DIY Project High Performance Audio PC with high quality wiring

[StreamFidelity]

When I build my last audio PC, I went through some learning phases. For example, that there is not a single PC cable manufacturer in Europe that offers cables from an audiophile point of view. Instead, cheap stripes of the worst kind are mostly used. The cables are often too long and are laid crisscross or rolled up in the PC. It was only with ghentaudio from China that I was able to achieve satisfactory cable quality.

 

 

While fooling around, Bernd von fis Audio and I came up with the idea of building a high-performance audio PC with high-quality cabling together. The signal paths should be short. The audio PC should offer enough power to drive even complex filters or DSD EC modulators of the HQPlayer. It should be completely fanless, i.e. passively cooled. A clean linear power supply is mandatory. The case should be protect against resonances.

 

With this thread I want to report on our project progress. We are grateful for tips.

 

1. Shopping List

 

Below I list the components and the reasons that led to the selection. Of course we try not to let our project budget get out of hand. But we also want to install the best parts or at least very good components in the audio PC.

 

1.1 HDPLEX 2nd Gen H5 Fanless Chassis

 

This is a comparatively inexpensive and elegant case, which offers space for a motherboard with an ATX form factor. With 43cm width it has the "usual" HiFi format and with 11cm height it should fit in anywhere. The case is available in silver (our model) and in black. The passive cooling looks very high quality. It is intended for cooling CPU's with a power (TDP) of 95W.

 

1.2 ASUS ROG MAXIMUS XI FORMULA

 

Choosing the mainboard was not easy. In any case, it should be a gaming board since the power supply is usually better. It almost became the MSI MEG Z390 ACE because it has very good reviews. Unfortunately, it has no HDMI connection, so a graphics card should have been installed. For certain settings, such as BIOS optimizations, a screen has to be connected. So the choice fell on the expensive ASUS ROG MAXIMUS XI FORMULA board. It has some features that are appealing to a passive system. Namely, a very good cooling of important components. It is built very robustly and has an Aquantia 5G LAN connection, which invites you to experiment. Just take a look.

 

1.3 Intel Core i9-9900K (95W TDP), 3.6GHz - 5.0GHz OctaCore - HD Graphics 630

 

The CPU is well known to me for its stability and smooth operation. The new flagship i9-9900KS would also have been nice, but since the 5GHz clocking across all cores is not possible with a passive-cooled system, the i9-9900K remained. With this CPU, conversions from PCM to DSD 512 or the use of EC modulators for DSD 256 are no problem at all with the HQPlayer. 

 

1.4 Corsair DOMINATOR® PLATINUM 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4 DRAM 2400 MHz C10 memory kit

 

Due to their robustness and low latencies, these 16GB RAM are also well-known.

 

1.5 Samsung 970 EVO Plus MZ-V7S250BW - 250 GB SSD

 

Two fast M.2 sockets can be used in the mainboard. A 250 GB SSD is sufficient if the music comes from NAS or from a streaming provider. If you want to have the music in the same device, you can connect 2 x 2 TB = 4 TB. If that is still not enough, connect further SSDs to the 6 x SATA 6Gb / s ports. There is enough space in the HDPLEX fanless chassis.

 

1.6 JCAT USB Card Femto

 

Experience shows that a dedicated USB card with an external power supply is worthwhile. At least when the DAC is controlled via USB. Other cards are also conceivable as an option. For example from Pink Faun.

 

1.7 JCAT NET Card Femto

 

With this card, extremely slim and interference-free network connections can be configured under Windows.

 

1.8 HDPLEX 400W DC-ATX

 

An ATX mainboard also requires an ATX power supply. The HDPLEX 400W DC-ATX converter has proven itself very well here.

