Question Advice needed on purchasing PC for video file storage and viewing via Plex on 4K TV

[Yazzoo7]

Need help on what specs I should be looking for when purchasing a PC that will be used to store a TB or so of video and audio files. My plan is to also install Plex on the PC and on either Roku or Fire Stick 4K Max and view the stored files on an LG OLED TV. I have solid internet with Google Fiber but need help with what to look for when purchasing the PC. For example, RAM, graphics, and processor information.
Thank you in advance.

 

[punkncat]

Plex has very low "requirements" but have personally found that sticking close to that resulted in poor streaming performance.

Are you planning on purchasing something new and purpose built for only this use, or others alongside?

Do you already have some old equipment in mind, or considering purchasing a refurbished PC?

 

[Yazzoo7]

Plex has very low "requirements" but have personally found that sticking close to that resulted in poor streaming performance.

Are you planning on purchasing something new and purpose built for only this use, or others alongside?

Do you already have some old equipment in mind, or considering purchasing a refurbished PC?

Thank you for the prompt reply. I will be purchasing a machine that is either new or refurbished that will suit my needs "out of the box." Aside from the obvious requirement of large storage space (HD or SSD?), I need help with what I should look for in a processor (i5 compared to i7, for example), amount of RAM (8?, 16?, 32?) and how important the type of graphics card is. If this is relevant, then sharing what the specs of that card should be is appreciated. Any other advice on something I may not have asked is appreciated as well. In other words, if you were purchasing the machine I am describing, what specs would it have?

 

[logainofhades]

What is the budget for this?

 

[punkncat]

If you have a MicroCenter near you, I would check to see if they still have stock on the R5 3600 and motherboard combo for $130. It isn't so much that you need that processing power for a Plex build, but it would be hard to find a better price for such a powerful setup, which could be used for other things.

Outside of that, I would look at refurbished Dell or HP office or workstation machines in the "mid tower" or possible the "desktop" format. IMO there is no real reason for more than 16GB of RAM and would probably run fine on 8. An i5 should work fine as well unless you come across a deal for an i7.

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

Thank you for the prompt reply. I will be purchasing a machine that is either new or refurbished that will suit my needs "out of the box." Aside from the obvious requirement of large storage space (HD or SSD?), I need help with what I should look for in a processor (i5 compared to i7, for example), amount of RAM (8?, 16?, 32?) and how important the type of graphics card is. If this is relevant, then sharing what the specs of that card should be is appreciated. Any other advice on something I may not have asked is appreciated as well. In other words, if you were purchasing the machine I am describing, what specs would it have?

Hey there,

You don't really need 'that' powerful a system to manage everything. An Intel i5/Ryzen 5 will be plenty for your needs.

An example would be one of my own units. A Dell Latitude 7280 (refurb), 2c/4t CPU, with 8gbs of ram. I literally use it only for storage and Plex-ing. It doesn't come with major capacity(512gb to start) but you can fit in an M2 up to 1TB onboard. How I get a round that is with a USB-C hub. I have 4 tb drives connected to that. It runs everything flawlessly. The Dell is a laptop, and as such I chose it over a small form factor desktop purely from a portability point of view. I actually use it as a daily tasker, and use Plex later on in the day. It cost me €300 euros.

GPU is almost irrelevant for your needs.

For the firestick to work, you will need a USB Video Capture device, and then set up OBS to recognise the device, audio and video, and it works flawlessly

 

[logainofhades]

If building new, something with a 5600g, or an i3 12100 would work.

 

[kanewolf]

Need help on what specs I should be looking for when purchasing a PC that will be used to store a TB or so of video and audio files. My plan is to also install Plex on the PC and on either Roku or Fire Stick 4K Max and view the stored files on an LG OLED TV. I have solid internet with Google Fiber but need help with what to look for when purchasing the PC. For example, RAM, graphics, and processor information.
Thank you in advance.

Have you considered the commercial NAS units ? Synology, QNAP ? They are plug and play. Much simpler and lower power than 99% of home brewed file servers.

 

[Yazzoo7]

First, thank you all for your prompt and informative replies.
Someone asked what my budget is. I should have stated that up front. I'd like to keep this purchase at or under $800.
Someone else asked if there is a Microcenter nearby. There is not. But please keep in mind, I know just enough about adding/replacing/upgrading components to a PC to get me in trouble. I know there are resources I can use (YouTube videos, etc...) but my preference is to buy a machine "as is" that fits my needs.
Someone else asked if I have considered NAS, Synology or QNAP. I have not. Mostly because I don't know anything about that technology (I had to look up two of the three terms).
Someone else mentioned needing a USB video capture device if I planned on using Plex on my Fire Stick. If I use Plex with a 4K Roku (I think it's the latest Roku version on the market), will I need to tweak Plex as I would if I use it with a Fire Stick? If not, then Plex and Roku it is.

I have to go to work now. So it will be several hours before I can check back and respond to any new replies. Again, thanks to everyone for taking the time to share your suggestions.

 

[punkncat]

For the firestick to work, you will need a USB Video Capture device, and then set up OBS to recognise the device, audio and video, and it works flawlessly

Someone else mentioned needing a USB video capture device if I planned on using Plex on my Fire Stick.

I might be misunderstanding this comment myself. I host Plex from my "HTPC". I use a Fire Stick in the bedroom TV to stream content to it using the Plex app you can readily download/access.

 

[Yazzoo7]

Hey for you Plex users - Have you had any hiccups using it with Windows 11? I found a video on YouTube from a guy who said he was having some issues with Plex and Win11 but no issues with Plex and Win10.

 

[punkncat]

The only issue I have come across as of late is an issue where if I pause the movie too long either on the host machine or streaming from, the player will freeze up until you close/restart at the time it stopped at. Of course, have looked into power settings, sleep timers and such...I cannot recall having the issue prior to this particular machine. It isn't a big enough issue to spend any real time on further troubleshooting.

I cannot say specifically that it's only a problem with 11, as I don't have a 10 machine here to readily test from.