Is a CAPS style PC still the way to go?

[rando]

It really comes down to use case and what works best in your system.  Upsampling to DSD512 with high end server processors or CUDA cores is closer to the next iteration of CAPS.  Pi/NUC has it's place as well but you'll have best results if you spread the lost capabilities thickly over the rest of your chain.  Especially in power and signal integrity.  Do a search here if you are considering the latter option which has been very heavily covered.  

 

A number of people have been reconsidering their CAPS servers end of life.  I'm sure a more detailed description of your needs would help make your best options clearer.  Basically you either go very big or very small.  The latest i7 describes a middle ground  best avoided unless you really need to be there out of something other than habit.  In the last generation performance had already moved clearly into the Extreme chip category.