My Current Plex Server

Cole Slaw
Cole Slaw
Jul 27, 2017 · 3 min read

Now at this point Plex has been around for quite some time. It’s reached a much more mature state over the past couple years. If you aren't familiar with Plex I would encourage you to check it out below.

Now I know there are many posts out there about plex servers and how to build your own, but I wanted to share my setup and the steps I took to get everything running just right for me.

First, let’s talk about the hardware

Rosewill Micro-ATX Mini Tower — http://amzn.to/2h6ero3

Rosewill Micro-ATX Mini Tower

http://amzn.to/2h6ero3

To get things kicked off I picked out a case that would allow me total freedom to expand in the future. As well as plenty of cooling potential.

  • 15 bays
  • 7 Fans
  • Rackmount
Intel Core i5–4430 — http://amzn.to/2v1xvti

Intel Core i5–4430

http://amzn.to/2v1xvti

At the time Intel was really the only choice for a server like this out there. More recently Ryzen came out which would be a great solution to a plex server now.

Gigabyte LGA 1150 B85 — http://amzn.to/2uCFBry

Gigabyte LGA 1150 B85

http://amzn.to/2uCFBry

Honestly, there isn’t anything fancy about this motherboard. It is just the cheapest and the best reviews on Amazon when I was building my server.

:-)

Crucial 4GB Kit (2GBx2) DDR3–1600 — http://amzn.to/2uGNrPd

Crucial 4GB Kit (2GBx2) DDR3–1600

http://amzn.to/2uGNrPd

Basic Memory for the machine. It didn’t need anything fancy just enough to run the OS

120gb SanDisk SSD Plus — http://amzn.to/2v1AZff

OS — 120gb SanDisk SSD

http://amzn.to/2v1AZff

Because I like the ease that windows provide I opted to get an SSD for my OS and applications to sit on. The cheapest SSD out there will be fine. I chose this 120gb Sandisk because of its good reviews.

Storage — 6TB HGST NAS Drives

http://amzn.to/2uCsE0w

Now to finish the build out I decided to get two 6TB drives that I RAID“ed” together.

These drives are in my opinion the best drives for the money when it comes to network storage like a Plex server.

This setup allowed me to get started in the Plex server world without totally breaking the bank. All in all the whole setup cost me about $800. With the majority of the cost coming in from the hard drives. If you decide you wanted to have a smaller initial purchase you could reduce the size of the drives to 4tb or only pickup 1 at a time.

Check back soon for the new Plex server I am building soon!

Classic Mini DIY

Classic Mini DIY | Out of the garage

Cole Slaw

Written by

Cole Slaw

Classic Mini DIY

Classic Mini DIY | Out of the garage

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade