So I’ve been wanting to replace my Pi4 (4GB) with an Optiplex for better support (x86 architecture), more ram, and a better CPU.
I’m hoping to get something that also supports intel quick sync for hardware decoding of h265 but it isn’t a major problem if it isn’t available.
What’s the minimum CPU to go for ? Is an i5 6500 fine ? Will that draw more power than let’s say an 8500? Will an i3 6200 be fine too? What about an i5 3400?
I have no idea if I should aim for something in the i5 8x00 range vs i3/5 3x00, when it comes to power usage vs compute output.
I’m not planning on running a full plex server, as there isn’t space for my 3.5” disks, but I would like to run Immich, Seafile, Audiobookshelf etc without a sweat and without using 10+ kWh a week.
I’m located in Denmark so European prices are always an issue with both hardware and electricity 😂
An 8GB ram + i5 6500 Optiplex is about $150 used.
Acronyms, initialisms, abbreviations, contractions, and other phrases which expand to something larger, that I’ve seen in this thread:
Fewer Letters More Letters NAS Network-Attached Storage PSU Power Supply Unit Plex Brand of media server package SATA Serial AT Attachment interface for mass storage SSD Solid State Drive mass storage
5 acronyms in this thread; the most compressed thread commented on today has 3 acronyms.
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You can find Intel N100 mini PCs for 100-200 Euros that have similar performance to a 6th gen i5 but much lower power consumption and better codec support including AV1. The i3-N300 is also starting to become available with twice as many cores.
If you can find one with a T series CPU they tend to be more power efficient. And they are common in refurbished mini pcs like the Lenovo Tiny series which should be in your price range.
The T series isn’t worth it IMO. Second-hand non-T CPUs and PCs are usually the same price as the T ones, and you can achieve the same effect of lower power consumption by limiting the max clock speed of the non-T CPUs.
The Lenovo tiny series is not a thin-client; it’s a mini PC. I wouldn’t get a thin client since they’re not designed to run much on them - a thin client literally just connects to a server via remote desktop. Get a mini PC or SFF PC at least.
The Lenovo tiny series is not a thin-client; it’s a mini PC
Fair enough, got my terminology wrong there.
I think 8000 series is the suite spot. I’ve gotten a few optiplexes between $110-140 with an i3-i5
I wish that was the case here. I can’t find an 8000 series below $200. Most in the $100 range is 4000-6100 series with 6500 being $120+.
Kinda leaning towards an N100 even though it’s a bit more ($250ish)
I’ve been thrilled with my dell 7060 micros. SSD+nvme, 64gb of RAM, 8th gen Intel and very low power.
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CPU cores. I think the i5 6500 was my lowest option ide get. I believe it has 6 cores?
I didn’t look into i3 at all though.
I also looked for the one with the best USB speeds.
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I have a Lenovo ThinkCentre m900 sff. It has an i5-6500T (low power) and I added an Nvidia Quadro p600 for transcoding in Plex. The m900 was about $80 and the Quadro p600 was about $50.
Just saw that you’re in Denmark. So yeah the prices will probably be a little higher.
Oh wow, I didn’t know SFF machines have the space and the port to use a dGPU. That opens a lot of doors to me.