 

1.9 Keces P8 Single 20V / 8A + optional 12V / 8A

 

The HDPLEX 200W Linear Power Supply (LPS), which is known to have dissolved in smoke, has not proven itself. Since then, I've been extremely concerned about security. The Keces P8 series has
 
 Over Voltage Protection (OVP).
 Over Current Protection (OCP).
 Under Voltage Protection (UVP).
 Over Temperature Protection (OTP)

 

Reading the power consumption is very practical. The LPS are quite handy, flawlessly processed and load stable. With normal use they only become lukewarm. We will also connect a 12V / 8A Keces directly to the 4-pin EATX 12 V Power Connector. This is supposed to bring something good in terms of sound.

 

The DC power sockets still to be selected on the HDPLEX fanless chassis should, however, be flexible in use so that any power supplier can be connected.

 

1.10 PC and DC cables

 

There will be some surprises. Bernd will draw from his broad range of cables. The plug connections are just as important. Gold-plated Molex pin connectors are already set for the 24PIN / 8PIN / 6PIN / 4PIN-Molex connections. Another playground are the DC cables for the external power supply.

 

1.11 Minimization of resonances

 

Sensitive electronic devices particularly benefit from stable, resonance-free device feet. We will experiment with different BF Magic Spacers from fis Audio. Balls made of glass, precious metal or other materials are placed on the discs and deflect vibrations.
 

Stay be tuned. 😉

 

Gabriel

[StreamFidelity]

HI @Nenon and others!

 

Many thanks for the active participation in our project. I will try to briefly answer a few tips and comments.

 

1.4 Corsair DOMINATOR® PLATINUM 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4 DRAM 2400 MHz C10 memory kit

 

The reason for the choice was the very low latency: 10-12-12-28. In my experience, the smallest possible delays lead to the best music experience. The other reason is the excellent cooling (patented DHX cooling). If the RAM gets too hot, it will shut down. I use this RAM in my reference Audio PC. When we get our system up and running we are open to experimenting with Apacer RAM.

 

 

1.6 JCAT USB Card Femto

 

A new product? Perhaps a misunderstanding because he meant the new product OPTIMO 3 DUO - NO COMPROMISE AUDIOPHILE DC LINEAR POWER SUPPLY? I will ask him.

 

1.8 HDPLEX 400W DC-ATX

 

Unfortunately, it is not available on the European side:

HDPLEX 800W DC-ATX with 16V-63V Input Enjoys Free Shipping Worldwide
Stock Status USA: Sold OutGermany: Sold Out

 

Both products ran on my reference audio PC and I can only report good things. 800W DC-ATX is the best, but uses a lot of power.

 

1.11 Minimization of resonances

 

BF Magic Spacers from fis Audio @Nenon I'll get more information, PM will follow.

[StreamFidelity]

@Energy 

Thank you for this very good contribution. It's like a compendium. 👌

 

36 minutes ago, Energy said:

1. Taiko Audio SGM Extreme (One Box Setup)

 

And even this really ingeniously new designed Taiko Audio SGM Extreme has a disadvantage: to my knowledge it will not be able to render the EC modulators in HQPlayer with DSD 256. This requires a clock frequency of at least 4 GHz over several cores. It's ok, because the target picture is different. Our goal is to render with EC modulators.

 

Look: whatsbestforum

Quote

The SGM2015 and its EVO update were designed with HQ Player upsampling in mind. HQ Player favours core clock speeds over core count.

 

[StreamFidelity]

2 hours ago, StreamFidelity said:

1.6 JCAT USB Card Femto

 

A new product? Perhaps a misunderstanding because he meant the new product OPTIMO 3 DUO - NO COMPROMISE AUDIOPHILE DC LINEAR POWER SUPPLY? I will ask him.

 

I got this message from Marcin: 

Quote

USB Card FEMTO will not be replaced or modified. 

 

[StreamFidelity]

Hello everybody,

 

the first parts have arrived. 

 

1.2 ASUS ROG MAXIMUS XI FORMULA

 

 

 

1.3 Intel Core i9-9900K (95W TDP), 3.6GHz - 5.0GHz OctaCore - HD Graphics 630

 

The CPU is actually packed in a cube, as can often be seen in photos. Some will now wonder why the boxed version when the tray (bulk) versions are cheaper? The boxed version comes completely new from the manufacturer and has a manufacturer's guarantee of 3 years. Tray versions only have a legal guarantee (Germany 1 year) and they can be Return items. The latter was far too risky for me. I just put up with the useless packaging.

