The Top NAS for Video Transcoding 2017

Posted on by NAScompares

Recommended NAS for Transcoding via Plex and DLNA

With the rise in popularity of Network Attached Storage (NAS) it is becoming all too common to consider a Synology NAS, QNAP NAS or WD My Cloud server as the perfect storage of all of your multimedia. From the compact nature of it’s design to the sheer unparalleled accessibility that you get from it, creating a DLNA server or Plex Media Server as your go-to media collection is both easy and hundreds of times less expensive than having your movies, boxsets, albums, photos and music spread across multiple locations through your home – with the added benefit that you can access that media absolutely anywhere with an internet connection. However as media files are getting bigger and bigger, and most media playback devices we buy are generally owned for 2-3 years at least – it is all too often that the development and evolution of the software overtake the hardware. The result is that files need to be adapted and changed in order to be better suited for playback on the output device. In real-time that means that your 2017 4K copy of ‘Spiderman Homecoming’ may well not play very well on your 2014 Smart TV or 2013 Android Smartphone. The way around this is known as ‘Transcoding’ and it is a vital consideration when buying the best NAS for your media. But what exactly is transcoding and why is it so important?

What is transcoding on a NAS and why should I care?

Transcoding is the ability to change a file (video, music or photo) into a size, file format, resolution or name to a format more acceptable to the client machine (the thing you are viewing it on). In almost all cases, the transcoding of any file is performed by the NAS, on the fly, whilst you are viewing the file and different NAS devices can transcoding to a lesser or greater degree, as well as the more powerful NAS devices transcoding more than one file at one (for users or homes that will have multiple users access the media server at once). Transcoding is also dictated by two key factors on all NAS. First by the CPU inside the NAS and second by the software you are using to watch the multimedia in the first place. For transcoding to be enabled on your NAS, you need to check that your NAS CPU features a ‘transcoding Engine’.

If you are using the official Synology or QNAP applications to arrange your DLNA media server and are accessing that from your smart TV, Smartphone, Tablet or other DLNA enabled device – this is known as NATIVE playback. If you are using PLEX or another 3rd party application to access the contents of the NAS media to playback on the devices, then this is 3RD PARTY TRANSCODING.

What is the difference between Native Transcoding and Plex Transcoding on a NAS?

Don’t be fooled by the boasts of the Synology, QNAP or WD NAS with regard to transcoding HD and 4K – It will certainly do this natively, but transcoding in Plex is a very different matter! The difference is that Native transcoding has direct access to the transcoding engine on the CPU and can immediately be activated when required. However Plex (like other 3rd party software for multimedia playback on a NAS) requires internal permissions and individual paths to made to the NAS to allow it to use the engine when needed and as there is only 1 Plex Media Server application on QNAP and Synology respectively, but hundreds of different NAS models with their own hardware configurations, it is all too often that PLex cannot use this transcoding engine. Instead, Plex needs to use the CPU to transcode the file with raw power and delivers wave after wave of instruction to the CPU to perform this. This result is that a CPU will need to work 3-4x as hard to transcode in Plex than using a native playback with Synology or QNAP Video Station.

How do I choose the Right NAS for Transcoding in Plex?

Below I have listed every single currently available Synology and QNAP NAS, as well as WD My Cloud that arrives with a Transcoding Engine on board. I have also included a transcoding score to help those looking for the perfect NAS for a Plex Media Server or a DLNA Media Server. The scores are as follows:

  Can Transcode 1080p HD and above in Plex Easily and Upto 4K via Proprietary App
  Can Transcode 1080p HD in Plex, upto 4K via Proprietary App
  Can Transcode 1080p HD in Plex but may struggle with High Bit rate Media, upto 4K via Proprietary App
  Cannot Reliable transcode in Plex but can transcode HD and some 4K via Proprietary App
  Cannot Transcode in Plex and though can transcode some media via Proprietary App, will struggle if pushed

Finally, at the bottom of the page, I have included a breakdown of the abilities of each CPU. So if you are in any doubt about the transcoding and playback abilities of the CPU (as well as the clock speed and efficiency of the processor in the NAS) then just head to the bottom to learn more.

Brand Model CPU Price Video Engine Native Plex
Synology DiskStation NAS DS118 1-Bay (UK POWER ONLY) DS118

 Realtek RTD1296 64-bit Quad Core 1.4 GHz £144   ✓ NO
Synology DiskStation NAS DS218play 2-Bay DS218play

 Realtek RTD1296 64-bit Quad Core 1.4 GHz £194   ✓ NO
Qnap Desktop NAS TS-251A-2G 2-Bay, RAID 0/1 (2GB RAM) + USB QuickAccess TS-251A-2G

 14nm Intel® Celeron® N3060 dual-core 1.6GHz processor, up to 2.48GHz £251 320-600MHz ✓ ✓
Qnap Desktop NAS TS-251+-2G 2-Bay, RAID 0/1 (2GB RAM) TS-251+-2G

 Intel Celeron J1900 2.0GHz Quad Core (up to 2.42GHz) £251 688-854MHz ✓ ✓
Synology DiskStation NAS DS218+ 2-Bay (2GB RAM) DS218+

 Intel® Celeron® J3355 dual-core 2.0 GHz £275 250-700MHz ✓ ✓
Qnap Silent NAS HS-251+ 2-Bay, RAID 0/1 (2GB RAM) HS-251+

 Intel Celeron J1900 2.0GHz Quad Core (up to 2.42GHz) £277 688-854MHz ✓ ✓
WD My Cloud Home Duo WDBMUT0040JWT-EESN NAS Server; RAID-0/1, 2xHD 4TB WDBMUT0040JWT-EESN

 Realtek RTD1296PB-CG 1.4Ghz A53 Quad Core £288   ✓ NO
Qnap Desktop NAS TS-253A-4G 2-Bay, RAID 0/1 (4GB RAM) TS-253A-4G

