HP Proliant N40l Microserver..adding a GPU for transcoding..

[loady]

I have PLEX media server running on this server with UNraid, all my media boxes on network are connected via GB LAN and work very well, i am having issues with streaming though, especially over 3G and was wondering if adding a graphics card would improve this, i cant find an answer that says yes, im not using it as a standalone HTPC box so i would not be directly connecting to the graphics card and therefore i am not sure that PMS would be utilising the GPU or whether it would still just rely on the CPU ?

[mrow]

I have PLEX media server running on this server with UNraid, all my media boxes on network are connected via GB LAN and work very well, i am having issues with streaming though, especially over 3G and was wondering if adding a graphics card would improve this, i cant find an answer that says yes, im not using it as a standalone HTPC box so i would not be directly connecting to the graphics card and therefore i am not sure that PMS would be utilising the GPU or whether it would still just rely on the CPU ?

 

 

No, adding a GPU is not going to help your problem with transcoding.

[loady]

Hmmm...im wondering if the CPU of the N40L  is not up to the job, dual core AMD Turion II Neo N40L (1.5 Ghz) K625, i noticed they have a more powerful unit now available but dont want to spend and be in same boat..any one else getting transcoding issues with either unit ?

[garycase]

If you want to replace this with something that will NOT have any issues with transcoding (even with multiple streams) ... but is still a small, quiet form-factor, I'd consider this:

 

[Case: $120]  http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112339&Tpk=PC%20Q25B&IsVirtualParent=1

 

[Motherboard: $113] 

http://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php?p=MB-H87IPLU&c=fr&pid=397a9cf9c35328e140926bb7e6670ac17cc1b8a91d30a99002b5f1cc79386272&gcsct=0ChMIuKnNrcqWuAIVxkDnCh0qDgAAEAA

 

[CPU: $200] 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116897

 

[Memory:  $135 ... could be as low as $40 if you're happy with 4GB, but I'd just max it at 16GB]    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820239291

 

[Power Supply:  $65]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817256063

 

 

So for a bit over $600 you could build a Haswell-based system that would support 7 drives [6 with the motherboard ports ... you'd need a small add-in card to support the 7th] in a VERY nice case that is very quiet, has superb drive cooling, and 5 hot-swap drive slots (the other 2 mount on a plate at the bottom).

 

A comparison of the CPU "horsepower":

 

Your N40L scores 979 on PassMark's CPUMark;  the i5-4570S scores 5798 ... about SIX TIMES the CPU power 

 

Note:  You could do this same build for about $200 less if you wanted to by using the previous generation of the motherboard, a Pentium G2130 ($100), and 4GB of RAM ($40).  The G2130 scores 3212 on PassMark ... still more than 3 times your current CPU.

 

[garycase]

... one other note:  You could also do this for ~ $150 less with the same components I listed if you wait until September, when the lower-end Haswell's are released [i3's and Pentiums].  That will trim about $100 off the cost; and you could use less memory to cut the cost even more.

 

Basically you can build it for $400 with Ivy Bridge components, and for about $450 with the lower-end Haswell CPU's after they're released;  or about $600 now with a Haswell i5.

 

[garycase]

Just looked at your profile and realize you're in the UK ... sorry for all the Newegg links, as they're clearly not useful for you (except for the product detail they provide).

 

Not sure what that does to availability of Haswell CPUs and/or to the pricing of the various components.

 

[mrow]

Hmmm...im wondering if the CPU of the N40L  is not up to the job, dual core AMD Turion II Neo N40L (1.5 Ghz) K625, i noticed they have a more powerful unit now available but dont want to spend and be in same boat..any one else getting transcoding issues with either unit ?

 

 

No, that CPU is no where close to being capable of on the fly transcoding. The next model up, the N54L, is not going to be fast enough either. Those CPUs are basically only a little more powerful than an Intel Atom.

 

You'd need to either build a new server with more powerful hardware or run Plex on another PC that is powerful enough for the job.

[36bitter]

Concurring with other posts, I had a N40L as a Plex server and I found it would not reliably transcode even 720p mkv files. It actually would work some of the time but would periodically hang up. Currently I am using a Windows VM on an ESX server with a E3-1230 V2 cpu as a Plex server which is accessing a N40L unraid server over a wired network and have no problems transcoding. So I went the path of leaving my unraid server alone and splitting off functions onto other boxes.

 

The N40L is a fine small unraid server and hard to beat for convenience and price when on sale, but it is not up to Plex transcoding. I also access the N40L unraid server with a WD Live TV box and with an XBMC system with no issues.

 

If one of your existing media servers has a heftier cpu with a wired connection to the unraid server you might try splitting off the Plex server to that media server.

