Best Audiophile desktop for under $2500?

Look into what I posted about the Sonore OpticalRendu or even the non-fibre Rendu's. They will allow you to keep your computer far away from your music system (several rooms away).  If you use fibre, who cares about how noisy the internals of a computer are. That noise will not travel inside the glass fibre cable.

kennyc

you are probably correct about the server/streamer, but the OP needs a new computer, so he wants to choose based on member's experience with their audio quality. 

If you stream Video like I do, the audio is originating thru the PC.

If the Op wants to stick with a PC then I'd suggest a small form PC that has no fan and an external power supply. I used an optimized for streaming Asus vivo that proved to be better than a $7K streamer.

The small form fanless PC's remove the power supply from the housing. This helps with that noisy power supply and gives you options to improve the power supply. Optimizing the PC for music streaming is also advisable.  I used the Optical out but most modern DAC's have good galvanic isolation for USB now so that's not an issue anymore.

This is the thing most good DAC's have good isolation / correction of data streams etc. and I'm finding streamers to be less critical as DAC's improve. 

I've done the Optimized PC - Roon Nucleus - Aurender A10 - Chord 2go/2YU (current, I have a chord DAC) and potentially going back to an Optimizes PC. granted I have a monitor/TV in the same room and a wireless keyboard with a track pad so that makes things easier. 

To me the DAC is far more important now then the streamer attached. 

Audiophile and PC are mutually exclusive.

yep

Oxymoron.