 

[StreamFidelity]

1.8 HDPLEX 400W DC-ATX

 

This well-known DC-ATX converter has also arrived. This device has the task of distributing the 20V input nicely to the Molex-PC connectors in the 12V + 5V + 3V output. This is the preliminary power plan:

 

 

The main purpose of our project is to replace the cheap accessories with high quality cables from fis Audio. Bernd already has some ideas.

 

[StreamFidelity]

1 hour ago, elan120 said:

I did a quick bench check on HDPlex 800 DC-ATX unit, when both Group1 and Group2 are connected, Group1 EPS output 12.23V and Group2 EPS output 12.33V, this is a bit over 0.8% of output regulation

 

Thank you for this hint. This is really a problem that concerns me. A Keces P8 with 20V/8A is normally sufficient. The biggest load of my reference audio PC, which also uses an i9-9900K and the HDPlex 800 DC-ATX unit, is 20V/6A if loading komplex filter. Normally only 20V/3A. It is interesting that Group 2 is put under a higher load at the beginning. Later that almost similar between group 1 and group 2.

 

In our project, the second Keces P8 with 12V/8A is optional to have more headroom. In my experience, that promotes sound. The advantage of Keces P8 is the extensive protection:

 

Output voltage 12V
Over Voltage Protection 12.5V
Under Voltage Protection 11.5V

 

If necessary, group 2 is automatically switched off. We will see ...😉

[StreamFidelity]

It goes on. 👌

 

1.1 HDPLEX 2nd Gen H5 Fanless Chassis

 

The Audio PC case came just right to the workshop with Bernd (fis Audio). When discussing the required internal DC cables, we discussed the position of the installed components and the length of the cables to the Molex sockets. How good that everything is already drawn on the base plate.

 

 

All required drill holes are absolutely perfect and the right screws and nuts were included. The case itself does not come ready built, but must be screwed together. That was done quickly. We positioned the mainboard and the DC-ATX converter accordingly and were able to determine the cable route and the cable length. The cables will never criss-cross, as is often seen.

 

 

[StreamFidelity]

4 hours ago, Nenon said:

This would keep all cables shorter. The downside is that you may need new holes, but I think it's totally worth the effort. 

 

That is a legitimate indication. As a possibility, we want to keep the space on the left free for other modifications.

 

Your power supply with the HDPLEX 800W DC-ATX looks very good! 👍

[StreamFidelity]

And it goes on 😀

 

1.11 Minimization of resonances

 

We will try different combinations of the BF Magic Spacer Z1. These parts are made of stainless steel with an accuracy of 1/100mm. The stainless steel 4 mm allen screw fits exactly into the HDPLEX 2nd Gen H5 Fanless Chassis. Balls made of black glass, rose quartz or steel can be added between the device feet Z1 and the discs S1.

 

 

All three ball variants are always supplied with a set of device feet. Fine tuning can also be done with the discs. The standard variant is the precisely fitting fis Magic Spacer S1 disc.

 

 

For reasons of sound, most customers use the larger fis Magic Disk 1 or fis Magic Disk 2. The same discs can also be used for the fis Magic Spikes.

 

 

[StreamFidelity]

Grounding with Minadax® ESD antistatic mat and grounding cable

 

Every time I shuffle over the carpet to the power amplifiers, I get an electric shock when I switch on. 😂

 

This is very harmful when assembling sensitive electronic parts. I therefore use a grounded antistatic mat. I am also grounded through a bracelet. I connected the crodcodile clips to the protective contact of a socket. I also wear ESD gloves. You can also see the massive copper block from HDPLEX for cooling the CPU. Also shown is the Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut thermal paste, which is said to be very good.

