Question Plex/NAS storage questions.

[Spydermag68]

I am thinking about creating a Plex server using a NAS. Currently I have a about 26 file that take up 500GB of space. It is obvious to me that I need to transcode these files down but I do not really want to lose a lot quality in order to save my whole collection.

Also I need to know the best version of RAID to use. I want to be able to replace a disk if it dies and still be able to rebuild after replacing the bad drive. I am looking at a 4 bay NAS.

Thanks!

 

[VirtualLarry]

Pretty sure that Plex transcodes on the fly, so you would need to manually use HandBrake to convert the files to save space.

But why? Just buy more disk space. 500GB is like nothing.

A 4-bay NAS generally uses RAID-5 (using Linux) over the four disks.

Get a 4-bay Asustor or QNAP NAS unit (get one with a Celeron Intel CPU, with QuickSync support), and then get 4x 8TB or 4x 10TB WD HDDs. (Get the EasyStore External Desktop HDDs on sale from BestBuy on ebay. I got a pair of 10TB last month for $179.99 ea.)

You're looking at around $1K to do it right with a NAS.

Edit: You could also go for a 4-bay NAS ($300-400), then get 4x WD 4TB MyBook External Desktop HDD *REFURB* for $60 ea., or slightly less on promo, from WD_official on ebay. (See my Hot Deals from last month, if they go back in stock.) That would be around $600-650, for 4x4TB, which in RAID-5, would give you 12TB worth of net storage capacity.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Asustor-AS...eleron-1-6-GHz-Quad-Core-2GB-RAM/302919442984

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA6ZP5VU2435

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822107253

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA2W08K50833

 

[Spydermag68]

Thanks VirtualLary.

I have about 600 files to encode and at 30GB each, that would be 18TB at full size. So I would have to have use 8TB drives to hold all of the files using 4 HD.

Here is the how I figured that out. https://wintelguy.com/raidcalc.pl

 

[VirtualLarry]

Oh, that's a bit more than 500GB worth of files.

You might actually find a 4-bay NAS a bit limiting if you need 18TB of net capacity, with room for future expansion. (4x 10TB gross is 3x 10TB net, which is really more like 27TB.)

You may want to go for an 8- or 12-drive unRAID configuration. (DIY server). I have one of those too, but it has 2TB HDDs in it. Kind of small.

 

[hoorah]

I'm a bit confused by your requirements. First you said you have 26 files that take up 500GB, then you're going to 600 files at 30GB each?

30GB each sounds like full bit-rate blu ray rips. I wouldn't store 600 full res blu ray rips for a plex server, but thats just me. I'd re-encode them down to about 3-5GB each, so you'd be looking at 600 x 5 = 3TB or so. Easily do-able with a 4 bay nas and a few 4TB drives, or a 2 bay nas and 8TB drives in RAID 1.

18TB is going to be an order of magnitude more difficult.