Plex on NAS

[Enquiries]

Hi, I have 7TB of Plex data. I am trying to figure out the best way to host my Plex server. I have an asustor 5304T NAS with 8GB RAM with the Plex app running on it. Works great. Home streaming and all seems okay. I turned off transcoding and local network direct play of my media to my devices is great. I heard people sometimes run Plex on a different device like a PC and just have that device connected to the NAS as a storage device which it loads the media from and serves it from the PC to the clients. Doing this keeps resources separate. My reason for considering this is I have a gaming PC I literally never use but it has a 2080 Ti and a Ryzen 7 or something like that in it. Good specs for a few years ago. Figured running my Plex server on that would be a breeze even remotely with transcoding. What do you recommend? Thanks so much for the time!!

Also, do you prefer Asustor or Synology in the NAS world?

[ed]

Thanks for reaching out about your Plex setup and considering options to optimize your media server experience. It sounds like you've got a great foundation with your Asustor 5304T NAS handling Plex and storage.

Regarding your considerations:

Option 1: Using Asustor NAS for Plex
Your current setup is solid for local streaming with direct play, which leverages your NAS resources efficiently. This keeps everything integrated and straightforward, especially if it's meeting your needs well.

Option 2: Dedicated PC for Plex Server
Your gaming PC, equipped with a Ryzen 7 and 2080 Ti, offers substantial horsepower that would excel as a Plex server. This setup would be particularly advantageous for remote transcoding, ensuring smooth playback on various devices outside your local network.

Recommendations:
Current Setup: If your Asustor NAS is delivering satisfactory performance for local streaming and storage needs, sticking with it provides a unified solution.

Dedicated PC Option: Utilizing your powerful gaming PC for Plex server duties could enhance transcoding capabilities, making it ideal for demanding scenarios like remote streaming.

Asustor vs. Synology
While Asustor provides robust NAS hardware, many users find Synology's software to be more reliable and feature-rich. Synology NAS units are renowned for their intuitive DiskStation Manager (DSM) software, which offers a wide range of apps, robust backup solutions, and seamless integration with third-party services.