Computer for music only?

Dtc,

FWIW, I'll share my experience. My music server has plenty of headroom (Xeon quad core, 8GB RAM), runs Windows Server 2012 and JRiver, and feeds an Audiophilleo with PurePower. The PurePower works pretty much like the iFi iUSB Power, but designed for Audiophilleo only. When I compare the server running audio only with no antivirus or other programs vs the same hardware & software plus the Optimizer, the difference is very clearly noticeable. I think whatever is going on does not only correlate with CPU load, and the example in my mind shows the iUSB/PurePower don't turn the upstream irrelevant.

Lewinskih01 - some people hear big differences from various optimizers, some do not. It seems to depend on a lot of factors. I can find a large number of people who report little or no improvement for the various programs that shut down lots of processes. I respect what you found but I do not believe that means it will be true for everyone. As I said, it is a complicated issue and there are tons of discussions on this issue in lots of forums.

I just wanted to point out that there are external options to consider.

I run a Sound Science, Music Vault Diamond server that utilizes Windows 7 and a Lineux sound card. I use JRiver for playback and DBpoweramp for ripping. The sound is incredable and beats the pants off my previously optimized MacMini. I was surprised at the ease of use and the better sound compared to the Mini.