 

[garycase]

The "separate boxes" setup is actually a very good idea.  It also eliminates a LOT of potential conflicts within UnRAID ... if you read this forum in detail, you'll see that MOST of the issues have nothing to do with UnRAID as a solid, reliable NAS => but with some plugin or addon that's not working correctly.

 

Keeping the UnRAID server "pure" eliminates that.

 

On the other hand, if you are only using a couple of the more popular (thus well-maintained) plugins (like Plex), then using a single box with enough "horsepower" to handle the tasks it's call on also work fine.

 

Bottom line is it's simply a matter of personal choice.  FWIW my 2nd (newest) UnRAID server is in the same case I suggested above, with a SuperMicro Atom D525 board ... it's purely a NAS for me, and that has the advantage that the system only draws 20 watts when the drives are spun down 

 

But of course if I decided to run Plex, I'd have to use another PC to do that (or build a box similar to what I suggested above).

 

[loady]

Thanks guys, Plex on this N40L runs fine over the local network as it is all GB LAN and no issues whatsoever....the initial idea of me building the UNraid server was so i didnt have the need to have a 'power hungry' PC switched on all the time and any headend wouldnt need files locally on its drives. I would consider building another unit, i have a redundant i7 CPU and mobo in a rackmount case sitting here i was thinking of selling..it has water cooled components including the GPU....i suppose i could use it for unraid and sell on the GPU including its water block, it has 6 or 8 SATA ports but its full ATX...i really do like the 'microness' of the N40L

[garycase]

A Q25B also meets the nifty "microness" attribute very nicely.    And although it's certainly not as inexpensive as using spare parts you already have, the mobo/CPU combo I listed would be FAR more power-efficient than an older i7 and full ATX motherboard.    You could also use the Socket 1155 version of that board and an i3 with perhaps 4GB of RAM and save ~$200 over what I listed before.

 

 

Note:  If you plan to keep the N40L as a dedicated UnRAID box, and just build something with enough "horsepower" to run Plex ... and thus don't need a lot of local storage ... AND want something that meets the "microness" attribute nicely AND has a bit of additional "character", you could use the same mini-ITX board I suggested above, but use this rather UNIQUE case:  [i've been oh-so-tempted for a while !!! ]    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112392

 

Not inexpensive ... but OH SO COOL !!!

 

[loady]

Hmmm...that would just be train stupid  , clearly you have a 'one track' mind ..get it ? track, train ??...oh never mind lol.

 

Anyway, you got me thinking and worse still, my wallet flapping. i pulled the specs on my hardware sitting around, the mobo is a P8P67 pro CLICKY and has an i7 and 8gb of ram which i am sure would be up to the job ?...also, i have a media box in my living room which i used as a media client and built to be quiet and look like a piece of high end AV equipment, inside it has a P8H61-MLE CLICKY and i think i have a Intel G840 in that, both of these boards i mentioned are 1155 sockets.

 

Now my server is sited in my utility room out of sight with the modem, switches and other stuff and the whole house and every room is wired for CAT6 GB LAN..now i would consider building the server to have in the living room but then i would not be able to use it as my media player as it would have UNraid on it so i could possibly use the board from the media player in living room and scale down the media player ?..but i guess it would probably be more viable to utilise the  P867 board with the i7,  getting deep now. i Suppose really the sensible and cheaper way to go would be invest my money in a case to fit the more suited board so i could have the drives hot swappable (which they are not on the N40L as it has to be stopped to pull them).

 

The benefit of doing all this would be cheaper if the mobo fails, if the mobo fails on the N40L i hate to think what HP would charge for a replacement !! as it is not a readily available 'off the shelf' one.

 

All the equipment in the links you sent i can get here in the UK anyway. The one and only thing i do not want to do is spend more time and money doing this only to discover i am still getting transcoding issues 

 

EDIT: Just musing over this thread again and thinking about splitting off PLEX to another pc, how would one go about that ? its already wired up to the network and i could use it to test the theory of whether the CPU is up to the job at least, currently it is running PLEX media player on Win7, i hate the fact i have to go through windows to start plex up...im also wondering whether i could somehow setup up a WOL setting to fire the pc up when i start transcoding therefore not having to leave it on ? by splitting out PLEX to this pc would i then have to store the library on it ?.

 

Correct me if i am wrong, when PLEX is being used on a HTPCr and media is being served over the network to it from UNraid box, the GPU/CPU in the HTPC is handling all the hardwork ?

[garycase]

Correct me if i am wrong, when PLEX is being used on a HTPCr and media is being served over the network to it from UNraid box, the GPU/CPU in the HTPC is handling all the hardwork ?

 

That's correct ... the UnRAID server is simply supplying the data for the transcoding.  However, be sure you don't configure the transcoder to use UnRAID for temp storage, due to the slow writes (it's okay if you have a cache drive, but even then local storage would be better).

