Moving to dedicated server hardware - some advice please.

[me@jackbenda.com 1]

Hey all,

I’m finally making the leap from my rather sad Terramaster NAS to a proper dedicated machine for Emby, and I’d love a bit of advice before I pull the trigger.

I’ve found a seller with a few configuration options:

• CPU: 8th‑gen i5 or i7
• RAM: 16GB or 32GB
• OS: Windows 11 Pro or Ubuntu Server

My instinct is to go with an 8th‑gen chip for the hardware transcoding and a bit of future‑proofing, but I’m torn on whether to go i5 or i7. For the OS, should I just stick with Windows 11 Pro, go full Windows Server, or bite the bullet and learn Linux Server (which I’ve never touched in my life)? I will want to be able to remote desktop into it, and some say that Windows is the easiest platform to do that. The box is a Dell Optiplex shell, if that makes any difference. Will I need 32gb of ram or is 16 plenty? 

The machine will mainly run Emby, though I’ll probably install Docker and tinker with a few other bits and bobs. We usually have two local streams and two or three remote streams going at once. I’ve only got a handful of files that need HEVC transcoding, so I doubt I’ll ever see more than one transcode happening at the same time — but never say never. I’m leaning toward installing the native Emby app rather than running it in Docker, as I’ve seen a few people mention odd Docker‑related glitches.

As for storage, I’m planning to keep my Terramaster F2‑210 NAS and just point the new server at it over the network so I don’t have to migrate terabytes of media. That shouldn’t introduce any horrible bottlenecks, should it?

Does this setup sound sensible? Anything obvious I’ve missed, or anything I should be thinking about before I commit?

Cheers!

[me@jackbenda.com 1]

(realise that Docker on windows may be a dumb idea - maybe scratch that!)

[Luke 42077]

Hi, supposedly windows server is slimmer and comes with less pre-installed software. So you may or may not like that depending on what else you would use the machine for.

Quote

(realise that Docker on windows may be a dumb idea - maybe scratch that!)

I wouldn't say dumb. It is a real thing, however we have not given it any testing. I am not even sure if it will run.

[daldana 122]

Just for information, I have a 12th gen i5 with 16GB of RAM, Windows 11 Pro, running an Emby server natively as well as a Channels DVR server natively, I also have Docker for Windows running with 10 containers. I've not had a resource problem with that setup.

[RanmaCanada 494]

8th gen is extremely long in the tooth (8 years old) and unless you are getting it for free, I would say it is no longer worth it. Try to get at least a 12th gen, as Alder Lake is phenomenal for what it provides. I personally use a laptop with a smashed screen as my Emby server, with my UNRAID server in the basement. You can easily pick up an i5-1235u laptop for about $200 USD on eBay (this is just an example). I use a usb-c 2.5gbit network card on mine. Laptop sips power while it does transcodes and use about 25-30 watts when it's at full bore. It's usually idle at about 4-5 watts.

16GB of ram is plenty.

[me@jackbenda.com 1]

I also posted this on Reddit, and the comments were genuinely brilliant, so I thought I’d share a summary of what people said in case it’s useful here too.

The original question was about moving from my Terramaster NAS to a dedicated server, and whether an 8th‑gen i5/i7 Optiplex with 16–32GB RAM and either Windows or Ubuntu would be a sensible choice for Emby, Docker, and a few other bits.

The replies fell into a few clear camps.

First, the hardware debate. A lot of people said an 8th‑gen i5 or i7 is absolutely fine and will barely break a sweat with my usage. Several folks are running similar machines with a whole stack of services and barely hitting 20–30% load. A few suggested going for 32GB RAM now because prices are climbing, and it’s cheaper to get it included than to upgrade later.

But then there was a very vocal group insisting I should forget the Optiplex entirely and get an N100 or N150 mini‑PC instead. According to them, the newer Intel QuickSync on those chips is miles better for transcoding, they use hardly any power, and they come with Windows licences anyway. One person claimed they can transcode three 4K HEVC streams at once on an N150 while still browsing YouTube. They were very passionate about it, to put it mildly. Still not sure which one I'd go for though - the Beelink MINI S13 seems to only have 16 gigs of ram and that that's a hard ceiling...

Then there was the OS discussion. Windows is obviously the easiest if you already know it, and QuickSync works reliably. The downside is the usual Windows faff: forced reboots, slightly more awkward security, and Docker being a bit clunky because it runs inside a VM. Linux (Ubuntu, Rocky, etc.) got a lot of praise for stability and for running Docker properly, but people were honest about the learning curve. A couple of users said migrating Emby from Windows to Linux later is a pain, so if I’m going to switch, better to start there. Proxmox also came up as a sort of halfway house — easier to learn than bare Linux, and lets you run containers and VMs cleanly.

Docker itself was another split topic. Some people said they’ve run Emby in Docker for years without a single issue. Others said they’ve had the odd glitch, especially around QuickSync on certain CPUs. The general consensus was: Docker is great, but don’t run it on Windows if you can avoid it. And if I’m going to learn anything, it should be Docker Compose, not just clicking around in a GUI.

On the storage front, everyone agreed that keeping my Terramaster NAS and accessing it over the network is completely normal. As long as the network isn’t ancient, there shouldn’t be any bottlenecks. Lots of people do exactly that.

Power consumption came up too. The older i5/i7 desktops obviously use more juice, but still nothing outrageous. The N100/N150 machines, though, seem to sip electricity — several people mentioned idle draws in the teens.

A couple of more experienced users gave some warnings about security. The main point was: don’t expose Emby directly to the internet. Stick a reverse proxy in front of it (Nginx Proxy Manager was mentioned a few times), run Emby under a non‑admin account if you’re on Windows, and generally don’t assume you’re safe just because it’s a home server. One person had their Emby hacked years ago, which was a bit sobering.

