After some years, back to Emby. Need some guidance on hardware

[Mytre 2]

I have not been active in a while, I moved on from Emby for a bit and shut it down on my main pc as emby streams would affect me while working.

Now I can build a second pc , small, have a place to put it in the meantime so it can work as a media server, it will still be using wifi for now since pretty much my house has wifi mesh with wifi 6 and AC . 

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/YjwbWt

I am trying to obtain the smallest case possible that supports a 3.5inch drive (my old emby media drive), maybe add in the future another 2TB drive that is 2.5inch format.   I am also trying to go as budget as  I can but ensure that the pc can still encode as many devices at home are just old tv's with a roku, and maybe some smartphones that my family use,  this would see at best 3 streams in parallel and only 1080p for now, I don't plan to add 4k just yet or anything like that. 

if another build can be recommended that is cheaper let me know!  Also since it has been years since I used emby I don't know if there are new features that I might not know and so on.

[guunter 49]

If you wanna go as small as possible get a n100 mini pc and connect it to a small das. You can easily transcode 4 x 4k movies to 1080p. 

[Gilgamesh_48 1240]

I strongly recommend against wireless. Wireless, even with great WiFi, is prone errors and they often don't recover fast enough to keep a stream steady so there are no playback glitches. That is particularly true if the client(s) are also wireless. The problem is NOT signal strength but rather it is noise. 

I know that sometimes it is impossible to install wiring but, if it can be done it should be as your server will be a lot happier with a wired connection.

Both my servers are wired but my clients, except for my main Roku, are wireless. 

[Mytre 2]

23 hours ago, guunter said:

If you wanna go as small as possible get a n100 mini pc and connect it to a small das. You can easily transcode 4 x 4k movies to 1080p. 

Was thinking about this, but I do already have a 3.5inch 2tb hard drive and most small pc's do not have space for this unfortunately, I also might want to run AI on it ,but this is just something I thought about it today being honest, might look into those n100 mini pc.

 

22 hours ago, Gilgamesh_48 said:

I strongly recommend against wireless. Wireless, even with great WiFi, is prone errors and they often don't recover fast enough to keep a stream steady so there are no playback glitches. That is particularly true if the client(s) are also wireless. The problem is NOT signal strength but rather it is noise. 

I know that sometimes it is impossible to install wiring but, if it can be done it should be as your server will be a lot happier with a wired connection.

Both my servers are wired but my clients, except for my main Roku, are wireless. 

Yes ideal, but where I live I am unable to accomodate for wired, at best what I can do is place the pc directly to the main access point from the wifi mesh wired, but all streams will still be wireless as all pc's and devices are wireles due to the location of the access point.  I would like it to have wifi also because I might move often with it as my media server .

[guunter 49]

3 hours ago, Mytre said:

Was thinking about this, but I do already have a 3.5inch 2tb hard drive and most small pc's do not have space for this unfortunately, I also might want to run AI on it ,but this is just something I thought about it today being honest, might look into those n100 mini pc.

 

Yes ideal, but where I live I am unable to accomodate for wired, at best what I can do is place the pc directly to the main access point from the wifi mesh wired, but all streams will still be wireless as all pc's and devices are wireles due to the location of the access point.  I would like it to have wifi also because I might move often with it as my media server .

Well if you keep your build I’d just change it to an Intel build. Quick sync works way better than amd for media playback. The i3-12100 is similarly priced. Trust me it’ll make a huge difference over the processor you picked.

[Mytre 2]

On 9/11/2024 at 12:45 AM, guunter said:

Well if you keep your build I’d just change it to an Intel build. Quick sync works way better than amd for media playback. The i3-12100 is similarly priced. Trust me it’ll make a huge difference over the processor you picked.

Thanks, i usually build AMD but didnt think about those features. I will research a bit into intel for that.

[Jdiesel 1431]

Look for a HP ProDesk 600 G4 SFF with an Intel i5-8500 CPU.

