Dell Inspiron 3880 Desktop: i3-10100 Quad-Core, 8GB DDR4, 256GB SSD Expired

The Intel drivers are up to date. Running 1 transcode (4K, 15.4Mbps -> 2160p, 15.4Mbps) bumps the CPU utilization from <5% to 50/60%. Memory/RAM usage jumps from 50%/60% ->75%. Plus buffering every 2 min.
Plex Transcode (32bit) -> 55% CPU, 32% GPU, 948MB RAM
PMS -> 0.6% CPU, 200MB
Everything else is less than 0.5% CPU

The same file on Kodi ran like a dream. Plex has become a running joke in my home now ("So now we are back to Kodi")

What's the date on the Intel video driver you're using?

That's surprising. Plex is very good, particularly with PlexPass.

What's the client that's forcing the transcode?

Are subs in use?

There are a few easy things we can check if you're interested. You can also post a pic of your Plex Dashboard, as that has useful information to answer some of the 'why' questions. Transcoding from 2160 TO 2160, both at 15.4mbps, makes no sense; something isn't working as it should.

Driver Date: 4/21/2009
File version: 10.0.19041.546 (WinBuild 160101.0800)
Clients:

• Nvidia Shield 2017,
• Google Chromecast,
• laptop (Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-8250U CPU @ 1.60GHz, 1800 Mhz, 4 Core(s), 8 Logical Processor(s)

Subs used: always....

Snapshot of the dashboard attached

So many things...
1. Driver date of 4/2009 for a new Intel HD 630 graphics iGPU in a 10th gen i3? That makes no sense. Please check and tell me the driver date for the Intel HD 630 graphics you have. It should be (beta) 8/13/2021 or so, if you really have the latest. I would.
2. Never use Chrome for playback testing. It's a complete waste of time; it will need to transcode for everything. Play something back on a device you actually use, and test with that. If you want to test with a computer, download the Plex client for your OS and use that, but personally I suggest using the Shield as an easy testbed.
3. Why does your playback say "remote" ? Assumedly you're on the same network as your i3-10th gen Dell, right?

Let's start with this.

1. Refer attached file 1 with screenshots of driver.
2. Refer attached file 2 with screenshots of dashboard when running the same file on Nvidia
3. My server is hardwired to my AT&T modem/router. The clients are hardwired to my Google Wifi routers, so behind my server.

The main issue is, why does Plex stutter when Kodi doesn't, all other things being the same?

A few thoughts:

1. Driver: Get the latest from Intel. Don't rely on Windows Updates.
2. It appears you are using a i5-8265U, the ultra-low-power laptop CPU. Is that right? If so, can't make performance bets on that, but it should still be fine for 1080p.
3. Dashboard: Still transcoding. Turn off subs for a quick test; does it still transcode?
3a. Fix the remote issue. Put your clients on the same network as your server; right now it isn't. No reason for that (unless you have one, of course)
3b. 192.x.x.x isn't routeable, discoverable, or anything outside of your network. You can freely post those IPs; it's not private data; nobody can get there because it's an internal network.

Thanks for all the help.

1. You're right. Checking on Intel site returned 3 driver updates
   1. Windows® 10 Wi-Fi Drivers for Intel® Wireless Adapters
      Install
   2. Intel® Graphics - Windows® DCH Drivers
   3. Intel® Wireless Bluetooth® for Windows® 10
2. That laptop (i5-8265U) is not used as a client. Was using it for testing today, then moved to the Nvidia shield. The shields are the primary clients.
3. Transcoding w/o subtitles: No change (refer attached file 1)
   1. not on the same network due to wifi coverage issues. Having the google wifi extenders gives me 100-200Mbps at each client, vs the 30-40Mbps speeds w/o it
   2. didn't know that, one more thing I learned today

The i5-8265U is the Plex server, right? That's where the driver update is required.

It's not clear to me why a Shield would need to transcode for normal 4k HDR. https://www.reddit.com/r/nvidiash...s_without/ [reddit.com] says, basically, 'use the plex plugin within Kodi' for better Plexing, which is a bit odd. Once we removed subs, I fully expected the transcoding bit to change to direct play.

I would try attaching those Google wifi extenders via the (Google Wifi Extenders) switchports, not the internet/uplink port, on the main Google Wifi Extender unit. At least, that's how it normally works. Avoid the uplink port, and the Google Router becomes essentially a Google Switch (with wifi).

As a (separate) test, I suggest the following:
0. On the Shield, in it's 'Settings' within Plex, ensure there are no quality or mbps limits for both local and remote networks. Ensure both are set to max or max quality.
1. Get a Shield, fully updated to 8.2.3 or whatever the latest is, and put it on the same network as your Plex server, so that it shows 'local' during playback. Use ethernet.
2. Under Plex/Settings/Transcoder, ensure "Automatic" and "Use HW Transcoding" are selected. If you did "show advanced" there, make sure "very fast" is selected.
3. As ANOTHER test, you could disable HDR Tone Mapping, which should drastically drop CPU requirements when doing 4k transcoding (but that doesn't address why you need transcoding in the first place). But that's another test.
4. Just to confirm that latest Stillwater video is with the latest Intel video driver installed, yes?

I see you're *still* remote, even though you state you're on the same network. In fact, I see when you're playing from 127.0.0.1 you're also listed as remote. Something is fundamentally wrong with your network and your network setup. Having a dual-router setup can do that; I suggest you fix that. Preferred network: Any under Settings/Network may help, but it all depends on how you've set things up.

I cannot guess why the Shield requires transcoding for basic 4k content (without subs). As long as you've set settings to permit full quality playback, and you have no network limits (there's that net-word....see above for my feelings on that) then it should not need to transcode.

The Intel driver update was to fix poor transcoding speed, not the need to transcode itself. It will not impact the need to transcode (or not) at all on the client.

I suggest fixing the issues to narrow down the problem(s) -
1. Fix network so it's flat, or at least so you can test with it being flat for the duration of your test.
2. Get ethernet.
3. Re-test with ethernet and Shield on flat network, so you see what happens in best-case scenario.
4. Confirm this (transcoding) happens with multiple files (does it happen with everything? What's the pattern?) to try to find a solution to 'why'
5. Ensure on your Shield's app Settings that (under Quality) "Automatically Change Quality" is off, and video quality is set to max (but we did that last part already).

Aside from that, I'm starting to be out of ideas.... I assume you're running the latest 1.24.1.4931 or later of Plex.... I can't think of much else to try.