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.
I bought an Optiplex 7050 SFF for $100 USD at the start of 2023. Upgraded it to an i7-7700, 32GB RAM, 300W PSU from an XE3 model (stock is 180W), and threw in a spare Nvidia K1200 Quadro for shits and giggles. Runs almost my entire suite of self-hosted applications without a hitch.
But then you also spend much more than $100 😂 I already have a NAS with a a 7th gen i7, 16gb ram, 32TB hdh, and a 1070 for decoding but it uses too much power to stay on all the time. I only turn it on to watch plex and then power it down to save electricity.
Well, to be fair, I actually bought it to use as a desktop and upgraded it accordingly. Then a few months later I decided to build a Ryzen system. Optiplex got moved to server duty.
Try without gpu and make sure hdd spindown is enabled, it should use much less power. I have much cheaper 7th gen g3930 and its at ~25W (~25€ a year here where I live)