In fact, after installing 2 x 1TB spare hard drives to the media server case, it took me only a couple of minutes to configure the system. I was positively surprised how easy it was to set up storage spaces. This new capability is called Storage Spaces that is included by default in Windows. You may be surprised to learn that Windows allows you to organize hard disks into storage pools, which use RAID-style mirroring and parity techniques to keep your media files safe. Gigabit Ethernet recommended for HD streamingĬlick here for a complete list of the recommended components.3 GHz dual-core processor (2.4 GHz is a minimum for 1080p transcoding).When building your own media server, it is good to keep these basic recommendations in mind: This system has a Silverstone GD06 case, which supports five hard drives and is augmented by two hot-swappable bays to improve flexibility. I converted my existing value HTPC system with Intel Core i3 processor into a media server because I needed to have a powerful enough system to transcode media files smoothly. Energy efficiency: Consume as little power as possible.Reliability: Provide peace of mind with minimal amount of maintenance.Streaming: Stream media to HTPC using SMB and other protocols.Storage: Store and backup media files with RAID capability.Music: Play music on all devices from a shared library.Meta data: Automatically scrape movies, music, and TV series meta data.Transcoding: Transcode media to portable devices.Contents of the GuideĪfter completing this guide, you will be able to build a media server that meets the following criteria: In my previous guide, I have already covered Plex with unRAID media server, but this time I decided to use Windows with Storage Spaces, because unRAID + Plex combo was not working reliably enough for me while Windows + Plex has proven to be working exceptionally well. Plex Media Server represents the state of the art when it comes to managing and sharing your media library between various devices such as a home theater computer, media streamer, iPad, and mobile phone. In this complete guide, I will show you how to build a simple setup with Plex Media Server and Windows Storage Spaces feature that will make all of your media easily accessible from almost any device.

Plex server build