 

 

1.3 Intel Core i9-9900K (95W TDP), 3.6GHz - 5.0GHz OctaCore - HD Graphics 630

 

The CPU is "married" to the mainboard, as Bernd says. 😁

 

The countless contacts have to be connected precisely.

 

 

 

1.1 HDPLEX 2nd Gen H5 Fanless Chassis

 

The HDPLEX package included quite valuable copper bars and blocks for passive cooling.

 

 

 

1.5 Samsung 970 EVO Plus MZ-V7S250BW - 250 GB SSD

 

Here you can see the small M.2 Optane SSD. I ordered a second one because I want to try RAID 0. With RAID 0, the two SSDs become one and this offers increased transfer rates through parallel access.

 

 

1.4 Corsair DOMINATOR® PLATINUM 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4 DRAM 2400 MHz C10 memory kit

 

In the background you can see the two RAM bars with their heat sinks.

 

[StreamFidelity]

On 2/28/2020 at 11:33 AM, Solstice380 said:

Consider this:  the heat pipes are too short to extend the full length of the copper block so you are losing - it looks like - 15-20% of the heat transfer area. 

 

Thanks for the tip. However, I am absolutely delighted with the cooling performance. When overclocking to 4.1GHz with hyperthreading (16 threads) and HQPlayer with poly-sync-long-lp, PCM 192/32 with activated convolution filter, the CPU temperature remains below 50 °C. With poly-sinc-ext2, ASDM7EC, DSD 256x48, the CPU remains well below 60 °C. The case is just getting lukewarm. I think that's excellent. I can still experiment with undervolting, then it becomes even less.

 

The mainboard has an OLED display that shows the temperature.

 

 

This display is very easy to see through the ventilation holes.

 

 

[StreamFidelity]

1 hour ago, Solstice380 said:

Pretty even temps across the cores, too?

 

Yes absolutely. Checked with HWMonitor. I have been listening to HQPlayer ASDM7EC with DSD 256 for hours. The temperature is chiseled how in stone at 53 C°.

[StreamFidelity]

10 hours ago, WilliamWykeham said:

The only area where I plan to diverge from what's here is to use a single linear power supply, the Keces P8, 20V/8A.

 

We are very happy if we can give suggestions. Bernd and I gave the project a name: fis Audio PC. We are very humble because fis stands for finest innovative systems. 😁

 

I am now pretty sure that a Keces P8 (Single 20V / 8A) is sufficient for this build. I've been listening very relaxed to music for hours. The fis Audio PC runs with the HQPlayer with the most computationally intensive DSD modulator currently available: ASDM7EC with DSD 256.

 

 

The CPU has a load of 17% and temperature is stable about 53 ° C. The Single Keces P8 has a power consumption of 20V / 3A.

We will test whether a second Keces P8 (Single 12V / 8A) is still postive audible.

[StreamFidelity]

4 hours ago, dminches said:

What cable are you using between the Keces and jcat USB card?

 

At the moment it is a cable from ghentaudio:

 

Neotech UPOCC 7N Copper 18AWG DC (JSSG360) Cable
USB to Oyaide

 

The project is designed to use own DC cables. We want to make it even better. 👍

Bernd still needs some time.

[StreamFidelity]

1.11 Minimization of resonances

 

The BF Magic Spacers from fis Audio looks good and the case is calmed very effectively.

 

 

A new chapter while Bernd is still working on the cables. 😉

 

2. Software

 

I will provided these chapters:

2.1 BIOS
2.2 Operating system
2.3 Connectivity
2.4 Music player / renderer

 

2.1 BIOS

 

BIOS stands for "basic input / output system" and is the firmware on the mainboards. You can access the BIOS settings by clicking the F2 key several times during booting. Screenshots are taken on ASUS boards with the F12 key and e.g. B. stored on a USB stick. There are really a lot of setting options. Below I describe the most important ones I use.

 

2.1.1 BIOS update

 

Before the BIOS configuration and installation of the operating system, the latest BIOS version should be loaded in any case. There are different methods. I like to use the internet connection because it is very straightforward.

