Budget 0-20k NAS FOR PLEX AND THINGS

rushab_rdx

Disciple
Hello,
Im planning to build and 6tb nas in the lowest cost possible, hence need help from the community.
Here is the things that the NAS should be able to do
1) Act as PLEX SERVER (Not Player)
2) Download torrents and stuff
Also i want to know which open source software is best for it, and the main feature i want it to have is copy to usb(LIKE WD MY CLOUD)
Thanks in advance.
 
I'm interested, how well will that setup even perform as a PLEX server.
To provide a reference, I've Synology DS916+ 8GB, which comes with Intel Pentium N3710 Quad Core (2l56GHz burst) and it literally can't 'seamlessly' transcode 1080p movies. The RPi3, as I understand, is a much weaker device.

I must add that I purchased the Synology primarily for Plex (I already had an earlier model which was serving my NAS requirements pretty fine). I had to eventually purchase Intel Core i5 based NUC, which is now my plex server.

TLDR: Don't waste your money on RPi3, if Plex capability is what you are looking for.
 
To provide a reference, I've Synology DS916+ 8GB, which comes with Intel Pentium N3710 Quad Core (2l56GHz burst) and it literally can't 'seamlessly' transcode 1080p movies. The RPi3, as I understand, is a much weaker device.

I must add that I purchased the Synology primarily for Plex (I already had an earlier model which was serving my NAS requirements pretty fine). I had to eventually purchase Intel Core i5 based NUC, which is now my plex server.

TLDR: Don't waste your money on RPi3, if Plex capability is what you are looking for.
Hey Thanks for so much usefull information! so what would you suggest me to build an nas?
 
For NAS capabilities, I can vouch for Synology. Have been using their products for almost 4 years. Settled on a pre-built unit, after trying various DIY options. The peace of min you get is much beyond what you'll typically get with a DIY arrangement. The online downside is it's expensive.
 
For NAS capabilities, I can vouch for Synology. Have been using their products for almost 4 years. Settled on a pre-built unit, after trying various DIY options. The peace of min you get is much beyond what you'll typically get with a DIY arrangement. The online downside is it's expensive.

What about its Plex abilities and media encoding/streaming? The price for buying into Synology obviously is at a premium over possible more powerful and capable custom made options
 
In your budget, your plex performance would be mediocre at best. I know it. Because, Plex is not designed to run optimally for the CPU architectures mentioned here. It will run, meaning the software would function very well. Just your movie playback experience wont be good. Not my words. So not looking for an argument with anyone. And I happen to run Plex with a i5 NUC now, for my 4k playback, it just sucks. Stutters, frame drops etc.

As many would have said, R Pi is a horrible suggestion. Stay away from it. So are synology low end versions. The high end versions are way too expensive to be cost effective.

Whichever option you go for, look for the passmark score of that CPU. The higher the score, the higher your plex transcoding performance would be. This is my plex server soon, costed me around ~520USD. With taxes. Shipped to my home. Just need to assemble it. Been sitting around for 4 weeks in my shelf.

2 * E5-2650v1 8-Core CPU - Used
2 * ARCTIC Freezer i11 CPU Cooler - New
Gelid Solutions GC-Extreme Thermal Compound - New
Supermicro X9DRi-LN4F+ Motherboard LGA2011 - Used
24 * 4GB ECC DDR3 RAM - Used
512 Crucial SSD on StarTech M.2 NGFF SSD to 2.5in SATA Adapter - Plex metada, Already had
Cable Matters 24-Pin ATX Power Supply M/F Extension Cable - 12 Inches- New
StarTech.com 4x SATA Power Splitter Adapter Cable - New
6 Pack Straight SATA III Cable 6.0 Gbps 18 Inches - New
PSU - CORSAIR 550W 80 PLUS GOLD Semi-Modular- New
Case - Phanteks Enthoo Pro- New
6' EPS 12V 8 pin to Dual 8 pin Y Splitter PSU Motherboard Power Cable YEP-S828.- New

The idea was to get the best passmark score machine.

This was an expensive ordeal atleast. Only went for this because I was about to go for a i7 Synology 8 bay, had the budget and have lots of 4k High bit rate movies.

There are lots of single Xeon cheap options. I happen to have one more build coming up as well, already have the parts. Costed me like 180USD in total, which happens to be in your range as well.