 Intel Celeron Braswell N3150 1.6 GHz Quad Core (up to 2.08GHz) £291 320-640MHz ✓ ✓
Qnap Desktop NAS TS-251A-4G 2-Bay, RAID 0/1 (4GB RAM) + USB QuickAccess TS-251A-4G

 14nm Intel® Celeron® N3060 dual-core 1.6GHz processor, up to 2.48GHz £292 320-600MHz ✓ ✓
Qnap NASbook TBS-453A-4G 4-Bay M.2 SSD, RAID 0/1/5/6 (4GB RAM) TBS-453A-4G

 14nm Intel® Celeron® N3150 quad-core 1.6GHz, burst up to 2.08GHz £327 320-640MHz ✓ ✓
Synology DiskStation NAS DS416play 4-Bay DS416play

 14nm Intel® Celeron® N3060 dual-core 1.6GHz processor, up to 2.48GHz £330 320-600MHz ✓ ✓
Synology DiskStation NAS DS418 4-Bay DS418

 Realtek RTD1296 quad-core 1.4GHz £341   ✓ NO
Synology DiskStation NAS DS218+ (6GB) 2-Bay (6GB Synology RAM) DS218+ (6GB)

 Intel® Celeron® J3355 dual-core 2.0 GHz £346 250-700MHz ✓ ✓
Qnap Desktop NAS TS-451A-2G 4-Bay, RAID 0/1/5/6 (2GB RAM) + USB QuickAccess TS-451A-2G

 14nm Intel® Celeron® N3060 dual-core 1.6GHz processor, up to 2.48GHz £352 320-600MHz ✓ ✓
Qnap Desktop NAS TS-253A-8G 2-Bay, RAID 0/1 (8GB RAM) TS-253A-8G

 Intel Celeron Braswell N3150 1.6 GHz Quad Core (up to 2.08GHz) £358 320-640MHz ✓ ✓
Qnap Desktop NAS TS-451+-2G 4-Bay, RAID 0/1/5/6 (2GB RAM) TS-451+-2G

 Intel Celeron J1900 2.0GHz Quad Core (up to 2.42GHz) £361 688-854MHz ✓ ✓
WD My Cloud Home Duo WDBMUT0080JWT-EESN NAS Server; RAID-0/1, 2xHD 8TB WDBMUT0080JWT-EESN

 Realtek RTD1296PB-CG 1.4Ghz A53 Quad Core £367   ✓ NO
Synology DiskStation NAS DS718+ 2-Bay (2GB RAM) DS718+

 Intel Celeron J3455 quad-core 1.5GHz, burst up to 2.3GHz £369 250-750MHz ✓ ✓
WD My Cloud Pro PR2100 WDBBCL0000NBK-EESN NAS Server; PLEX streaming; RAID-0/1, Empty WDBBCL0000NBK-EESN

 Intel Pentium N3710 1.6 GHz (Burst speed up to 2.56 GHz) £378 400-700MHz ✓ ✓
Qnap Desktop NAS TS-453A-4G 4-Bay, RAID 0/1/5/6 (4GB RAM) TS-453A-4G

 Intel Celeron Braswell N3150 1.6 GHz Quad Core (up to 2.08GHz) £387 320-640MHz ✓ ✓
Qnap Desktop NAS TS-451A-4G 4-Bay, RAID 0/1/5/6 (4GB RAM) + USB QuickAccess TS-451A-4G

 14nm Intel® Celeron® N3060 dual-core 1.6GHz processor, up to 2.48GHz £393 320-600MHz ✓ ✓
Synology DiskStation NAS DS418play 4-Bay DS418play

 Intel Celeron J3355 dual-core 2GHz, burst up to 2.5GHz £402 250-700MHz ✓ ✓
Qnap Desktop NAS TS-251+-8G 2-Bay, RAID 0/1 (8GB RAM) TS-251+-8G

 Intel Celeron J1900 2.0GHz Quad Core (up to 2.42GHz) £404 688-854MHz ✓ ✓
Qnap Desktop NAS TS-453Bmini-4G 4-Bay, RAID 0/1/5/6 (4GB RAM) TS-453Bmini-4G

 Intel Celeron J3455 Quad Core 1.5 GHz (up to 2.3 GHz) £408 250-750MHz ✓ ✓
Qnap NASbook TBS-453A-8G 4-Bay M.2 SSD, RAID 0/1/5/6 (8GB RAM) TBS-453A-8G

 14nm Intel® Celeron® N3150 quad-core 1.6GHz, burst up to 2.08GHz £410 320-640MHz ✓ ✓
Synology DiskStation NAS DS916+ (2GB) 4-Bay DS916+ (2GB)

 Intel Pentium N3710 Quad Core 1.6 Ghz to 2.56 GHz £428 400-700MHz ✓ ✓
Qnap Desktop NAS TS-253B-4G 2-Bay, RAID 0/1 (4GB RAM) TS-253B-4G

 Intel Celeron J3455 Quad Core 1.5 GHz (up to 2.3 GHz) £429 250-750MHz ✓ ✓
Synology DiskStation NAS DS718+ (6GB) 2-Bay (6GB Synology RAM) DS718+ (6GB)

 Intel Celeron J3455 quad-core 1.5GHz, burst up to 2.3GHz £437 250-750MHz ✓ ✓
Synology DiskStation NAS DS918+ 4-Bay (4GB RAM) DS918+

 Intel Celeron J3455 Quad Core 1.5 GHz (up to 2.3 GHz) £458 250-750MHz ✓ ✓
Qnap Desktop NAS TS-453A-8G 4-Bay, RAID 0/1/5/6 (8GB RAM) TS-453A-8G

 Intel Celeron Braswell N3150 1.6 GHz Quad Core (up to 2.08GHz) £459 320-640MHz ✓ ✓
WD My Cloud Pro PR4100 WDBNFA0000NBK-EESN NAS Server; PLEX streaming; RAID-0/1/5, Empty WDBNFA0000NBK-EESN

