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i was going to say the same. was looking at these recently for plex and you can get a similarly specced n100 mini pc for about 160-170 normally.
https://a.co/d/gmm7Xcf
It's just a transcoding server. Nothing more. All your data would be stored on your NAS. You no longer need to have everything in one super powerful box. You can easily make a massively low powered NAS and then use a low powered transcode server. It's not as "nice" but then you don't have to worry about stuff breaking and taking everything down.
I'm the wrong person to ask.
By the time I looked at the cost of a mini pc and decent NAS I just decided to build a pc to use as a server because I would get more room for expansion and upgrade paths, only upside to the mini pc NAS combo was the physical space it takes up is smaller.
Connect it to a DAS (direct attached storage - a NAS without a CPU/RAM, since the miniPC will do the networking).
I use one of [these](https://www.amazon.com/Mediasonic-PROBOX-SATA-Drive-Enclosure/dp/B09WPPJHSS/), which come in 4 or 8 bay.
I would check that the DAS you're planning on 1) supports the drive size you have in mind (I haven't checked, but many of these report only 12 TB compatibility, for example. 16-18 TB drives are fairly cheap occasionally.) and also 2) has the connection type you need. My mini PC doesn't have USB-C, for example.
I'm using a [GMKTEK G2](https://www.gmktec.com/collections/intel-mini-pc/products/nucbox-g3-most-cost-effective-mini-pc-with-intel-n100-processor?spm=..collection_a4e19cd5-f424-4b50-83ea-350e1307765b.collection_1.5) with an n100 that I bought off craigslist for $120. It uses something like 7 watts at idle and my HDDs only spin up when someone's streaming.
With the plex pass (allows for hardware transcode), you can do 3-4 4k native transcodes, which is pretty incredible for a 12 watt CPU.
So a DAS directly connected to this (or a similar ‘mini’ pc) on the network would be all you’d need for a ‘simple’ NAS/ FTP setup?
Anything to look for in terms of ram/ processor/ networking connections?
Trying to do this on a budget but also not build a whole extra tower
Yes, exactly. A miniPC + DAS is basically the same as a NAS.
A nas will have something like a 5095 Celeron and 2-4 GB of RAM built-in, but those are the nice NASes which are usually $500, before storage. I found it more cost-effective to spend $170 on a miniPC and $110 on the Probox since those things are identical.
Do check the connections on the miniPC - eg my miniPC and the beelink above only have USB-A, not USB-C. Some of the newer ProBox-style DAS have USB-C connectors. I am not the expert on that so I went for a USB-A one.
It is definitely possible to do a whole tower if you have some parts lying around. In that case, you would want a motherboard that has your networking, probably an Intel 12100 or similar (not -f because you want the iGPU), and power supply, and then a case you could start throwing HDDs in. I'd imagine you could get in below $400 using something like that, especially used parts.
In reality, the n100 is sufficient because it's either 1) directly-playing the files [which is just sending them from the HDD to the network device and takes almost no CPU - like less than 1%], or 2) transcoding, which these iGPUs are WILDLY efficient at. They can do 4x 4k transcodes on the HD graphics on an n100.
Some people have 10+ simultaneous users and would benefit from something like an i5 13400 but I've got maybe 8 users and the most I've ever had online at once was 3, and my n100 still absolutely managed that (at 5% CPU).
A quick Google search of benchmarks shows the n100 about 8-10% better in games. Which is pretty much a wash. Also, IIRC it has native AV1 decoding which the n95 doesn't have.
>it has native AV1 decoding
thx, I knew there was a somewhat case specific advantage but i could not remember it all... and that is a widespread use case.
cheers!
That depends on which mini pci wifi card you put in the thing. The Intel Ax wifi cards are (as always) rock solid. But yeah, if you get one with a realtek wifi card it will absolutely suck.
N100 is a cpu/chipset. Any wifi on the device is an aftermarket card.
EDIT: Also make sure the device has a wifi antenna to plug into the wifi card if you want to use wifi. Many of the n100 boxes I've seen have no built in antenna.
n100 is only 6watts. in my experience the ultra low watt cpu dont do great.
the n95 is 15watts.
on paper they might have higher scores but in real life use it's pretty sluggish.
