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Awesome content on your YT channel!!! I've been running Xpenology (Intel i3 and i5) (mainly Plex and BT purposes) for about 10 years now and wish to move to something like TrueNas (core? Scale?) as my server is running out of space (currently have about 80TB of media). Would like to run new Intel with integrated GPU (HW Transcode), 10-16 concurrent streams, and start a few VM's (learning). I currently have a 2 x 1000m internet line, one directly to server and other for my router/home devices. Case choice probably Fractal Design or similar. Hope you guys can give me some advice on what hardware I should get for this new build. Thanks in advance
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Thanks for the support! Since you're moving from XPEnology to TrueNAS and want HW transcoding for Plex, VMs, and 10-16 concurrent streams, here’s what I’d recommend:
CPU & GPU (HW Transcoding)
Intel Core i7-13700 or i9-13900 (Better QuickSync support for Plex HW transcoding)
Intel Arc A380 or A750 (Alternative dedicated GPU for better transcoding if needed)
Motherboard
ASRock Rack W680 (IPMI for remote management)
ASUS ProArt Z790-Creator WiFi (If you don’t need IPMI)
RAM
64GB DDR5 ECC (TrueNAS Core) or DDR4 (TrueNAS Scale)
TrueNAS Core benefits more from ECC memory. Scale works well with non-ECC too.
Storage
Boot Drive: 2 x 500GB SSDs (RAID 1, SATA or NVMe)
Cache (if using TrueNAS Scale ZFS pools): 2 x NVMe SSDs for L2ARC (optional but helps VMs and Plex metadata)
HDD Pool: Use your existing 16TB + 12TB drives and add new ones for a total of 100TB+ in RAID-Z2 or Z3
Networking
10GbE NIC (Intel X550-T2 or Mellanox ConnectX-4/5) to match your dual 1000Mbps internet lines
Case & PSU
Fractal Design Define 7 XL (Quiet, spacious for many drives)
Seasonic Prime 1000W Platinum (Stable power for long-term NAS uptime)
TrueNAS Core vs. Scale?
Core = Best for ZFS stability, great for Plex, best for storage-first NAS
Scale = More Docker and VM flexibility, better with apps like Jellyfin, Nextcloud, etc.
Alternative QNAP/Synology Option?
QNAP TVS-h874 (i7 or i9 version) – Comes pre-built, TrueNAS alternative with Plex HW transcoding
Synology DS3622xs+ – Not great for transcoding, better for pure storage