 Intel Pentium N3710 1.6 GHz (Burst speed up to 2.56 GHz) £467 400-700MHz ✓ ✓
WD My Cloud Home Duo WDBMUT0120JWT-EESN NAS Server; RAID-0/1, 2xHD 12TB WDBMUT0120JWT-EESN

 Realtek RTD1296PB-CG 1.4Ghz A53 Quad Core £487   ✓ NO
Qnap Desktop NAS TS-253B-8G 2-Bay, RAID 0/1 (8GB RAM) TS-253B-8G

 Intel Celeron J3455 Quad Core 1.5 GHz (up to 2.3 GHz) £500 250-750MHz ✓ ✓
Qnap Desktop NAS TS-453Bmini-8G 4-Bay, RAID 0/1/5/6 (8GB RAM) TS-453Bmini-8G

 Intel Celeron J3455 Quad Core 1.5 GHz (up to 2.3 GHz) £509 250-750MHz ✓ ✓
Qnap Desktop NAS TS-451+-8G 4-Bay, RAID 0/1/5/6 (8GB RAM) TS-451+-8G

 Intel Celeron J1900 2.0GHz Quad Core (up to 2.42GHz) £514 688-854MHz ✓ ✓
Synology DiskStation NAS DS918+ (8GB) 4-Bay (8GB Synology RAM) DS918+ (8GB)

 Intel Celeron J3455 Quad Core 1.5 GHz (up to 2.3 GHz) £529 250-750MHz ✓ ✓
Qnap Desktop NAS TS-453B-4G 4-Bay, RAID 0/1/5/6 (4GB RAM) TS-453B-4G

 Intel Celeron J3455 Quad Core 1.5 GHz (up to 2.3 GHz) £529 250-750MHz ✓ ✓
WD My Cloud Pro PR2100 WDBBCL0040JBK-EESN NAS Server; PLEX streaming; RAID-0/1, 2xHD 4TB WDBBCL0040JBK-EESN

 Intel Pentium N3710 1.6 GHz (Burst speed up to 2.56 GHz) £541 400-700MHz ✓ ✓
Qnap Desktop NAS TS-653A-4G 6-Bay, RAID 0/1/5/6 (4GB RAM) TS-653A-4G

 Intel Celeron Braswell N3150 1.6 GHz Quad Core (up to 2.08GHz) £596 320-640MHz ✓ ✓
Qnap Desktop NAS TS-453B-8G 4-Bay, RAID 0/1/5/6 (8GB RAM) TS-453B-8G

 Intel Celeron J3455 Quad Core 1.5 GHz (up to 2.3 GHz) £601 250-750MHz ✓ ✓
WD My Cloud Home Duo WDBMUT0160JWT-EESN NAS Server; RAID-0/1, 2xHD 16TB WDBMUT0160JWT-EESN

 Realtek RTD1296PB-CG 1.4Ghz A53 Quad Core £621   ✓ NO
Qnap Desktop NAS TS-653B-4G 6-Bay, RAID 0/1/5/6 (4GB RAM) TS-653B-4G

 Intel Celeron J3455 Quad Core 1.5 GHz (up to 2.3 GHz) £629 250-750MHz ✓ ✓
WD My Cloud Pro PR2100 WDBBCL0080JBK-EESN NAS Server; PLEX streaming; RAID-0/1, 2xHD 8TB WDBBCL0080JBK-EESN

 Intel Pentium N3710 1.6 GHz (Burst speed up to 2.56 GHz) £642 400-700MHz ✓ ✓
Qnap Desktop NAS TS-653A-8G 6-Bay, RAID 0/1/5/6 (8GB RAM) TS-653A-8G

 Intel Celeron Braswell N3150 1.6 GHz Quad Core (up to 2.08GHz) £667 320-640MHz ✓ ✓
WD My Cloud Pro PR4100 WDBNFA0080KBK-EESN NAS Server; PLEX streaming; RAID-0/1/5, 4xHD 8TB WDBNFA0080KBK-EESN

 Intel Pentium N3710 1.6 GHz (Burst speed up to 2.56 GHz) £688 400-700MHz ✓ ✓
Qnap Desktop NAS TS-853A-4G 8-Bay, RAID 0/1/5/6 (4GB RAM) TS-853A-4G

 Intel Celeron Braswell N3150 1.6 GHz Quad Core (up to 2.08GHz) £693 320-640MHz ✓ ✓
Qnap Desktop NAS TS-653B-8G 6-Bay, RAID 0/1/5/6 (8GB RAM) TS-653B-8G

 Intel Celeron J3455 Quad Core 1.5 GHz (up to 2.3 GHz) £699 250-750MHz ✓ ✓
Qnap 19"Rack NAS TS-453BU-4G 4-Bay, 1U, RAID 0/1/5/6 (4GB RAM, Celeron J3455) TS-453BU-4G

 Intel® Celeron® J3455 4-core 1.5GHz (burst up to 2.3GHz) £705 250-750MHz ✓ ✓
WD My Cloud Pro PR2100 WDBBCL0120JBK-EESN NAS Server; PLEX streaming; RAID-0/1, 2xHD 12TB WDBBCL0120JBK-EESN

 Intel Pentium N3710 1.6 GHz (Burst speed up to 2.56 GHz) £734 400-700MHz ✓ ✓
Qnap 19"Rack NAS TS-453BU-8G 4-Bay, 1U, RAID 0/1/5/6 (8GB RAM, Celeron J3455) TS-453BU-8G

 Intel® Celeron® J3455 4-core 1.5GHz (burst up to 2.3GHz) £806 250-750MHz ✓ ✓
Qnap Desktop NAS TS-853A-8G 8-Bay, RAID 0/1/5/6 (8GB RAM) TS-853A-8G

 Intel Celeron Braswell N3150 1.6 GHz Quad Core (up to 2.08GHz) £808 320-640MHz ✓ ✓
WD My Cloud Pro PR2100 WDBBCL0160JBK-EESN NAS Server; PLEX streaming; RAID-0/1, 2xHD 16TB WDBBCL0160JBK-EESN

