October 5, 20223 yr Hi All, As a newbie to unraid, I'm looking to get recommendations on what parts I need to rebuild my server. Currently running an old i5-4570 with only 4Gb ram and Windows 2016 Server (so dearly needs an upgrade). It really is just for Plex, and running my usenet downloads. I've struggled to understand all the complexities for Plex 4k hardware transcoding, so please recommend hardware that will be able to do this. I have 4x2TB (currently raid5) disks to put in, and to help with costs, I'd like to keep them. Budget sub-$1500 if possible.
October 5, 20223 yr 1 hour ago, Kronos1979 said: I have 4x2TB (currently raid5) disks to put in, and to help with costs, I'd like to keep them. Do they have data you need to keep? Unraid must format any drive it will use in the array or pools.
October 5, 20223 yr Author I do, but I will backup the data first on an external drive before installing unraid
October 7, 20223 yr On 10/5/2022 at 10:47 AM, Kronos1979 said: I've struggled to understand all the complexities for Plex 4k hardware transcoding, so please recommend hardware that will be able to do this. You won't need to think of any complexities and trans-coding if your client(s) are on the same network and capable of 4K direct play. Even if not direct play capable (assuming TVs) you can still make them compliant via attached devices commonly called media boxes, most often with little cost and associated complexity. In that case you could keep your existing machine (additional 4GB of memory might be advisable) and save on Plex Pass (required for hardware trans-coding) - your machine is still powerful enough to run Unraid as a file server with ease. If you're set on a new machine with Plex Pass (Jellyfin is a free alternative) and transcoding, then any cheap processor from Intel (non-F) starting with the 8th gen (10th gen ideal), compatible motherboard with at least 6 SATA ports and 16-32 GB of DDR4 memory is all you need. No need to overspend on anything more powerful for your usage. Are you re-using your case? The only other major part that is often overlooked is the PSU. Ask if you need help. Make sure to get a good one. To make the process easy and fun use this site - start with the processor: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/ Edited October 8, 20223 yr by Lolight
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