 

 

All BIOS settings are lost during the update. At least with this board. Anyone who has already made settings is well advised to save these settings on the USB stick.

 

 

2.1.2 RAM settings

 

The XMP II profile is recommended for system-stable operation. This setting reads out the profile in RAM and applies it.

 

 

2.1.3 CPU clock frequency

 

The most important setting for high performance concerns the clock frequency of the CPU. The Intel Core i9-9900K has a base clock of 3.6GHz. Not enough for the EC modulators of the HQPlayer. At least 4GHz on 3-4 cores are required. The CPU has 8 cores. I experimented with different settings. For example, clocking the first cores higher than the following ones. I did not like it. I stayed with the simple configuration: all cores on 4.1GHz.

 

 

2.1.4 Hyperthreading

 

If the HQPlayer loads complex filters, it will occupy all cores with 100%. To prevent the system from freezing, hyperthreading should be activated. 16 logical processors are then made available. As a result, the computing load can be better distributed.

 

2.1.5 Energy management

 

I am not describing settings for climate protection, but for increasing audiophile PC operation. The rule of thumb is to deactivate all energy saving options! The clock frequency should remain stable at 4.1GHz and not be reduced. The result would otherwise be z. B. Dropouts when playing the music. Deactivating the CPU C-states prevents (among other settings) switching back the clock frequency.

 

 

2.1.6 Temperature development

 

One of the main problems, especially with a passively cooled system, is the temperature development. By reducing the voltage, excessive temperature development can be avoided. However, if the voltage is set too low, the system freezes. The CPU is cooled very well. I therefore set the setting for BLCK Aware Adaptive Voltage to Enabled without fine adjustment.

 

 

In addition, I have the power consumption at 120W with max. 160W limited.

 

 

The CPU i9-9900K can up to max. 100 °C operated. Way to high. I have a max. Temperature set at 95 °C.

 

 

2.1.7 Deactivate functions that are not required

 

Basically, all functions of the board that are not required must be switched off. This saves electricity and promotes trouble-free

operation. In any case, I prefer M.2 SSDs and therefore do not need the SATA controller. That is also one of the reasons why I did not try RAID 0, because otherwise I could not have deactivated SATA.

 

 

I was able to switch off HD audio on this board without any problems. It seems that this also bypasses the problems on Windows. With a digital volume control like with the HQPlayer you have to switch off the Windows system sounds, which can otherwise be quite loud.

 

 

I have deactivated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

 

 

There are countless USB ports on the board. I only need three: for keyboard, mouse and USB stick. The assignments can be found in the mainboard manual. The JCAT USB Card Femto uses a PCIe connection and is not affected by these settings.

 

 

2.18 Settings for fanless operation

 

It is very important to deactivate the monitoring of fans or water pumps. Otherwise the system always shows an error message and does not start up.

 

 

[StreamFidelity]

@Energy  The settings of the CPU clock frequency, hyperthreading and Energy management were the most important for me. I think it depends a lot on the renderer used. In my experience, the HQPlayer requires an even clocking of the cores. Otherwise the sound becomes restless and it can also lead to stuttering.

[StreamFidelity]

The fis Audio PC fits my equipment quite well.

 

 

The next chapter comes:

 

2.2 Operating system

 

Opinions differ on the operating system. There are countless opinions on this. And even if the operating system of choice has been found, there are many versions and even more implementation and administration options. I tried a few things, but not most of them. Either it failed because of the knowledge, but much more because of the lack of time and also because of my ability to suffer.

 

I use Windows because I am very familiar with it. Windows has the big advantage for me that it is widespread. This means that updates and drivers are always available very quickly. I tried Windows Server 2019. It's very close to Windows 10 from the user interface. Stripped down with the Audiophile Optimizer 3.00 and in the shell replacement, it was very good in terms of sound. But ASUS RAMCache III was not running, I discarded this solution and went back to Windows 10 Pro. I also thought about a RAM boot solution during installation. And I also thought about installing an already stripped down Windows. There are tools like NTLite or WinReducer. I think it's a very clever approach.