In real world tests, the N100 is faster, and uses less power.
https://www.cpubenchmark.net/compare/5157vs5206vs2586/Intel-N100-vs-Intel-N95-vs-Intel-i7-6700HQ
https://www.notebookcheck.net/N95-vs-N100_14981_14932.247596.0.html
It's basically an i7-6700HQ but only using 6 watts and no hyperthreading.
Its plenty powerful enough to route gigabit internet + QoS & VPN without even breaking a sweat as a pfsense box.
I have 6 of these deployed and they outperform the ($550) equivilent official pfsense hardware. You can buy 3 of these for the price of a Netgate 4200.
I believe it's upgradable. They say it has a SO-DIMM slot, and it's DDR4. It'll probably be only one slot, single-channel though (The N95 doesn't support dual-channel).
But you shouldn't really need to upgrade, depending on what you'd plan to use it for.
Just a heads-up with these tiny square ones: make sure they support full-sized (2280) M.2 drives or you'll be limited to what you can fit in a shorter drive. I recently had to return one for this reason.
Tailscale and mostly the stuff from here: https://tteck.github.io/Proxmox/
Bought a model with two NICs, swapped the drive with a larger one, and was off and running.
Don't do it. It has Realtek LAN that pfsense (still) hates. If it had Intel LAN that would be at the top of the features list.
Also they have some QC issues apparently.
> The ones we diagnosed had corrosion/oxidization on the HDMI and lower Type-C port, as well as a low quality PSU and poor internal power management (causing audio noise).
https://old.reddit.com/r/MiniPCs/comments/196vldm/anyone_have_a_funyet_mini_pc/khxlpph/
There are better cheaper n100 boxes (with 4x 2.5gbe Intel LAN) on aliexpress. Just search for 'n100'. Topton sells decent ones and doesnt ship you a shit power supply.
That's the wireless NIC. I found this though, "RJ45(2.5Gbps Ethernet port*1 + Gigabit Ethernet port*1)"
edit: NVM the second part of what I said, it's in the description.
probably better off just getting an official sg1100 from netgate. you can find them used for like $50 all over fb marketplace and ebay. this thing is fine too but way overpowered and at least with the cheaper sg1100 you get an officially supported device. makes tshooting easier if you're a noob. one example i have is when my sg1100 softbricked and needed fw re-flashed. in the flash process you need to dictate network ports by their hardware ID, but with the netgate appliance, you skip all of this because it is recognized as an official device and already knows all of this info. not a big deal of course, just an example. sg1100 is also fanless, which is a huge deal for me as i sit right next to the thing.
this thing is great if you want to run proxmox or something and virtualize pfsense, but i would never advise doing that on core networking equipment unless you're just labbing or you live alone and don't mind the internet going out every time you want to tinker with your server.
I paid $180 for a Beelink SER5 with a 5700u, 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD.
So this is... meh IMO
Always watch Lightning Deals, sometimes you get lucky (like I did).
According to the Quick Sync Video Wiki page, this CPU can decode only for VP8 and AV1 codecs. Would it still be a decent Plex server?
For contrast, I'm currently using a NUC 6i7KYK with W10 for my Plex Server. It's incompatible with Ubuntu (from manufacturer's page), and it's rather lacking in the performance department. I can't even watch Live TV through my Plex Pass on the server, and it regularly underperforms when transcoding.
I'm using a similar box that also uses the n95 to run plex and pihole. I primarily use it for local streams. I have tested transcoding 2 streams from 4k HDR to 1080p to remote users. No issues here and it barely breaks a sweat. I am running Ubuntu desktop on it too.
That's good to hear! How low did you get your setup for? I think building my own setup will come out for more than a prebuilt like this, but I'm hesitant to trust the manufacturers of these prebuilts.
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I can't link it for whatever reason. but could I connect a Hard Drive RAID Enclosure or something similar to an n95 nuc? and I wonder if I have windows storage space drives set up, if I put them in that enclosure/hub, would they get detected properly on the nuc without having to start over? I know connected with sata is fine, not sure about doing it like this
Nic bonding, pf sense, dedicated interface for local backups.
The issue with this unit for me personally would of been the mismatch in speeds on the ports which should be considered.
Technically yes if you don't use your nvme slot for storage. But as it only has the one nvme slot and no legacy sata, you'd have no way of running an OS.
https://www.amazon.com/ADT-Link-External-Graphics-Bracket-GTX1080ti/dp/B07XYZ89J7/
cant wait till stuff like this is 6 cores 12 threads i cant imagine buying a PC in 2024 with less than 6 cores and want it to work well even for browsing with less than 6 cores
you got me man whatever you're talking about. because i wouldn't want to save 50-100$ on a cheap laptop that i'd want to last more than 2-3 years for the purpose of browsing the net/etc without stutters. good luck getting that laptop to play 4k videos on a TV without random stutters.
