Plex Hardware Transcoding on AMD Ryzen Based Mini PCs?

[@MrAddis]

I've been meaning to build a Plex server for a long time. These mini PCs are ridiculously powerful now. Intel's methodology has always been to figure it out software based and AMD's has been brute force. This has got me excited to see if I get one of the newer 6800U mini PCs in the future which have RDNA2 graphics what the performance may be like. 😬

[@garynagle3093]

Pretty cool to see the transcoding support diversifying across CPU’s

[@RDelacroix]

I've been running a Plex server off an AMD 2400g for about 2 years. It works fine with HW transcoding 1080p Bluray rips to 1080p 8mbps for remote streaming but it will struggle or outright not work at all for UHD rips to 1080p 8mbps or even 720p 4mbps. Most of my devices can handle direct play locally of all my rips so that's not much of an issue since I can use the FHD versions for remote streaming.

[@None17555]

wow sounds like a pretty lousy setup. why not just use intel?

[@jonainsworth1020]

My Mini PC with a Ryzen 7 5700u will transcode using the iGPU hw without having to change any settings in Plex. Since this video Plex must have updated the software settings to support this yet people keep saying I need an intel based system, although it may still be the case that only a select few Ryzen based systems will work. Would be interesting to know.

[@jerzsubbie]

Thank you!! I’ve been looking for some quantifiable data on quick sync vs a more powerful Ryzen and you demonstrated that perfectly. Guess I’m getting an intel mini PC for my DIY Plex NAS.

[@dakkon74]

I keep hearing PMS transcoding works better in Linux and/or Docker, versus Windows. I would like to see some testing regarding this.

[@shansen008]

Can confirm, ive been running a Ryzen PRO 4750G server for plex and a few crypto nodes. Its my general home file/htpc server. I just now upgraded to plex pass, and can confirm that HW transcoding works. The system has no dGPU.

[@lyricbread]

@LonSeidman Excellent video! I know this is about a year old. What would be your absolute minimum recommendation for one of the current BeeLink models for a competent Plex Server? Also, wen hop? 😉

[@LonSeidman]

Pretty much anything with an Intel processor should be sufficient .. The AMD's could be hit or miss. But this one on the AMD side was the minimum in my testing. And I hope more hopping soon!

[@lyricbread]

@@LonSeidman I did a search for BeeLink and was surprised to see a familiar NSF face! Great channel here! Subscribed!

[@edwardelric8243]

I have been using a Beelink GTR mini PC connected to a 14tb external hard drive as a plex server since 2020. The mini PC has an AMD R5 3550h processor and runs windows 10. I've had no problems with hardware transcoding on it. Not sure how much better an intel cpu would be because I've always owned AMD but it has worked fine for me so if you find a good deal on a amd mini pc/ laptop i say go for it.

[@iYousif_]

Thanks a lot, Lon. Is this still the case for AMD and Plex HW Transcoding? I am trying to secure Mini PC for PMS this Black Friday and I hope if there's available AMD options now since they're usually less expensive than the one with Intel.

[@LonSeidman]

Intel is still the safer bet as you'll know it's going to work. AMD maybe hit or miss.

[@iYousif_]

@@LonSeidmanReally thanks, alright, one last question I hope: Which one is better for Plex Media Server: Intel Core i5-1235U = Intel Iris Xe Graphics 80EU Intel Core i5-12450H = Intel UHD Graphics (Raptor Lake 48EU)

[@michygeorg]

@@iYousif_ From what I've found, Intel and Ryzen chips that end in U are low power, usually in the 10-25 watt range. Their chips ending with an H tend to be more in the 45 watt or higher range. If you're just looking to use a mini PC as a Plex server, a U chip might be better if you are concerned about using less energy since it will be on 24/7.

[@iYousif_]

@@michygeorg Thanks a lot for sharing this. I read that the 1235U has better GPU than 12450H, will this will benefit the PMS in any ways? Power consumption aside, what you would recommend for transcoding and 24/7 operations. Thanks again!

