New computer for Streaming????

You need a computer to run the application used to search, select and play music from a streaming service like Tidal, Qobuz, etc.   If you use Roon, like many of us do, the computer is used to store the Roon meta data database and the Roon application to access the meta data database. 

ghdprentice, if your analogue and digital sources sound the same, why do you still keep the turntable ? Habit, tradition, aesthetics ?

For many $3k just for a streamer is big money. There is some Apple, forgot the model, that audiophiles without streamers often use. It will not be as good as a good streamer but it will be less expensive. How much do you really want to spend on digital source that in a few years might become almost obsolete ?

You are thinking about the Mac Mini M1 and M2 

models that are very good and very powerful for running Roon for example.

you also get a great computer at the same time and if instead of usb, you would using Ethernet port for streaming I would think that that would be a great solution.

Old computer < dedicated (Mac mini) computer < inexpensive streamer (iFi, blue sound) = (maybe) network card < good dedicated streamer.

I have had all. Now using Grimm MU1 to run roon core and stream. You don’t need roon, but I like it..  

if you choose a dedicated Mac mini, shut off as many apps as possible.  The reason it is more noisy is that Apple computers run lots of stuff you can not turn off.  And you need to somehow see a display of the mini sometimes.  I used one, it sounded ok, but would need restarted sometimes and a pain compared to a dedicated streamer with control app.