Hi All,

 

I've planned out a new build that will be used for media/document storage along with the unRAID PLEX plug-in for media streaming. I've been reading around these forums and have seen different opinions on a unRAID build that involves PLEX streaming; some say you need at least an Intel Core i3 while others make-do with less. I don't really have any crazy requirements, and will be using my xbox with the Plex plug-in to play HD movies on my TV.

 

What is your budget?  This can be flexible. Originally set around $300 for server without HD's, but if spending an extra $100 or so will alleviate potential issues, I'd do it.

How many drives do you want your server to be able to support and how much capacity do you need? Will most likely use only 6-2TB disks.

Is expandability important to you?  No

Are you interested in running any unRAID Add Ons (see here)?  If so, which ones?  Be specific. PLEX and Simple Features webgui

Do you want to run green/low power drives or faster 7200 rpm drives?  If you don't have a specific need for 7200 rpm drives, then choose green drives. Green drives

Do you have any spare parts laying around that you would like to apply towards your build?  This includes drives. I do, but nothing that will work in a mini-itx form (which yes, I'm dead set on using).

 

Proposed Build:

 

CASE: LIAN LI PC-Q25B Black Aluminum Mini-ITX Tower Computer Case (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112339)

MOBO: ZOTAC GF6100-E-E AM3 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813500045)

CPU: AMD Athlon II X2 250 Regor 3.0GHz Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103904)

PSU: CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 V2 (CMPSU-430CXV2) 430W (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139026)

RAM: G.SKILL 2GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231203)

 

I've tested transcoding CPU and RAM usage on my desktop and saw it hover around 6-9% total CPU utilization (memory use was negligible). Although my desktop CPU is quite beefy, the CPU utilization surprised me given all the info I read about transcoding.

 

Basically, I'm concerned with the following:

 

1) Will this be able to stream 720p/1080p movies without stuttering?

2) Are there any hardware improvements you see to alleviate possible issues if you see an issue with my build?

 

I am dead set on using the mini-ITX form factor so anything else is out of the question.

 

TIA for any help!

 

Oops, forgot to mention, I'll be using PCI-E card to add the last 2 HD's.

you build look to be on par with the 5 drive prototype server that Raj recommends.

You just opted for a more expensive (and better looking) Case.

 

It looks like it should serve your files up nicely.

 

One thing to keep in mind while testing Plex for the Xbox.. I think that 1080p with DTS (I think it was DTS that  hurts?) puts a load on it while it transcodes audio and video on the fly..  you might want to test that out.

 

I think plex recommended a Dual-core 2.4 GHz for HD content so you should be OK.

Thanks for the reply Johnm. I used Raj's builds as an outline which greatly helped.

 

Yeah, I'm pretty anal about having that case for now so there's no real way I'm switching.

 

I'll probably stick to 720p content for the most part but thanks for the heads up on 1080p.

 

Eventually, when I have a larger place, I will start building something more large scale but don't see that happening in the foreseeable future.

 

I'd love to grab a SUPERMICRO board and pair it with a beefier processor but just can't stomach the cost.