reconfigure or new build?: Blue Iris and Plex combo box

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digity

Member
Jun 3, 2017
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I currently have my Blue Iris build in a 1.5U rackmount case w/ Core i3-8100 & mini-itx mobo (full specs below). The problem is CPU temps is currently an issue as it's hitting 180+ degrees F - likely due to the lack of air flow (the front case fans are blocked by the RAM modules, the 1U CPU cooler side pushes air into a mobo component heat sink and there's no rear exhaust fans).

To add to this, I want to migrate my Plex installation to the same build so I can decommission an underutilized hypervisor. I figure I'll have to upgrade to at least a 6 core/12 thread CPU and add at least a mid-range Nvidia graphics card (for hardware-accelerated streaming in Plex). Obviously this case isn't going to cut it anymore. I still want to have this build in a rackmount case, so things are nice and orderly in one place.

Based on the info above and the specs below, any recommendations on a case that has good airflow for 95 watt/i7+ 9th gen. CPU, but 2U or smaller? If that's not feasible, I'm open to a brand new build or all-in-one rackmountable solution - any recommendations on anything that'll handle a Blue Iris + Plex box?



Blue Iris build (current):
ARK IPC-1.5U1525 1.5U Rackmount Mini-ITX Server Case
ASRock H370M-ITX/ac mini-ITX mobo
Intel Core i3-8100 CPU
16 GB DDR4 RAM
2 x 4K streams, 4 x 720p streams - CPU is 45% idle, 100% during alert/clip playback


Plex build (current):
Docker running in ESXi Ubuntu VM w/ 24 vCPU (1.8 GHz), 24 GB vRAM
Hypervisor: VMware ESXi 6.5 u1 on HP ProLiant DL380p dual XEON E5-2651 v2 1.8 GHz 24 core/48 thread LGA2011 CPU, 192 GB DDR3 ECC RAM and local datastore on 8 x 180 GB SSD in RAID 5
20% of streams are transcoded (50% of those are 4k) - when transcoding CPU jumps to 1500 to 2000% (i.e., utilizing 15x to 20x 1.8 GHz threads)