What specs to look for in an Optiplex SFF/MFF pc?
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.
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.
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)
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.