[@macewindu6284]

I'm using a laptop with Intel UHD 630 as my Plex/Emby server and I'm really impressed with how it handles remote transcoding. I took the bottom panel off and have it sitting on a laptop cooling pad that actually moves air and is very quite. Low power device that's always on. It can handle a total of 16 1080p transcodes before starting to buffer. Intel Quick Sync is still the best option for transcoding IMO. I haven't used a dedicated Nvidia GPU for transcoding for a few years now.

[@W31rdG]

Thanks Lon... was checking out Beelink Intel and AMD mini PCs to use for a Plex server, and it seems like Intel is the way to go. I'm currently using an old Celeron J3455 with Ubuntu server installed, and it seems to perform well when doing 1080p transcoding. It just tends to glitch with 4K content.

[@faizannabi7540]

Please make video on 5600g or 5700g Apu based mini oc Plex or Intel 12 gen nuc

[@ickyendeavors4179]

Damn I love the Apple IIGS in the background. Second computer I owned, and GS/OS is SOO underrated. I miss every single Cinemaware game there ever was.

[@LonSeidman]

I was a big fan of those games too !

[@huplim]

Thanks Lon. Brief and to the point. Thank you!

[@thetanman2929]

Hey Lon, I know you mentioned it in the video in passing, but I think it should be noted that the transcoding appears to be running on the GPU of the mini PC you're using. That particular Ryzen CPU (4800U) is a laptop chip with integrated graphics, a pretty old generation at that in fact. I think it's the Radeon RX Vega generation. Current desktop Ryzen CPU's (except the APU's that have a G suffix in the model name) do not have integrated GPU's, so hardware transcoding won't be available. It should also be noted that Intel desktop CPU's that have an F suffix in the model name have disabled integrated graphics, and therefore do not have QuickSync.

[@LonSeidman]

There's no discrete GPU in this mini PC.

[@NathanFernandes]

@@LonSeidman what he meant to say was the processor (4800U) is an AMD Ryzen Mobile Processor with Radeon Graphics like a 5600G. A Ryzen 3700X has no inbuilt graphics so transcoding will not work. If the 4800U didn't have Radeon graphics you wouldn't have any video output.

[@pczoran9732]

Any help with APU Ryzen 7 5700g and Plex with 4k video? I have atmos sound, signal for hdr but color are washed... So, I need little tweak with drivers or something...

[@Vash612584]

what os are you running the plex server on? Windows or linux?

[@blackpietto]

Interesting video! Plex transcoding for my ryzen setup might be feasible.

[@HardcoreNacho]

Lon, please can you ask your connections at Plex to work on quick sync for the new 12th gen processors? My 12400 runs the IGPU at 78% for one video and 100% for two. My 6500T could run 7 without any issues but had difficulty with subtitles and 4K which is why I upgraded; or at least I thought I was upgrading.

[@shaunrattee224]

There is a fix that allows you to unlock unlimited number of simultaneous streams on Nvidia consumer cards. I have had over 20+ h/w transcode streams on the RTX3060 without any issues. Been using the fix for a few years.

[@markm9677]

how?

[@nastyku]

@@markm9677 bios flash

[@neilquinn]

Do you know if this is better supported now? I have some machines with the AMD 6900HX and 6800HS

[@Mak100ish]

I have a lenovo m75q, running Ubuntu. Works great as a Plex server :)

[@Digital_Kyle]

I would be interested to know if anyone has tested this compatibility with either the AMD Ryzen 5600G or 5700G? Thinking about replacing my CPU and board in my multipurpose plex server, and would really rather go with AMD if their APU's have started to work with Plex transcoding.

[@shansen008]

I cant speak for those processors, but my Ryzen 7 PRO 4750G supports HW transcoding in plex. Its probably safe to assume that those do as well, since they are a generation ahead. Still running VEGA cores i belive.

[@Kolonel_Panik]

My server is running a 5700g and have no issues with hw transcodes. I will say I only ever have up to 3 streams going at any time.

[@davidhanselmann8148]

@ LonTV - Do you have a few mini PC's that you would recommend over others as a server?

