Dell R430 for a 4k emby server?

[liamlows 0]

Hey guys,

 

I'm new to the NAS/home media world and I've always been interested in building a home media server and finally decided to do it!

 

So I'm building a home lab for some personal game servers and webservers that i currently run in the cloud, and I've always wanted to build a home media server, so I'm throwing it into the mix as well. I heard great things about Emby and have decided to use it to stream content to my family's 4k TV's (some remote and some local). I'm currently figuring out what hardware i want to get for the Emby server and I am currently looking at potentially using a Dell Poweredge R430 w/

• 2x Intel Xeon E5-2620 V3 - 2.40GHz 6 Core
• 32 GB (2x16GB) DDR4 RAM
• PERC H330 RAID Controller
• 4x2TB 6GB/s SAS drives

I was wondering how you guys think it will handle with streaming 4k video? I've seen a couple of posts saying that using a rack server like this would be less ideal than say a 17-9700k because of transcoding. If I'm to understand it correctly though, its only an issue when you try to play a video that is not supported by the client. Say a 4k video on a 1080p smart TV. If the client supports the file format it is able to play it easily, right? The server would have a load of up to ~4 clients at a time. Do you guys think its overkill? Not powerful enough? Please let me know what you think.

 

Thanks!

 

[mastrmind11 717]

yeah that's likely overkill if you're talking a dedicated emby box.  and your assumptions are correct re direct playing/transcoding content.  also keep in mind that depending on your upload bandwidth, your external clients may have to transcode as well.

[liamlows 0]

yeah that's likely overkill if you're talking a dedicated emby box.  and your assumptions are correct re direct playing/transcoding content.  also keep in mind that depending on your upload bandwidth, your external clients may have to transcode as well.

Ahh ok that's what I figured. If you don't mind me asking, what do you think I should get given my purpose? I could just go the custom build PC route, but i was interested in rack simply because im going to be already building one. I realize that 4k performance isnt going to be easy so maybe i should try to stick to 1080p? the other rack a step down i was looking at for this was a R420 w/

• 2 x Intel Six Core 2.20GHz E5-2430 Processors
• 24Gb Memory Installed
• 4 x SEAGATE ES.3 CONSTELLATION 2TB SAS SED 3.5IN 6GB/S Hot Swap Hard Drives Installed ( TOTAL 8TB OF STORAGE )
• Dell PERC H310 6GB/s SAS/SATA Mini Mono PCI-E Raid Controller (K09CJ)

I've also considered the option of using a NAS, but i feel as if it wouldnt be powerful enough and they dont run cheap.

 

Thanks again for the help!

[mastrmind11 717]

Ahh ok that's what I figured. If you don't mind me asking, what do you think I should get given my purpose? I could just go the custom build PC route, but i was interested in rack simply because im going to be already building one. I realize that 4k performance isnt going to be easy so maybe i should try to stick to 1080p? the other rack a step down i was looking at for this was a R420 w/

• 2 x Intel Six Core 2.20GHz E5-2430 Processors
• 24Gb Memory Installed
• 4 x SEAGATE ES.3 CONSTELLATION 2TB SAS SED 3.5IN 6GB/S Hot Swap Hard Drives Installed ( TOTAL 8TB OF STORAGE )
• Dell PERC H310 6GB/s SAS/SATA Mini Mono PCI-E Raid Controller (K09CJ)

I've also considered the option of using a NAS, but i feel as if it wouldnt be powerful enough and they dont run cheap.

 

Thanks again for the help!

It really comes down to how much you're going to need to transcode.  For eg, I am using a PowerEdge T20 and I can get about 5-6 simultaneous transcodes w/o issue.  If you never have to transcode you can literally just use a rPi and a cheap multi-bay case as a NAS.  It certainly can't hurt to have either of those servers you mentioned, and if it fits your budget then go for it.  I'm just saying you can do it for less money once you determine your transcoding needs.