The best devices to do Plex Media Server

If you own an extensive collection of movies, TV shows, music and want to access it on all your devices, Plex is one of the best solutions.

To start the system, you need to designate at least one of your devices as a server. But what are the best devices to use as a Plex Media Server?

In this article, Quantrimang.com will take you through several options, as well as list the pros and cons of each.

What is Plex Media Server?

Plex has two application sections Plex Media Server and Plex Media Player.

Plex Media Server is responsible for accessing the videos and sending them to Plex Media Player applications on other devices.

The device on which you are running the Plex Media Server application needs to have access to all videos and run 24/7.

Plex Media Server is available for free on Windows, Mac, Linux, NAS drives, and Docker. There is also a unique version of Android TV. Plex Media Player is available on everything from Amazon Alexa to Oculus Go.

What is the best device to use as a Plex Media Server?

Users are faced with a huge number of choices. You can run the Plex Media Server application on your laptop, desktop, mini PC, Android TV device, Raspberry Pi, network-attached storage drive, or any other device where you can install Linux on .

Let’s take a look at some of the pros and cons of each of those devices.

1. Notebook

One of the most important things that Plex Media Server needs is CPU power. Without enough power, the server will struggle to transcode the video and won’t be able to handle multiple concurrent users.

As such, an antique, underpowered laptop would not be suitable for this task. However, if the device you own is not very old, you can consider using it.

The article does not recommend running Plex on the main laptop. Overheating can quickly become a problem. If you use an old laptop, make sure you buy a heatsink.

2. Desktop

The most significant benefit of using a desktop computer is power. Even a mid-range desktop can comfortably handle anything Plex throws at it.

If you expect multiple people to be able to access your Plex Media Server at the same time, this is probably the best solution.

However, be careful when using the main computer. You don’t want to have to stop halfway through working on an important document for someone else to use, since your wife and kids are all watching Plex on other screens.

3. Mini PC

Mini PCs are often overlooked when considering a list of devices that can be used as a potential Plex Media Server. They have a few important benefits over regular desktops.

These benefits include lower power consumption, lower costs if you buy a new unit, and generally lower noise.

Mini PCs also create a perfect combination of size and portability. Sure, they won’t fit in your pocket, but they’re easy to mount behind or in a TV stand.

There are dozens of minicomputers available with a wide range of specifications and prices.

4. Android TV

Plex hasn’t been able to use Android devices as media servers, since the Plex Media Center app stopped working a few years ago.

However, there is an exception. That’s the Nvidia Shield. Nvidia has entered into a unique partnership with Plex and devices that can act as Plex Media Servers.

And because both the regular Nvidia Shield and Pro versions have USB ports, you can easily connect an external hard drive that holds all your movies and TV shows and stream content. You don’t need to migrate your library to Nvidia Shield.

Unfortunately, the Nvidia Shield has a potential downside. Some users have reported that this device is not suitable for very large libraries. Some people complain about not enough space to stream 4K, while others say that creating thumbnails (thumbnails) consumes a lot of memory.

5. Raspberry Pi

Raspberry Pi devices have some unique advantages and disadvantages when used with the Plex Media Server application.

The most notable downside is the lack of CPU power. The Raspberry Pi 2 has a quad-core 900MHz Cortex-A7 CPU along with 1GB of RAM. Raspberry Pi 3 uses 1.2 GHz ARM Cortex-A53 CPU and 1GB RAM.

These parameters are not enough to meet the recommended requirements for Plex, for Media Server application: Intel Core i3 processor and at least 2GB of RAM.

However, the Raspberry Pi also has some big advantages, most notably portability. The web is full of users looking for advice on the best cheap device to use as a Plex Media Server in hotels and offices. Raspberry Pi is probably the best solution. Just don’t expect to transcode 4K content.

If you have a spare Raspberry Pi you don’t use, turn it into a Plex Media Server. Remember that you have more ways to turn Raspberry Pi into a media server and one of them is using Emby.

6. NAS drive

For those who need to access all of their Plex content remotely, a NAS drive is probably the best option. Too many people have complained about the unreliability in the Plex Media Server application, when it is used on a laptop or desktop computer.

As a company, Plex takes the promotion of its NAS drive solutions very seriously. There are custom versions available for NAS drives from Synology, Netgear, QNAP, unRAID, Drobo, Asustor, Seagate, Western Digital, and TerraMaster.

However, before entering a store to buy products, there are a few things you need to consider. According to Plex, the NAS drive will need an x86 CPU. And if you buy an ARM model, the transcode feature will not be available. Therefore, you will need to make sure your video media file is saved in a format that Plex Media Player can support.

For the most universal playback, Plex recommends an MP4 container, H.264 video codec, AAC audio, and a bitrate below 8Mbps.

If you want a NAS drive for Plex, the article recommends the QNAP TS-453Be 4-Bay Professional NAS, Synology DS218play and TerraMaster F4-220 4-Bay NAS.

What is the best device to make Plex Media Server?

If you are a very frequent viewer, you can use Plex on your main computers without too much worry. More serious users should consider using a dedicated old computer or a mini PC. Anyone who travels a lot should buy a Raspberry Pi. And if remote access is important to you, consider buying a NAS drive.

Hope you find a suitable option for yourself!