I’m looking to create a Plex/media server so my family and I can stream our Blu-rays. It would also serve as a cloud of sorts. This is my first time making a server. A thorough search on the i3 has been made, but I remain unsure if an 8 yo processor will meet my needs.
At most, we would be streaming on one or two devices. Aside from that, the storage would just be a nifty way to keep my photos off of iCloud. I plan on making it redundant, but I need to get my hands on another 8TB drive.
If you own the hardware, sure, use it. It will suffice.
If you plan on buying this ancient hardware, do not do it!
There is some really anecdotal evidence from the other comments.
Check out Haswell capabilities https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_Quick_Sync_Video
It decodes h.264 and that’s about it. Yes, plex does not transcode for free but hardware is hardware. Spending money on obsolete, lacking hardware is not wise.
If you are buying, go for 6th gen, 8th gen or 11th gen. These are the sweetspots that are either cheap, widely available or very capable.