I have a gtx1080 laying around that id like to take advantage of but need some advice on upgrading CPU and MOBO

-Currently my build consists of-
CPU: Xeon E5-2697 v2
RAM: 16GB ECC UDIMM
MOBO: SuperMicro X9SRA LGA2011

As my title says I have a GTX1080 laying around that I’d like to use for transcoding. I’m aware by default it can only do 2 transcodes which is fine as its only me and one other person that will be using Plex.

I also use it as a file server for a few things such as picture backups and am concerned about not having ECC memory.

So I guess I’m looking for a relatively inexpensive cpu and mobo upgrade recommendation and if I really need ECC memory. Should I go Xeon again for the ECC? Or just get a few generation old i7?

The Xeon E5-2697 v2 I currently use will be at nearly 100% usage at times when its just me watching something so as long as I get a mobo that has a 3.0 16x slot it doesn’t really matter how many cores it has at that point right? I only ask because I’ve heard even with a GPU, Plex will still sometimes try to use the CPU.

Sorry for the noob questions, any recommendations will be a huge help!

what else are you doing with the e5-2697 because there is zero reason for it to be even remotely loaded with just you watching plex. Are you trying to transcode 4K? The power usage of the gtx would be a complete waste.

If you are going to buy a new motherboard, you should just get a 7th, 8th, or 9th gen celeron and mobo for about $100 and use that without the need for the gtx 1080. If you are dead set on using that existing system then do yourself a favor and sell the gtx1080 and buy a gtx 1650 or a 1050ti single slot.

1 Like