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Hardware Suggestion for server


Rubbinio

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Rubbinio

Hello everyone,

 

looking for some HW specs recommendation for an emby server.

 

I am currently running Emby on my NAS Synology DS414j. For the most part it works ok but when I try to play personal movies I have recorder I run into major transcoding issues. The CPU is pinned at 100%, fans are spinning like crazy and i get major playback lag, 2-3 minutes of lag followed by 20s of playback and than lag again. I know the CPU in this NAS is not meant for this so I am looking to add a dedicated box for running the Emby server that is capable of transcoding 1-2 streams at a time.

 

Ideally I would like something in a small form factor I could put next to the NAS but i am open to suggestions. I also don't want to spend a fortune on it. I have been reading the forums up and down trying to piece together what I would need but it is all over the place from you need an i7 to an i5 is sufficient, you need 32Gb of memory to 8Gb should be good. Building my own computer is also an option I would just like to know what specs should I be looking for.

 

My clients are:

  • Nvidia Sheild TV Android box
  • Xiaomi MiBox 3 Android box
  • Roku 4K player
  • Windows 10 PC
  • Android Tablet
  • Android Phones

Not all clients are streaming at the same time, usually at most 3 would stream but only 1 or 2 would need to transcode.

 

Any help or suggestions are very much appreciated.

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mastrmind11

If you're interested in saving money, I picked up a dell poweredge e3-1225 xeon for under $400.  amazon generally has the best prices.  pick your ram, throw on linux, install emby, done.  I can do 6ish streams simultaneously.  imo don't waste your time w/ the i processors unless you're planning to server up some serious transcoded content.

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Rubbinio

You can probably use your Win 10 PC. What CPU does it have?

it is an i5-7600K 3.8GHz ... My problem is that machine is used for gaming and video processing so I am worried it might not be able to handle it all if i stream and do video processing at the same time

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Rubbinio

If you're interested in saving money, I picked up a dell poweredge e3-1225 xeon for under $400.  amazon generally has the best prices.  pick your ram, throw on linux, install emby, done.  I can do 6ish streams simultaneously.  imo don't waste your time w/ the i processors unless you're planning to server up some serious transcoded content.

Thank you I will take a look into that option and see.

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Sizzlebox

I’m sort of a data hoarder, so I just have a huge case (fits around 10 drives, only using 7 right now)— AMD FX 8350.

 

For me, the biggest part is how many sata connections it can handle and the CPU. I did DIY.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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tdiguy

For something like this with only 1 device on that list that will very likely need to transcode nearly everything you can get away with a low end device easily. My server is this: https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157727 with https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIADRH5VV8681 It supports vaapi hardware transcoding also which helps a lot with multiple streams of transcoding. The only thing i dont like about this mobo is that it only has 2 sata connections. I put in a pcie to sata adapter to get 4 more sata slots. But otherwise i think it might do the trick. The hard drives actually use most of the power in my rig.

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Sizzlebox

For something like this with only 1 device on that list that will very likely need to transcode nearly everything you can get away with a low end device easily. My server is this: https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157727 with https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIADRH5VV8681 It supports vaapi hardware transcoding also which helps a lot with multiple streams of transcoding. The only thing i dont like about this mobo is that it only has 2 sata connections. I put in a pcie to sata adapter to get 4 more sata slots. But otherwise i think it might do the trick. The hard drives actually use most of the power in my rig.

Same with me, regarding most power coming from HDs, I’m trying to figure out how I can bring in more SATA power connectors into my case. My cabling only gives me enough for 6 drives. I guess molex-> sata adapters?

I think I need a pci sata board as my 6 connectors are full.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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tdiguy

Same with me, regarding most power coming from HDs, I’m trying to figure out how I can bring in more SATA power connectors into my case. My cabling only gives me enough for 6 drives. I guess molex-> sata adapters?

I think I need a pci sata board as my 6 connectors are full.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That is a lot of drives. it would be good to double check and ensure your power supply can handle all of them i am sure there are calculators somewhere for that. Otherwise yea there are molex to sata connections out there. I use them in my setup because my power supply is so old it didnt have sata connections on it.

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Sizzlebox

Yeah, it can be a lot of power, but I use JBOD/SnapRAID. So, most of the time, all but 1 or 2 drives are sleeping. That helps a lot. I’ll have to double check my amps and wattage before I add 4 more.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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