PORCOOLPINE

[bobfa]

So are you afraid of ESD?  Does the thought of Arctic Silver Heatsink Paste make you go cold?  Are you fearful of Phillips screwdrivers?

 

Do you still want to play with the NUC?  

 

I  have found the Goldilocks computer for you.  Semi-Custom Fan-less NUC using the Dawson Canyon boards, we have come to love! Orderable with Optane SSD and much more.  The system is fully warranted and you can extend the warranty.  You can order it with our without an OS installed.  (At least get Ubuntu installed for backup and order a USB stick from them)

 

Simply NUC has a custom build that is perfect:  https://simplynuc.com.  At the top of the page see the custom NUC button.

 

Click that and scroll down to the Fanless case section and pick the i7 model.

 

The options I have selected above are "perfect" for a NUC to run Roon Server, etc.  Get Ubuntu installed so the machine has something to run when you start up.  The PORCOOLPINE comes with a power supply so you can get going right away.

 

I purchased my Dawson Canyon board from them so I am only a happy customer.  I was going to have a model of these custom built for resale, but there was not enough interest and my budget would not allow speculation.

 

You can get an upgraded power supply at some point. You can order any of the options you would like.  

 

I just did an Euphony OS setup post that you can follow or you can setup Audio Linux from my NUC build post:

 

 

 

 

 

HAVE FUN

 

Bob

 

Here is an interesting review of the PORCOOLPINE from another site:

 

https://techsterweb.com/2019/01/27/porcoolpine/

[rickca]

PORCOOLPINE is an absolutely great option.

[dc-audiogeek]

Dang, I wish this customization option was available when I bought my Mac Mini. I like the Mini, but it doesn't play well with Linux (AL or Euphony). If I had it to do over again, I'd get this.

[tomjtx]

Bob, I have a question. My thought with this would be to also add a terabyte SSD to my order. Is there any reason not to do that ?

 

I currently use my MacBook Pro as my server with Roon to an UltrRendu>Kii controller> Kii speakers.

[bobfa]

I assume that you would use the SSD as Music Storage?   You can do that with no problem.  Is 1TB enough?

 

I would note that most of the folks playing with the NUC machines are not using any SATA storage devices to reduce potential electical noise injection.  I built my own server and it is setup with a USB 3 external drive that is separately powered.

 

 

[tomjtx]

3 minutes ago, bobfa said:

I assume that you would use the SSD as Music Storage?   You can do that with no problem.  Is 1TB enough?

 

I would note that most of the folks playing with the NUC machines are not using any SATA storage devices to reduce potential electical noise injection.  I built my own server and it is setup with a USB 3 external drive that is separately powered.

 

 

 

Thanks, Bob. I was thinking an external drive might be preferable.

[bobfa]

32 minutes ago, tomjtx said:

 

Thanks, Bob. I was thinking an external drive might be preferable.

Take a look at what I did with my server.  

 

 

I have a multi-rail supply I am using. the HDPLEX 200.  IS working for me.

[shyamwanne]

HI Bobfa,

 

Thanks so much for the wealth of information you have shared.   

 

I have been reading about the benefit of upgrading the clocks on the NUCs.   Have you tried upgrading the clocks or USB card on the PORCOOLPINE?  Could one also put the Euphony OS on an Optane Drive on this?   Thanks:)d

[bobfa]

It is my understanding that you can get the clocks updated by SoTM.  I think there is some indication that it might not be worth doing. It may be better to do a higher power endpoint — lots of words in the past few weeks.  Look in the Euphony threads.

[TheAttorney]

After a few months of Porcoolpine ownership, I thought I'd add some comments on this no-fuss fanless server:

 

1. I had previously posted on the Euphony setup thread that my only Porcoolpine reservation was that its DC power socket seemed to be larger than the normal 2.5mm ID. After some email correspondence with SimplyNUC, it transpires that the DC socket (as are all the sockets) is exactly what comes with the NUC board - in my case the top-of-the-range 7i7DN board, and this does indeed have a 2.5mm ID socket. My issue had been with the el cheapo converter plug that I had temporarily used. I subsequently confirmed that both Switchcraft and Oyaide 2.5mm plugs work fine with Porcoolpine. So now I have no reservations at all.

 

2. The Porcoolpine comes bundled with a walwart 19V power supply, which is adequate to get started, but a better power supply is vital for best SQ (Paul Hynes SR7 is my case).

 

3. I ordered mine with the 32Gb Optane drive (and no other SSD). By default, SimplyNUC assume that the Optane is to be used in Cache mode (as that is what it was designed for). After some email correspondence, I managed to get them to pre-configure the Optane as SSD drive (pre-installed with free Ubuntu to get me started, plus an Ubuntu recovery USB stick in case I get into trouble with my Euphony install - I didn't as it happened). I got the impression that the SimplyNUC techies were a bit bemused that I was using Optane in that manner (those crazy audiophiles), but they did it anyway and everything worked as expected.

 

4. To access the DN board, you only need to unscrew the bottom plate to get to the sockets should you need to change memory, or SSD, or replace the WIFI/Bluetooth card. 

 

5. The WIFI/Bluetooth card is included by default. It takes up the smaller of the two M.2. sockets, and has two wires connected to the end panel,where there are screw terminals for two external antennae. I chose to keep this option and found it very convenient for my KISS objective. To minimise RFI, I only used only one of the external antennae. This still probably isn't the best configuration for SQ, but I haven't noticed any obvious SQ issues, at least not when using Euphony Stylus.

 

6. In the flesh, Porcoolpine (Porky) looks really cute - more so than I had imagined from the photos. It's wider than the standard NUC, but still very compact. I have no hesitation in recommending it as a compact, no-fuss fanless NUC. I was also impressed with the service from SimplyNUC - my correspondence was with the UK branch, but they included the techies in the US for my various Optane questions. They can supply other configurations, if possible and practical, that are not included in the online drop-downs.

 

7. My biggest surprise was that SQ significantly improved when I placed Porky onto 3 modestly priced Clearlight RDC audiophile cones. These were whatever I had in my spares box, but I'm sure other footers will provide benefit too - worth experimenting, and I expect the same will apply to standard NUC enclosures as well.