Hardware and Operating Systems
Recommended hardware for your server.
Hardware Selection
Processor
Using Integrated Graphics
Most desktop Intel and Apple-branded processors made since ~2021 will be sufficient for running Jellyfin, however AMD processors are not recommended. Below is a list of good processor options:
- Intel Core i5 11400, 11500, 11600, 12400, 12500, 12600, 13400, 13500, 13600, 14400, 14500, and 14600
- Intel Core i7 11700, 12700, 13700, and 14700
- Intel Core i9 11900, 12900, 13900, and 14900
- Apple M1, M2, M3, M4, and M5 (Including Pro, Max, and Ultra variants)
Many of the Intel processors have options with letters appended to the end of the model. Avoid models with “F” or “KF”, as those do not have integrated graphics. This will result in no desktop image without a seperate video card and Jellyfin being unable to transcode content. Models with “U”, “H”, or “P” appended to the model are designed for mobile devices. Such processors will work, however performance will be lesser than the equivalent desktop processor.
Using Dedicated Graphics
If you’re planning on doing a lot of transcoding, streaming 4K video, or allowing many people access to your server, a dedigated graphics card may be a good idea.
Since the integrated graphics on the processor will not be responsible for server use, additional processor options become available. Below is a list of additional processor options:
- Intel Core i5 8400, 8500, 8600, 9400, 9500, 9600, 10400, 10500, and 10600
- Intel Core i7 8700, 8086K, 9700, and 10700
- Intel Core i9 9900, 10850, and 10900
- AMD Ryzen 5 2500, 2600, 3500, 3600, 4500, 4600, 5500, 5600, 7400, 7500, 7600, 8400, 8500, 8600, 9500, and 9600
- AMD Ryzen 7 2700, 3700, 3800, 4700, 5700, 5800, 7700, 7800, 8700, 9700, 9800, and 9850
- AMD Ryzen 9 3950, 5900, 7900, 7950, 9900, and 9950
In addition to the Intel processors listed, models with “F” or “KF” appended to the model will work, since the integrated graphics will not be needed.
Many of the AMD processors have “G”, “XT”, “F”, “X”, and/or “X3D” variants. Any models with any of those identifiers will work. Similar to Intel, models with “U” or “H” identifiers are primarily used in mobile devices and will have lesser performance compared to the equivalent desktop processor.
Storage
The amount of storage required in your server will depend on what kinds of media you intend to store, how much media you will be storing, and the quality if your media. Additionally, less storage is necessary if you compress media from its original state. Below is a list of the storage required for several common types of media:
| Media Type | Storage Required |
|---|---|
| Photo | 1-10 megabytes |
| eBook | 1 megabyte - 1 gigabyte |
| Phone Video | 40-500 megabytes/min |
| CD | 700 megabytes |
| VHS Tape | 1-15 gigabytes/hr |
| DVD | 4.7-8.5 gigabytes |
| Blu-Ray | 25-50 gigabytes |
| 4K Blu-Ray | 50-100 gigabytes |
Based on the numbers above, here are a few use cases and the amount of storage I would recommend:
- For backing up photos and videos from your phone or camera, it’s unlikely you’ll need more than 1 terabyte of storage.
- Similarly, if you back up CDs to your server, you shouldn’t need more than 1 terabyte, unless you have a very extensive collection.
- If you will be backing up DVDs and/or VHS tapes, 2-4 terabytes should be enough storage; Extensive collections may require 6-8 terabytes.
- Archiving Blu-Ray discs to your server will require a lot of storage. A small to medium collection would require about 10-20 terabytes, while an extensive collection may require at least 50 terabytes.
Hardware Notes
If choosing a graphics card for transcoding, avoid all AMD cards and any card made before ~2016. When using the default settings, the encoder in AMD cards do not perform as well as the encoder in Intel and Nvidia cards. As for age, most cards dating back to the Nvidia 10-series and Intel Arc A-series will support most encoding formats. For AV1 encoding, all recent Intel cards will work, however Nvidia did not introduce the feature until the RTX 40-series.
For a server running windows, 16-32 gigabytes of memory is recommended for the system. On lighter-weight Linux systems, 8 gigabytes will work fine for a basic server, however if additional programs (such as VPNs, antivirus, archival tools, etc.) will also be running, 16 gigabytes would be a better option.
Operating Systems
Windows
For most users, Windows is the best operating system option for setting up a server. In general, software will be easy to install, there will be fewer compatibility issues, and more resources will be available for help.
Linux
For more advanced and/or technically inclined users, Linux can provide a lighter and more configurable setting to run a server. Many versions of Linux will require use of the command line for full functionality, however, this can also provide more power and usability.