[@daveycrockett9447]

I run a Plex server on an Ubuntu os as a VM on an ESXI server and it’s definitely not running hardware transcoding- if you are not running two many streams , it shouldn’t be an issue - running on a mini pc.

[@middle_pickup]

You can run nvenc code on non-nvidia GPU's now. I wish plex would add this.

[@jackrosati1438]

Is there a way to transcode the video but leave the original audio?

[@michygeorg]

It probably depends on the device you are streaming to. The iPhone might not support the original audio codec of the file.

[@TheNarutokun85]

what about GPU? they are all good in transcoding hardware? AMD and GEFORCE? both of them?

[@wedonttalkaboutbruno5670]

I use Apple TV 4K and the paid app infuse and never had issues watching 4K disc rips I created and store on my nas. You should try this

[@utooboobnoob]

What’s your 4K ripping method / setup?

[@wedonttalkaboutbruno5670]

@@utooboobnoob you could get movie rips other ways as well but I only rips discs I own obviously 😏

[@utooboobnoob]

@@wedonttalkaboutbruno5670 Gotcha 😎 I recently moved and now have data caps 😕

[@wedonttalkaboutbruno5670]

@@utooboobnoob if doing the rip your own disc route then you can try the library. At least where I am they have blu rays and the 4K blu rays come and go

[@Zcypot]

with the setting i got going at the start of every stream plex maxes out my CPU (i7-12700k @ 4.8ghz) for like 15 seconds but loads huge chunks at a time to reduce buffering. I have been wondering how these perform. It sucks when I am gaming and someone starts streaming a video and I get a performance hit for those 15 seconds.

[@AlejandroTaylorEscribano]

Does this work with AMD based NASs?

[@res00xua]

Want some mac studio tests if you could borrow one.

[@vladislavkuznetsov6977]

Please test the new universal build for M1 Macs!

[@JoePatFraORG]

Hey, could you tell me if it works for AMD Ryzen 7 5825U? I can't get quality replies to this question, everyone will sell me Intel and Nvidia for plex...

[@andrewjoseph1363]

Cool vidéo. I’ve been looking at mini pc with amd at wonderful price points. Planned on running it through a hyper visor. That being said 1 thing that has always annoyed me with the Plex software is the inability to control hardware transcoding vs software transcoding on the server side. Like I would love to disable transcoding for the clients. Does anyone knows if this is possible?

[@larrydallas0211]

Yes, transcoding can be disabled for all clients in PMS settings

[@cybersco57]

I am curious if anyone has tried the M1 native PMS beta code and noticed any improved performance?

[@RWDtech]

Wow, I JUST ordered all the parts for my new HTPC/Plex server a few days ago. Reluctantly went with a i5-12400, would have gladly gone with AMD if I had seen this! AMD has always been a no-go with Plex. Glad to see Plex is finally making hardware transcoding with AMD a possibility though

[@KarlDag]

Not true, I used hardware transcoding on a RX570 years ago. Each hardware vendor works depending on the OS you use of I recall correctly.

[@NyneIX9]

​@@KarlDag I have that graphics card! Which OS were you using to get this working, then?

[@KarlDag]

@@NyneIX9 windows (7? 10?)

[@appledore]

What kinda baloney is this? Running a software without a hardware? 🤯 What kind of voodoo magic is this? I'm so tired of people saying this in this (Media Server) community. Just say running on GPU (i/d what have you) vs CPU vs dedicated media processors vs any thing else specific. STOP SAYING SOFTWARE TRANSCODING! Even GPU transcoding requires software. These are complex modern processors, not some simple electrical system that just run when powered on.

[@Phil-D83]

I blame amd/ati for not having proper drivers/support for plex. Side note: can you do an opnsense video? Maybe setting up adguard home on opnsense?

[@KarlDag]

No, it's Plex not doing HW transcoding properly. It's super well supported in Emby.

[@Phil-D83]

@@KarlDag fair enough

[@donaciuxx]

why do you think plex sponsored this vid?🤨🗿😅

[@dakkon74]

@@KarlDag Really? Do you know if it works in Jellyfin also?

[@KarlDag]

@@dakkon74 No, never used JF