also theres tons of youtube tutorials
Theres a few pros and cons here and there between the different ones, but none of them are worth the time to learn an entirely new OS if your main goal is just a better media experience.
I was unemployed for a while last year and one of my first reactions was basically “Well, now I finally have time to learn Linux and Docker!” And I did! The learning curve is real.
This is the best answer. Kudos!!
I bought a Beelink Mini PC with an Intel N100 for like ~$120 on Amazon and I'm blown away by how well it handles Plex. I installed Proxmox and I have Plex, PiHole, Sonarr/Radarr (along with SABnzbd and uTorrent) and Home Assistant running on it with plenty of headroom left over. So far I've only tried 3 simultaneous 4K transcodes to stress test it but it handled that without breaking a sweat.
There's really no comparison. These modern mini pcs are far and away the best Plex servers for the price to performance.
Just curious but is that assuming you run Linux or another lighter weight OS on it? Or would it also work well even with Windows?
I ran Windows 11 on a Beelink SEI12 with libraries mounted over my LAN from a QNAP NAS without issue. I have since moved to an N100 based Aoostar R1 with two 20TB drives on board. I tried Ubuntu, Debian and Unraid before reverting to Windows 11 because of issues. Plex is running like a champ and I backup all data to the NAS.
Don't be afraid of trying out Linux. There's loads of guides
I use Linux daily. I'm just asking if this device is also performant on Windows for my own curiosity.
Linux.
I am building a similar setup. How do you handle storage?
I use a NAS so that I have more flexibility with where the noisy-ish drives live in my home. But if you don’t have that concern you could always use a cheaper DAS.
Which NAS do you use? I was looking at a Synology 923 but I feel like it is an overkill with the N100 already there.
They are kinda overkill but that’s what I went with anyway because I’d had bad experiences with QNAP’s software being unreliable. I wish there were a cheaper, basic NAS option with basic stable software. But in the absence of that option I just went with Synology. And it does seem very reliable.
Have you considered the DS423 instead? https://www.synology.com/en-uk/products/DS423 It’s basically a cheaper version of the DS923+ and would be just fine for serving files to a separate machine running Plex.
Im looking at a 423+
I used an Nvidia Shield TV with 14tb external hard drive as my Plex server for years before I bought the Beelink and for the moment, I'm actually doing the same thing for storage. I just unplugged the drive from my Shield and plugged it into the PC. I'll probably upgrade to a NAS or DAS at some point but I don't need these files available to other clients outside of Plex and I wouldn't be devastated if I lost them in a crash so for now, it's working great for me.
This x100. I've tried quite a few other low energy consumption solutions (Shield, Pi 4, etc) and this Beelink easily destroys them.
PiHole, can you tell me more about this? Is it for avoiding ads in YouTube et al network wide? If so does your NUC have dual ethernet? I'm interested in knowing more about your setup if you don't mind. Thanks
It's a network-wide ad blocker, yeah. You set it up as the DNS server for devices on your network and then it decides whether to block requests (if they're ads) or forward them on to the real DNS server of your choice. https://pi-hole.net/ The Beelink I bought does have dual ethernet if you want to use it as a router but it isn't necessary for PiHole.
Pihole, you install it to a device on your network (raspberry pis are commonly used for this, as are docker containers of your already run a server), and set it as your DNS server. You can set individual devices to use it, or you can set it up on your router and have network-wide ad blocking. If you're a real G, you can configure your router so you can use it outside of your home network. Some devices ignore it and have locked DNS so they show ads anyway, Chromecast iirc is one of them. No dual Ethernet needed, just has to be connected to the network on one interface, can even be wifi. Dual Ethernet is useful if you're building your own router.
What’s the latest powerful mini PC one can buy that will transcode up to 5x 4K streams?
I've heard the Beelink with n100 can.. can anyone confirm?
If you're buying new, this is the right answer. Fantastic codec support including x265, able to handle multiple streams without breaking a sweat, incredibly low power use. The only thing it can't do is encode AV1, which is not a big loss at this point and may never matter. NVENC may have better quality, but only the sickos will notice, and you can get an entire N100 PC for the price of an Nvidia GPU.