EDIT: http://www.ebay.com/itm/SuperMicro-X8SIL-Motherboard-w-Intel-Xeon-X3470-8GB-RAM-I-O-Shield-X8SIL-CT033/112394975698?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649

This is the board for anyone that is wondering about the cheap build. It is a Xeon processor, Motherboard AND 8GB ECC RAM combo. You can offer your price. But it is usually with much less of a diff from what you see there.

Couple that with a LSI 8i card like this, http://www.ebay.com/itm/112327269957 and whoa... you are in for a treat. You can offer your price here as well.

Note: Lowballing both of those items are of no use. Try your luck though. These combos been popular in the plex communities. So they know these things move.

On a budget.
 
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^^^
Not sure which NUC are you using. I am using the NUC7 and I am yet to see anything stuttering at 4K (including 10 bit x265 HEVC). You were probably using an older generation NUC but for the 7th gen onwards, the IRIS graphics chipset work great at 4K/60Hz. I also have the 2017 top of the line 4-bay Synology NAS and it's below mediocre performance for Plex - even at 1080p. There is a dedicated transcoding chip inside that but PLEX can't gainfully use it. Must say that things work smooth with the Synology Apps (DS Video) even at 4K and even with simultaneous multiple streams. I jsut prefer Plex's media management capabilities and it's kinda easier to use on the TV. But as I mentioned earlier, for me Intel NUC with KODI has been working the best.
 
^^^
Not sure which NUC are you using. I am using the NUC7 and I am yet to see anything stuttering at 4K (including 10 bit x265 HEVC). You were probably using an older generation NUC but for the 7th gen onwards, the IRIS graphics chipset work great at 4K/60Hz. I also have the 2017 top of the line 4-bay Synology NAS and it's below mediocre performance for Plex - even at 1080p. There is a dedicated transcoding chip inside that but PLEX can't gainfully use it. Must say that things work smooth with the Synology Apps (DS Video) even at 4K and even with simultaneous multiple streams. I jsut prefer Plex's media management capabilities and it's kinda easier to use on the TV. But as I mentioned earlier, for me Intel NUC with KODI has been working the best.


Skylake NUC over a gigabit wired network, client is a Sony XBR65X900E. Last week my Martian 4k also dropped frames.

I am not talking about the delay in playing the files. Thought it was my network for the long, recently made a good enough upgrade to my Comcast modem/router combo. Put that into bridge mode, got a edgerouter X and a Ubnt AC Pro AP. Plex playback still have issues. My wifi improved though, which was a need.

Anyways this is a commonly reported issue. So nothing to be surprised about.

Also, I run background applications. That does contribute to the problem a lot. No apps on background means far less issues.
 
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tagging @cyberwarfare for Plex. I am using his Plex server - we both have Plex pass subs.

The main issue with Plex is about codec support. If you download and keep a file which is higher than what is supported by your device, then you will see stutter. Optionally, you can transcode it so that it works on everything, by keeping it at a standard H.264 - baseline of your choice.

Coming to the Synology, from a PLex POV, its going to be just a souped up RPi, with limited transcoding.

Given a choice, I would suggest to skip this Synology, and build one - its not that difficult, expensive yes. Alternatively, look at nVIDIA Shield, I think this would be a good device.
 
If the client supports the codec/format plex doesn't need to transcode anything right, Except for subtitles?
Not necessarily. I use the LG UH770T which supports HEVC but plex client on my TV doesn't do any processing. Everything is done on the server side and the since my Synology NAS isn't sharing access to the transcoding chip, Plex server does the processing using the CPU which isn't good enough.

On the other hand, when I install Plex server on the NUC (than on my NAS), it works fine. Even with background apps running.

I still prefer Kodi over Plex for playback.

Nvidia shield is great ($200). Another cheaper option could be Mi Box ($80)
 
^^ Yes, it's about access to the HW engines for encoding and decoding. This is one issue which may still be plaguing Synology, as I am yet to hear about HW encoding access to Intel Quick Sync officially, but its possible using beta versions.
 
With Synology, the DS Video app works very good. Only issue is, it doesn't scrape the metadata info too well (when compared to Plex) and there are issues with subtitles at times. Otherwise it is great.
 
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