 

The question I asked myself was how much time do I want to spend studying and trying out? I decided: none at all. My opinion can change at some point. With this project I follow the pragmatic approach:

 

- Install Windows 10 Pro via USB stick
- reduce with Audiophile Optimizer 3.00
- manual tuning

 

2.2.1 Install Windows 10 Pro via USB stick

 

I love simple solutions and that's one. Simply download the Media Creation Tool from Microsoft, insert a USB stick and let the program do everything for you. Finished! The USB stick is then bootable. During the installation I avoid logging in with the Microsoft account (it works without it) and deny all questions for better support such as voice control, etc.

 

When the installation is finished, I will set up remote access next. For remote control, I use my iMac and use Microsoft Remote Desktop Beta. When setting up, you must select Play sound: "On the remote PC". Otherwise there will be no sound from the speakers during the remote session.

 

After that, the latest updates and drivers should be loaded. This is very easy with Windows Update. Then the test is carried out in the Windows device manager. If all menu trees are closed as in the picture below everything is fine.

 

 

After successful setup, at least 140 processes are active. Far too much for audio operation. More on that later.

 

 

[StreamFidelity]

5 hours ago, kelvinwsy said:

On my system I can get it down to 40 process with HQPLayer 3 running.

 

It is very good. Are you using Windows Server 2019 Core or Desktop? Do you use remote control?

[StreamFidelity]

1.10 PC and DC cables

 

An intermediate status to the PC / ATX cable. When Bernd designs new cables, he does it very thoroughly. It will therefore take another 1-2 weeks before PC / ATX cables are available for testing.

 

I think some of Bernd's considerations are really good. For example, he plans to use different cables for pin assignments. Because there are different currents and voltage. All cables used are "heard by direction" and are also assembled in this way. He ordered different types of Molex connectors. The Molex plugs with the inserted pin contacts are basically too shaky for him. He is planning a wobble-free connection.

 

The gold-plated Molex pins have already arrived. They can take up to 20 AWG wires.

 

[StreamFidelity]

Sorry for the late reply. I am still on vacation. I will talk to Bernd about cable construction next week. Then I will be able to answer the questions.

 

A new topic:

2.2.2 Audiophile Optimizer (AO) 3.00

 

There is a lot to read here: Highend AudioPC (Sponsored).

 

I'm using AO to slim down the Windows 10 Pro.

 

After the installation there are two new objects on the desktop. The optimization is started with the AudiophileOptimizer. The user interface corresponds to the simple DOS format. 😄Confirmation is made with the required letters. First there are warnings.

 

 

After the operating system has been checked, an important note comes up. Optimizing an Office PC makes little sense. But it is possible. Only then some things might not work as expected. It is best if the Audio PC has no other tasks than playing music.

 

 

The next menu offers three options. I recommend (U) ltimate mode, so enter "U". Don't worry, the program always queries the selection and makes recommendations. You can't really go wrong. But you should read carefully.

 

 

After everything has been run through, the PC boots automatically. Then around 30 processes (depending on the selection) should run less. The ServiceTool is available for further optimization. Let's get to the most important one straight away: The optimization previously carried out can be undone with A) Reset. I find [(F) Autologon very useful. The Audio PC starts automatically and is not stopped by a registration.

 

(S) Strip Down Windows 10 is used to reduce more processes. I also like to use (E) Shell Replacement. This switches off the graphics drivers and you get a black screen. With the Shell Replacement you can also select automatically starting programs so that the Audio PC is immediately ready to play without manual intervention. If you still want to change something on the PC, you have to use the Task Manager. This is called up with press keyboard Ctrl + Alt + Del simultaneously. There is no Del key on the Mac keyboard. In this case, hold down fn + control + option and click on Backspace (delete arrow "x" on the Mac keyboard at the top right). The required programs can be started manually in the Task Manager with the "Run new task" file. With a click on "Search" the Windows Explorer is activated and the programs can be searched. Here you should know where the programs are stored.