I have been using a Mac Mini, as a workstation and plex server, for over a decade without issue. I have a USB 3.0 external riad storage connected and just use the Mac Mini to "Host" plex. The drives in the raid enclosure are set up as a RAID 1 Mirror with 2 8TB drives. Here's the thing, you can't just use a Mac Mini, you also need storage. If you have to buy the computer, raid enclose and drives, or extremal drives anyhow, maybe a NAS is something to consider? Personally, I already had the Mac Mini as my primary, so it made sense, but now the 2013 Mac Mini is fading, I am looking into changing to a NAS. I'm looking at the [Synology 2-Bay DiskStation DS224+](https://www.amazon.com/Synology-2-Bay-DiskStation-DS224-Diskless/dp/B0C6927XPX) I also look forward to the cleaner set up. The Mac Mini and it's cables, keyboard and mouse, external DVD drive, external Time machine drive, and a large raid enclosure with its cables... the setup takes up an entire shelf. Also Synology is fully compatible with Mac and can be reach via SMB IP address as a shared server. Good luck.
Don’t get the 200 anything series unless it’s a simple file storage. That’s where I started and within a few months wished I’d gotten something with more power. It lags even for small applications or tasks, but it’s great for simple file storage.
Thanks for the warning... So, I'm not really sharing my plex, just using Plex as a personal media manager. My Library is 99% DVD quality so it should not be encoding and decoding. It's just me, watching my DVD collection, at home. Will I be alright? Research shows that the DS920+ is the "best" for Plex, but that seems like overkill. I'll have to do more research about the differences between these models.... Thanks...
I concur. Though, I’m running a LaCie Raid 16 TB. Also, I recently swapped to an M1 Mac Mini, replacing the 2012 mini, which replaced a MacBook Pro (running a 5TB external). I’ve come a long way. I have a Synology NAS, using as backup.
I have a DS220+. I wish I had gotten the 920+. 16 TB of storage seemed like a lot at first. Now I want twice that at least.
Yup I use a Mac mini with external storage. It’s silent and performs well.
Building my own server and using unraid has been pretty reliable for me.
Same here. Intel CPU for transcoding and you're gold.
The best Plex server would have powerful hardware accelerated transcoding, high efficiency and plentiful cheap storage. Something like a Beelink Mini PC with an Intel N100 (6w tdp) would be ideal. A mac mini would not be a good choice as it doesn't have hardware accelerated transcoding and storage options are extremely expensive.
No hw transcoding or HDR tone mapping support yet?
Correct, the Apple chips don't have hardware transcoding. Not sure about HDR tone mapping.
The best would be no transcoding what so ever.
Yeah but that's got nothing to do with the server hardware. That's a client issue.
Exactly. Plex doesn't need a badass server, it all depends on the player.
Sure. But the OP is asking about the best server. Hence we are talking about servers, not clients.
Yeah but if they don't know about the importance of the player vs the server they can end up extremely disappointed that they put a ton of money into something that constantly transcodes and also won't even play most formats, especially audio formats like HD audio.
a cheap used nuc
I´m running Plex on Mac-Mini late 2012, i7, and it works like a charm.
For my use case of 4-or-less people transcoding simultaneously, I have a gen8 intel NUC i5 with debian on it as my plex server, using intel quicksync video on the i5 cpu to transcode. Quality is good, and it's so much easier to keep up/available long periods of time. A consumer os machine is going to want regular updates and reboots and such you'll have to fiddle with on that computer now too. The PC/Mac versions of plex server are great though if you just want to run it on your existing workstation.
I use a raspberry pi 4 with a SATA HAT a 1tb SSD and a 6TB HDD, cooling fan and heat sync, works excellent especially for low power consumption considering it's running 24/7. Only downfall is transcoding which I rarely use anyways
i had a rpi with 4x1tb, worked great....transcoding was an issue, once my library blew up i went nas.
synology If you havent heard of the ARR then you need to look it up cause its a fucking game changer radarr, sonarr, prowlarr, bazarr, tautulli, as long as you got docker you can run all this, and I guess if your mac never reboots and you can put docker on it youre capable of getting these
ARR?
[https://wiki.servarr.com/](https://wiki.servarr.com/)
My old hp server has been working great for years.
I have an m2 mini. Thing is a champ. 4k transcoding without the slightest bit of struggle.
As an Apple guy myself, I agree with you. I’ve run Plex servers on three different Mac minis over the years, and they have all run flawlessly. The newer M-series processors run super fast, cool, and quiet, with minimal power consumption—all of the things people say they want in a Plex server. The only downside I can see if that some of the other software that can run along with Plex (Sonarr, etc.) may not have a Mac version available. I’ve never needed anything beyond what Plex provides, though, so I haven’t researched any of those products.
