Intel cpu's 6th gen VS 11th gen?

[css_jay99]

Did you pay to get the hardware transcoding thing for Plex?

I got the lifetime pass a few years ago when it was free but never really dug on under the bonnet with Plex. Thanks, Just googled what you said and I had 1 out of 2 check boxes ticked so maybe that might make a difference.

The Mac mini sometimes struggle with forward/reverse of large X265 HEVC encoded streams. This was not an issue with the server running temporarily on my 7th gen Alienware 15R3 laptop With GTX 1080, but that old beast can be loud and hot when it gets going.

[mogga71]

I was thinking of replacing my ageing 2011 Mac mini server which has a 2nd Gen Intel cpu. It's used to run Plex server as well as 2 virtual machines. I like the fact its power efficient and silent .... except for when transcoding. Nonetheless its only using between 10W and 40W

I am considering the Dell OptiPlex Micro which is a similar size. Lenovo Thinkcenter & HP Elitedesk are similar sizes as well but the Optiplex has 2 x M.2 slots + 1 Sata connection.

These micro pc's use 35W variants of Desktop CPUs so are power efficient

10th/11thgen Optiplex micros on Dell outlet is around £600 - £700 while there are a few used 6th/7thgen Oplitplex micros for about £230


So I guess the question is if there will be a noticeable performance improvement going with a newer model?


The other option tat matches the outlet price is to build my own. Granted, slightly bigger case, this will give better cooling & quieter fan noise.
So use Small case, mini ITX motherboard, 11th gen 65W Intel CPU with integrated graphics and 450W power supply.

My worry is the 450W PSU. Any idea wattage on such PSU when PC is idling or doing light tasks?

If you only want to use it as a media server and aren't fussed about watching movies/shows remotely then have you considered simply buying an AppleTV and buying Infuse? It plays anything you throw at it .... even 100gb UHD files .... doesn't need a server ... and has a nice interface. I never use Plex any more as its awful at playing large files even with wired ethernet everywhere and a 32gb 2019 i7 server.