Server build, in progress, help with OS

Software & Operating Systems
21

The better option would be a 1050. Less power, smaller, waaay less heat and better transcoding quality.

2 Likes
23

Use Linux unless you absolutely need an Active Directory to work well (and even then perhaps wine could help). It’s just easier all around to use Linux on servers.

Agreed. For a server you ideally want integrated graphics, or even just a stupid VESA controller. Since the server will run 24/7, you want to minimize power consumption as much as possible.

I should mention, however, that it is possible to install a bare-bones system without a permanent graphics card whatsoever. It does require one of three things;

  1. Put in a temporary graphics card. Install the system, set up an SSH server, remove card.

  2. if no spare card is available, clone a system to a disk on a different computer, then move that disk to the server. Hopefully, it will boot just fine.

  3. Use a boot drive with a built in ssh server to install the system.

Option three require the least fiddling around with hardware, but requires the most expertise. Option two not as much, option one require the most fiddling with hardware but require least Linux knowledge. :slight_smile:

24

Right, but an iGPU or VESA controller wouldn’t do GPU transcoding of plex streams.

1 Like
25

Well, an APU like a Ryzen 2400G would cover that use case, but it might still not be enough.

If you really need the GPU go for it, but those plex streams might even be better served with a dedicated plex machine.

26

the 2400G wouldn’t do more than one stream. the 1050 will handle 2 simultaneous streams.

I disagree. I ran into network limits (1GbE) with a dedicated machine with NFS to the NAS doing high quality 1080p transcodes.

I highly recommend keeping the PMS software on the machine that the files are on.

Really boils down to source and destination bitrates.

3 Likes
27

Really depends on your plex use case and how many users.

For me, NO transcoding at all is just fine. Seriously, don’t store your media in dumb (incompatible) formats and the transcoding requirement goes away…

(my little Turion dual core can’t transcaode :smiley: )

1 Like
28

Yeah, I have all mine in a compatible format, but 50/50 in home and on the go streaming, so I need transcoding.

29

Yeah, that use case would do it. But again if you “don’t do that”… no need to transcode.

That said… i have actually done it at low bit-rate (old content) to lower bit-rate on the Turion. But anything over say 480-720p it really struggles.

Any Ryzen will be unbelievably faster than that (it’s a 2Ghz dual core AMD from pre-2012). I’d say any Ryzen should handle at least 1 1080p stream just fine?

i really do need to move plex/etc. to my E3-1231v3 that is now sitting next to it… :slight_smile:

30

I dont anticipate streaming on the go in the near future, all going to be in house over LAN. Transcoding thus far has not been an issue either. Samba and all just seems like a lot to get setup, need to sit down and figure it all out.

1 Like