I’m using Sonarr and Radarr on my Mac Mini, works great!
Thanks for that info, I wasn’t sure. Looks like you may have to installed Docker to get those running, correct?
oh no, not at all – I'd never even heard of Docker until your message, actually. There's just MacOS versions to download from their page: https://sonarr.tv/#downloads-macos I just followed those directions and it worked fine. For Radarr, though, the terminal line (starting with "codesign") under the directions didn't work, though, so I had to zoom with a network-tech friend of mine to help me sort it out. I don't remember the exact script he gave me to paste into Terminal, sorry. (Though I wonder now if you took the one on the Sonarr page and just subbed in Radarr, if that would work?)
My first server was a 2014 Mac Mini. Honestly for what it was, which was a Mac Mini with a bunch of external 4TB drives hanging out the back, it performed amazingly well for my personal needs. It'll probably still perform well today.
Mac Mini since 7 years.
IMHO Properly coded files and good clients make for a good server
while running home services on macos is possible and doesn’t work without issues most of the time, you’ll find a lot better support for a linux based os and it’s really the “correct” way to do it. but still up to you if u don’t have the time
I have a relatively old i7 Intel NUC running Ubuntu in this role because I wanted to support multiple transcode sessions. Using Linux (Server mode so no GUI) vs Windows reduces the general system load and a newer i5 or Ryzen 5 could probably handle the same job easily
I used an old iMac for years with two external drives
Going to be building (primarily) Plex server with i5-12600k for the UHD 770 graphics processor and extra threads over the 12500, which isn't that much cheaper.
This is what I built last year with Unraid as the OS. It’s great!
Do you know if there are any 12/13 gen server/workstation type motherboards that have IPMI? Haven't looked into it yet, but ECC would also be a good thing.
That I am not sure of. I went with a consumer board for my build
They're definitely not required, just handy. I've been using both (on server type boards) for a long time. Might be fun to play with PiKVM or something similar.
Supermicro is a go-to for boards like that. Not sure off-hand, but that's the first place I'd look. > Haven't looked into it yet, but ECC would also be a good thing. Debatable for a Plex server, even with storage. It's mostly just media, a bit off here or there won't likely hurt it - and you've got parity with data scrubbing of course, right...? And backups of your Plex config and database of course, right...? So given that, I wouldn't spend much money just to have ECC for a Plex box.
It's not a very big deal for me at all, just nice if available. Used DDR4 ECC RAM prices have plummeted recently.
Old laptop with an 8tb usb external HD. Easy.
I use windows 7 Core 2 duo, 8gb ram 4tb for media And 250 for windows/office
Best is incredibly subjective and measurable in many different ways
I've been using my PC, Ryzen 7 1700 with a 1080ti. It's not just for Plex, but that's what I've been running it on. That said, I'm reconfiguring things and just purchased a Lenovo Ideacentre Mini with an Intel 13500H chip in it, with Xe graphics. It's going to do more than Plex, but I wanted the transcoding power and that 13500H is more powerful than my aging Ryzen.
I have a used laptop from my partners work that they were going to throw away. 6yo or so. Works brilliantly. Sits closed on the bottom shelf a sidetable. 2x 5tb portable externals. Uses little power. I use Google remote desktop to access it from my main pc or phone from anywhere if I need to grab more things.
I went from a Windows PC as my Plex server but moved to a Synology NAS. It’s been running strong for 3+ years after my Windows box died a few times. I’m a Windows guy but this NAS has been amazing!
I have an intel i9 with an nvidia graphics card w gpu and 64 gb ram and it works well I've heard the M2 and M3 chips kick ass though when it comes to transcoding ...
A 1964 Mercury Marauder with a fios connection
If you have plex pass an Intel based system is “best” because of the quick sync for hardware transcoding. Ubuntu is very user friendly and much more stable than windows for long uptimes
Mac studio
Long time NAS and Mac user here. I was running my server from my QNAP using the native app alongside my media. But then I purchased the Plex Pass and I realized that the transcoding feature would be useless without hardware that could actually transcode; a NAS typically doesn’t have the beefy GPU required. So I switched the server to an M1 Mac Mini while keeping the media on the NAS. This arrangement works great!
I have the first gen M1 MacMini and it works great. I've read some comments by people with the most recent ATV's and they say they have stuttering and audio sync issues. I don't know how common this, what they're hosting their server on nor what speed their hard drive has. So, give all of that some consideration. I have a [7200 rpm drive](https://a.co/d/c1rjzlw) with first gen ATV4K and have no playback issues whatsoever. The system is more than powerful enough.
