[Guide] OTiS 1.0 - Build your own Intel QSV HW transcoder!

Dual channel memory does not matter for this use-case. I would recommend a single 8GB stick so that you can easily upgrade to 16GB or 24GB later!

This laptop charger kit should work.

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3 posts were split to a new topic: Getting started with HW transcoding

in your ā€œI Wanna Go Fastā€ sample build, is the i7-9700k still a good option? Microcenter currently has it for $200. Thereā€™s also a $20 off Mobo discount. As a matter of fact, they also have a combo deal for cpu, Mobo and wd black 1the nvme for $485.

Yes, itā€™s a good deal at $200, especially if you can combo with a motherboard thatā€™s <$150.

Iā€™d avoid the SSD, though.

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Sweet thank you! what are the odds of this running Plex and Jellyfin side by side? With a G4900T. Thanks again.

That wonā€™t be a problem.

Thoughts on the recently announced Hackboard 2 as a QSV server? With the HP290s in short supply, maybe an option? https://www.crowdsupply.com/hackboard/hb2

That might work, but the board has an Atom-based CPU. Last I tried transcoding on a N4000 (pretty similar model), quicksync performed nowhere near as well as on a full fat Celeron 4900.

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The HP 290 come back extremely regularly. Iā€™d just wait.

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Awesome, thanks JDM! Just wanted to ask a couple more questions. How / What is the best way to test the transcoding on the G4900T? And should I expect more than 10 transcodes? Also what would the CPU usage look like under such a load? Thanks JDM and sorry for all the questionsā€¦

The best way to test is to fire up some transcodes on your server.

Make sure you have hw transcoding enabled in settings

The G4900T should do more then 10 1080p transdodes, you can see more details in the hp290 owners thread

If its working, you should see a bunch of transcode (hw) on the cards.

So about 4 years ago I scored some deals and set myself up on an X8DTL-3F and 2 X5690ā€™s and 64G ECC. Given the ongoing power costs, Iā€™m wondering if it might be worth it to drop that platform and move to the ā€œBasic Unraid NASā€ build. I currently have 25 containers running on Unraid with the biggest draw being Plex. Honestly, I never see the overall CPU load top 25% and my max Plex stream history was 10 concurrent transcodes.

Would this move make sense? I have a couple extra boxes that Iā€™m thinking about utilizing for docker if the load is too much. Is there any resale market for the existing mobo/cpu/ram to help recover cost?

Thanks!

I think you should add a QSV transcoder box to your setup and keep your X8DTL in place. Evaluate the impact removing Plex from your current setup has. Then, if you see a drastic lowering of CPU usage, Iā€™d downgrade to something low power like L5630.

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That isā€¦a very well reasoned argument! I happen to have an unused G4600 system kicking around - I might give that one a try first to see how it manages. Looks like I can score 2 L5630ā€™s for $30 CAD (because that kicks it up to only 80W).

Damn, thanks for the sanity check!

The G4600 would be a great place to start, thatā€™s Kaby Lake (7th Gen).

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So am about to purchase an HP 290 as my plex server so i dont need to keep my Windows PC on 24/7. I do not have a NAS setup, just some shares on my PC. Is there a way to this plex server can send a WON packet to my PC either; when there is user activity on plex, so share is ready to goā€¦ or at minimum send a WON when file is requested from SMB share located on PC.

Thanks!

[EDIT]
I think in going to merge this HP 290 Plex server as a docker under Unraid for NAS using a esata controller/case thread here for suggestion

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Did you ever build this setup? I was looking at same components for a multi-tasking NAS/Plex build. Was wondering how it would compare to the recommended builds above.

I highly recommend an Intel-based build instead of AMD Ryzen. QSV and value are two good reasons to do so.

Didnā€™t know if you were replying to my post. But after looking through this post and the one on the hp 290 I am definitely going with Intel. Had no idea that HW transcoding would be that good. Was just wondering if the Intel Core i3-10100 would work for the same level as your multi-taking as NAS builds above. Was looking at Mini-ITX boards and the 1x16gb ram that you posted from TeamGroup.

Mini-ITX is extremely limiting, I would avoid it. Micro-ATX should provide many more opportunities for expansion at a lower cost.

Youā€™re not gaining much by going for LGA1200/10th-gen, Iā€™d stick to 8th/9th unless you get a really good deal on something newer.