I'm looking into purchasing a Dell PowerEdge T640 server to use as a Plex server. The specifications include dual Intel Xeon Gold 6138 processors, 128GB of ECC RAM, and two 960GB SSDs, among other components. I'm wondering if I'll need any additional hardware or software to get it up and running for Plex, or if this setup is sufficient. Also, are there any recommended alternatives to Plex I should consider?
3 Answers
Yeah, it's a lot for a Plex server, but you've got plenty of threads available for transcoding. Storage is really what matters here. You might not need a GPU at all if your usage stays low. Just think about how many streams you'll need to handle and whether you'll be using it for anything other than Plex.
While you can definitely run Plex on that server, many users recommend adding a GPU for better transcoding performance, especially if you plan on streaming to multiple devices at once. Some folks have also switched to alternatives like Jellyfin due to Plex's recent changes. But if your focus is just on Plex, the server's specs should handle it pretty well without any extra hardware, depending on your usage.
Honestly, that setup is overkill for just Plex. Most users recommend a basic NAS for Plex; you could host a 2TB HDD server for a fraction of what you're looking at. The CPU power you have should manage fine for the transcoding tasks, so it really boils down to what other applications you plan to run on it.
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