Plex Media Server Build

[arm1234]

I am currently running a Plex Media Server on my Raspberry Pi 2, and I want to build an in home server to allow transcoding and the like. At this point, I have a samba share on my network that my 2 Windows machines back up to. On the same share is my media library, and that folder is mounted to the Pi. The Pi is running the latest Plex Media Server, but lately I have been having transcoding issues, and it's time to upgrade to a dedicated machine!

So, interested in building my own Linux/Ubuntu box to act as an in home server! I haven't seen any PC partpicker builds for something like this, but would love some hardware help.

I'd like to spend less than $500, but if a solid transcoding machine runs more I can budge a bit.

Thanks!

 

[azaran]

Unless you're planning on dealing with 4k files, you can build up a machine for under $500 pretty easily. What kind of requirements do you have outside of linux? Optical, size of case, noise factor, etc.

 

[arm1234]

Unless you're planning on dealing with 4k files, you can build up a machine for under $500 pretty easily. What kind of requirements do you have outside of linux? Optical, size of case, noise factor, etc.

No need for optical drive, small would be nice but need to fit a couple drives in so not sure if I can do a mini ITX. Noise isn't a huge issue.

 

[azaran]

This is a quick and dirty parts listing, but its something to give you an idea. I went with Skylake because the new IGP on it is supposed to be able to pump out 4k video, so you can leave out the cost of a dedicated GPU unless you have a specific need for one. If I'd gone down to an i3, it could have been about $30 cheaper but the quad core for transcoding as well as for any ripping you might do would come in handy. Tho without knowing what programs beyond plex you use, I cant say. But if you have specifics I can look in to if a multithreaded dual core (i3) would work better than a single threaded quad core (i5). The PSU is a bit over kill, but anything lower in wattage was a difference of $10 at most and this will give you more power to play with as you add drives, and maybe a tuner card if you decide to rip shows for your media center. The motherboard checks as playing nice various flavors of nix. The case should give you a bit more room to expand out a few drives without becoming a massive tower itself. This is all meant as a starting point so if you want we can try and flesh this out a bit.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H110M-A Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($43.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($45.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.98 @ OutletPC)
Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($43.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G2 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $453.93
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-12-06 09:22 EST-0500

 

[arm1234]

This is a quick and dirty parts listing, but its something to give you an idea. I went with Skylake because the new IGP on it is supposed to be able to pump out 4k video, so you can leave out the cost of a dedicated GPU unless you have a specific need for one. If I'd gone down to an i3, it could have been about $30 cheaper but the quad core for transcoding as well as for any ripping you might do would come in handy. Tho without knowing what programs beyond plex you use, I cant say. But if you have specifics I can look in to if a multithreaded dual core (i3) would work better than a single threaded quad core (i5). The PSU is a bit over kill, but anything lower in wattage was a difference of $10 at most and this will give you more power to play with as you add drives, and maybe a tuner card if you decide to rip shows for your media center. The motherboard checks as playing nice various flavors of nix. The case should give you a bit more room to expand out a few drives without becoming a massive tower itself. This is all meant as a starting point so if you want we can try and flesh this out a bit.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H110M-A Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($43.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($45.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.98 @ OutletPC)
Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($43.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G2 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $453.93
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-12-06 09:22 EST-0500

Nice, this is definitely a great start. I think the biggest thing will be adding more drives, but the case looks like it has room for some more. Thanks for the help!