Some Questions Before Building a Music Computer

[Ghoostknight]

Hello

 

i want to build a music server (well more of a general pc but used for audio purposes too, it will have a somewhat beefy graphiccard)

can you guys recommended components i should go for ?

 

intel vs amd?

which mainboard chipsets?

what to look out for, specially on mainboards for example

which kind of ssds, SLC, TLC etc.. ?

linear power supply? hdplex 400W ?

which fans?

 

and what tweaks you can recommend? ferrite chokes for example?

 

dac wise i have a Aune X8 which i probably connect trough a DDC which is connected over usb to the pc (what you guys think, DDC or directly over USB?)

[stefano_mbp]

17 minutes ago, Ghoostknight said:

i want to build a music server

To run which player? One thing is to run JRiver or Roon another is to run HQPlayer

[Ghoostknight]

18 minutes ago, stefano_mbp said:

To run which player? One thing is to run JRiver or Roon another is to run HQPlayer

im running normal multimedia stuff on fedora, im not sure yet which player

 

since i also want to game a bit on this machine im thinking about intel 12500/13500

[itomonje]

hello, is a non audiophile way to go the play games on the same machine  , I would forget that idea if an music server is your goal.

 

[botrytis]

46 minutes ago, itomonje said:

hello, is a non audiophile way to go the play games on the same machine  , I would forget that idea if an music server is your goal.

 

 

Music is not any more complicated or special compared to regular data.

 

 

[AudioDoctor]

If you want to use a beefy GPU, the linear PSU is out of the question, unless you get two, one to power the GPU, and one for the rest of the PC. The only GPUs that make any sense for an audio computer are Nvidia so you can use HQPlayer and CUDA to assist with the upsampling of your files. Nothing else really matters as far as music goes. Some will tell you that you need a fanless system and no GPU, others will say it doesn't matter. The decision is yours, and the factors you take into consideration should include reliability and manufacturer support.

[Ghoostknight]

i actually just upgraded my PC "for cheap"

 

part were second hand for around 300€ overall:

 

MSI B660 Mortar Wifi DDR4 (i specially looked out for a good MB its not a Z chipset but its one of the best B ones)

Intel i5 12400

Patriot Viper 3600mhz CL16 32GB

Samsung 980 Pro 1TB

 

and i reused my power supply (BeQuiet) and Graphicscard (MSI GTX 1070)

 

There was a small improvement (i think..) but the improvement was either very small or nonexistent

 

while there is option to go linear power supply for a pc its kinda expensive and i kinda question the benefit, its probably better to isolate the PC from the Hifi chain in some ways, so the PC has little influence on the whole chain since the data itself is fine

 

For example, not plugging the PC on the same power strip as your hifi stuff probably helps quite a bit

[MarcelNL]

I'd suggest you read up on audio servers and then draw up a plan....the data is fine, how it's handled matters, a LOT!

 

A good place to start is the DIY audio server thread (caution; it's LOOOOOONG)

[Ghoostknight]

2 hours ago, MarcelNL said:

I'd suggest you read up on audio servers and then draw up a plan....the data is fine, how it's handled matters, a LOT!

imo the data is "always fine" or things wouldnt work at all, imo the benefits of a tweaked pc come from noise reduction and isolation

[MarcelNL]

That is basically what I was pointing at, still; there is a difference between 'data being fine' and 'data being A-OK' too.

 

Please read up, there is loads of great information in that thread (and the monster Taiko Thread at WBF forum)