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Best PC to use as a Server

Sure this one has been asked before but I couldn’t dig up anything recent and this stuff changes over time anyway.  I use a Mac Air but it apparently is out of HD.  It is 7 years old and has been stuttering badly lately, especially since I loaded Audirvana Plus and dbpoweramp.  
  I am interested in a Windows based PC, because I want to run a Windows based program called MusiCHI and I also would like to have an HDMI port, which Macs don’t offer afaik.  I won’t use it for much else, maybe for surfing, occasional downloads, etc.  I haven’t owned a Windows Computer for years but use them at work, where the Dell Laptops that we are given seem particularly crappy to me.
  My daughter had a Sony PC that I demoed in my system a few years ago that impressed me, but it seems that Sony has gotten out of that business.  Is there any particular brand that works well for music?
mahler123
mahler123 OP
3,378 posts
 
@jaybe  i’m New to that forum.  Every forum has it’s share of Aholes, but at least they can stimulate useful discussions.
@whart  I think you may have misunderstood me about Audirvana.  It loaded and works just fine, but my Computer is a 2011 Mac Air with a limited HD, and A+ and dbpoweramp seem to have gobbled up the what was left of my HD.  I couldn’t do the last Apple update because it was out of room.  Apple has increased the size of their programs and I recently had to get a new iPhone for the same reason.
  Audirvana + is a significant improvement over iTunes, but A+ from the Air still doesn’t compete with the same files played from my NAS via Bluesound or the Oppo.  I am looking to replace A+ and dbpoweramp with MusiCHI, which is reportedly much better for Classical Music.  In CM most of us want the Metadata listed in a very different way than is traditional for other genres.
jsd52756's avatar
jsd52756
443 posts
 
I asked this myself in late 2016 https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/looking-for-laptop-windows-10-for-music-only Folks recommended Eluktronics as a laptop and they seemed like a good choice as the mfg says they are loaded with basic Windows and no bloatware.  Looks like they have a good discount on now. 
I ended up just running my old Samsung series 9, upgraded to Windows 10 & Jriver 24 as my program.  It works really well.  If you've never used Jriver the learning curve is huge.  (For me anyway.)
Good luck, John

david_ten
5,480 posts
 
Take a look at the audio specific pc's, headless, controlled from your phone, iPad, or laptop. 

I have, over time, used three of Small Green Computer's models. 

There are other pre-built and supported options or you can build your own.
mahler123 OP
3,378 posts
 
@jsd52756 
Thanks, I had never heard of eluktroniks.  The offerings look interesting and yes it does look like there are some sales going on.
mitch2
4,044 posts
 
look at small green computer, the inexpensive i5 linked should do what you need but they also have a more powerful i7 variant in a couple of configurations.  Using these for Roon core and then using the ultraRendu, Metrum's Ambre, or something similar as the endpoint should be a very satisfying sonic solution.
https://www.smallgreencomputer.com/products/sonictransporter-i5?variant=20893269700

for mac type solutions, you might also look at Mojo Audio
https://www.mojo-audio.com/
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