Best music server for the money

That's why I recommended getting from companies such as silentpc or smallgreencomputers unless you are computer savvy enough to install. I guess you and I have different yardsticks :)

FWIW The Zalman FX100 needed a super long screw driver that could reach beyond the heatsink to secure the huge contraption to the motherboard. I am using a Seasonic fanless PSU.

SmallGreenComputers provide a way to use linear mode power supplies. Again these aren't stuff you can just pick up from your local computer store.

And as for running Windows - yes, it doesn't take a lot of effort to get it working - but understanding back ups, maintenance/patches etc can be quite frustrating for newbies.

Do not agree. As I said I am NOT a computer geek. You should check out endpcnoise as well. They make it easy. Takes a little patients. More importantly all these other servers are computers as well. Just paying more for the memory and the hard drives. Also if any issues arise you are at their mercy. Endpcnoise knows what they are doing. It is all they do. They do not sell sotm or dac's or any other non computer items. We live in the computer age and if you have issues using their server chance are you will have issues with any of the other ones. As far as your special screw driver you would have probably have to send back one of these other units to the manufacture. Also you have to use their library soft wear. Nothing I have seen beats jrivers. And, they are constantly improving on it. I am a vinyl guy who loves his digital music server. Do as you wish but for your own sake check it out. If you decide to get one you can contact me through audiogon for any info you may need. I am not in anyway connected with endpcnoise just a happy customer. My final impute on the issue.

Most computers are not built for sound and surely not high audio quality sound. The Baetis is the first to built with sound in mind first. The Baetis team listened to the sound of different mother boards and decided which to use first. There is not sound card in the Baetis like a computer. The sound comes directly off the mother board to a BNC out connection. The Baetis has a fan inside, but again, they chose carefully which to use and you can't hear it unless you are a foot away. They measured the sound decibels from the unit to be sure it would not be distracting from the listening seat like some computers are. On the back you have toslink, USB and BNC outs from the unit. Computers don't have these unless you install them custom. The Baetis does have a solid state internal drive but has 6 USB connections on the back and 2 on the front with six being 3.0. There is also WiFi capability if you want or an ethernet if you want a hard internet connection. I put my Baetis against my friend's computer audio systems anytime and think I will have the better sounding unit since its goal is good sound first and a good computer second.

Yes I readyour post. But it wasn't immediately clear if you bought the components and assembled it yourself or got the seller to build it.

If it is the former, it's IMHO not something I'd recommend a non computer savvy person to embark on. If it is the latter, then it is no different from my original recommendation - to buy it from a company that specialises in building and selling optimised music server PCs.

Hifimaniac, very nice system. I have the emm lab dac2x as well. You are right most computers are not built for sound. You can put your ear right up to mine while running and you hear nothing. NO FAN, no noise from drive or CPU or power supplies etc. My cpu is a Core i7 processor which your builder put in their $5000 unit. I have eight 3.0 USB and eight 2.0 USB not that that matters. Not criticizing but yours is also a computer and I am certain operates and sounds great. But mine has more and costs less. I do not mean to imply mine sounds better. Just completely silent and fast. Very fast. Assuming we have the same exact down load what comes out of our computers is exactly the same less or plus any computer created noise. The real differences occur down stream. All the best and I really like your set up.