Hi, I'm interested in purchasing an 2017 model Mac Mini, to be my dedicated Plex Server (it will be it's only purpose). Its specs are - * 3.0GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i7 (Turbo Boost up to 3.5GHz) * 8GB 1600MHz LPDDR3 SDRAM * 256GB PCIe-based Flash Storage It's supposed to be connected via a wired connection to my router (and so is my main client - Nvidia Shield). Turn a Mac mini into a media server with Plex If you have a large media collection, you may want to use a Mac as a dedicated device to run Plex. And the Mac mini is a perfect device for Plex.

My old Mac 3,1 tower is finally too old for any more Plex server updates, so it's time for a Hackintosh build. I'd of course like as much of a discreet build if possible, but it may not be in the cards for me as I would love to house 6-8 hard drives. Since I plan to use is strictly as a Plex server and connect to box on my network via Screen Sharing, network drive sharing etc. Personally, I built a Synology clone for my Plex serving needs. Features: • Offers redundancy to protect my data in the event one or two of the drives fail. • Dynamic expandability. When space runs low, I can replace smaller drives with larger ones or add additional drives to expand capacity to existing RAID arrays.

• Can setup multiple RAID arrays. • Hot swap drives. • Can also act as a file server and/or Time Machine for many users. • Can run headless or with monitor. • Remote management of motherboard and BIOS possible via IPMI.

If the official driver can not be downloaded, a copy of official driver can be provided at local server download.opendrivers.com, download1.opendrivers.com, or dl2.opendrivers.com. In order to ensure the right driver download, Official driver links from MediaTek are listed at first. Mediatek/Ralink RT2870 USB Wireless Driver 4.2.9.2 Mac OS X 10.7/10.8/10.9 was collected from MediaTek official site for MediaTek Network. Brand:MediaTek, Product:Network, Model: RT2770, RT3071, RT5572, Driver: 4.2.9.2, OS: Mac OS X 10.7/10.8/10.9. Ralink drivers for mac.

• Can be configured with 10GbE. • Remote management of Synology DSM via any web browser. • Good collection of apps such as bittorrent clients, usenet clients, etc. • Easy setup for email or text messages about any problems that may arise with the system.

I stream to my AppleTV and it plays everything I've thrown at it without the need for transcoding. The same was true when I tested streaming to my iPhone 6 and iPhone 7. When I tested, the CPU in my build, a C2550, was able to transcode two streams without problems. If you need to transcode many streams, you can use as powerful of a CPU as you choose. Case can be anything you like. There are some nice rack mount cases out there that may fit your needs with preconfigured hot swap bays.

Another option would be to just tuck it in a corner where it won't be noticed since the only time you would really need to access it would be replace/add drives. Information on building something like this can be found on. Personally, I built a Synology clone for my Plex serving needs. Features: • Offers redundancy to protect my data in the even one or two of the drives fail.