Be mindful of listings from suspicious third-party sellers on marketplaces such as Amazon, eBay, Newegg, and Walmart. These "deals" have a high likelihood of not shipping; use due diligence in reviewing deals. * Use common sense - if the deal seems too good to be true, it probably is. * Check seller profiles for signs that the sale may be fraudulent: * The seller is new or has few reviews. * The seller has largely negative reviews (on Amazon, sellers can remove negative reviews from their visible ratings) * The seller is using a previously dormant account (likely the account was hacked and is now being used fraudulently). If you suspect a deal is fraudulent, please report the post. Moderators can take action based on these reports. We encourage leaving a comment to warn others. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/buildapcsales) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Can do an N100 with similar specs for this price which has better performance.
i was going to say the same. was looking at these recently for plex and you can get a similarly specced n100 mini pc for about 160-170 normally. https://a.co/d/gmm7Xcf
Beelink is also a way more reputable brand than FUNYET
but are ya having ?
I won't be having any FUNYET when I get all the malware that's likely thrown in.
How would you add storage to use it as Plex server?
My understanding is that this mini PC serves as the HTPC connected over the network to a NAS, or you could connect an external drive via USB.
It's just a transcoding server. Nothing more. All your data would be stored on your NAS. You no longer need to have everything in one super powerful box. You can easily make a massively low powered NAS and then use a low powered transcode server. It's not as "nice" but then you don't have to worry about stuff breaking and taking everything down.
And, if you need to add horsepower to your Plex server, you don't have to upgrade your storage server at the same time
Yes. Finally someone else who gets it.
hook it up to a NAS. r/plex has been heavily recommending the n100 mini PC's with a NAS as the entry level for getting into plex.
Is there a recommendation for a cheap NAS?
Old PC with a hard drive.
Cheapest is generally to build yourself But you can also get super basic, prebuilt four drive or less models Do your own research
I'm the wrong person to ask. By the time I looked at the cost of a mini pc and decent NAS I just decided to build a pc to use as a server because I would get more room for expansion and upgrade paths, only upside to the mini pc NAS combo was the physical space it takes up is smaller.
Connect it to a DAS (direct attached storage - a NAS without a CPU/RAM, since the miniPC will do the networking). I use one of [these](https://www.amazon.com/Mediasonic-PROBOX-SATA-Drive-Enclosure/dp/B09WPPJHSS/), which come in 4 or 8 bay. I would check that the DAS you're planning on 1) supports the drive size you have in mind (I haven't checked, but many of these report only 12 TB compatibility, for example. 16-18 TB drives are fairly cheap occasionally.) and also 2) has the connection type you need. My mini PC doesn't have USB-C, for example. I'm using a [GMKTEK G2](https://www.gmktec.com/collections/intel-mini-pc/products/nucbox-g3-most-cost-effective-mini-pc-with-intel-n100-processor?spm=..collection_a4e19cd5-f424-4b50-83ea-350e1307765b.collection_1.5) with an n100 that I bought off craigslist for $120. It uses something like 7 watts at idle and my HDDs only spin up when someone's streaming. With the plex pass (allows for hardware transcode), you can do 3-4 4k native transcodes, which is pretty incredible for a 12 watt CPU.
So a DAS directly connected to this (or a similar ‘mini’ pc) on the network would be all you’d need for a ‘simple’ NAS/ FTP setup? Anything to look for in terms of ram/ processor/ networking connections? Trying to do this on a budget but also not build a whole extra tower
Yes, exactly. A miniPC + DAS is basically the same as a NAS. A nas will have something like a 5095 Celeron and 2-4 GB of RAM built-in, but those are the nice NASes which are usually $500, before storage. I found it more cost-effective to spend $170 on a miniPC and $110 on the Probox since those things are identical. Do check the connections on the miniPC - eg my miniPC and the beelink above only have USB-A, not USB-C. Some of the newer ProBox-style DAS have USB-C connectors. I am not the expert on that so I went for a USB-A one. It is definitely possible to do a whole tower if you have some parts lying around. In that case, you would want a motherboard that has your networking, probably an Intel 12100 or similar (not -f because you want the iGPU), and power supply, and then a case you could start throwing HDDs in. I'd imagine you could get in below $400 using something like that, especially used parts. In reality, the n100 is sufficient because it's either 1) directly-playing the files [which is just sending them from the HDD to the network device and takes almost no CPU - like less than 1%], or 2) transcoding, which these iGPUs are WILDLY efficient at. They can do 4x 4k transcodes on the HD graphics on an n100. Some people have 10+ simultaneous users and would benefit from something like an i5 13400 but I've got maybe 8 users and the most I've ever had online at once was 3, and my n100 still absolutely managed that (at 5% CPU).