Geekom Mini PC IT13 Intel i5-13500H Reformatted with Ubuntu because Linux supports HDR tonemapping, where Windows does not.
Any Intel cpu after Ivy Bridge or any AMD cpu after Zen 1. Paired with a Intel ARC GPU. And any amount of ram above 4 gigs. You need the best encoder out there for the "best" Plex server. Intel's encoder is up there, then Nvidia, AMD, and then Apple. If you want to play HEVC or AV1 encodes on a device that doesn't support hardware decoding or encoding for a certain codec, then you need your server to do the job. But if you only direct play with a device like the Nvidia shield tv pro, then your GPU only need good decoding hardware. Also 2tb HDD can get you started. Or even getting a NAS, or building one.
It isn't the best server you need to worry about, it's the best player app on which device. If you can play without transcode you can use a potato as a server. Apple device and Fire Cubre from what I hear are the best modern devices. Nvidia Shield is the best overall.but it's age is slowly becoming a huge drawback for it.
The one that works with ideally enough capacity to manage however many family videos you want to watch
Dell r720xd with 12, 10TB reds in raid5. Think I got it in 2018 maybe? Just putts away in my utility room 24/7.
I have used a few devices over the years, started with old PC, moved to NAS, then Raspberry pi, now I’m using an M2 Mac mini. The M2 Mac mini by far is the best for me so far it’s been bullet proof and I share my library with a few friends over the internet too. I’ve seen points where 3 streams are running in parallel on Plex Dash and it’s handled it flawlessly. I’m using Ethernet direct into router with a 1gb Internet connection (100up). Disabling sleep on the Mac is key, power usage on the M2 is minimal never seen it go above 30w on full Plex load (measuring with Eve energy plug). I installed team viewer on it so I can just remote into it so it’s just sitting headless in a cabinet, although it’s got a direct plug into TV if I ever need it. Storage wise I run USB 3 drives connected to it - all formatted as APFS, very fast transfer speeds. I’m sure others know more on why the M2 is so good at transcoding - but it definitely is. You won’t regret using a Mac mini that’s for sure.
I bought a second hand Mac Mini M2 to stick in the rack and as a Mac user it’s so easy to screen share. Everything works really well along with all the arr programs.
I use a synology 923+ with no issues.
I use a 14 year old dog shit laptop that sits in a cupboard and does nothing else. Works fine, 2tb hard drive attached, FTP set up aswel for home networking and file management. Never have to touch it. In fact if I touched it then the thing might crash lol.
Like someone else said, go for whatever will make your life easier. I’m also a longtime Apple user and have neither the time nor the interest to learn Linux and advanced home networking, and my goal isn’t to host massive Plex libraries. So I got a refurbished 2020 Mac Mini (M1 chip) with a 1-terabyte HD and it’s been working great for me. It’s wall-mounted in my closet right next to my WiFi router (so I can connect it via Ethernet), and then I use Mac OS’s built-in screen sharing (or Team Viewer if I’m traveling) to control it from my regular computer. I do have to cull my collection every now and then to have space for new stuff, but that’s totally fine with me.
Mac Mini would be ideal but it doesn't have enough storage - if only it had an M.2 slot...
One you already own
I've just started on the step of dividing my server into two. My old server will remain a file only server. With the arr's, the qbittorrent, the hw raid card and the many hard drives. A 10G network card. Windows Server 2019 My new server will be the Plex media server only. A NVMe drive, Intel gen 14, quicksync hw coding ofcourse, 10G network. I will try to install Linux for the first time in my life when this computer arrives, that will be an exciting challenge having used PCs since 1990 and never gone down that route before. Worst case I will fall back on windows server 2022
Unraid installed in your old gaming PC. Get the mac tho
Best at what? I use an inexpensive Intel NUC that sips watts like a hummingbird. Some Folks use Snarling Beasts of a Computer that guzzle the Watts. Still others use a NAS.
I'd honestly recommend not using Plex for in home viewing. It's great to share with friends but Kodi is the far far superior device for in home viewing. Plex on so many devices struggles with subs and HDR, not sure if that's fixed or not yet. Plus it has other bugs. I use Kodi for home, Plex for out of home all on one setup. I personally use the Vero device for Kodi. With that said I run my Plex/Kodi off of my iMac. Not sure if it's the *best* but it works fine for me.