 Intel Pentium N3710 1.6 GHz (Burst speed up to 2.56 GHz) £825 400-700MHz ✓ ✓
Qnap Desktop NAS TVS-471-i3-4G 4-Bay, RAID 0/1/5/6 (4GB RAM, Core i3) TVS-471-i3-4G

 Dual-core Intel® Core i3-4150 3.5 GHz £850 350-1.15GHz ✓ ✓
Qnap 19"Rack NAS TS-453BU-RP-4G 4-Bay, 1U, RAID 0/1/5/6 (4GB RAM, Celeron J3455); Redundant PSU TS-453BU-RP-4G

 Intel® Celeron® J3455 4-core 1.5GHz (burst up to 2.3GHz) £907 250-750MHz ✓ ✓
WD My Cloud Pro PR4100 WDBNFA0160KBK-EESN NAS Server; PLEX streaming; RAID-0/1/5, 4xHD 16TB WDBNFA0160KBK-EESN

 Intel Pentium N3710 1.6 GHz (Burst speed up to 2.56 GHz) £918 400-700MHz ✓ ✓
Qnap Desktop NAS 10GbE+TB3 TS-453BT3-8G 4-Bay, RAID 0/1/5/6 (8GB RAM) + 10GbE + Thunderbolt 3 TS-453BT3-8G

 Intel Celeron J3455 Quad Core 1.5 GHz (up to 2.3 GHz) £936 250-750MHz ✓ ✓
Qnap Desktop NAS TVS-671-i3-4G 6-Bay, RAID 0/1/5/6 (4GB RAM, Core i3) TVS-671-i3-4G

 Dual-core Intel® Core i3-4150 3.5 GHz £949 350-1.15GHz ✓ ✓
WD My Cloud Pro PR2100 WDBBCL0200JBK-EESN NAS Server; PLEX streaming; RAID-0/1, 2xHD 20TB WDBBCL0200JBK-EESN

 Intel Pentium N3710 1.6 GHz (Burst speed up to 2.56 GHz) £974 400-700MHz ✓ ✓
Qnap Desktop NAS TVS-682-i3-8G 6-Bay (4x 3.5", 2x 2.5"), RAID 0/1/5/6 (8GB RAM, Core i3) TVS-682-i3-8G

 Dual-core Intel® Core™ i3-6100 3.7 GHz £1045 350-1.05GHz ✓ ✓
Qnap 19"Rack NAS TS-453BU-RP-8G 4-Bay, 1U, RAID 0/1/5/6 (8GB RAM, Celeron J3455); Redundant PSU TS-453BU-RP-8G

 Intel® Celeron® J3455 4-core 1.5GHz (burst up to 2.3GHz) £1064 250-750MHz ✓ ✓
Qnap 19"Rack NAS TS-853BU-4G 8-Bay, 2U, RAID 0/1/5/6 (4GB RAM, Celeron J3455) TS-853BU-4G

 Intel® Celeron® J3455 4-core 1.5GHz (burst up to 2.3GHz) £1131 250-750MHz ✓ ✓
Qnap Desktop NAS TVS-871-i3-4G 8-Bay, RAID 0/1/5/6 (4GB RAM, Core i3) TVS-871-i3-4G

 Dual-core Intel® Core i3-4150 3.5 GHz £1147 350-1.15GHz ✓ ✓
WD My Cloud Pro PR4100 WDBNFA0240KBK-EESN NAS Server; PLEX streaming; RAID-0/1/5, 4xHD 24TB WDBNFA0240KBK-EESN

 Intel Pentium N3710 1.6 GHz (Burst speed up to 2.56 GHz) £1192 400-700MHz ✓ ✓
Qnap 19"Rack NAS TS-853BU-8G 8-Bay, 2U, RAID 0/1/5/6 (8GB RAM, Celeron J3455) TS-853BU-8G

 Intel® Celeron® J3455 4-core 1.5GHz (burst up to 2.3GHz) £1194 250-750MHz ✓ ✓
Qnap 19"Rack NAS TS-1253U 12-Bay, 2U, RAID 0/1/5/6 (4GB RAM, Quad Core Celeron) TS-1253U

 Quad-core Intel® Celeron® J1900 2.0GHz (up to 2.41GHz) £1238 688-854MHz ✓ ✓
Qnap Desktop NAS TVS-882-i3-8G 8-Bay (6x 3.5", 2x 2.5"), RAID 0/1/5/6 (8GB RAM, Core i3) TVS-882-i3-8G

 Quad-core Intel® Core™ i3-6100 3.7 GHz £1245 350-1.05GHz ✓ ✓
Qnap Desktop NAS TVS-671-i5-8G 6-Bay, RAID 0/1/5/6 (8GB RAM, Core i5) TVS-671-i5-8G

 Quad-core Intel Core i5-4590S 3.0 GHz (Turbo boost to 3.7 GHz) £1276 350-1.15GHz ✓ ✓
Qnap 19"Rack NAS TS-853BU-RP-4G 8-Bay, 2U, RAID 0/1/5/6 (4GB RAM, Celeron J3455); Redundant PSU TS-853BU-RP-4G

 Intel® Celeron® J3455 4-core 1.5GHz (burst up to 2.3GHz) £1310 250-750MHz ✓ ✓
Qnap 19"Rack NAS TS-1253U-RP 12-Bay, 2U, RAID 0/1/5/6 (4GB RAM, Quad Core Celeron); Redundant PSU TS-1253U-RP

 Quad-core Intel® Celeron® J1900 2.0GHz (up to 2.41GHz) £1377 688-854MHz ✓ ✓
Qnap 19"Rack NAS TS-1253BU-4G 12-Bay, 2U, RAID 0/1/5/6 (4GB RAM, Celeron J3455) TS-1253BU-4G

 Intel® Celeron® J3455 4-core 1.5GHz (burst up to 2.3GHz) £1384 250-750MHz ✓ ✓
Qnap Desktop NAS TVS-1282-i3-8G 12-Bay (8x 3.5", 4x 2.5"), RAID 0/1/5/6 (8GB RAM, Core i3) TVS-1282-i3-8G

