Time to Upgrade - Plex Transcoding Needed

[rainmaker002]

I think it's just about time to retire my HTPC, which has dutifully run XBMC for many years now.  I can't deal with the lack of netflix, google play all access, etc. so will be moving towards a Chromecast and Roku setup with Plex.

 

My unraid is built around a P4 3.2Ghz Northwood, so I don't think it'll have the horsepower to transcode any HD content.  So, time to upgrade.

 

I used to be very up to date with computer hardware but don't have the time these days so thought I'd ask for some basic advice.  I'm looking at this bundle:

 

ASUS Z87-A ATX SLI Motherboard & Intel Core i5 4670K Unlocked Quad Core Processor

 

to go along with 8 or 16GB or RAM.  I'm hoping this'll support transcoding of at least 2 x 1080p streams.  Can anyone comment on whether this'll be sufficient?

 

I already have some sort of SATA expansion card in my existing machine (though I honestly can't remember what it is, maybe something by Startec).

 

A decent HSF recommendation would be helpful too, something easy to install.  I'm going to try to swap out the motherboard/cpu/ram in my Antec 900 case.  I'll probably try to consolidate at least 2 hard drives too, as I'm currently using 7 drives for only about 7.25gb of data (mostly 1tb drives, but a 2tb parity and data drive along with a 750gb drive).

 

I'm considering moving into a different case, but it seems like the Antec 900 is still well regarded.  I'd love something quieter and definitely something easier to work inside of (I hate getting my hands cut up) but that doesn't seem to be in the cards.

 

Thanks!

[dirtysanchez]

That CPU should be sufficient for what you are looking to do. Personally I'd go with the i5-4670 (the non-K version) as there's no need to pay the extra money for the overclocking ability in an unRAID build.

 

I have no experience with that mobo, but do have many other Asus mobos and I'm a big fan. They make great mobos IMHO. That said, you may want to look for a mobo with more on-board SATA ports depending on what you want to do in the future, but of course additional drives can always be added via add-on SATA cards (as you have now).

 

As for the HSF, I'd personally just go with the stock Intel HSF that comes with the CPU. As long as you're not overclocking it, the stock Intel cooler is sufficient and about as easy to install as you will find.

[rainmaker002]

Great!  Thanks for the tip, I didn't realize that the "K" signified "unlocked" and forgot what that meant.  I used to know all about overclocking (my celeron 300 at 450 was a beast).

 

I did some cursory looking and it seems like 6 sata ports is standard, but for cleanliness of cables and ease of use I'd love to have a board that can handle 8 so that I don't have to bother with cards.  If anyone has a suggestion, I'm all ears.

[dirtysanchez]

Being preferable to Asus mobos, how about this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131980

 

[dirtysanchez]

Also, on Newegg you can search mobos by features. Just search LGA1150 mobos with 8+ on-board SATA ports to see all available options.

[anonomouse]

Keep the 900 i love both of mine, i am actually in the process of upgrading my server as well, but went the esxi route and got a supermicro board, once i get around to doing it i will post some photos because planning on doing some unique wireing/SSD mounting. you can also try http://pcpartpicker.com/ to not just limit yourself to neweggs offerings

[rainmaker002]

Neat website, I'm in Canada but it's still helpful for building. Thanks!

 

Do you have any hotswap cages for your Antec 900 you'd recommend?  One of the biggest pains for me (and something discouraging about not just going with a prebuilt nas) is that working within the machine is so time consuming and cumbersome for me. I'd love something simple with respect to putting drives in and taking them out.

 

I've only just learned what SAS is- is it worth it looking for a mobo that supports it, and then a few hotswap enclosures for the drives?

[rainmaker002]

Oh, another question came up from googling- would the "s" model make sense if one of the things I'm trying to accomplish is cutting down on energy usage?  Would that impact performance on plex transcoding?

[anonomouse]

Do you have any hotswap cages for your Antec 900 you'd recommend?

 

 

i havent bought any yet but when i do i would just get the Icy Dock 5-1, prostuff1 is actually selling 3 of them atm in good deals section http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?topic=31082.0

[dirtysanchez]

Oh, another question came up from googling- would the "s" model make sense if one of the things I'm trying to accomplish is cutting down on energy usage?  Would that impact performance on plex transcoding?

 

The T and S model CPU's simply lower the max clock speed (either base, turbo-boost, or both), mainly to fit a certain TDP. To make a long story short, your NAS will spend the vast majority of its life at idle and all processors of the same family idle at the same speed and power consumption. Using an S or T model CPU isn't going to save you any on your electric bill. The S and T model processors will also slow down transcoding, but only slightly in the case of on-the-fly transcoding. As for Plex Sync transcodes, there will be a more noticeable slowdown.

 

Stick to the standard part CPU's.

[rainmaker002]

Thanks, that makes sense. 

[mazma]

You considered the Xeon processors (E3 family) as they have features specifically for transcoding according to Intel's website plus virtualization features.

 

I'm also considering wiring in more ethernet. We have one ATV that is on ethernet and because Plex serves the file in DirectPlay it doesn't do anything to the processor. Certainly a way for me to get more out of the current hardware I have (Core 2 Duo).

[rainmaker002]

The price for an E3 1220V2 (3.10ghz) is only a few bucks more than an i5-4570.  Would I need a different motherboard and memory combination for that to work out, and either way, would that be beneficial?

 

I'm leaning towards this motherboard and memory:

ASUS Z87-PLUS ATX LGA1150 Z87 DDR3 3PCI-E16 2PCI-E1 2PCI SLI SATA3 USB3.0 DVI HDMI Motherboard  (because it has 8 SATA ports)

 

G.SKILL Ripjaws X F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL 8GB 2X4GB DDR3-1600 CL9-9-9-24 Memory (because it's on sale)

[jumperalex]

You can look for the post here in the forums but I will sum it up for you like this:

 

Purchase the highest passmark rating you can afford.  Figure approximately 1500 passmarks for every stream of 1080p you need to transcode at the same time.

 

Then I will add, with a Roku and anything you can download, you will 99% never have to actually transcode locally (remote is another story).  Some full-rate BD rips will also play without transcoding, but others (think blockbuster action) will not because anything above ~20-25mbit/s will cause the roku to reset.

[mazma]

From Intel

 

Take care of a diverse range of media needs right from your data center. Integrated processor capabilities make smooth work of transcoding various formats for content on demand, user-generated media, live broadcasting, and video conferencing. And by eliminating a hardware component—a discrete graphics card—you’ll capture significant performance efficiencies per watt and benefit from the greater density of video streams.

 

I've been running Plex for about 5 years and its only now with different devices like ATV and iPads and those that access our library remotely where the hardware is starting to show its age.

 

I don't need integrated graphics on an unRaid box, just the ability to process multiple streams. Also having the ability to benefit from the Xeon's VT features would be useful further down the line.