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Fanless Computer with PCI-E Expansion


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I have been reading this websites forum postings for over a year. What a great site. This is my first post. I currenctly use a low end PC to stream music to my system and I am tired of the background noise it puts out. I am ready to jump to a fanless PC. I have read the CAPS forums extensively and want to assemble my own server. I currently own the Elfidelity USB card which I would like to continue using for now with the intention of upgrading later.

 

I would like to ask the community if anyone has found a fanless unit with a PCI-E slot that is capable of solid streaming and rendering. The closest candidate I have found is this unit from Shuttle on Amazon.

 

[h=1]Shuttle XPC SH170R6 SFF Intel Skylake H170 Chipset LGA1151 i3/i5/i7/Pentium, Support 4K HD Video, Dual-channel DDR4 Max 64GB[/h]

http://www.amazon.com/Shuttle-SH170R6-Skylake-Chipset-Dual-channel/dp/B016B6B6GI/ref=sr_1_3?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1453675592&sr=1-3&keywords=shuttle+pc

 

While the CPU has a heat pipe cooling mechanism the power supply has a fan. Of course the power supply could be replaced with a Teradac power supply.

 

 

Has anyone found a better candidate with a PCI-E slot. I would like to keep this project under $700

 

[h=1][/h]

Thank you for any input you can share.

EtherRegen powered by Sonore UltraCap LPS1.2 -> Optical Cable ->OpticalRendu powered by SGC 50w LPS -> Ghent silver plated ->star quad USB (JSSG360)->Denafrips Hermes DDC -> i2S HDMI (Clocked by Terminator Dac via BNC)->Denafrips Terminator II Dac->Linear Tube Audio Preamplifier->Melody 845M Monoblocks -> Silversmith Fidelium Speaker Cables->Pure Audio Project Trio15 Coaxial Open Baffle Speakers->2X SVS 4000 Subwoofers->All connected to PSAudio P10 Power Plant

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You could also try a picoPSU with a brick in place of the power supply with fan if it doesn't exceed the power rating. Less hassle and cost than a Teradac. Upgrade to a LPS to supply the pico later. I use one without problems in my server.

 

picoPSU-160-XT, 160watt (200watt peak) , 12V input DC-DC ATX Power Supply

 

 

This is a great bit of kit. I already own a 2x 4-12v El Cheapo Linear Power Supply I use to power my ElFidelity USB card and Regen. The picoPSU and another El Cheapo seems like a much more affordable power supply than theTeradac "Have a Fever" PSU for computer.

EtherRegen powered by Sonore UltraCap LPS1.2 -> Optical Cable ->OpticalRendu powered by SGC 50w LPS -> Ghent silver plated ->star quad USB (JSSG360)->Denafrips Hermes DDC -> i2S HDMI (Clocked by Terminator Dac via BNC)->Denafrips Terminator II Dac->Linear Tube Audio Preamplifier->Melody 845M Monoblocks -> Silversmith Fidelium Speaker Cables->Pure Audio Project Trio15 Coaxial Open Baffle Speakers->2X SVS 4000 Subwoofers->All connected to PSAudio P10 Power Plant

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I would love to buy a SGC unit but at $1200 its more than I would like to invest at this point. I am on the look put for a used CAPS unit be it DIY or a SGC unit.

 

Not sure about costs ... but first place to look is Small Green Computer. They somewhat specialise in bespoke "audio" computers.

 

Second do you want / need something off the shelf? If not look at Streacom's line of fanless cases which you can build something to your needs using.

EtherRegen powered by Sonore UltraCap LPS1.2 -> Optical Cable ->OpticalRendu powered by SGC 50w LPS -> Ghent silver plated ->star quad USB (JSSG360)->Denafrips Hermes DDC -> i2S HDMI (Clocked by Terminator Dac via BNC)->Denafrips Terminator II Dac->Linear Tube Audio Preamplifier->Melody 845M Monoblocks -> Silversmith Fidelium Speaker Cables->Pure Audio Project Trio15 Coaxial Open Baffle Speakers->2X SVS 4000 Subwoofers->All connected to PSAudio P10 Power Plant

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Dieter

 

Thats a whole lot of research. I appreciate it but the main criteria I am looking for is a PCI-E expansion slot so that I can use a Audiophile USB card like the SOTM, Paul Pang or JCAT. I currently have the ElFidelity card. All of these cards allow you to power them via an external power supply which eliminates noise generated by the computer. From what I understand the creator of this site Chris C has worked with SOTM to create a USB card that will work using an mSATA port. This is done in conjunction with the SOTM SATA noise filter. While I sure this is a great solution which allows the use of a lot more of the mini PC available it is out of my budget. What I am trying to find is a mini PC or bare board that retains a PCI-E expansion slot so my ELFidelity card can be used. As budget permits I can then upgrade to a better card in the future.

EtherRegen powered by Sonore UltraCap LPS1.2 -> Optical Cable ->OpticalRendu powered by SGC 50w LPS -> Ghent silver plated ->star quad USB (JSSG360)->Denafrips Hermes DDC -> i2S HDMI (Clocked by Terminator Dac via BNC)->Denafrips Terminator II Dac->Linear Tube Audio Preamplifier->Melody 845M Monoblocks -> Silversmith Fidelium Speaker Cables->Pure Audio Project Trio15 Coaxial Open Baffle Speakers->2X SVS 4000 Subwoofers->All connected to PSAudio P10 Power Plant

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Logic Supply seems to have some good options. Thanks

EtherRegen powered by Sonore UltraCap LPS1.2 -> Optical Cable ->OpticalRendu powered by SGC 50w LPS -> Ghent silver plated ->star quad USB (JSSG360)->Denafrips Hermes DDC -> i2S HDMI (Clocked by Terminator Dac via BNC)->Denafrips Terminator II Dac->Linear Tube Audio Preamplifier->Melody 845M Monoblocks -> Silversmith Fidelium Speaker Cables->Pure Audio Project Trio15 Coaxial Open Baffle Speakers->2X SVS 4000 Subwoofers->All connected to PSAudio P10 Power Plant

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