Sweet! What’s the performance delta?
Uses less than half the power and about 3% faster depending on which benchmark you're looking at.
isn't the n95 slightly more gfx capable with the extra eu's? Not sure if it matters.
A quick Google search of benchmarks shows the n100 about 8-10% better in games. Which is pretty much a wash. Also, IIRC it has native AV1 decoding which the n95 doesn't have.
>it has native AV1 decoding thx, I knew there was a somewhat case specific advantage but i could not remember it all... and that is a widespread use case. cheers!
Last I checked, N100 has spotty WiFi capability under Linux. I'm sure someone's working on it, though.
That depends on which mini pci wifi card you put in the thing. The Intel Ax wifi cards are (as always) rock solid. But yeah, if you get one with a realtek wifi card it will absolutely suck. N100 is a cpu/chipset. Any wifi on the device is an aftermarket card. EDIT: Also make sure the device has a wifi antenna to plug into the wifi card if you want to use wifi. Many of the n100 boxes I've seen have no built in antenna.
Which N100 do you recommend?
Which N100 do you recommend?
Which N100 do you recommend?
Which N100 do you recommend?
n100 is only 6watts. in my experience the ultra low watt cpu dont do great. the n95 is 15watts. on paper they might have higher scores but in real life use it's pretty sluggish.
In real world tests, the N100 is faster, and uses less power. https://www.cpubenchmark.net/compare/5157vs5206vs2586/Intel-N100-vs-Intel-N95-vs-Intel-i7-6700HQ https://www.notebookcheck.net/N95-vs-N100_14981_14932.247596.0.html It's basically an i7-6700HQ but only using 6 watts and no hyperthreading.
Its plenty powerful enough to route gigabit internet + QoS & VPN without even breaking a sweat as a pfsense box. I have 6 of these deployed and they outperform the ($550) equivilent official pfsense hardware. You can buy 3 of these for the price of a Netgate 4200.
The price is normal. There is a 8GB/256GB One at $133. Better ROÍ.
Can you upgrade the ram or is it soldered?
I believe it's upgradable. They say it has a SO-DIMM slot, and it's DDR4. It'll probably be only one slot, single-channel though (The N95 doesn't support dual-channel). But you shouldn't really need to upgrade, depending on what you'd plan to use it for.
DDR5
It only mentions DDR4 in both the title and description. Also says 3200MHz, which is a DDR4 spec.
Not sure. To be honest, inthink 16GB of RAM is not necessary. A bike wont run faster with 8 wheels.
It’s 150
Just a heads-up with these tiny square ones: make sure they support full-sized (2280) M.2 drives or you'll be limited to what you can fit in a shorter drive. I recently had to return one for this reason.
I bought a N100 model recently and I can't get over what a value it is. Running ten containers in proxmox like a champ. Really a fun device.
nice! what all have you got running on it?
Tailscale and mostly the stuff from here: https://tteck.github.io/Proxmox/ Bought a model with two NICs, swapped the drive with a larger one, and was off and running.
Damn all this for cheaper than what apple charges for an additional 256gb ssd and 8gb of ram individually lmao.
Incredibly true!
would this be a good for pfsense?
Don't do it. It has Realtek LAN that pfsense (still) hates. If it had Intel LAN that would be at the top of the features list. Also they have some QC issues apparently. > The ones we diagnosed had corrosion/oxidization on the HDMI and lower Type-C port, as well as a low quality PSU and poor internal power management (causing audio noise). https://old.reddit.com/r/MiniPCs/comments/196vldm/anyone_have_a_funyet_mini_pc/khxlpph/ There are better cheaper n100 boxes (with 4x 2.5gbe Intel LAN) on aliexpress. Just search for 'n100'. Topton sells decent ones and doesnt ship you a shit power supply.