 Quad-core Intel® Core™ i3-6100 3.7 GHz £1392 350-1.05GHz ✓ ✓
Qnap 19"Rack NAS TS-853BU-RP-8G 8-Bay, 2U, RAID 0/1/5/6 (8GB RAM, Celeron J3455); Redundant PSU TS-853BU-RP-8G

 Intel® Celeron® J3455 4-core 1.5GHz (burst up to 2.3GHz) £1400 250-750MHz ✓ ✓
Qnap 19"Rack NAS TS-1253BU-8G 12-Bay, 2U, RAID 0/1/5/6 (8GB RAM, Celeron J3455) TS-1253BU-8G

 Intel® Celeron® J3455 4-core 1.5GHz (burst up to 2.3GHz) £1400 250-750MHz ✓ ✓
WD My Cloud Pro PR4100 WDBNFA0320KBK-EESN NAS Server; PLEX streaming; RAID-0/1/5, 4xHD 32TB WDBNFA0320KBK-EESN

 Intel Pentium N3710 1.6 GHz (Burst speed up to 2.56 GHz) £1421 400-700MHz ✓ ✓
Qnap Desktop NAS TVS-871-i5-8G 8-Bay, RAID 0/1/5/6 (8GB RAM, Core i5) TVS-871-i5-8G

 Quad-core Intel Core i5-4590S 3.0 GHz (Turbo boost to 3.7 GHz) £1478 350-1.15GHz ✓ ✓
Qnap 19"Rack NAS TVS-871U-RP-i3-4G 8-Bay, 2U, RAID 0/1/5/6 (4GB RAM, Core i3) TVS-871U-RP-i3-4G

 Dual-core Intel® Core i3-4150 3.5 GHz £1486 350-1.15GHz ✓ ✓
Qnap 19"Rack NAS TS-1253BU-RP-4G 12-Bay, 2U, RAID 0/1/5/6 (4GB RAM, Celeron J3455); Redundant PSU TS-1253BU-RP-4G

 Intel® Celeron® J3455 4-core 1.5GHz (burst up to 2.3GHz) £1512 250-750MHz ✓ ✓
Qnap Desktop NAS TVS-882-i5-16G 8-Bay (6x 3.5", 2x 2.5"), RAID 0/1/5/6 (16GB RAM, Core i5) TVS-882-i5-16G

 Quad-core Intel® Core™ i5-6500 3.6 GHz £1548 350-1.05GHz ✓ ✓
Qnap Desktop NAS 10GbE+TB2 TVS-682T-i3-8G 6-Bay (4x 3.5", 2x 2.5"), RAID 0/1/5/6 (8GB RAM, Core i3) + 10GbE + Thunderbolt 2 TVS-682T-i3-8G

 Dual-core Intel® Core™ i3-6100 3.7 GHz £1550 350-1.05GHz ✓ ✓
Qnap 19"Rack NAS TS-1253BU-RP-8G 12-Bay, 2U, RAID 0/1/5/6 (8GB RAM, Celeron J3455); Redundant PSU TS-1253BU-RP-8G

 Intel® Celeron® J3455 4-core 1.5GHz (burst up to 2.3GHz) £1645 250-750MHz ✓ ✓
Qnap Desktop NAS 10GbE+TB2 TVS-882ST2-i5-8G 8-Bay 2.5", RAID 0/1/5/6 (8GB RAM, Core i5) + 10GbE + Thunderbolt 2 TVS-882ST2-i5-8G

 Intel Core i5-6442EQ 1.9GHz Quad-core £1660 350-1.0GHz ✓ ✓
Qnap 19"Rack NAS TVS-1271U-RP-i3-8G 12-Bay, 2U, RAID 0/1/5/6 (8GB RAM, Core i3) TVS-1271U-RP-i3-8G

 Dual-core Intel® Core i3-4150 3.5 GHz £1675 350-1.15GHz ✓ ✓
Qnap Desktop NAS TVS-1282-i5-16G 12-Bay (8x 3.5", 4x 2.5"), RAID 0/1/5/6 (16GB RAM, Core i5) TVS-1282-i5-16G

 Quad-core Intel® Core™ i5-6500 3.6 GHz £1695 350-1.05GHz ✓ ✓
Qnap 19"Rack NAS TVS-871U-RP-i5-8G 8-Bay, 2U, RAID 0/1/5/6 (8GB RAM, Core i5) TVS-871U-RP-i5-8G

 Quad-core Intel® Core™ i5-4590S 3.0 GHz £1738 350-1.15GHz ✓ ✓
Qnap Desktop NAS TVS-871-i7-16G 8-Bay, RAID 0/1/5/6 (16GB RAM, Core i7) TVS-871-i7-16G

 Quad-core Intel Core i7-4790S 3.2 GHz (Turbo boost to 4 GHz) £1787 350-1.2GHz ✓ ✓
Qnap Desktop NAS TVS-882-i5-16G-450W 8-Bay (6x 3.5", 2x 2.5"), RAID 0/1/5/6 (16GB RAM, Core i5) + 450W PSU TVS-882-i5-16G-450W

 Quad-core Intel® Core™ i5-6500 3.6 GHz £1800 350-1.05GHz ✓ ✓
Qnap 19"Rack NAS R2 TS-EC880U-E3-4GE-R2 8-Bay, 2U, RAID 0/1/5/6; Redundant PSU (4GB ECC RAM, Xeon E3) + 10GbE TS-EC880U-E3-4GE-R2

 Intel® Xeon® E3-1246 v3 Quad-core £1887 350-1.2GHz ✓ ✓
Qnap Desktop NAS TVS-882BR-i5-16G 8-Bay, RAID 0/1/5/6 (16GB RAM, Core i5) + 5.25" Bay TVS-882BR-i5-16G

