All in One vs HTPC/Server

First I understand that separating out the HTPC and Server is a good idea, but I am just curious on how many people out there actually have an "all in one" system.

My current setup is basically an all in one, however in the past I have gone overboard with a server with over 10 hard drives, it was a beast of a machine.

Today I am into more of the simplistic ways to home entertainment, even though my system is a little long in the tooth it is still a workhorse, serving as my HTPC with Ceton TV and Media Browser, Plex server and local internet surfing. The one thing that I did wrong with this is go cheap on the case, which I am paying for now. I have taken all of my movies and converted from Video_TS to MP4, which has saved tons of room, however I need to add another HDD which I do not have room for.

So if you have a minute please share your thoughts and setups.

Thank you!

I run an all in one server/gaming PC. Don't have time to mess with both. Backup regularly and done with it.

I have an Antec ISK 600 acting as my plex/ file server, it has 3 hdds a 3tb red as the os drive, 8tb and 5tb seagate smr drives for media storage, basically running on an i3-4370 and Asus itx combo. Then plex on Roku, smart TVs and phones / tablets. I also picked up an Orinco Dual dock drive usb 3.0 adapter from Amazon for $25 that works surprisingly well if I need more storage in the future. I can do about 4 trans-codes to 1080p or so at a time. I have a haupage usb tunner, but my cable cut off unencrypted QAM so no ideas for you about that stuff.

thekipper said:

I run an all in one server/gaming PC. Don't have time to mess with both. Backup regularly and done with it.

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I completely agree, I do not have the time now to really tinker with it like I did 7 years ago. I enjoy just adding the movie here and there and just relaxing and watching the movie.

I have my HTPC in the living room, that doubles as my server also.

All of my backups from multiple machines go to the HTPC on a weekly basis. It hosts all my media, as well as a plex server for the house. All on a wired gigabit network (except for phones and tablets). Runs awesome, and sips power.

I had a Z77 all in one and it worked great. I parted it out on February and I'm building a new Skylake system next week. I plan to move from Flexraid (from the last rig) to Drivepool for this one. Cloud backups are through Crashplan.

Here's the build (all parts are in the mail and arrive the first half of next week). It's overkill but it'll last for years and I allows me tons of storage space and to add a video card down the road. I won the power supply in an [H] lucky draw by the way (Thanks Seasonic and H).

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U9S 46.4 CFM CPU Cooler
Motherboard: Asus MAXIMUS VIII GENE Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory
Storage: Samsung 850 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
Storage: Western Digital Red Pro 6TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Storage: Western Digital Red Pro 6TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Storage: Western Digital Red Pro 6TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Storage: Western Digital Red Pro 6TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Case: Silverstone GD08B (Black) HTPC Case
Power Supply: SeaSonic Snow Silent 750W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply
Optical Drive: LG WH14NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit)

What did you use to covert to MP4? Batch job? Any loss in quality?

I used Handbrake, created a TV and Movie setting,.

All in one system here too and I intend to keep it that way when I rebuild it in the next month. I dont have time, space or the need for a separate storage server. So I use it for gaming, hosting plex, backups, VM's and etc.

The current system has a raid 5 of 3 x 2tb drives. The next system will be a raid 10 with 4 x 2tb drives. Just as now I backup the array once a month to a cold drive.

Some of the advantages to an HTPC plus server based approach:

Size. The HTPC can be very very small without the need for mass storage. It can easily sit in a cabinet, on a table top, or be mounted behind the display.

Noise and heat. Removing all of the spinning hard drives from the HTPC means it can be silent or very nearly so. And the heat from such a machine is considerably less.

Centralized storage. You can feed multiple HTPCs from a central server. If you can locate that server out of the way, like in a basement or utility room, there are few restrictions on its design. It can have lots of drives, lots of fans, it can be large, it can have a million blinking lights. Not so if it's sitting in your living room.

Before virtualization i would have said separate as well. In fact that's what I ran for quite some time. However, over the years my power bill hasn't been looking too happy and a lot of those problems are due the many computers I had running to accomplish different tasks. Regardless of how power efficient you are with purchases 3 or 4 systems will not be as power efficient as one really power efficient all in one.

Essentially what I'm working on now is one server that powers my linux desktop, my windows desktop, my HTPC and my file server all together. The benefit of this is when I'm not gaming on it then my overall power foot print is really no more than the one file server which would be running anyway.