Article: CAPS Twenty | Part Two

[The Computer Audiophile]

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[The Computer Audiophile]

Thanks for the kind words Bob.

[The Computer Audiophile]

2 minutes ago, bluesman said:

I’m simply blown away, Chris!  I think you’ve inspired me to design and build a pair of audiophile SBCs to this level of quality with all the capability I can squeeze into them. Great write-up of a great project!

Thanks so much @bluesman. It's really a passion of mine and I'm so grateful that members of this community see value in it and find some enjoyment in this. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

11 minutes ago, SasaKaranovic said:

Amazing work Chris!

 

The build looks so clean and polished, not to mention how much power it has!

 

When someone mentions "server" usually I think of a piece of hardware that sits in a dark room and

you never look at it. But this, you want to have it in your living room and put your TV in the server room.

 

And on top of that, pulling all of this during a global health pandemic... it's beyond amazing!

 

Thank you for sharing and keep these coming!

Thanks so much Sasa!  Your gauges and support played a big role in this project. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

9 minutes ago, bobflood said:

Hi Chris, Suggestion:

 

Put another 256 SSD in the open second slot and use it for dual boot capability so you can test some of the things you mentioned (like HQP OS or other Linux options for example) against your Win 10 primary OS. ASUS UEFI/BIOS has pretty easy boot order options and you would not disturb your main OS. Great fodder for future articles.

Good idea. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

1 minute ago, bobfa said:

Chris,

 

Thank you for the nicely articualted view into your vision for a server.  Clearly a few steps beyond the "normal" PC build.  Very carefully thought out. Beautifully implemented.  

 

I am sure the trials of the build were many!  

 

You make me want to try HQPlayer now!

 

RJF

 

Thanks Bob. Yes, I have a desktop full of parts that didn’t work, are extra, or were completely unneeded. Such is life when there are no step by step guides :~)

 

HQPlayer is a must have for those who like options / choices. @Miska is an incredibly talented individual. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

1 minute ago, firedog said:

Chris, are you going to overclock this or feel no need?

No need so far but I will if necessary. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

Hi Guys, I want the most flexibility and options with CAPS Twenty and Windows gives me that. Plus, I'm unsure what I will install for testing next and if I had to bet, I'd bet it supports Windows before any of the other operating systems. I love Linux and have been pushing it for HiFi use for over a decade, but it just wasn't the right choice for my CAPS Twenty build.

[The Computer Audiophile]

18 hours ago, Jud said:

Thank you Chris, I'm very appreciative you did this much work on a beautiful machine, giving the rest of us lots of ideas to play with. The ways I would think of to riff on this for my own preferences:

Thanks for the kind words Jud. I'm thrilled that you see this build for what it is, a starting point and demonstration of what's possible. 

 

Some people are building the identical system and I know it's the right move for them. Others are picking and choosing the best parts that fit their needs and building from there. 

 

Love the case in your images. There's nothing wrong with this stuff looking better than a Compaq Presario.

 

Now I need to install my M.2 that's on my desk, to dual boot Linux. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

On 7/25/2020 at 9:04 AM, EdmontonCanuck said:

 

Why would you care to split up Roon and HQPlayer in a server machine that's sending a digital output stream to a renderer? As long as the machine is powerful enough to handle the load, splitting them across different servers would be complete overkill.

 

The same goes for a fancy linear power supply....why? The point of the server is to produce a digital stream that can be sent to the renderer. Put a good power supply on the renderer where the DAC is attached if you're worried about electrical noise.

 

As for liquid cooling, that would be to keep the server as silent as possible, something to consider if the server is in the same room as your audio gear. I wouldn't bother with it at all if the server were in a closet in a separate room where you couldn't hear it in operation.

 

The server doesn't *play* music per se....it just produces the stream to send to the renderer.

 

My thoughts as well. There is no need to split anything on this workhorse PC. 

 

A linear PSU on this machine would be insane. The amount of power required by the CPU and GPU is well over what any linear solution that I'm aware of could supply.

 

The main reason I like liquid cooling is to run the CPU and GPU at low temps and prevent thermal throttling. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

17 hours ago, cat6man said:

Very nice work Chris.

Do you plan to do any listening comparisons (or have I missed it)?

How does it compare to a simple NUC server with a good power supply (HDPlex or better) streaming to something like an ultraRendu?

 

There is a lot of space between that and a Taiko extreme.

I think a lot of us want to know where your design falls in that range.........and only you have one!

HI Cat6man, good questions. 

 

This is kind of a strange spot to be in because there is only one CAPS Twenty and it's the only server that does what it does. I can't compare to a NUC because the NUC can't come close to running EC modulators at DSD256. The whole reason for this much computing power is to run DSP that requires it. A NUC is a different animal entirely and for a different use case. 

 

If someone doesn't want to run heavy DSP, s/he should stick with a NUC or one of the many commercially available options. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

18 minutes ago, AudioDoctor said:

Well, I had to go to 4 different websites, and one store here in the metro, but I now have every single part down to the fittings, including the GPU at not a penny over retail price and brand new.

 

Building should begin next weekend if everything arrives on time.

Let me know if you need help. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

Hi Guys, the updated version of the graphics card has ben released. The 3080 / 3090 series. I wonder if the inlet and outlet for liquid cooling are in the same place. If so, I could drop one in without re-routing / re-bending my tubes. 

 

https://www.evga.com/articles/01457/evga-30-Series-watercooling/hc.asp