What would be the most efficient configuration for my systems?

[Netbug 26]

As of right now, I use three computers in my setup:

1. A Windows 10 desktop that is used for downloading media and metadata. This is also my primary computer for work and light gaming (mostly World of Warcraft). The relevant programs that run on this system are Sonarr, Radarr, SABnzbd, and uTorrent.
2. An unRAID system that, at present, is just storing my media. It is currently ~22TB.
3. A Windows 10 HTPC which connects to my TV. This is where the Emby server runs. I normally watch media on this system locally through the Emby Theater app and there are between 0 and 4 people that stream remotely (over the web usually).

I am building a new system to replace system 1 (my Windows desktop build). This is a pretty major upgrade for me to an i7-6850K, 16GB DDR4-3200 RAM, a 512GB M.2 SSD, on an Asus X99-A II ATX board.

 

I will possibly take the guts from my current Windows 10 desktop and upgrade the components in my HTPC with them, but haven’t commited 100% to this.

 

Although I would love to run Emby on the unRAID system to limit network overhead, I don’t think it has the power for the transcoding I’m looking for.

 

So, my thinking is as follows and I’d like a critique or any feedback, please.

 

1. Move Sonarr, Radarr, torrenting, and SABnzbd to the unRAID system.
2. Move the Emby server to my new desktop system.
3. Either use the HTPC in limited capacity simply for playback or replace it entirely with Chromecast/Roku.

 

@ Would this be the ideal path given the hardware I have?

 

Thanks.

 

Here are the specs for the existing HTPC:

• Motherboard:  Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd. GA-E7AUM-DS2H
• Case: Antec Fusion Black
• Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E7400 2.8GHz
• RAM: 4GB DDR2 400 MHz
• Video Card: ATi Radeon HD 5770
• Optical Drive: HL-DT-ST BDDVDRW CH08LS10 ATA Device
• Primary Hard Drive: Intel SSDSC2CT240A3 240GB

And the specs for the new desktop:

• Motherboard: Asus X99-A II ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard
• Case: Corsair Air 540 ATX Mid Tower Case
• Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G2 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX
• Processor: Intel Core i7-6850K 3.6GHz 6-Core Processor
• Cooler: Corsair H100i v2 70.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler
• RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory
• Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 280X Windforce 3GB canada
• Monitor 1: LG 24MP67HQ-P 24” LED Monitor, 1080P, HDMI, IPS panel
• Monitor 2: LG 24MP67HQ-P 24” LED Monitor, 1080P, HDMI, IPS panel
• Monitor 3: LG 24MP67HQ-P 24” LED Monitor, 1080P, HDMI, IPS panel
• Optical Drive: DVD-RW
• Primary Hard Drive: Intel 600p Series 512GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive
• Mouse: Logitech G400
• Keyboard: Steelseries APEX Gaming Keyboard
• Printer: Brother HL-2270DW series
• Webcam: Logitech QuickCam
• Microphone: Blue Snowball

[Guest asrequested]

Well, I chose to separate the server from my HTPC because I wanted to free up processing power. If playback or recording tv needs transcoding (in my case all recorded tv is transcoded), I didn't want that to be hindered by anything else I was doing. So it really depends on how you use your HTPC. If all you're doing is watching 1080 movies and shows, you might be fine. With what you have, there isn't much by way of HWA, so your CPU will be under load. What is your network, like?

[Netbug 26]

Well, I chose to separate the server from my HTPC because I wanted to free up processing power. If playback or recording tv needs transcoding (in my case all recorded tv is transcoded), I didn't want that to be hindered by anything else I was doing. So it really depends on how you use your HTPC. If all you're doing is watching 1080 movies and shows, you might be fine. With what you have, there isn't much by way of HWA, so your CPU will be under load. What is your network, like?

 

Thanks for the reply, Doofus. I'm pretty confident my network is decent. I mean, it's pushing a few hundred mbps I'm fairly sure (any recommended tools for benchmarking it?).

 

Would you recommend offloading some of the work onto a more powerful GPU? It's on the agenda, I just don't have the cash right now to drop into something like a 1080 ti.

[Guest asrequested]

Thanks for the reply, Doofus. I'm pretty confident my network is decent. I mean, it's pushing a few hundred mbps I'm fairly sure (any recommended tools for benchmarking it?).

 

Would you recommend offloading some of the work onto a more powerful GPU? It's on the agenda, I just don't have the cash right now to drop into something like a 1080 ti.

 

Well, I just put these in mine. A little overkill (deliberate), you could try an i5 or i3. Or if you keep server on your HTPC, it should be able to handle all that, comfortably. Mine is working better than expected. I recommend this, because its the only thing that has hardware decoding for 10bit 4K. So it's future proofing.

 

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/topic/6985-show-off-your-rig/?p=438935

Edited May 4, 2017 by Doofus

[Netbug 26]

Sweet. I'll try the load on the upgraded HTPC first and if it still doesn't have the horsepower, I'll migrate it to my main desktop with the i7.