 

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/395665370452?_nkw=prodesk+600+g4&itmmeta=01J7MK3ZTB0JBMJJ9FN9A8YGRJ&hash=item5c1f7e6d54:g:XaEAAOSwZtlm3xDm&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAA4HoV3kP08IDx%2BKZ9MfhVJKnN0mrsEq14sbwv7TWNU7vnb0A7gcHPAUWUtOp3pGuFfXSnpVHwizXTRbM2CN3f5axLIIXxnxQ3TyvCYYsjvpvKkWxqLnXkztW5s81c2IDM%2BSOSBkV1q2HDtcXJrescaBxQpgrHpnRbdpZ7HiGeFbVcd47F%2FsXBZmcHDQg%2F4y%2FYYL%2BNheQi3M1Lz1uqvIaqXcl3ulnQ1%2Bl%2BYXAMIEnJ%2Fc0l%2BiXC8txEBpnXJtlLfBbR6qqcUDUlGZqIKatELRDS0vWNQVsX0JgmwVTGbYlvZWI%2B|tkp%3ABFBMov2Pk71k 

[Mytre 2]

14 minutes ago, Jdiesel said:

Look for a HP ProDesk 600 G4 SFF with an Intel i5-8500 CPU.

 

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/395665370452?_nkw=prodesk+600+g4&itmmeta=01J7MK3ZTB0JBMJJ9FN9A8YGRJ&hash=item5c1f7e6d54:g:XaEAAOSwZtlm3xDm&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAA4HoV3kP08IDx%2BKZ9MfhVJKnN0mrsEq14sbwv7TWNU7vnb0A7gcHPAUWUtOp3pGuFfXSnpVHwizXTRbM2CN3f5axLIIXxnxQ3TyvCYYsjvpvKkWxqLnXkztW5s81c2IDM%2BSOSBkV1q2HDtcXJrescaBxQpgrHpnRbdpZ7HiGeFbVcd47F%2FsXBZmcHDQg%2F4y%2FYYL%2BNheQi3M1Lz1uqvIaqXcl3ulnQ1%2Bl%2BYXAMIEnJ%2Fc0l%2BiXC8txEBpnXJtlLfBbR6qqcUDUlGZqIKatELRDS0vWNQVsX0JgmwVTGbYlvZWI%2B|tkp%3ABFBMov2Pk71k 

Interesting, I can't find the documentation on the case of this hp pc, does it have a bay for a 3.5 inch drive and the sata and power cables needed?  Will it run with a basci windows 10 and do transcoding without issues on emby ?

[Jdiesel 1431]

Sorry I was mistaken the ProDesk 600 G4 SFF has 2 M.2 SSD slots on the motherboard and can either do 1 3.5" or 2 2.5" HDDs. I'm sure you could find a way to make one 3.5" and one 2.5" fit but it wouldn't be seamless. You can typically find these locally as off-lease business computers for around $100 including a valid Windows 11 key. The Intel i5 8500 has the HD630 iGPU which supports hardware acceleration and is capable of 10+ simultaneous Emby transcodes if needed. There are a very very good value for an Emby server, the downside being storage extensibility.

[RanmaCanada 494]

Dell Opitplex with an i3-8100. It will have room for 1 3.5" drive, but pending on seller it might need an adapter as some came with a 2.5" drive instead with an adapter spacer to make it fit.

This is about the smallest you can get without building a Deskmini. The one I linked is just an example as there are others that are cheaper on eBay. You can also look at Lenovo's in the same form factor or HP's (the HP's need "special" screws)

[Mytre 2]

On 9/16/2024 at 7:19 PM, RanmaCanada said:

Dell Opitplex with an i3-8100. It will have room for 1 3.5" drive, but pending on seller it might need an adapter as some came with a 2.5" drive instead with an adapter spacer to make it fit.

This is about the smallest you can get without building a Deskmini. The one I linked is just an example as there are others that are cheaper on eBay. You can also look at Lenovo's in the same form factor or HP's (the HP's need "special" screws)

Deskmini as in the asrock amd ones? I remembered  I wanted to build one years back, are they still relevant?

[RanmaCanada 494]

13 hours ago, Mytre said:

Deskmini as in the asrock amd ones? I remembered  I wanted to build one years back, are they still relevant?

An AMD one will be ok, but understand that AMD hardware encoding is garbage tier compared to Intel and Nvidia. It would be cheaper for you to just buy an offlease micro PC with an Intel 8th gen, or if you really want AMD, an offlease Ryzen micro PC. Heck I've seen HP mini desktops for under $200 with a 12th gen i3. This type of machine will more than suffice as an encode server. Though if you want to put in an 3.5" drive I am not sure what it would need for mounting and possibly special cables due to the proprietary motherboard and connectors. They might be included, they might not which means you would need to check HP Partsurfer for the proper parts.

