diff --git a/server/src/services/media.service.spec.ts b/server/src/services/media.service.spec.ts
index 637e5fa248..6c568f3625 100644
--- a/server/src/services/media.service.spec.ts
+++ b/server/src/services/media.service.spec.ts
@@ -2053,14 +2053,19 @@ describe(MediaService.name, () => {
           twoPass: false,
         },
       );
+    });
 
-      storageMock.readdir.mockResolvedValue(['renderD129', 'renderD128']);
+    it('should prefer higher index gpu node', async () => {
+      storageMock.readdir.mockResolvedValue(['renderD129', 'renderD130', 'renderD128']);
+      mediaMock.probe.mockResolvedValue(probeStub.matroskaContainer);
+      configMock.load.mockResolvedValue([{ key: SystemConfigKey.FFMPEG_ACCEL, value: TranscodeHWAccel.VAAPI }]);
+      assetMock.getByIds.mockResolvedValue([assetStub.video]);
       await sut.handleVideoConversion({ id: assetStub.video.id });
       expect(mediaMock.transcode).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
         '/original/path.ext',
         'upload/encoded-video/user-id/as/se/asset-id.mp4',
         {
-          inputOptions: ['-init_hw_device vaapi=accel:/dev/dri/renderD129', '-filter_hw_device accel'],
+          inputOptions: ['-init_hw_device vaapi=accel:/dev/dri/renderD130', '-filter_hw_device accel'],
           outputOptions: [
             `-c:v h264_vaapi`,
             '-c:a copy',
diff --git a/server/src/services/media.service.ts b/server/src/services/media.service.ts
index 00623cecbe..8a4ca4ce3e 100644
--- a/server/src/services/media.service.ts
+++ b/server/src/services/media.service.ts
@@ -50,7 +50,8 @@ import { usePagination } from 'src/utils/pagination';
 export class MediaService {
   private configCore: SystemConfigCore;
   private storageCore: StorageCore;
-  private hasOpenCL?: boolean = undefined;
+  private openCL: boolean | null = null;
+  private devices: string[] | null = null;
 
   constructor(
     @Inject(IAssetRepository) private assetRepository: IAssetRepository,
@@ -492,36 +493,21 @@ export class MediaService {
 
   private async getHWCodecConfig(config: SystemConfigFFmpegDto) {
     let handler: VideoCodecHWConfig;
-    let devices: string[];
     switch (config.accel) {
       case TranscodeHWAccel.NVENC: {
         handler = new NVENCConfig(config);
         break;
       }
       case TranscodeHWAccel.QSV: {
-        devices = await this.storageRepository.readdir('/dev/dri');
-        handler = new QSVConfig(config, devices);
+        handler = new QSVConfig(config, await this.getDevices());
         break;
       }
       case TranscodeHWAccel.VAAPI: {
-        devices = await this.storageRepository.readdir('/dev/dri');
-        handler = new VAAPIConfig(config, devices);
+        handler = new VAAPIConfig(config, await this.getDevices());
         break;
       }
       case TranscodeHWAccel.RKMPP: {
-        if (this.hasOpenCL === undefined) {
-          try {
-            const maliIcdStat = await this.storageRepository.stat('/etc/OpenCL/vendors/mali.icd');
-            const maliDeviceStat = await this.storageRepository.stat('/dev/mali0');
-            this.hasOpenCL = maliIcdStat.isFile() && maliDeviceStat.isCharacterDevice();
-          } catch {
-            this.logger.warn('OpenCL not available for transcoding, using CPU instead.');
-            this.hasOpenCL = false;
-          }
-        }
-
-        devices = await this.storageRepository.readdir('/dev/dri');
-        handler = new RKMPPConfig(config, devices, this.hasOpenCL);
+        handler = new RKMPPConfig(config, await this.getDevices(), await this.hasOpenCL());
         break;
       }
       default: {
@@ -572,4 +558,27 @@ export class MediaService {
 
     return extractedSize >= targetSize;
   }
+
+  private async getDevices() {
+    if (!this.devices) {
+      this.devices = await this.storageRepository.readdir('/dev/dri');
+    }
+
+    return this.devices;
+  }
+
+  private async hasOpenCL() {
+    if (this.openCL === null) {
+      try {
+        const maliIcdStat = await this.storageRepository.stat('/etc/OpenCL/vendors/mali.icd');
+        const maliDeviceStat = await this.storageRepository.stat('/dev/mali0');
+        this.openCL = maliIcdStat.isFile() && maliDeviceStat.isCharacterDevice();
+      } catch {
+        this.logger.warn('OpenCL not available for transcoding, using CPU instead.');
+        this.openCL = false;
+      }
+    }
+
+    return this.openCL;
+  }
 }