 

 

With the Shell replacement, there are only around 80 active processes left.

 

The story will continue soon to kill more processes. 😉

[StreamFidelity]

11 hours ago, Triplefun said:

Did you consider a build based on  the AMD Ryzen 9 3950x with 16 cores (32 threads) at 3.5 ghz and only 105w tdp - runs a LOT cooler than the i9 9900k.

 

AMD Ryzen 9 3950x with overclocking max. 4,7GHz is very interesting. AMD has wroten: Liquid Cooling Recommended. This is probably meant at full load. Experience with HQPlayer would be interesting. I haven't read much positive things yet about AMD Ryzen CPUs.

[StreamFidelity]

On 3/11/2020 at 5:37 PM, StreamFidelity said:

With the Shell replacement, there are only around 80 active processes left.

 

 

Building on that, it continues. 🙂

 

2.2.3 Switching off unnecessary services

 

While previous optimizations were largely without deep PC knowledge, this chapter requires more attention. If you click on the "Services" tab in the Windows Task Manager, you will see all existing services. The services that are running are interesting. Sorting is possible by clicking on "Status". Not all running services are needed.

 

I like to use regedit.exe. Take a look in Per-user services in Windows 10 and Windows Server . The start entry is set to "4" = Disabled.

 

At the moment I have switched off the following services (be careful to do that):

AppXSvc

cbdhsvc

CDPUserSvc

TabletInputService

FDResPub

OneSyncSvc

UsoSvc

PlugPlay

LanmanServer

DoSvc

QWAVE

WpnUserService

wscsvc

WinHttpAutoProxySvc

wcncsvc

TokenBroker

StateRepository

SgrmBroker

mpssvc

cplspcon

cphs

jhi_service

igfxCUIService

LMS

BDESVC

SENS

DusmSvc

ShellHWDetection

 

More services can be switched off if Remote Control is not used. I currently have 60 processes active.

 

 

Many experts can do much less. In my experience, less is not the same as better. After every optimization, I therefore conduct a test with LatencyMon This is free software for private purposes and very reliably indicates malfunctions of, for example, faulty drivers during audio playback. For me, everything is green with extremely low latencies.

 

[StreamFidelity]

20 hours ago, WilliamWykeham said:

1 - How to connect the Keces P8 to the 6 pin DC power intake on the HDPlex 400W DC-ATX.

Bernd is still building the cables. More on that in a moment. My Reference Audio PC previously had the Streacom FC9 Alpha Case. I have converted this PC into the HDPLEX H5 2nd Gen Fanless PC Case. Here I use PCIe dust filters for the passage of two DC cables (top left in the picture).

 

20 hours ago, WilliamWykeham said:

 2 - (less important) Looks like the plate in the back that holds the AC plug may not have correct sized holes, although possible I am doing something incorrectly.

I don't use this hole. So I closed it with a fan dust filter.

 

 

[StreamFidelity]

It is going on. 👍

 

ATX power supply (24-pin)

 

Bernd has finished the first PC / ATX cable. The arrows indicate the direction. The cable is currently being burned in.

 

Here you can see the size ratio of the tiny gold plated Molex contact pins. These are first crimped and then fixed again with silver solder. Quite a lot of work.

 

We also considered leaving out some unnecessary contacts. But it was too risky for us. Perhaps the specifications of new boards will change at some point and then the valuable cable would no longer be usable.

 

Here are some more details:

 

- It is a monocrystalline, high-purity copper, cold drawn, 18 AWG, coated with Dupont PTFE.
- The individual power cables are separated 3.3V, 5V, 12V, Ground

- The cables run in one direction
- When the plugs are plugged in they are very firm. No further cable calming actions are necessary.

 

If you are interested in PC / ATX cables or DC cables made in Germany, you can write to Bernd: [email protected] 😉