Stream and transcode a 4K library to every screen in the house. A modern media engine (Intel Quick Sync or AMD VCN) does the heavy lifting — the CPU barely matters, and low idle power keeps a 24/7 server cheap.
Intel Quick Sync is the best-supported option in Plex and Jellyfin, handling several 4K HDR → 1080p transcodes with tone mapping even on an N100. AMD VCN works but has weaker tone-mapping support.
AV1 and HEVC 10-bit decode keep modern files playable. Every chip we list decodes HEVC; AV1 decode arrived with Intel 12th gen / N100 and AMD Radeon 680M+.
Media libraries grow fast. Look for multiple NVMe slots, a 2.5" bay, or 2.5GbE to reach a NAS for bulk storage.
As a home-theatre PC it sits near the TV — prefer passive or low-RPM cooling and HDMI 2.1 with HDR passthrough.
Quick Sync with AV1 decode at ~6 W idle — handles multiple 4K → 1080p Plex and Jellyfin transcodes for under $200.
| Graphics (iGPU) | Intel UHD (24 EU) |
| Memory Architecture | 1x DDR4/DDR5 SODIMM (Up to 32GB) |
| Storage Exp. | 1x M.2 NVMe + 1x 2.5" SATA |
| Idle Power | 5W – 8W |
| Est. Barebone Cost | $120 - $180 |
OPNsense Firewall, Pi-hole, Plex DirectPlay, lightweight Proxmox cluster nodes.
Same Quick Sync engine with more cores and drive slots — media server and NAS in one box.
| Graphics (iGPU) | Intel UHD 32 EU |
| Memory Architecture | 1x SODIMM DDR5 4800MHz |
| Storage Exp. | Up to 4x M.2 NVMe + 2x SATA |
| Idle Power | 9W – 15W |
| Est. Barebone Cost | $220 - $310 |
High-bandwidth TrueNAS SCALE box, multi-tenant router, localized NVR security server.
Arc Xe-LPG media engine with AV1 encode — many simultaneous streams plus fast video editing.
| Graphics (iGPU) | Intel Arc Graphics (8 Xe-cores) |
| Memory Architecture | Dual DDR5 5600 SODIMM |
| Storage Exp. | 2x M.2 PCIe 4.0 |
| Idle Power | 11W – 17W |
| Est. Barebone Cost | $520 - $720 |
Intel QuickSync 8K AV1 transcoding, media engineering, desktop virtualization.
The newest Quick Sync engine with 8K decode and very low idle draw — best for large libraries and Frigate.
| Graphics (iGPU) | Intel Arc B390 (12 Xe3-cores) |
| Memory Architecture | LPDDR5X-9600 soldered (X-series) or DDR5-7200 SODIMM |
| Storage Exp. | 2x M.2 PCIe 4.0 / 5.0 (chassis dependent) |
| Idle Power | 5W – 10W |
| Est. Barebone Cost | $850 - $1,600 |
Quick Sync media servers and editing, efficient always-on workstations, 1080p gaming on the iGPU, on-device AI with OpenVINO.
| Media engine | Intel Quick Sync (UHD / Arc) — or AMD VCN |
| Codecs | HEVC 10-bit and AV1 hardware decode |
| Network | 2.5GbE for remote streams and NAS access |
| Storage | Room for 2+ drives, or a fast link to a NAS |
| Power | Under 10 W idle |
| Graphics | Intel UHD Graphics (24 EU) |
| Memory | 16GB LPDDR5-4800 soldered (12GB option) |
| Storage | 6x M.2 2230/2242/2280 (1x PCIe 3.0 x4 + 5x PCIe 3.0 x1), Up to 24TB |
| Idle Power | 6W – 7W (no drives) · ~17W with six SSDs |
| Price | $525 (N150/16GB/1TB) |
Intel N100 / N305 Micro Node
| Graphics | Intel Arc B390 (12 Xe cores, 2.5 GHz, 122 TOPS INT8) |
| Memory | LPDDR5X-8533 onboard (64GB) |
| Storage | 2x M.2 2280 (PCIe 5.0 x4 + PCIe 4.0 x1, up to 8TB each) |
| Idle Power | Not published |
| Price | $2,399.99 (64GB/1TB) |
Intel Panther Lake Core Ultra X9 388H / X7 358H