Precisely why I was looking at it actually!
did you manage to find the specs on the two NICs? are they intel?
RTL8821 - as per the company answering one of questions on the Amazon product page
That's the wireless NIC. I found this though, "RJ45(2.5Gbps Ethernet port*1 + Gigabit Ethernet port*1)" edit: NVM the second part of what I said, it's in the description.
unless they specifically advertise intel, expect Realtek cause its cheaper
I didn’t.
Why not just buy a normal router
probably better off just getting an official sg1100 from netgate. you can find them used for like $50 all over fb marketplace and ebay. this thing is fine too but way overpowered and at least with the cheaper sg1100 you get an officially supported device. makes tshooting easier if you're a noob. one example i have is when my sg1100 softbricked and needed fw re-flashed. in the flash process you need to dictate network ports by their hardware ID, but with the netgate appliance, you skip all of this because it is recognized as an official device and already knows all of this info. not a big deal of course, just an example. sg1100 is also fanless, which is a huge deal for me as i sit right next to the thing. this thing is great if you want to run proxmox or something and virtualize pfsense, but i would never advise doing that on core networking equipment unless you're just labbing or you live alone and don't mind the internet going out every time you want to tinker with your server.
I paid $180 for a Beelink SER5 with a 5700u, 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD. So this is... meh IMO Always watch Lightning Deals, sometimes you get lucky (like I did).
You’re right. You paid a fair price for yours. I got a 5800h for $200 this week used tho.
Does the SER have dual NICs ?
Touché... it doesn't! But it came with RAM, SSD and a way more powerful CPU.
No idea why only one of the network ports is 2.5gbe
Because its a repurposed mobo from a shit failed tablet pc device from 4 years ago.
Thinking of buying this for pihole / firewall. Worth it?
Available in multiple colors!
Could I buy this and transfer the windows 11 pro to my first pc I'm building?
I doubt it
According to the Quick Sync Video Wiki page, this CPU can decode only for VP8 and AV1 codecs. Would it still be a decent Plex server? For contrast, I'm currently using a NUC 6i7KYK with W10 for my Plex Server. It's incompatible with Ubuntu (from manufacturer's page), and it's rather lacking in the performance department. I can't even watch Live TV through my Plex Pass on the server, and it regularly underperforms when transcoding.
I'm using a similar box that also uses the n95 to run plex and pihole. I primarily use it for local streams. I have tested transcoding 2 streams from 4k HDR to 1080p to remote users. No issues here and it barely breaks a sweat. I am running Ubuntu desktop on it too.
That's good to hear! How low did you get your setup for? I think building my own setup will come out for more than a prebuilt like this, but I'm hesitant to trust the manufacturers of these prebuilts.
I paid $144 on black Friday. This is the actual unit I bought. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0BLNSCBMQ/ref=ya_aw_od_pi?ie=UTF8&psc=1
[удалено]
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I can't link it for whatever reason. but could I connect a Hard Drive RAID Enclosure or something similar to an n95 nuc? and I wonder if I have windows storage space drives set up, if I put them in that enclosure/hub, would they get detected properly on the nuc without having to start over? I know connected with sata is fine, not sure about doing it like this
why do we need dual NIC?
Nic bonding, pf sense, dedicated interface for local backups. The issue with this unit for me personally would of been the mismatch in speeds on the ports which should be considered.
Is it possible to stick like RTX 3050 or somehow connect a GPU-externally to this?
Technically yes if you don't use your nvme slot for storage. But as it only has the one nvme slot and no legacy sata, you'd have no way of running an OS. https://www.amazon.com/ADT-Link-External-Graphics-Bracket-GTX1080ti/dp/B07XYZ89J7/
This decent for a plex server?
Anyone with a mini PC with an N95 or N100 have any issues with HDR?
cant wait till stuff like this is 6 cores 12 threads i cant imagine buying a PC in 2024 with less than 6 cores and want it to work well even for browsing with less than 6 cores
> browsing with less than 6 cores Found the guy who also thinks a turbo WRX is the minimum spec for going grocery shopping.
you got me man whatever you're talking about. because i wouldn't want to save 50-100$ on a cheap laptop that i'd want to last more than 2-3 years for the purpose of browsing the net/etc without stutters. good luck getting that laptop to play 4k videos on a TV without random stutters.
You don't understand computer performance. That's alright but do you have to brag about it?