There was also some good advice about learning the basics properly. A few people suggested practising Docker Compose on my Synology first, or spinning up an Ubuntu VM in VirtualBox just to get comfortable before touching the real server. Someone gave a whole list of things to look into: Ubuntu Server, Docker, Komodo, Nginx Proxy Manager, Beszel, Composerize, and so on. The general vibe was: learn by doing, break things, fix them, then rebuild it properly once you understand what’s going on.

And finally, a few miscellaneous bits:
– If I think I’ll ever want 32GB RAM, get it now.
– Home Assistant apparently behaves better as a VM than a container.
– Running Emby as a Windows service has pros and cons; some prefer using Sysinternals Autologon instead.

Where I’ve landed (for now) is leaning towards an N150 mini‑PC with 16–32GB RAM, probably running either Windows or Ubuntu, and slowly migrating my services into proper Docker Compose setups. But I’m still open to thoughts, especially from anyone who’s used both an older i5/i7 Optiplex and one of the newer N‑series chips and can compare real‑world transcoding and power usage.

Would love to hear any further thoughts from this crowd.

[me@jackbenda.com 1]

7 hours ago, RanmaCanada said:

8th gen is extremely long in the tooth (8 years old) and unless you are getting it for free, I would say it is no longer worth it. Try to get at least a 12th gen, as Alder Lake is phenomenal for what it provides. I personally use a laptop with a smashed screen as my Emby server, with my UNRAID server in the basement. You can easily pick up an i5-1235u laptop for about $200 USD on eBay (this is just an example). I use a usb-c 2.5gbit network card on mine. Laptop sips power while it does transcodes and use about 25-30 watts when it's at full bore. It's usually idle at about 4-5 watts.

16GB of ram is plenty.

What are your views on the N100/150s floating around? 

9 hours ago, Luke said:

Hi, supposedly windows server is slimmer and comes with less pre-installed software. So you may or may not like that depending on what else you would use the machine for.

I wouldn't say dumb. It is a real thing, however we have not given it any testing. I am not even sure if it will run.

Yeah I think I'll just go ahead and leave the docker on windows thing and either give it a go on Linux

8 hours ago, daldana said:

Just for information, I have a 12th gen i5 with 16GB of RAM, Windows 11 Pro, running an Emby server natively as well as a Channels DVR server natively, I also have Docker for Windows running with 10 containers. I've not had a resource problem with that setup.

Very useful to know. Thank you!

[RanmaCanada 494]

5 hours ago, me@jackbenda.com said:

What are your views on the N100/150s floating around? 

Yeah I think I'll just go ahead and leave the docker on windows thing and either give it a go on Linux

Very useful to know. Thank you!

For the price of an N100/N150, the laptop I posted as an example will utterly destroy them, for less money and you have a mouse/keyboard/monitor and UPS built in. They also have the same ASICS for quickysnc, and the 1235u can do far more 4k transcodes than an N100/N150 can. The cheapest N100 I can find is $130 USD and it's some no name Chinesium brand with only 4GB of ram and 128GB ssd. Upgrading this would cost an arm and a leg. To get a reputable name brand, you are looking at at least $250-$300 USD.

It's are a really horrible time to be buying computers, and won't get better any time soon.

I upgraded from an i3-8130u to my i5-1235u, and the performance increase was phenomenal. I did not need a working screen so I was able to save more money.

[me@jackbenda.com 1]

13 minutes ago, RanmaCanada said:

For the price of an N100/N150, the laptop I posted as an example will utterly destroy them, for less money and you have a mouse/keyboard/monitor and UPS built in. They also have the same ASICS for quickysnc, and the 1235u can do far more 4k transcodes than an N100/N150 can. The cheapest N100 I can find is $130 USD and it's some no name Chinesium brand with only 4GB of ram and 128GB ssd. Upgrading this would cost an arm and a leg. To get a reputable name brand, you are looking at at least $250-$300 USD.

It's are a really horrible time to be buying computers, and won't get better any time soon.

I upgraded from an i3-8130u to my i5-1235u, and the performance increase was phenomenal. I did not need a working screen so I was able to save more money.

Yeah you can say that again... I'm trying to buy a very powerful work computer right now - budget £3k - and I'm struggling which is ridiculous. 

This is my problem with all the Nx chips - I just don't think I trust a brand like 'beelink' that ships on Ali express. I don't mind using a few pence extra for a brand I recognise. My only worry with the laptop is finding one for the right price with a reasonable warranty - and I guess the thermals too, but I'm guessing that you've had no issues with that.

[RanmaCanada 494]

22 hours ago, me@jackbenda.com said:

Yeah you can say that again... I'm trying to buy a very powerful work computer right now - budget £3k - and I'm struggling which is ridiculous. 

This is my problem with all the Nx chips - I just don't think I trust a brand like 'beelink' that ships on Ali express. I don't mind using a few pence extra for a brand I recognise. My only worry with the laptop is finding one for the right price with a reasonable warranty - and I guess the thermals too, but I'm guessing that you've had no issues with that.

I've had no real issues with thermals on my laptop and if it does get too high, remember, they throttle to protect the system and would shut off if it gets too high. As for warranty, I paid $140ish for the laptop at the time, and as similar systems are the same price, it would just be downtime for me to swap out to another laptop or move the windows install to a VM and put it on my UNRAID machine. You can get extended warranties on stuff from eBay, at least here in North America. It's a caveat that you are getting something cheaper than you would new, with the possibility it might die quicker. My last laptop I bought during Covid and it is still in use at a friend's house in another province. My current system I bought in October of 2023.

I hope you find what you want.