Where to from Here?

[Enquiries]

Currently running:
Dell Optiplex 7050
Yottamaster DAS connected by USB 3.03 - 5 - 3TB drives
2.5GB network switch
Run Proxmox
ZFS for my NAS pool through Proxmox
Proxmox I run a container for SMB shares
I run Ubuntu as my Plex server and maybe some other Dockers.
Bottle neck is the USB connected DAS. I need to get to SATA ports on the mother board with a case that can support a minimum of 5 drives. I have 5 more 3TB drives I could use.

Use: Store extensive movues/TV shows library, Picture, and maybe offer cloud storage.

Plex is making changes and I wonder if I need to gear up my NAS to do hardware transcoding. Or do I split the two. A low energy NAS along with a Jellyfin/Plex server with a good video card for transcoding.

Other computers I have:
Lenovo IdeasCentre Mini with a i5 13th gen and 32GB of RAM
An older MacBook Air with an M1 chip

I would really appreciate some guidance.

[ed]

Thanks for laying out your setup, that makes it much easier to advise. The main bottleneck in your current build is indeed the Yottamaster USB DAS. USB introduces latency and bandwidth limits that become noticeable once you’re running ZFS with multiple drives. The best move is to move to a proper NAS chassis or server case that gives you direct SATA connections, or add an HBA card that exposes those drives properly to Proxmox. Even a simple mid-tower with 6–8 bays and an LSI SAS HBA flashed to IT mode would be a big step up, letting you use your existing 3TB drives efficiently and upgrade later to larger capacity models.

For Plex, it depends on how your clients consume media. If all your devices can direct play the files (e.g. native support for Blu-ray quality H.264 or H.265), you may not need heavy transcoding. But if you have remote users, bandwidth-limited devices, or expect format conversions, then it makes sense to separate storage and transcoding. Running a low-power NAS box for ZFS and shares, and dedicating your Lenovo IdeaCentre with its 13th gen i5 for Plex/Jellyfin with Quick Sync enabled, would give you a lot more headroom. That machine can handle multiple 4K transcodes easily while your NAS just focuses on storage and redundancy.

If you want to consolidate, you could also consider moving everything into a purpose-built NAS case with at least 8 bays and a CPU that supports Quick Sync or adding a GPU for Plex. For example, a DIY build in a Jonsbo N5 or Silverstone CS series case with a modern i5/i7 CPU would give you native SATA ports, room for growth, and enough horsepower for both ZFS and Plex. If you prefer a turnkey unit, something like the QNAP TS-873A or TVS-h874 would provide integrated storage and hardware transcoding in one box.

Since you are aiming for 15–20TB, I’d also suggest planning to consolidate drives into larger capacities over time rather than stretching multiple 3TBs. Seagate IronWolf Pro and WD Red Pro models at 12TB–20TB are currently the most reliable options. For example, here are the current IronWolf Pro drives: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Seagate+IronW...bite_yt-20

In short, I’d separate storage and transcoding unless you want the simplicity of one larger build. Use your IdeaCentre Mini as the Plex/Jellyfin server, and plan a case or NAS upgrade for your ZFS pool so you’re no longer limited by USB DAS performance. That will give you the most flexibility and performance without locking you into a single box that has to do everything.