Best Mini PC for Plex and Jellyfin

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Buy the video engine, not the PassMark score. For Plex and Jellyfin, an Intel chip with Quick Sync is the straightforward choice. An N100 or N150 covers about two or three simultaneous 1080p transcodes, or one 4K transcode, and idles in the single digits or low teens of watts. Step up when several people will transcode 4K at the same time.

8GB is enough for Plex alone. Use 16GB if the same box also runs downloads, Home Assistant, or other containers. AMD can transcode, and Jellyfin handles it more reliably than Plex, but plan on fewer simultaneous 4K streams than Quick Sync. AV1 decode shows up on recent Intel and on Ryzen 6000 and newer. The longer Plex guide goes further on storage and when spending more stops helping.