Need build suggestions for 4K plex server with gaming capability.

[trist.wood]

TLDR at bottom.

Hello, I currently use an old gaming laptop to stream Kodi to my TV and play party games on with my wife and friends (JackBox, Nintendo emulator, Rocket League and other splitscteen controller based games). But its starting to get (and act) old. Also I got a 4K TV and want start enjoying that with some high quality downloads. I'm not really on a budget but I dont want to go overkill either ($2,000 MAX). I just want something that will last and isn't loud.

TLDR: I want to build a 4K output plex server that can handle mid quality games. Does anyone have MoBo, CPU or GPU recommendations?

Thanks for your input!

Edit #1:
-Will be streaming to a maximum of 2 devices on WiFi, unfortunately hardwire is not an option so I will need a good network card too.
-Games will be only playes in 1080p, Movies and Videos will be HD or higher but set to downgrade to 1080p when streaming to outside devices.
-Case will need to be a horizontal one, (not slim) to fit into media unit.

Edit #2, final build (?):
https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/YMLrV6
-Swapped MoBo for one with 6 SATA ports for future expansion, if required
-Put in 1060 as the most intense game will probably be Rocket League at 1080p. (The PC will be broadcasting at 4k but games settings set to 1080p)
-Added network card with AC
-Added quiet CPU cooler
-Other changes were probably because of Canadian pricing

 

[feelinfroggy777]

TLDR at bottom.

Hello, I currently use an old gaming laptop to stream Kodi to my TV and play party games on with my wife and friends (JackBox, Nintendo emulator, Rocket League and other splitscteen controller based games). But its starting to get (and act) old. Also I got a 4K TV and want start enjoying that with some high quality downloads. I'm not really on a budget but I dont want to go overkill either ($2,000 MAX). I just want something that will last and isn't loud.

TLDR: I want to build a 4K output plex server that can handle mid quality games. Does anyone have MoBo, CPU or GPU recommendations?

Thanks for your input!

How many simultaneous streams are you planning on using for a plex server? Will the streams be HD or standard definition?

 

[feelinfroggy777]

I would recommend an AMD build for a plex server. The extra cores on AMD CPUs will really help with transcoding. This build will allow for multiple HD streams (your network may become the bottleneck before the CPU).

I went with a 1070ti because it is the entry point for 4k gaming. The 1070ti should not have much issue pushing the games you mentioned at 4k, but if you plan on playing current AAA games at 4k with 60fps, you will need a better GPU. With that being said, if you are only going to play the games at 1080p, then the 1070ti is too much GPU and I would go with a 1060 6gb.

PCPartPicker part list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/BJZBbX
Price breakdown by merchant: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/BJZBbX/by_merchant/

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 7 1700 3GHz 8-Core Processor ($278.24 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI - B350 TOMAHAWK ATX AM4 Motherboard ($77.29 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($165.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung - 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($99.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte - GeForce GTX 1070 Ti 8GB AORUS Video Card ($569.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design - Define R6 Black TG ATX Mid Tower Case ($145.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - FOCUS Gold 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($73.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $1411.38
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-04-09 09:43 EDT-0400

 

[James Mason]

-build snip-

I'd switch out for an NVME M.2 drive so you can free up the SATA ports for HDDs for actual media storage.
Unless he's only going to actually "stream" the videos from online sources, then disregard what I said.

 

[feelinfroggy777]

-build snip-

I'd switch out for an NVME M.2 drive so you can free up the SATA ports for HDDs for actual media storage.
Unless he's only going to actually "stream" the videos from online sources, then disregard what I said.

Good point!

I normally don't recommend the more expensive NVMe drive because for most users, the faster drive does not warrant the extra cost. But I do have a plex server, and those SATA ports are must haves for the HDDs. I would go for the Samsung 960 EVO.

 

[logainofhades]

This board has wifi capability, a 500gb M.2 SSD, and a 5tb drive for video storage.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 7 1700 3GHz 8-Core Processor ($278.24 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG - H5 Universal 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($46.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock - X370 KILLER SLI/ac ATX AM4 Motherboard ($137.50 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($165.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital - Black 512GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($181.90 @ Amazon)
Storage: Toshiba - X300 5TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($129.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte - GeForce GTX 1080 8GB G1 Gaming Video Card ($619.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master - MasterCase Pro 5 ATX Mid Tower Case ($99.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - FOCUS Plus Gold 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($94.00 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $1754.39
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-04-09 14:49 EDT-0400