Best integrated chip for Media server?

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1

Hey guys,

normally i would do this myself but I'm busy trying to debug SQF code at the moment and I cant afford to get distracted.

I am looking to build a mini-ITX headless media server so I can move my Storage drives to it and serve up my movies and tv shows and anime without bogging down my gaming rig.

I plan to run RockStor Linux and Kodi/Plex on it.
i already have the storage drives, All I would need drive wise is an SSD for the OS.
I have a $250 max budget for the hardware and would prefer best bang for the cheapest buck.
Integrated CPU would be ideal but I digress.

Here is the Minimum System specs for Rockstor:

64-bit Intel or AMD processor
2GB RAM
8GB hard disk space for the OS
One or more additional hard drives
1Gbps Ethernet interface (with internet access – for updates)
CD/DVD drive or USB port for installation

This is what I have so far:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($42.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: A-Data Premier Pro SP600 64GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($36.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Rosewill Legacy W1-B-Window Mini ITX Tower Case ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Other: ASRock N3150B-ITX Intel Quad-Core Processor N3150 ($69.99)
Other: SYBA SI-PEX40064 PCI-Express 2.0 Low Profile Ready SATA III (6.0Gb/s) Controller Card ($33.77)
Total: $263.72
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-08-18 01:27 EDT-0400

2

I posted my media server setup a while back which I thought you'd seen.
Here's the hardware I used when I built mine.

Case/PSU: In Win IW-BP671.200BL ~$46
Mobo: ASUS P8H61-I Mobo ~$45
CPU: Intel Core i3 2130 ~$88
RAM: Some 8GB DDR3 ~$64

I had an SSD laying around which I used for mine. Ironically spent ~$250 total.

3

but how will that handle RockStor and Plex?

4

I run Debian on mine and I imagine rockstor is even lighter, so on the OS side it should run well as it matches all the minimums required.

Plex also is really smooth and works well. With Plex, it can get to be intensive when transcoding for different devices. In the mobo you posted, it's got that integrated N3150 chip which actually turns out to be a celeron. So I'd say that any newer i-series chip would probably work better, as shown in this comparison.