[Mytre 2]

58 minutes ago, RanmaCanada said:

An AMD one will be ok, but understand that AMD hardware encoding is garbage tier compared to Intel and Nvidia. It would be cheaper for you to just buy an offlease micro PC with an Intel 8th gen, or if you really want AMD, an offlease Ryzen micro PC. Heck I've seen HP mini desktops for under $200 with a 12th gen i3. This type of machine will more than suffice as an encode server. Though if you want to put in an 3.5" drive I am not sure what it would need for mounting and possibly special cables due to the proprietary motherboard and connectors. They might be included, they might not which means you would need to check HP Partsurfer for the proper parts.

I completely understand, I do however want to note I will barely have at best 2 to 4 streams at once and that is worst case scenario.  are the amd deskmini using now ryzen 8000 also? seems there is one , but my requirement is that it has to have at least 1 3.5" bay, I might look into those hp mini desktops, if they are small enough to place behind a shoe box in the closet to never be seen again, or plug in the desk behind the router so its wired directly into the back of the mesh wifi main router.      I will research those used pcs to see if I can find one that fits the bill for as low as it can, even on amazon where I have a bit of advantage for shipping and returns.    For example this one https://a.co/d/fdMWfM2

 

But I do not know if the CPU is even good

[RanmaCanada 494]

The one you linked will be great. Seriously. The N100 will smash hardware encoding like Gallagher did watermelons and it will do it while sipping power. It might have some trouble with bluray subtitles as that is single threaded and this "only" has a single thread passmark score of 1943 (I'll be honest I do not know!). You could also build a Deskmeet system. I've linked the Intel version. Most people seem happy with their N100 using them as a Plex/nameless/Emby server.

[Mytre 2]

1 minute ago, RanmaCanada said:

The one you linked will be great. Seriously. The N100 will smash hardware encoding like Gallagher did watermelons and it will do it while sipping power. It might have some trouble with bluray subtitles as that is single threaded and this "only" has a single thread passmark score of 1943 (I'll be honest I do not know!). You could also build a Deskmeet system. I've linked the Intel version. Most people seem happy with their N100 using them as a Plex/nameless/Emby server.

Ah nice will keep looking into this, I also forgot to mention I want to use this as a host for game servers. Primarly zomboid  on a heavily modded server plus all of that.  Power consumption aint much of an issue,  Would you have a some sort of links to where I can compare these cpu performance?  I checked that brand I shared and it had https://a.co/d/7ydGKa8   The deskmeet is really really interesting I really want to build one so bad hahahaha.  But I also want some sort of form factor that can either be in my desk under an acrylic little stand for my speakers or in the closet behind my shoes   thanks again  I will keep looking into this and hopefully decide on one soon (btw my budget is at most 400$ and all to run game servers , nas and emby).

[Mytre 2]

I dont know why I cant edit but https://www.microcenter.com/product/683926/dell-optiplex-7070-mff-desktop-computer-(refurbished) and https://www.microcenter.com/product/675801/hp-prodesk-600-g5-mini-desktop-computer-(refurbished)

I have a microcenter nearby and was looking around trying to buy something quick and cheap that can run emby + game servers,  I might end up going for a optiplex or elitedesk hp .  the 3.5 inch drive might be replaced with a cheap 2.5 that is 2tb (hdd not ssd) , as it seems performance wise it should not be that harmful.

 

[RanmaCanada 494]

On 04/11/2024 at 22:14, Mytre said:

I dont know why I cant edit but https://www.microcenter.com/product/683926/dell-optiplex-7070-mff-desktop-computer-(refurbished) and https://www.microcenter.com/product/675801/hp-prodesk-600-g5-mini-desktop-computer-(refurbished)

I have a microcenter nearby and was looking around trying to buy something quick and cheap that can run emby + game servers,  I might end up going for a optiplex or elitedesk hp .  the 3.5 inch drive might be replaced with a cheap 2.5 that is 2tb (hdd not ssd) , as it seems performance wise it should not be that harmful.

