Right now I’m running Jellyfin on an old mini-PC with a Celeron J4105. That seems a bit underpowered. I’m using Linux Mint and the installation is with Docker. I’m looking to replace it with something better, so what would you recommend? My criteria are:

  • Easily available (second hand is fine)
  • Budget friendly (under € 500 would be nice)
  • Repairable
  • Upgradable (at least SSD and RAM)
  • Low power consumption at idle
  • Handles all the transcoding stuff without breaking a sweat
  • Plays nice with Linux

I guess my best bet would be some sort of second hand mini PC like they’re being offloaded on eBay by the truckload. But I have no idea which particular models would be a good fit for me. I’m also fine with buying something new, of course.

    • Diplomjodler@feddit.deOPEnglish
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      9 months ago

      Honestly, I’m not sure about the whole transcoding situation. I watch content on a ChromeCast hooked up to a 4k TV. With video in MKV containers I cannot fast forward or even pause sometimes. Transcoding those to an MP4 container in in Handbrake also didn’t help. I don#t really know anything about all this stuff so I’m not really sure what to do.

      • GravitySpoiled@lemmy.mlEnglish
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        9 months ago

        That’s imo the most important question. If you do not transcode the specs don’t need to be crazy. Maybe there are test files somewhere. Mkv is judt a container, there could be anything inside of it. I play x265 and 264 in mp4. All devices support it and I don’t need to transcode anything. No worries. Very quick.

  • cozy_agent@lemmy.worldEnglish
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    9 months ago

    I bought a Dell OptiPlex 3070 with a i5 9500T CPU for a good price, filled the RAM up right away, it can run anything I throw at it.

    If you go for one of those make sure the CPU supports QuickSync for hardware acceleration.

  • AMillionMonkeys@lemmy.worldEnglish
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    9 months ago

    I’ve been shopping for the same thing. I can report that Intel N100-based computers currently (February 2024) have issues with Linux WiFi drivers. Not a problem if you’re hardwiring it.
    I’d also avoid the really tiny PCs because they use the shortest M.2 drives (2242), which limits capacity and upgradeability. You want one that fits a 2280 M.2 drive. Or a 2.5" SATA drive.

    • Diplomjodler@feddit.deOPEnglish
      0·
      9 months ago

      This is why I like to stick to something a few generations back. More likely to have the kinks ironed out. I’ve heard good things about the N100 but it still seem to have some teething problems.