Cpu for plex server

[Barry685]

Which cpu would be better for a plex server?

Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU E3-1276 v3 @ 3.60GHz   3.60 GHz

or

Intel I7-6700K

both with 32gb ram 

With the I7-6700k there would also be a dedicated Gpu  GTX 950 with the Xeon no dedicated Gpu.

[Brian]

Need more info. How many users, will you be doing a lot of Hardware Transcoding, etc. How many streams at once?

Between the two that you listed, I'd go with the i7 and a dedicated GPU.

Actually, I'd probably go for a NVIDIA 2080 or something like that.  Traditionally Xeon CPUs use a lot of power, so your electric bill will increase. That said, I really haven't paid much attention to the Xeons because when I do, it's on a Windows Server in a rack, hosting something like a corporate database, etc. The thing with Xeon CPUs, is that the software needs to take advantage of the architecture built into the Xeon, or else the CPU is just wasted. Plus, if the Xeon CPU doesn't have integrated graphics, you basically are just wasting money. I'd recommend having a GPU of some sort that supports Quicksync.

Truth be told, I'm still investigating options for my NAS / Plex Server myself, so I'm not the best one to ask as I'm still learning.

[Barry685]

Light use, the  most users at one time  would be 3.

[Brian]

I'd say the Intel i7 with GPU would still be the one I'd go with.

[Barry685]

Thanks 

[Brian]

Just be sure to pony up the $100 for PlexPass. It's a lifetime membership. Just remember, you can always upgrade. I'd take the time to learn all you can about Transcoding and the overall flow of how to get content streaming. THEN worry about all the Technical Stuff. I'm probably going to build a Free NAS Server myself, then run Plex off it, in addition to it being my storage server.

[Barry685]

I have it a long time already. I have been a Plex user for a while. But im not that tech savvy . Im also a usenet user. setup with Sonarr, Radarr, and nzbget.

Edited November 19, 2022 by Barry685