 Intel® Core™ i5-7500 Quad-core 3.4 GHz (Max. 3.8 GHz) £1901 350-1.1GHz ✓ ✓
Qnap Desktop NAS 10GbE+TB2 TVS-882T-i5-16G 8-Bay (6x 3.5", 2x 2.5"), RAID 0/1/5/6 (16GB RAM, Core i5) + 10GbE + Thunderbolt 2 TVS-882T-i5-16G

 Quad-core Intel® Core™ i5-6500 3.6 GHz £1926 350-1.05GHz ✓ ✓
Qnap Desktop NAS 10GbE+TB3 TVS-882ST3-i5-8G 8-Bay 2.5", RAID 0/1/5/6 (8GB RAM, Core i5) + 10GbE + Thunderbolt 3 TVS-882ST3-i5-8G

 Intel Core i5-6442EQ 1.9GHz Quad-core £1942 350-1.0GHz ✓ ✓
WD My Cloud Pro PR4100 WDBNFA0400KBK-EESN NAS Server; PLEX streaming; RAID-0/1/5, 4xHD 40TB WDBNFA0400KBK-EESN

 Intel Pentium N3710 1.6 GHz (Burst speed up to 2.56 GHz) £1947 400-700MHz ✓ ✓
Qnap 19"Rack NAS TVS-1271U-RP-i5-16G 12-Bay, 2U, RAID 0/1/5/6 (16GB RAM, Core i5) TVS-1271U-RP-i5-16G

 Quad-core Intel® Core i5-4590S 3.0 GHz £1966 350-1.15GHz ✓ ✓
Qnap Desktop NAS TVS-1282-i5-16G-450W 12-Bay (8x 3.5", 4x 2.5"), RAID 0/1/5/6 (16GB RAM, Core i5) + 450W PSU TVS-1282-i5-16G-450W

 Quad-core Intel® Core™ i5-6500 3.6 GHz £1985 350-1.05GHz ✓ ✓
Qnap Desktop NAS TVS-1282-i7-32G 12-Bay (8x 3.5", 4x 2.5"), RAID 0/1/5/6 (32GB RAM, Core i7) TVS-1282-i7-32G

 Quad-core Intel® Core™ i7-6700 3.4 GHz £2098 350-1.15GHz ✓ ✓
Qnap Desktop NAS 10GbE+TB3 TVS-882BRT3-i5-16G 8-Bay, RAID 0/1/5/6 (16GB RAM, Core i5) + 5.25" Bay + Thunderbolt 3 + 10GbE (by T2E) TVS-882BRT3-i5-16G

 Intel® Core™ i5-7500 Quad-core 3.4 GHz (Max. 3.8 GHz) £2107 350-1.1GHz ✓ ✓
Qnap Desktop NAS 10GbE+TB3 TVS-882ST3-i7-8G 8-Bay 2.5", RAID 0/1/5/6 (8GB RAM, Core i7) + 10GbE + Thunderbolt 3 TVS-882ST3-i7-8G

 Intel Core i7-6700HQ Quad Core 2.6 GHz £2159 350-1.05GHz ✓ ✓
Qnap Desktop NAS 10GbE+TB2 TVS-1282T-i5-16G 12-Bay (8x 3.5", 4x 2.5"), RAID 0/1/5/6 (16GB RAM, Core i5) + 10GbE + Thunderbolt 2 TVS-1282T-i5-16G

 Quad-core Intel® Core™ i5-6500 3.6 GHz £2228 350-1.05GHz ✓ ✓
Qnap Desktop NAS TVS-882BR-ODD-i5-16G 8-Bay, RAID 0/1/5/6 (16GB RAM, Core i5) + Blu-Ray Drive TVS-882BR-ODD-i5-16G

 Intel® Core™ i5-7500 Quad-core 3.4 GHz (Max. 3.8 GHz) £2258 350-1.1GHz ✓ ✓
Qnap 19"Rack NAS R2 TS-EC1280U-E3-4GE-R2 12-Bay, 2U, RAID 0/1/5/6; Redundant PSU (4GB ECC RAM, Xeon E3) + 10GbE TS-EC1280U-E3-4GE-R2

 Intel® Xeon® E3-1246 v3 Quad-core £2289 350-1.2GHz ✓ ✓
Qnap Desktop NAS 10GbE+TB3 TVS-882ST3-i7-16G 8-Bay 2.5", RAID 0/1/5/6 (16GB RAM, Core i7) + 10GbE + Thunderbolt 3 TVS-882ST3-i7-16G

 Intel Core i7-6700HQ Quad Core 2.6 GHz £2292 350-1.05GHz ✓ ✓
Qnap Desktop NAS TVS-1282-i7-32G-450W 12-Bay (8x 3.5", 4x 2.5"), RAID 0/1/5/6 (32GB RAM, Core i7) + 450W PSU TVS-1282-i7-32G-450W

 Quad-core Intel® Core™ i7-6700 3.4 GHz £2350 350-1.15GHz ✓ ✓
Qnap 19"Rack NAS TVS-1271U-RP-i7-32G 12-Bay, 2U, RAID 0/1/5/6 (32GB RAM, Core i7) TVS-1271U-RP-i7-32G

 Quad-core Intel® Core i7-4790S 3.2 GHz £2431 350-1.2GHz ✓ ✓
Qnap Desktop NAS 10GbE+TB3 TVS-882BRT3-ODD-i5-16G 8-Bay, RAID 0/1/5/6 (16GB RAM, Core i5) + Optical Drive + Thunderbolt 3 + 10GbE (by T2E) TVS-882BRT3-ODD-i5-16G

 Intel® Core™ i5-7500 Quad-core 3.4 GHz (Max. 3.8 GHz) £2450 350-1.1GHz ✓ ✓
Qnap 19"Rack NAS R2 TS-EC1680U-i3-8G-R2 16-Bay, 3U, RAID 0/1/5/6; Redundant PSU (8GB RAM, Core i3) + 10GbE TS-EC1680U-i3-8G-R2

