"you don’t need a dedicated streamer (vs a PC) for top notch performance".
I’m going to get technical here, but there are many cases where a PC’s USB or HDMI output is very high in noise due to a ground loop which they are prone to due to the switching power supply not really designed to play nice with others. In those cases there can be audible hum/noise or significant jitter. Multiple sources including Stereophile and Audio Science Review have shown this. I’ve also experienced audible hum when using a PC source and USB.
There are multiple known cases where a laptop source measured significantly better when unplugged from the wall.
So.... personally I would not use a PC or laptop as a source to avoid these issues altogether. I use a Raspberry Pi with a high current iFi wall power adapter.
You can get around this issue a little by using a USB isolator (sucks not all DACs are completely isolated) or an optical S/PDIF output but you still have the issue of the amounts of power supply noise making it into the AC.
So generally, I agree that a PC is never going to be my first choice as a streamer, but you could maybe make it OK?