 

Both of those are SERIOUSLY overpriced. eBay, half the price..For checking overall power, you can just use passmark. If you can get something a bit bigger, there are some micro desktop HP's with a i3 12100 for $175..It has been going in and out of stock, but the 12100 will destroy both of these. For a game server you want as much ram and cpu power as possible. Maybe the deskmeet might be what you need. But if you're seriously looking at the micro's there is also a deskmini, or there are also the micro systems on Amazon with Ryzen processors. Which at that point, I would throw out everything we've discussed about hardware transcoding if you do want the small form factor, and just get a 5800h or go nuts and get something with a 7840HS. Yes AMD hardware transcoding is garbage, but these have gobs of power to be a game server.

It really gets confuzzling when you start looking at all the options haha.

[Mytre 2]

13 hours ago, RanmaCanada said:

Both of those are SERIOUSLY overpriced. eBay, half the price..For checking overall power, you can just use passmark. If you can get something a bit bigger, there are some micro desktop HP's with a i3 12100 for $175..It has been going in and out of stock, but the 12100 will destroy both of these. For a game server you want as much ram and cpu power as possible. Maybe the deskmeet might be what you need. But if you're seriously looking at the micro's there is also a deskmini, or there are also the micro systems on Amazon with Ryzen processors. Which at that point, I would throw out everything we've discussed about hardware transcoding if you do want the small form factor, and just get a 5800h or go nuts and get something with a 7840HS. Yes AMD hardware transcoding is garbage, but these have gobs of power to be a game server.

It really gets confuzzling when you start looking at all the options haha.

You are right. I found this one from Acemagician, 16gh of RAM, 512gb of SSD and a 5800h. Seems proper for doing emby and gaming server. I plan to use a USB enclosure(already have one) for the 3.5 inch drive I have for media. And maybe find a cheap 2tb 2.5 drive (SSD or HDD) to complement in the future   I really want the smallest size possible as it would need to be tucked away in a small space.

 

Wish me luck with that machine !

[RanmaCanada 494]

5 hours ago, Mytre said:

You are right. I found this one from Acemagician, 16gh of RAM, 512gb of SSD and a 5800h. Seems proper for doing emby and gaming server. I plan to use a USB enclosure(already have one) for the 3.5 inch drive I have for media. And maybe find a cheap 2tb 2.5 drive (SSD or HDD) to complement in the future   I really want the smallest size possible as it would need to be tucked away in a small space.

 

Wish me luck with that machine !

Just a heads up but AceMagic shipped some systems with full on spyware. I would suggest Beelink instead.

https://www.theregister.com/2024/02/29/acemagic_chinese_pc_malware_infection/

[Mytre 2]

50 minutes ago, RanmaCanada said:

Just a heads up but AceMagic shipped some systems with full on spyware. I would suggest Beelink instead.

https://www.theregister.com/2024/02/29/acemagic_chinese_pc_malware_infection/

Thank you, will get then this one : https://a.co/d/6tss1M6

 

which is similar in specs

[tdiguy 99]

On 9/9/2024 at 8:44 PM, Mytre said:

I have not been active in a while, I moved on from Emby for a bit and shut it down on my main pc as emby streams would affect me while working.

Now I can build a second pc , small, have a place to put it in the meantime so it can work as a media server, it will still be using wifi for now since pretty much my house has wifi mesh with wifi 6 and AC . 

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/YjwbWt

I am trying to obtain the smallest case possible that supports a 3.5inch drive (my old emby media drive), maybe add in the future another 2TB drive that is 2.5inch format.   I am also trying to go as budget as  I can but ensure that the pc can still encode as many devices at home are just old tv's with a roku, and maybe some smartphones that my family use,  this would see at best 3 streams in parallel and only 1080p for now, I don't plan to add 4k just yet or anything like that. 

if another build can be recommended that is cheaper let me know!  Also since it has been years since I used emby I don't know if there are new features that I might not know and so on.

I guess the biggest question is what sort of capabilities do you need? For example do you have a lot of users that will be streaming simultaneously and is it likely they will transcode? This is probably the most important question in deciding what you need.

I myself have bounced between using a RPI4 and using a small computer for years my small computer is an intel atom build it can transcode but not many streams at once. I am moving back to my RPI4 because it draws significantly less power and i find nearly all my devices dont require transcoding now so its all just direct play which requires very little processing power. I currently have a 3 TB library for my kids to stream. So its a 1gb ram rpi4 with a case thats pretty much a aluminum heatsink and fan with the OS on a m.2 ssd ( usb to m.2 adapter ) and the library on a 3.5 hdd with a sata to usb ( and external power supply ) connected.