 Dual-core Intel® Core i3-4150 3.5 GHz £2487 350-1.15GHz ✓ ✓
Qnap Desktop NAS TVS-882BR-i7-32G 8-Bay, RAID 0/1/5/6 (32GB RAM, Core i7) + 5.25" Bay TVS-882BR-i7-32G

 Intel® Core™ i7-7700 Quad-core 3.6 GHz (Max. 4.2 GHz) £2526 350-1.15GHz ✓ ✓
Qnap Desktop NAS 10GbE+TB3 TVS-1282T3-i5-16G 12-Bay (8x 3.5", 4x 2.5"), RAID 0/1/5/6 (16GB RAM, Core i5) + 10GbE + Thunderbolt 3 TVS-1282T3-i5-16G

 Intel® Core™ i5-7500 3.4 GHz quad-core £2563 350-1.1GHz ✓ ✓
Qnap Desktop NAS 10GbE+TB2 TVS-1282T-i7-32G 12-Bay (8x 3.5", 4x 2.5"), RAID 0/1/5/6 (32GB RAM, Core i7) + 10GbE + Thunderbolt 2 TVS-1282T-i7-32G

 Quad-core Intel® Core™ i7-6700 3.4 GHz £2637 350-1.15GHz ✓ ✓
Qnap 19"Rack NAS R2 TS-EC1680U-E3-4GE-R2 16-Bay, 3U, RAID 0/1/5/6; Redundant PSU (4GB ECC RAM, Xeon E3) + 10GbE TS-EC1680U-E3-4GE-R2

 Intel® Xeon® E3-1246 v3 Quad-core £2688 350-1.2GHz ✓ ✓
Qnap Desktop NAS TVS-1282-i7-64G-450W 12-Bay (8x 3.5", 4x 2.5"), RAID 0/1/5/6 (64GB RAM, Core i7) + 450W PSU TVS-1282-i7-64G-450W

 Quad-core Intel® Core™ i7-6700 3.4 GHz £2705 350-1.15GHz ✓ ✓
Qnap Desktop NAS 10GbE+TB3 TVS-882BRT3-i7-32G 8-Bay, RAID 0/1/5/6 (32GB RAM, Core i7) + 5.25" Bay + Thunderbolt 3 + 10GbE (by T2E) TVS-882BRT3-i7-32G

 Intel® Core™ i7-7700 Quad-core 3.6 GHz (Max. 4.2 GHz) £2717 350-1.15GHz ✓ ✓
Qnap Desktop NAS TVS-1282-i7-64G 12-Bay (8x 3.5", 4x 2.5"), RAID 0/1/5/6 (64GB RAM, Core i7) TVS-1282-i7-64G

 Quad-core Intel® Core™ i7-6700 3.4 GHz £2748 350-1.15GHz ✓ ✓
Qnap Desktop NAS TVS-882BR-ODD-i7-32G 8-Bay, RAID 0/1/5/6 (32GB RAM, Core i7) + Blu-Ray Drive TVS-882BR-ODD-i7-32G

 Intel® Core™ i7-7700 Quad-core 3.6 GHz (Max. 4.2 GHz) £2795 350-1.15GHz ✓ ✓
Qnap Desktop NAS 10GbE+TB3 TVS-882BRT3-ODD-i7-32G 8-Bay, RAID 0/1/5/6 (32GB RAM, Core i7) + Optical Drive + Thunderbolt 3 + 10GbE (by T2E) TVS-882BRT3-ODD-i7-32G

 Intel® Core™ i7-7700 Quad-core 3.6 GHz (Max. 4.2 GHz) £2878 350-1.15GHz ✓ ✓
Qnap Desktop NAS 10GbE+TB2 TVS-1282T-i7-64G 12-Bay (8x 3.5", 4x 2.5"), RAID 0/1/5/6 (64GB RAM, Core i7) + 10GbE + Thunderbolt 2 TVS-1282T-i7-64G

 Quad-core Intel® Core™ i7-6700 3.4 GHz £3002 350-1.15GHz ✓ ✓
Qnap Desktop NAS 10GbE+TB3 TVS-1282T3-i7-32G 12-Bay (8x 3.5", 4x 2.5"), RAID 0/1/5/6 (32GB RAM, Core i7) + 10GbE + Thunderbolt 3 TVS-1282T3-i7-32G

 Intel® Core™ i7-7700 Quad-core 3.6 GHz (Max. 4.2 GHz) £3032 350-1.15GHz ✓ ✓
Qnap Desktop NAS 10GbE+TB3 TVS-1282T3-i7-64G 12-Bay (8x 3.5", 4x 2.5"), RAID 0/1/5/6 (64GB RAM, Core i7) + 10GbE + Thunderbolt 3 TVS-1282T3-i7-64G

 Intel® Core™ i7-7700 Quad-core 3.6 GHz (Max. 4.2 GHz) £3196 350-1.15GHz ✓ ✓
Qnap 19"Rack NAS R2 TS-EC2480U-i3-4GE-R2 24-Bay, 4U, RAID 0/1/5/6; Redundant PSU (4GB ECC RAM, Core i3) + 10GbE TS-EC2480U-i3-4GE-R2

 Dual-core Intel® Core i3-4150 3.5 GHz £3287 350-1.15GHz ✓ ✓
Qnap 19"Rack NAS R2 TS-EC2480U-E3-4GE-R2 24-Bay, 4U, RAID 0/1/5/6; Redundant PSU (4GB ECC RAM, Xeon E3) + 10GbE TS-EC2480U-E3-4GE-R2

 Intel® Xeon® E3-1246 v3 Quad-core £3489 350-1.2GHz ✓ ✓
Qnap 19"Rack NAS TVS-EC1680U-SAS-RP-16G 16-Bay, 3U, SAS/SATA, RAID 0/1/5/6, Redundant PSU (16GB RAM) TVS-EC1680U-SAS-RP-16G

