Which hardware should I choose for Plex (hardware transcoding with iGPU)?
Which hardware should I choose for Plex (hardware transcoding with iGPU)?
- Intel Processor N100 (Intel UHD Graphics 24 EU) + 32 GB RAM (single channel) 3200MHz 16-18-18-38
- Intel Pentium Silver N6005 (Intel UHD Graphics 32 EU) + 64 GB RAM (dual channel) 2933MHz 19-19-19-47
Planned use:
- transcode 4K HDR x264 content with a maximum bitrate of 77.5 Mb/s, handling up to 4 transcodes simultaneously (file size: 85GB for each one)
- RAM as a temporary transcoding folder
I'm no expert. But both have Intel quick sync. but I think the N100 supports more codecs
you can find the chart at:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_Quick_Sync_Video#Hardware_decoding_and_encoding
14x 4k transcode with high bitrate simultanously is a big stretch for small systems like this. Transcoding HDR Tonemapping is demanding and keep in mind that not only video has to be transcoded but often audio as well which can be too much in terms of CPU performance.
For a powerfull transcoding NAS I would either go Asrock Deskmeet B660 with an Intel Arc A380 or build something out of an Asrock Deskmini B660/B760 with an i3-12100/13100 or i5-12400. They can hold 2x m.2 and 2-3x SATA drives for a reasonable price.
1You might be stretching the N100 just a little if the PC needs to do anything else, otherwise it should work. I can do three 80ish GB tone mapped 4K transcodes on my little Beelink I'm testing out.
1