My earlier post wasn't very detailed as I am not the most current with PC technology- I only do lots of research when I am building my new PC's- so I tend not to look at things for 4-5 years.
As Al said, and thanks for the kind words Al, getting something with the latest chip iteration is my favorite way to build.
The new Intel Skylake processors have been on my radar for a while now.
If you are only using it for music playback, even an I5 should be overkill.
8 gigs of memory should be fine, but 16 gigs is always nice. I think a Win 64 bit is the best way to go for an operating system. And, a SSD for the main drive, say 256 gb, should be more than enough for running the OS and adding programs. An external drive can slow things down, it would be better if it was a separate drive in the PC, but it should not be a problem/bottleneck if it is connected by USB 3, or the newer USBC or Thunderbolt 2.
The Eluktronics laptops Almarg mentioned look like a very reasonably priced way to get what you need without the bother of assembly- though I assure you, once you have built a PC, you won't buy a pre-assembled one again. It is easily accomplished and rewards you with the knowledge of what makes it work.
HTH
Bob
As Al said, and thanks for the kind words Al, getting something with the latest chip iteration is my favorite way to build.
The new Intel Skylake processors have been on my radar for a while now.
If you are only using it for music playback, even an I5 should be overkill.
8 gigs of memory should be fine, but 16 gigs is always nice. I think a Win 64 bit is the best way to go for an operating system. And, a SSD for the main drive, say 256 gb, should be more than enough for running the OS and adding programs. An external drive can slow things down, it would be better if it was a separate drive in the PC, but it should not be a problem/bottleneck if it is connected by USB 3, or the newer USBC or Thunderbolt 2.
The Eluktronics laptops Almarg mentioned look like a very reasonably priced way to get what you need without the bother of assembly- though I assure you, once you have built a PC, you won't buy a pre-assembled one again. It is easily accomplished and rewards you with the knowledge of what makes it work.
HTH
Bob