20+ Streams Plex Unraid Build

[kaaizen 0]

So I currently have a Plex unraid pro server but it struggles to even do 3 streams/transcodes I need something a lot more powerful.
I seem to keep getting a bottle necking which I'm aware there are somethings I could try and fix with the current system but I really feel it would be better to build from the ground up to suite what is needed. I have a big family that travel for work and I want my whole family to be able to access the plex server on the go. We have all come together and brought all our media into one location so we can stream to all of us.

 

So we need the system to be able handle about 20+ streams and a good chunk of them would prob have to be transcoded to stop a internet bottle necking.

So I need a pretty epic build here.

 

I'm going to post some images from current system below but we need it a lot better than this.

 

So in point form what i need below:

- 20+ streams (mostly out of location streaming)

- 10-15ish + transcodes if not more....!

- expandable HDD for future. (another 10-20+ drives....!)

- energy efficient but not so much as stop it from transcoding and streaming what it needs to.

- Unraid with Plex Binhex Docker

- Fast and Reliable.

- Great cooling.

 

 

My current system has about 10 drives in it, just adding another now altho the cache drive is not big enough and needs to be upgraded.

I have been told GPU transcoding with dual GPU is prob the way to go. I think unraid only really supports NVIDA mostly for Plex.

 

Please help me.

Thank you so much for your time...

Edited December 4 by kaaizen

[R0Bzombie 0]

You'll probably want to get a nvidia quadro p4000 gpu for harware transcoding.

If I was you, i'd keep current config and add a p4000 and see how it's going.

[01111000 0]

On 12/6/2019 at 7:34 AM, R0Bzombie said:

You'll probably want to get a nvidia quadro p4000 gpu for harware transcoding.

If I was you, i'd keep current config and add a p4000 and see how it's going.

He can actually use a P2000 for what he needs to do.

[BRiT 204]

Before you spend any money, what is your internet configuration? If you only have cable internet based offering using a cable modem over coax Docsis, you will be maxing out at 35 mbit/s on your uplink. That can barely sustain 4 streams at 8mbit/s. Let alone your desire of 20+ streams.

[BRiT 204]

You're probably going to have to look at having clients that can download the media and play from their local storage.

[kaaizen 0]

My internet currently is 100/50. Im waiting on a new upgrade to com available which will be even faster.
I don't Im open to purchase a GPU, in fact it was high on my list. i know a NVIDA is best and don't mind putting money into a good one which will def help with transcoding.

 

SO what's better the p2000 or the p4000 or is there one better for value and transcoding??

[testdasi 141]

2 minutes ago, kaaizen said:

My internet currently is 100/50. Im waiting on a new upgrade to com available which will be even faster.
I don't Im open to purchase a GPU, in fact it was high on my list. i know a NVIDA is best and don't mind putting money into a good one which will def help with transcoding.

 

SO what's better the p2000 or the p4000 or is there one better for value and transcoding??

The Bytemybit channel had a test of transcoding comparing P2000 vs Ryzen 3970X and reported the P2000 can do up to 28 1080p streams.

So if you don't need more than that, you shouldn't need a P4000.

Of course, if you want to future proof (in a sense) your build e.g. if there are more 4k streams in the future then the P4000 would also be a good candidate.

The P2000 is also quite popular among Unraid Nvidia users on the forum too due to the low price point and having no limit.

 

I don't think 50mbps upload will be able to handle 20+ concurrent streams though.

[ashman70 65]

My plex server has dual hex core Xeon's and before I got my P2000 it was doing all the heavy lifting for transcoding. Since I got my P2000 however it hardly goes about 3-5% unless it's doing something specific, the P2000 handles all the trasncoding and it's great. I paid $375 USD for mine which I noticed for sale on a reddit forum and snatched it up right away. The beautiful thing about this card is that it doesn't requite and power like a gaming card, it gets all the power it needs from the PCIe slot.

[BRiT 204]

Upstream of 50mbit/s will only let you have around 4 upstreams if set at 12 mbit/s stream limit, or maybe 5 if set at 9 mbit/s.

 

If you have WOW cable, your realistic upstream is anywhere from 30 to 50 mbit/s, they oversaturate the upstreams so it's very variable quality. For all intents and purposes you're limited to 3 streams.

Edited 14 hours ago by BRiT

[Xaero 67]

Yeah unfortunately you may need to invest in a symmetrical connection or rent rackspace for your server if you want to get the throughput for this many simultaneous streams. Once you get that throughput the next bottleneck will be spinning platters, and the transcoding hardware itself.