

- #4k plex on mac mini 1080p
- #4k plex on mac mini install
- #4k plex on mac mini upgrade
- #4k plex on mac mini pro
I connected my MacBook Pro Retina 13-inch to the Samsung F900 panel and it too only supports 30 Hz output, which won’t fly for video playback. If you’re thinking of connecting a Mac to a 4K panel, beware. The only Macs that will do 4K justice are those that have a discrete graphics card – and you’ll probably need a $3K Mac Pro to do it right. The mini’s poor video performance is a result of its underpowered Intel Iris Graphics. It results in choppy, unwatchable playback. I was optimistic that Apple would properly support 4K (UHD, 2160p) after early Yosemite rumors claimed that it would. When connected to my 65-inch Sammy 4K TV, the 2014 Mac mini can only muster a paltry 30 Hertz refresh rate, which is unacceptable for video. (Tons of people also swear by Plex but I haven’t taken the time to set it up.) A Mac mini is great in a media center computer, there’s nothing like having a real web browser for watching live streams and video podcasts and VLC media player is the de facto standard for playing every video CODEC known to mankind.
#4k plex on mac mini 1080p
I’ve used a Mac mini connected to a 1080p panel in my living room for years, and it’s always worked great. Yes, there are motherboards with two LAN ports.I purchased a Samsung 4K television (a UN65F9000) for our family room and was super-excited to buy a late-2014 Mac mini ( Macmini7,1, model A1347) to complete our entertainment center. The problem is that the Mac mini’s anemic GPU can’t drive a 4K display at a fast enough refresh rate to play smooth video, which is a bummer. For example, as of today, people seem to be having more difficulty getting Z390 to work than Z370.

My iPhone and iPad also plays everything without the need to transcode.įor your hackintosh, chipset choice is important.
#4k plex on mac mini upgrade
If/when I decide to move to 4K content, I would just upgrade my Apple TV to a 4K version and, again, eliminate the need to transcode. The Apple TV plays everything without the need for any transcoding. Personally, I run Plex server on my NAS (Atom C2550 CPU) and use an Apple TV 4 (not the 4K version) as a client. Look for some low end, low power CPUs with Quick Sync and 4K should not be a problem. In such a scenario, you might be better off upgrading the Plex clients with hardware that can play 4K content without transcoding.

As far as I know, the i9-7980XE doesn't have Quick Sync. I don't know if Plex server utilizes Quick Sync for transcoding. Even an i9-7980XE (an 18 core CPU) only scores 27862 in PassMark and may still not be able to transcode two streams simultaneously. Transcoding four 4K videos simultaneously, will require some really serious horsepower. That was over 3 years ago and I continue to use the basic macOS installation, albeit updated from El Capitan to Sierra to High Sierra to Mojave.Īccording to the Plex support page, transcoding 4K to 1080p will require 12000 to 17000 PassMark score per stream.

This is exactly what I did when I transitioned from my old Mac Pro to a hackintosh.
#4k plex on mac mini install
It's much easier and avoids having to do a clean install of macOS, reinstalling all the apps, and configuring everything again. But I think it's easier to just transplant the drives from your Mac Pro to the hackintosh. The difference between it and the i7-8550U seem negligible.Īs for whether you can Time Machine to the hackintosh, I've personally never tried it, but others have reported success. If your current Xeon is enough for your transcoding needs, I think either of these CPU options would also suffice. The i7-8700T with a 35W TDP or an i7-855U with a TDP of 10W both meet the 8000 PassMark score requirement and would save you a ton of electricity when compared to your current Xeon. Assuming that your server is on 24/7, it only makes sense to use the most energy efficient components as possible. Therefore, for four 1080p streams, you will need at least an 8000 PassMark score. Building a CustoMac Hackintosh: Buyer's Guide
