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Killer Specs for High End PC in 2006

I have read several different threads re iPods for audio and video, as well as various suppliers for the custom PC of my Audiogon dreams.

However, when speaking to PC builders, I have been caught surprisingly off guard when asked for the specs - I would have thought I knew what I wanted, but I am not yet clear enough to place the order.

In fact, I was practically flamed in another forum, by simply saying that I wanted the fastest, "best" PC with tons of memory and disk space for audio and video applications.

Given that PCs are not very expensive, and are not room dependent like audio, I still dont understand the mystery of building a cost no object, Windows based PC.

I would guess Alienware or other high end gaming PCs might be a good rough draft. But I dont want geeky hobbyist cases, gaming will not be my primary focus and I would like the audio and video to be even more sophisticated.

So I would greatly appreciate any advice and perhaps we can collectively design the ultimate, multimedia PC?

Here are my initial, perhaps frustratingly vague thoughts:

Maximum memory and hard drive space for audio/video
Capacity for additional, stackable hard drive modules
Ability to read and "burn" both CDs and DVDs
Fast "boot up", lean mean OS
Is component output for video possible?
Digital output (WAV files?) for external DAC?
Multiple monitors - at LEAST 3 - in "hydra" configuration
Video sufficient for video, gaming, but not necessarily CAD or molecular research
High end PC, or HTPC cases, as linked in other threads
Keyboard also "high end" build quality, preferably wireless
Robust, reliable build quality (dont want tweaky cooling systems for overclocking etc. if that reduces reliability)

I realize these few points may barely begin to solve the puzzle here, but perhaps this might inspire some thinking for others who plan to build a PC.

And any ideas, suggestions, personal experiences or vendors would be greatly appreciated.

PS

Extra Credit I

I thought it might be interesting to also design the ultimate "nearfield" audio system to go with this concept.

Powered studio monitors? Electrostatics for low level clarity? Surround sound perfectly oriented to the desk chair of this computer?

That could be another thread all by itself but please let us hear your ideas here too.

Extra Credit II

Another idea - could this system also be the hub of a LAN?

Could I log onto this system remotely, using it as a server, and accessing my files? And connect to a wireless router so send music around the house?
cwlondon
yyz
98 posts
 
I bought a Dell XPS 410 to serve as a media centre PC with Vista Premiun Home Edition ($2100.00). It does everything extemely close to the spec described in the begining of the thread. It is super quite and quite fast. I configured 2 hard drives for RAID 0 and use a 500 Gig Western Digital external drive for all my music (copied using EAC and lossless then FLAC). I also use a SqueezeBox feeding into a modded Benchmark DAC. The sound is pretty good though not a good as my modded Sony SCD-1 SACD/CD player. But the convenence factor has me listening to more music.

I believe I can get a tablet PC in the future to function as my remote control using remote desktop. I may need to upgrade to Vista Ultimate for the remote desktop.

I also have a TV tuner with this computer system and use Microsoft Media Center to record the NHL hockey games while I am at work. Everything works great.
cwlondon OP
1,210 posts
 
YyZ

Thanks for the update - sounds like a very nice system you are building.

Aside from huge hard drive storage, wireless and networking capabilities etc, does this puzzle boil down to the following:

* Latest, greatest video card

and

* Maximum RAM

Because it seems that much of what we are tying to do here does not necessarily require the fastest chipsets?

In the true spirit of being an audiophile, I am perhaps most concerned with spending the big bucks on a heavy, beautifully made chassis.

Some of the nicer silent ones I have seen have a small "footprint" and I had concerns that they might not accomodate the components I needed.

But if my thesis above is correct, than all I have to do is ask if ask the manufacturer if such a chassis will accomodate a high end video card?

Thanks for ideas.
ultraviolet
105 posts
 
Nope, 2007 is exactly the same as 2006. 2008 will bring more of the same too. Some important points:

-"high end video card" and "silent computing" is like trying to mix oil and water. You can have one or the other, but not both. Hence my original suggestion to get two computers with a total cost of far less than the one you are thinking of (which will perform their respective tasks better too).

-"Maximum RAM". Why? Great if you're a gamer. Utterly useless for music.

My system is constantly morphing. Currently I have a screamingly loud 8 Seagate 750gb in RAID-5 in the basement. I wired the house with cat-5 and have two workstations in the house. Additionally, I have my dead silent, single hard drive, fanless "music machine" on my audio rack which plays through my main system. The video runs through my HDTV. I use a bluetooth keyboard with integrated mouse functionality from my couch. It is used solely for playing music.

From past experience, if you want to put a computer in your listening room, your first and foremost concern needs to be silence. You'll find that limits your choices so much, decisions become rather simple. Then go for the big monitor, video card blah blah blah, whatever you want in another machine in another room.
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