MAC MINI MEDIA SERVER PC
MAC MINI MEDIA SERVER MAC

It doesnt matter where services are running as long as they do the job in the required timeframe. I was simply pointing out that rather than spending M2 Mini money on a device which will be using a small amount of its speed and processing capability, for a fraction of the price they could pick up another device which would offer the same experience. These are all low load / burst background tasks which need a load of storage. When op asked their initial question they discussed a home/media server running plex, sonarr, radar, sabnzbd and possibly some file sharing services. I’m aware of its strengths, but they aren’t as relevant to a server context as you are suggesting. I currently own an M1 Mini, M1 Air and M1 iPad Pro. But if it’s being used only as a server for light duties then it is a greater investment than is necessary for what is essentially a mix of background / non-interactive tasks and some media streaming / transcoding. OP has since clarified that they’ll be also be using its capabilities as a desktop computer, in which case it’s an excellent choice. It doesn’t matter where they’re located, and they can be easily hidden away out of sight and earshot.

It may be a little noisier, but the initial post states that it is to be used as a home/media server. In the context of computing that’s exactly what overkill meansĪs far as a NAS goes, again, those services will all run fine on a sub $250 unit, with the added bonus of being able to add plenty of storage and still fall below the price of an M2 mini. It would be using a tiny amount of its resources, and as I said it would leave a lot of performance and capability completely unused.

MAC MINI MEDIA SERVER MAC

So on that basis, a M2 Mac mini is more than is needed, in the sense that it will be sat performing light tasks all of the time which won’t take advantage of its capabilities. Including Plex with transcoding, and it was fine. I was running all of the services for my home on a 2011 i5 Mac mini for over a year. The tasks which OP stated in their initial post would run on a 2008 Mac Mini. I’ve been using Mac Minis since 2008 in this way and never once encountered a problem of functionality nor ever needed more RAM.

MAC MINI MEDIA SERVER PC

Even an ultra small form factor PC with quicksync would do the job. If transcoding is needed then other options are available but the same points apply. It will also run those apps and services. But it’s much more than is needed for what OP initially stated.Ī raspberry Pi also super quiet, has no heat problems, and can be upgraded with external storage if that’s the route which is chosen. An Apple Silicon Mac Mini would make an excellent server.

Mac mini media server