Plex on a VPS: transcoding decides everything
A Plex doing only direct streaming can run on a toaster. But the moment a client demands transcoding — a phone on 4G, a TV that can't read HEVC, PGS subtitles to burn in — the CPU takes it all. Plex's rule of thumb: 2,000 PassMark points per 1080p transcode, 17,000 for a single 4K HDR to 1080p.
That's where the Quantum makes sense: 8 dedicated EPYC Genoa vCores, roughly 24,000 PassMark points — enough for three simultaneous 1080p transcodes or one 4K with software tone mapping. If your library is entirely direct play (compatible clients), a Titan is enough.
Bandwidth: the honest math
A remuxed 4K stream peaks at 80 Mbps; ten 1080p streams transcoded at 8 Mbps each make 80 Mbps sustained. Our 10 Gbps port and uncapped bandwidth aren't a luxury: they're what lets you serve family spread across three time zones without buffering. The New York site covers North America under 90 ms from Europe — plenty for streaming, which tolerates latency unlike gaming.
Clean Docker installation
docker run -d --name plex \
--network=host \
-e PLEX_CLAIM=claim-xxxx \
-v /srv/plex/config:/config \
-v /srv/media:/data \
--restart unless-stopped \
plexinc/pms-docker:latestDisable 4K transcoding in settings (Settings > Transcoder): a software 4K transcode saturates 6 cores and produces a degraded picture. Prefer a "4K = direct play only" policy.
Storage: the real question
A serious library runs 10 to 50 TB — no VPS stores that economically. The topology that works: metadata and Plex database on the VPS's NVMe Gen4 (posters and browsing become instant), media on object storage or a NAS mounted via rclone with cache. The NVMe absorbs the rclone cache and temporary transcode sessions without flinching.
Security: don't expose 32400 blindly
Plex already relays connections through its servers for remote access. If you expose the port directly, go through an HTTPS reverse proxy and enable two-factor authentication on the account. A Shodan scan finds an open Plex within minutes.