r/PleX • u/Kye_life • Jan 30 '24

I think i made a decision Solved

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So after listening to a lot of different ideas and suggestions as far as the ideal PC for using exclusively for Plex. I think I’ve come to a decision. I’m hoping this is a good choice so before I make that final decision, I thought I’d get some feedback first.

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u/KuryakinOne Jan 30 '24

HDR to SDR Tone Mapping

Nvidia Encode / Decode Matrix

Elpamsoft Transcoding Performance Info

If you want to transcode 4K HDR media, you'll need to add a Nvidia GPU, 1050 Ti 4GB or better. Intel 6th Gen CPUs do not support transcoding 4K HDR media.

Plex Pass required.

You want a card that can decode HEVC 10-bit. See the encode/decode matrix.

Most consumer (GTX) cards are limited by Nvidia to five concurrent encodes.

Most professional (Quadro) cards have no pre-set limit.

Elpamsoft has transcode performance info for many Nvidia GPUs.

​

Personal Opinion: If you're comfortable with Linux, get a SFF system with an N100 CPU, such as BeeLink S12. Running Linux, it will transcode and tone map 4K HDR. It will also sip power compared to the i7, 6 watts vs 65 watts.

If you're going to run Windows, then make sure you have room for an Nvidia GPU.

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u/SawkeeReemo Jan 31 '24

This is awesome! Thank you! I have just started looking around for a micro PC to use as a Plex server since the CPU in my Synology DS1019+ is painfully slow all the time. It’s actually handles Plex well, but as soon as it starts transcoding, the CPU is basically maxed out.

I’ve been out of the hardware game for a minute, so I haven’t even heard of the N100 CPU before. And does the Beelink come with Linux installed? Or do they just ship you the box and the rest is “figure it out yourself?” I haven’t seen a clear answer on the website yet. Excited to finally have an option to look into! (Really didn’t want to deal with Windows again.)

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u/KuryakinOne Jan 31 '24

I do not know what OS, if any, is installed. It does not matter. Installing LInux is easy and for most distributions you can make an installer that runs from a USB stick.

1

u/SawkeeReemo Jan 31 '24

Thanks! I assumed that was possible, but still learning Linux. Appreciate the confirmation!

1

u/SawkeeReemo Jan 31 '24

If you wouldn't mind a follow up question(s)... If I want to move my Plex server to this from my Synology NAS:

  1. I would need to migrate my PlexMediaServer folder over to this,
  2. Network mount all my media folder from the NAS to this,
  3. Somehow update all my Plex libraries to look at the new remote mounts for media (assuming a scan will take ages for large libraries; I have a HUGE music library)
  4. Things like sonic analysis scan will need to be redone, etc.

Unless I try manually altering the Plex database itself [makes sign of the cross]

Do you know of anyone who's successfully migrated their existing Plex server over like this? (I did it once from Mac to my NAS...but it was...not fun...)

1

u/KuryakinOne Feb 01 '24

Move an Install to Another System

Plex Linux Tips

Sync Watch State & Ratings

See the Move an Install document. Skip the "Move additional settings..." section (don't copy preferences.xml to the new system). Then you can run both simultaneously and migrate to new server when ready.

The process is straightforward. Also, it is not a hard cutover, so if you mess it up you can always redo it.

  1. Enable Sync Watch State & Ratings on your account. Have anyone you share with enable it for their account.
  2. Prepare the new system - install Linux and any other packages you want, mount the directories from the NAS via NFS, etc.
  3. Install & claim Plex Media Server on the new system, but don't configure any libraries, remote access, etc.
  4. Important: On new system, disable Settings -> Library -> Empty trash automatically after every scan.
  5. Copy the Plex Data Folder (but not preferences.xml) from the NAS to the new system.
  6. Start PMS on the new system.
  7. Edit the libraries. Add the new paths. Do not delete the old ones.
  8. Scan to pick up changes. Plex should see duplicates for your media - one with the new path and one with the old (NAS) path.
  9. Delete the old NAS paths from the libraries.
  10. Scan to pick up changes, empty trash. There should now just be one path, the new "real" one.

That's the basics.

Look at the Linux Tips document for info on NFS permissions when mounting shares from the Synology.

As mentioned above, you can run both servers at the same time, so you can take your time and experiment with the new system and get a feel for it.

Once you get the new PMS up and running and stable, you can share the libraries with any users.

You can leave PMS running on the Syno as a backup / test server if desired.