Need some input on a server build

So I’m looking to finally build a dedicated plex server, instead of using my personal desktop, but I’m having a hard time deciding on components (for a tower). I would say 3 simultaneous 4k remote transcodes would be the goal.

There are some 12/13600k and Arc A380 bundles on Newegg that have caught my eye; at the very least I think I’d like an A380 to ensure AV1 10-bit support for the future. Am I missing out by not hunting for the perfect deal on an old Xeon or something off of eBay? I’m not really familiar with server components, and I don’t know to what extent I would benefit from features like ECC RAM.

I also figure that a hard drive array (RAID or Unraid) would be best, because it’ll be more than enough speed for my application and give me some data protection. I’ve got around 10TB of content right now, and have a 6TB and 8TB drive (both Seagate Ironwolf). If there’s a solution that would allow me to incorporate those instead of just buying all new drives I’d be especially interested in it. Also, from what I understand I can get some decent enterprise drives for a reasonable price?

Finally, OS; I’m most familiar with Windows, but I’m willing to try something Linux if there’s enough of a benefit

aberrate_junior_beatnik,

Am I missing out by not hunting for the perfect deal on an old Xeon or something off of eBay? I’m not really familiar with server components, and I don’t know to what extent I would benefit from features like ECC RAM.

I run a couple of dedicated linux servers on commodity hardware and they’ve been working well for several years. It’d be cool to have ECC RAM but not worth a bunch of money or effort IMO. Maybe that’s different on windows but I doubt it.

DonnieDarkmode,

My main concern is buying the motherboard, because from what I’ve heard those will fail before the CPU, so I’d be best served getting a new one. But a new motherboard for, say, a ~7 year old server CPU that fits in a tower case seems like a complicated proposition, as well as finding a compatible cooler

Telstarado,

I’d pick up a NOS or tested used board on eBay. Make sure to tweak your search terms to exclude broken and parts systems, look specifically for ATX form factor boards from 99.5% and higher feedback sellers and you should be fine.

EBay has a ton of retired server hardware that’s in more than good enough condition for long term use by a home user. Non specialized form factor stuff is a smaller subset, but it’s out there in good quantities.

Also, although it would work great, the last thing I can imagine would be buying a new board for an old server CPU from Newegg, etc. The pricing for new server hardware, regardless of generation, is quite steep.

DonnieDarkmode,

Yeah I’ve been consistently tempted to check out used server components because I know that there’s some great performance to be had there for the price. Thinking that I had to buy a new board is what ultimately put me off my search, since the whole point of going used is to save money haha. If I can be reasonably certain that a given used mobo will last me for a few years then I’d be very interested in checking that out. Thanks!

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