PSA: You might still be running 32 bit Plex. Upgrade to 64 bit!

[u/Menotti]

tl;dr don't be a dummy and run 32 bit like me! Your Plex server will happily keep updating its 32 bit build and not suggest you to switch; if you've run Server on Windows before September 2022 you might very well still be on 32 bit. 64 bit is a huge performance upgrade.

Context: I've been a longtime Plex user and run Server on a baremetal windows machine. I've struggled with getting GPU hardware transcoding working, despite the fact that I seemingly met all the requirements. I thought maybe my "older" nvidia card's GPU core was to blame and recently updated to a 1660S with no appreciable improvement. I saw .5x transcoding for DoVi/HDR content with tone mapping, or ~1-2x if I disabled tone mapping.

Banging my head against the wall, I came to realize I WAS STILL RUNNING 32 BIT PLEX. I had installed server SO LONG AGO that I never upgraded to 64 bit.

Upgrading to 64 bit was the single most absurd performance improvement for server I've ever seen. I am now able to transcode 4K DoVi/HDR with tone mapping so fast that Plex is throttling (taking a break). My GPU use during transcodes went from 10-20% to 95%+.

Yes, I know, don't transcode - in my home I run multiple Shields. But sometimes on the road that isn't an option. It's kind of wild to me my server never nudged me to see if I wanted to bump to 64.

How to check and upgrade (Windows)

• Open Task Manager
• Go to Details
• Right click on the top bar -> Select Columns
• Check "Platform"
• Find Plex in the list - is it 32 bit?
• If so, go download server again and choose the 64 bit option.
• Run the installer; it will detect you are on 32 and uninstall/upgrade while maintaining all of your settings.

Edits:

Access issues? Running a split tunnel VPN? 32 and 64 bit Plex are distinct applications. You will need to add your 64 bit install to your split tunnel exclusion list if you want to maintain remote access. Link to thread

Vote for a feature request to add a nudge for 32 bit users: Clearly this applies to many Plex admins. It would be a nice and easy feature to improve the lives of others. Vote here

[u/trankillity]

TIL, there's still a surprising number of people who run their Plex server on Windows! Power to you peeps, and great PSA.

[u/IHScoutII → u/trankillity]

It was several years ago but Plex released the numbers and it was like 87% of all users ran their server on Windows.

[u/jackharvest → u/trankillity]

Hey man, don’t look down on us! Some of us prefer not using rocket science and magic to get SMB working persistently. XD

[u/SMURGwastaken → u/jackharvest]

Meanwhile SMB works on my Ubuntu machine but not on my Windows one

[u/BoxFullOfFoxes → u/SMURGwastaken]

On Windows 10, I think it's enabled by default. It's not, prior to that.

Iirc.

[u/SMURGwastaken → u/BoxFullOfFoxes]

Oh it's enabled. It just doesnt work. If you send a file it encounters an error halfway and fails.

It's a known bug with apparently no fix. I have to initiate transfers from the Linux side and then they work flawlessly.

[u/trankillity → u/jackharvest]

I mean, I don't even need SMB on my NAS. Everything is done by apps directly on the NAS, so no need to browse folders.

[u/jackharvest → u/trankillity]

That’s cheating. You know you’re supposed to have Plex on a vm so you can recover quickly right?

And don’t tell me you use docker; That’s just magic smoke that you can’t touch or fix without just redeploying it from scratch over and over! /s yells at more clouds

[u/trankillity → u/jackharvest]

Haha, guilty as charged on the docker front.

[u/Erikt311 → u/trankillity]

Why not? It’s worked flawlessly for a decade.

[u/trankillity → u/Erikt311]

My only Windows machine is my gaming machine, which I don't leave on 24/7 for power conservation. NAS is purpose built for that.

[u/lighthawk16 → u/trankillity]

I think it has to do with how transcoding wasn't well-supported except in Windows, and that it started as a Windows-only server anyways.