 Intel® Xeon® E3-1246 v3 3.5 GHz Quad-core £3804 350-1.2GHz ✓ ✓
Qnap 19"Rack NAS R2 TVS-EC1280U-SAS-RP-8GE-R2 12-Bay, 2U, SAS/SATA, RAID 0/1/5/6, Redundant PSU (8GB ECC RAM) + 10GbE TVS-EC1280U-SAS-RP-8GE-R2

 Intel® Xeon® E3-1246 v3 3.5 GHz Quad-core £4103 350-1.2GHz ✓ ✓
Qnap 19"Rack NAS R2 TVS-EC1280U-SAS-RP-16G-R2 12-Bay, 2U, SAS/SATA, RAID 0/1/5/6, Redundant PSU (16GB RAM) + 10GbE TVS-EC1280U-SAS-RP-16G-R2

 Intel® Xeon® E3-1246 v3 3.5 GHz Quad-core £4103 350-1.2GHz ✓ ✓
Qnap 19"Rack NAS R2 TVS-EC1580MU-SAS-RP-8GE-R2 15-Bay (9x 3.5", 6x 2.5"), 2U, SAS/SATA, RAID 0/1/5/6, Redundant PSU (8GB ECC RAM) + 10GbE TVS-EC1580MU-SAS-RP-8GE-R2

 Intel® Xeon® E3-1246 v3 3.5 GHz Quad-core £4187 350-1.2GHz ✓ ✓
Qnap 19"Rack NAS 10GbE+TB3 TVS-1582TU-i5-16G 15-Bay (9x 3.5", 6x 2.5"), 2U, SATA, RAID 0/1/5/6, Redundant PSU (16GB RAM, Core i5) + 10GbE + Thunderbolt 3 TVS-1582TU-i5-16G

 Intel® Core™ i5-7500 Quad-core 3.4 GHz (Max. 3.8 GHz) £4212 350-1.1GHz ✓ ✓
Qnap 19"Rack NAS R2 TVS-EC1580MU-SAS-RP-16G-R2 15-Bay (9x 3.5", 6x 2.5"), 2U, SAS/SATA, RAID 0/1/5/6, Redundant PSU (16GB RAM) + 10GbE TVS-EC1580MU-SAS-RP-16G-R2

 Intel® Xeon® E3-1246 v3 3.5 GHz Quad-core £4290 350-1.2GHz ✓ ✓
Qnap 19"Rack NAS R2 TVS-EC1680U-SAS-RP-8GE-R2 16-Bay, 3U, SAS/SATA, RAID 0/1/5/6, Redundant PSU (8GB ECC RAM) + 10GbE TVS-EC1680U-SAS-RP-8GE-R2

 Intel® Xeon® E3-1246 v3 3.5 GHz Quad-core £4503 350-1.2GHz ✓ ✓
Qnap 19"Rack NAS R2 TVS-EC1680U-SAS-RP-16G-R2 16-Bay, 3U, SAS/SATA, RAID 0/1/5/6, Redundant PSU (16GB RAM) + 10GbE TVS-EC1680U-SAS-RP-16G-R2

 Intel® Xeon® E3-1246 v3 3.5 GHz Quad-core £4503 350-1.2GHz ✓ ✓
Qnap 19"Rack NAS 10GbE+TB3 TVS-1582TU-i7-32G 15-Bay (9x 3.5", 6x 2.5"), 2U, SATA, RAID 0/1/5/6, Redundant PSU (32GB RAM, Core i7) + 10GbE + Thunderbolt 3 TVS-1582TU-i7-32G

 Intel® Core™ i7-7700 Quad-core 3.6 GHz (Max. 4.2 GHz) £4840 350-1.15GHz ✓ ✓
Qnap 19"Rack NAS R2 TVS-EC2480U-SAS-RP-8GE-R2 24-Bay, 4U, SAS/SATA, RAID 0/1/5/6, Redundant PSU (8GB ECC RAM) + 10GbE TVS-EC2480U-SAS-RP-8GE-R2

 Intel® Xeon® E3-1246 v3 3.5 GHz Quad-core £5706 350-1.2GHz ✓ ✓
Qnap 19"Rack NAS R2 TVS-EC2480U-SAS-RP-16G-R2 24-Bay, 4U, SAS/SATA, RAID 0/1/5/6, Redundant PSU (16GB RAM) + 10GbE TVS-EC2480U-SAS-RP-16G-R2

 Intel® Xeon® E3-1246 v3 3.5 GHz Quad-core £5706 350-1.2GHz ✓ ✓

Which CPU should you consider in a Custom Made Plex Media Server?

Thinking of building your very own Plex Media Server from scratch? It may seem cheaper than buying a NAS server from the likes of WD, Synology and QNAP. Just remember that you will need more technical knowledge and to invest in a PSU and Case that can be left on for days or weeks at a time. Another key factor of course is choose the right CPU for your custom NAS or FreeNAS build. We have discussed many, many NAS CPU about that are used by the popular brands, so if you want to ensure you use the best possible processor for your home made Plex Media Server, have a look at the list below of each processor, where to buy and how much you will spend. Remember to follow the star/score system to ensure you buy the best CPU for your customer FreeNAS build transcoding needs.

Intel® Core™ i7-7700 Processor

 

Section 2

Graphics Specifications

£260 $299 €280

Intel® Core™ i7-6700HQ Processor

Section 3

Graphics Specifications

£280 $320 €299

Intel® Core™ i3-4150 Processor

Section 4

Graphics Specifications

£99 $130 €120

Intel® Core™ i7-6700 Processor

Section 5

Graphics Specifications

£280 $320 €299

Intel® Core™ i5-7500 Processor

Section 6

Graphics Specifications

£130 $160 €150

Intel® Xeon® Processor E3-1246 v3

Graphics Specifications

£420 $499 €420

Intel® Core™ i7-4790S Processor

Graphics Specifications

£350 $389 €360

Intel® Core™ i5-6442EQ Processor

Graphics Specifications

£160 $199 €180

Intel® Core™ i5-6500 Processor