 

Sounds like you have almost as many PC's "hanging around" as I do ... I have 2 servers, 4 HTPCs, 3 desktops, and 2 laptops ... plus a few "spares" that I refurbish and donate as time allows.    And of course Cat-6 throughout the home 

[garycase]

The system I listed earlier is, however, a VERY potent little system that would be very power-efficient, yet at the same time have enough "oomph" to do about anything you could possibly ask it do to.

 

It also has very nice hot-swap drive bays with excellent cooling.  My drives never get above 35 during parity checks ... and are usually closer to 30 (or even the high 20's).

 

[loady]

Yes. Clearly you like to spend money as well  . How much less potent and energy efficient would you day a set of my parts would be compared to your build list ?

[garycase]

Yes. Clearly you like to spend money as well  . How much less potent and energy efficient would you day a set of my parts would be compared to your build list ?

 

Your i7 probably isn't any less "potent" ... but is almost certainly less power efficient.  The 4570S has a TDP of 65w ... i.e. it never draws more than that; and is also very efficient at MUCH lower power levels when not being stressed.    Depending on the vintage of your i7, it may have a TDP as high as 130W (many were just 95W)

 

As for "potency" ... the 4570S scores 5798 on PassMark's CPUMark.  You can look up your specific i7 here:  http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_list.php

 

... I DO spend a fair number of pennies on my hobby 

[loady]

Buuurn baby burn...lets spend some dollar bills.

 

Just dug out the invoice for my i7 and it has a max TDP of 95w so not so bad..im wondering will the board make any difference to the power consumption as one is a full ATX and the other a micro...im just starting another thread on building a new server for my UNraid drives, which i would really appreciate you recommendations if you have any others.

[garycase]

Buuurn baby burn...lets spend some dollar bills.

 

Ahh ... a man after my own heart 

 

However ... your profile indicates you live in the UK, so I suspect you're spending Euros 

[loady]

No, ££££'s...its all paper anyway and grows on trees ..just writing my thread now..keep an eye for it in the hardware section, already been an hour writing it 

[garycase]

No, ££££'s ... its all paper anyway and grows on trees

 

Could you send me some seeds for one of those trees ??  :)

 

Actually, my kids and grandkids (especially the grandkids) undoubtedly think we have a money-tree (and my wife doesn't discourage that thought with her actions !! ... although she also doesn't care what I spend on my hobby, so I suppose I shouldn't complain)

 

[loady]

You must have the same wife as me except that mine has no idea what i spend

[garycase]

You must have the same wife as me except that mine has no idea what i spend

 

Mine doesn't either 

[PthPndr]

The system I listed earlier is, however, a VERY potent little system that would be very power-efficient, yet at the same time have enough "oomph" to do about anything you could possibly ask it do to.

 

It also has very nice hot-swap drive bays with excellent cooling.  My drives never get above 35 during parity checks ... and are usually closer to 30 (or even the high 20's).

 

Sorry to bring up an old thread but garycase I really love the system you specced out in this thread and am looking into doing something like it. How many drives do you have in yours? Can you tell me how loud quiet is? Just curious how much noise to expect from this unit if it's fully populated with drives.

[garycase]

Sorry to bring up an old thread but garycase I really love the system you specced out in this thread and am looking into doing something like it. How many drives do you have in yours? Can you tell me how loud quiet is? Just curious how much noise to expect from this unit if it's fully populated with drives.

 

Mine has 6 3TB WD Reds in it.    If I was doing it now, they'd all be 4TB drives 

 

Quiet is, of course, in the eye (or ear) of the beholder.    I've never got around to replacing my old SPL meter, so I can't actually measure it in dB.    I can tell you that my server sits on a shelf about 6' from my ears when I'm at my desk, and I can NOT even hear it.    I have to look at it to confirm whether or not it's on.

 

[CyberMew]

Sorry to bump this, but I quite like the configuration of the build garycase recomended (except psu I would go for a modular one), especially the case. Being my first unRAID build with Plex Server as well, I hope you can give recommendations to the build I might be getting.

 

However due to budget constraints, I am getting

 

ASRock B85M Pro4 (Intel NIC + mATX + cheapest board with Intel NIC and bonus it's mATX)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157388

Intel Core i3-4130 (Haswell)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116946

[The other parts are standard, 2x4GB rams, Corsair RM450]

 

instead. Definitely can't fit into the LIAN LI case due to board size. Not sure what case I should be getting, but I might have a spare IcyDock (ICY DOCK FatCage MB153SP-B) that I can use. In fact I might get several of those (4in3) in the future if I decide to add more HDDs, since I can hotswap without opening the case (and it looks cool on the outside like some kind of a server rack!). If not, I have to find a cheap case with at most 3 5inch bays and with many 3inch hdd bays (the more the merrier). What do you think? Any recommendations?