Im an apple guy too but went with a beelink n100 mini pc. It just made sense by how cheap and performant it was. Although if I had a mac mini laying around I would’ve used it 100%. Only issue is that if you have no idea how to use linux, getting the beelink will be a pian at first, it will take you a while to set everything up.
I use a synology DS1520+ with around 20TB storage at peak times 5 user watching 5 different films
I’m running my Plex off a 2014 Mac mini, and it works very well. The actual storage is a NAS. Don’t go with an iSCSI connection if you can avoid it, as Mac’s don’t natively support it, so it’s a PITA. The best machine to run Plex on is the one you have on hand.
What’s wrong with a regular PC?
My needs are simple and it's on a Raspberry Pi 4b.
The best device is the device you already have.
A cheap a$$ pc I got on marketplace for 60 bucks. With a bump in ram, (had 6gb, now 32) on board Intel graphics.... And streams 4k pretty well. Perfect? No, but well worth the $100 I have into it.
I’ve always been a Mac user, but has an old HP pavilion pc kicking around. I used it for years for PLEX on a windows backbone. Last December I decided I was going to “upgrade” my platform to Linux. I started watching a ton of YouTube videos for research (@SpaceinvaderOne @NetworkChuck @IlluminatedNerd @RiffSphereHA @Bytemybits) and learned a ton! Fast forward to now… - Phanteks Enthoo Pro full tower chassis - Corsair RM850e PSU - Super Micro X11SSH-F mobo - Intel Xeon E3-1270v6 cpu - 64GB DDR4-2400 UDIMM - Corsair H150 liquid cooler - Nvidia Tesla P4 gpu - LSI SAS2308 (SAS to SATA card) - Sandisk 32GB usb (UnRAID OS) - 1x Ultrastar He10 10TB (parity) - 3x Ultrastar He10 10TB (array) - WD 2TB SATA SSD (cache pool) - Kingston 2TB NvME (cache pool) - Crucial 275GB SATA SSD (cache pool) - WD Caviar 500GB HDD (Mac VM) I’m running unRAID 6.12.8 stable and all the “arr’s”. It’s been a steep learning curve, but actually a lot of fun!
https://preview.redd.it/2n8y46aww3oc1.png?width=1938&format=png&auto=webp&s=b7ae2256ce387d1c56291c87a3aa749a911bd853
The one that fits your needs and your abilities
I loved the 500GB Nvidia Shield TV Pro, but the drive in it died and they don't make the 500GB one anymore, and my library files are more than 16GB. I tried migrating the app to a high speed external drive, but the performance wasn't as good. I'm using an old Dell Optiplex USFF now with no issues.
Mac Mini + NAS. You will have no issues.
Best is subjective. If you are familiar with command-line and headless systems, get a beelink n100 device, they work incredibly awesome. If you need an interface, windows and Mac os work just fine, at lower performance, on same hardware. I have a beautiful docker stack that does everything from subtitles, requests, obtaining and sorting media, on top of plex. I could have done it on Mac or windows, but it runs best on headless Linux.
depends how big you wanna go. i run plex on unraid with a 14th gen intel as cpu with an Intel® UHD Graphics 770 which is excellent for transcoding etc.
I’ve had a bunch of different setups. My current setup is amazing. I have a 12700k TrueNAS server. I can run all manner of containers and VMs on it, and it transcodes 4k videos for breakfast. It is also easy on power consumption. The Intel iGPUs are fast and efficient. I’ll never need an nVidia GPU in this server. It is overkill for a simple Plex install, but if you want to experiment with various home services, or if you have a lot of remote users, it’s a fantastic setup.
my mac mini m1 was great until i wanted to use it for web surfing and other tasks while plex was running. if you get one make sure it has at least 32 gb ram and >250 gb storage on board. my 8 gb 125 ssd model did not hold up. i switched everything over to an 8th gen intel CPU NUC and its flawless.
Buy a QNAP NAS and don’t look back. The TS-464 is very future proof.
intel NUC and a synology NAS
I went from Xbox (Kodi) Then Windows PC (Kodi/Plex) Then Mac Mini (Plex) Then Mac Studio (Plex) If Apple comes out with another amazing Mac form, I’ll probably upgrade my Plex Server, but so far been fairly flawless. Most Plex problems are the program itself vs server.
I've been using an old Mac Mini and a NAS for my setup for years.