PC for MUSIC ONLY

[Rockfella]

Op If you mean this cabinet then it is really overkill:

Cooler Master: HAF XB EVO

But I guess its the HAF XB Evo. Your links doesnot work.

 

[Rockfella]

OP nothing like it if you can procure this from the US:

SilverStone Technology Co., Ltd.- GD05

 

[Naturelover]

Silverstone might be available in India through primeabgb. The GD04 is seen but out of stock.
How about the Antec ISK series? These are available in India on theitdepot. reignofchaos has also mentioned the ISK 110 on another thread.

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

And this cpu will suffice:
Intel 3.3 GHz LGA 1155 Core i3 2120 Processor - Intel: Flipkart.com

Massive overkill for a music-only PC.

Even my 3.2GHz (AMD) CPU that I have had for two or three years now, is overkill for general-purpose-and-music PC: it just produces heat that has to be dealt with.

USB3... It is not necessary for the audio aspects of the PC, but still, I think I'd call a board without it obsolescent at best.

 

[prepress]

Op If you mean this cabinet then it is really overkill:

Cooler Master: HAF XB EVO

But I guess its the HAF XB Evo. Your links doesnot work.

OP nothing like it if you can procure this from the US:

SilverStone Technology Co., Ltd.- GD05

Actually my plan was to use this Silverstone cabinet, but due to unavailability I decided to go with Cooler Master Evo as it has good ventilation and specially it is horizontal too (which is my first preference). I don't want to go for mini cabinets, the cabinet should be standard amplifier sizes 17"-17.25"

 

[Rockfella]

Yep, OP can go for something cheaper. It just makes it more future proof + Jriver can demanding sometimes. USB3 is not critical but the speeds I see on it makes me recommend it all the time. It doesn't make sense to buy a PC without USb3 these days.

Massive overkill for a music-only PC.

Even my 3.2GHz (AMD) CPU that I have had for two or three years now, is overkill for general-purpose-and-music PC: it just produces heat that has to be dealt with.

USB3... It is not necessary for the audio aspects of the PC, but still, I think I'd call a board without it obsolescent at best.

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

It doesn't make sense to buy a PC without USb3 these days.

It doesn't make any sense to make a PC/motherboard without USB3 these days! :lol:

Beware of future-proofing. Before we know where we are the spec is going up and up, and we end up making a hobby of researching fans. I speak from experience .

No software should require massive power for music playing. If it does, I'd be very suspicious of the software: we're not asking it to do any more than we were ten years ago!

 

[Rockfella]

If you are talking about this one:

Cooler Master: HAF XB EVO

for 16k it is really overkill and expensive. Ideally you should be spending more on DAC/heaphones/speakers as you are building a "Music only PC".
But at the end of the day its your call

Actually my plan was to use this Silverstone cabinet, but due to unavailability I decided to go with Cooler Master Evo as it has good ventilation and specially it is horizontal too (which is my first preference). I don't want to go for mini cabinets, the cabinet should be standard amplifier sizes 17"-17.25"

 

[Rockfella]

Yep, I was a fan freak some years ago. Had like 12/13 fans in a server chassis. :lol:

It doesn't make any sense to make a PC/motherboard without USB3 these days! :lol:

Beware of future-proofing. Before we know where we are the spec is going up and up, and we end up making a hobby of researching fans. I speak from experience .

No software should require massive power for music playing. If it does, I'd be very suspicious of the software: we're not asking it to do any more than we were ten years ago!

 

[Naturelover]

So what would be ideal build for a music only PC?
And can you put in a sound card in something like the Antec 110? If not, then what would be the minimum cabinet size to accommodate a sound card? Looking ar horizontal cabinets only.

 

[gobble]

The larger the PC is, the more the sonics will degrade. Motherboards have complex circuitry that are an EMI minefield. I thought my low spec e350m ITX mobo sounded great until I got the tiny cubox. This one provides a really quiet and black background with the musicality and rhythmic sense more audible than the desktop style PC.

Don't commit the folly of using a regular PC architecture with a 150W or larger PSU. Get an ARM cortex a9 based low power device that runs on 10W of power or less for best results. Same as your android smart phones but with a custom Linux distro not the usual android which is unoptimized for pure audio.

G0bble

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

The larger the PC is, the more the sonics will degrade. Motherboards have complex circuitry that are an EMI minefield. I thought my low spec e350m ITX mobo sounded great until I got the tiny cubox

Ahhem... your proved one machine sounded better than the other. Could just as likely have been the colour as the size .

(unless it was a blind test, of course :lol

for 16k it is really overkill and expensive. Ideally you should be spending more on DAC/heaphones/speakers as you are building a "Music only PC".
But at the end of the day its your call

Now, if anybody has got money to burn on their audio PC, they should look at this hd-plex stuff. Pretty impressive, eh? Visually great, too --- and their linear power supply would cost more than at least one of the components you mention.

(apologies if I mentioned that before, but I saw it on another thread, and it went straight on my drool list --- which has plenty of space for pure-luxury items!)

 

[Falcon21]

what's going to be the output source op

 

[prepress]

So what would be ideal build for a music only PC?
And can you put in a sound card in something like the Antec 110? If not, then what would be the minimum cabinet size to accommodate a sound card? Looking ar horizontal cabinets only.

Actually small cabinets have some heat issues and also limitations for space to use good components.

I would prefer same width cabinet for Music PC which we use for HTPC (17" or so). Also I have changed my mind for sound card and planning to get a good external USB DAC.

So considering these facts, please suggest the configuration from scratch now.

1. Case : Standard size, Horizontal (should look decent, not cheap) ?
2. CD/DVD Rom : LG/Samsung (Just to rip the media)
3. RAM : Corsair 4GB (not vengeance), or any other?
4. HDD : Already purchased WD Green 2TB
5. Motherboard/Chipset : ?
6. PSU : Corsair, or any other?

7. External USB DAC : Should sound warm/neutral but detailed (Budget can go upto 15-20K but should be REALLY worth at this price point of view)

OS: Windows 7
Applications : Foobar2000 / May be JRiver or both

FOR DAC : I am planning to buy Yahama YHT-299 for home theater, it has inbuilt Burr-Brown DAC. Do you think I can put it in the chain (instead of extern USB DAC) and use its (Optical) and Analog out to Stereo Amp? Make sense?

 

[reignofchaos]

Now, if anybody has got money to burn on their audio PC, they should look at this hd-plex stuff. Pretty impressive, eh? Visually great, too --- and their linear power supply would cost more than at least one of the components you mention.

(apologies if I mentioned that before, but I saw it on another thread, and it went straight on my drool list --- which has plenty of space for pure-luxury items!)

Just ordered their linear PSU yesterday. Shall know how much of a difference it makes in a few days.

However I do agree to a certain extent with gobble. I have about 4-5 machines at home and the best for audio purposes to my ears is an atom based itx passive board that I use. I also have a core i3 machine with very similar specs and a quiet Scythe Kozuti cooler that I use as my HTPC but that sounds way worse than the atom solution for pure audio purposes. The others including laptops are no way comparable.

 

[Falcon21]

1. Case : you can look for case here:-
Buy Computer Cabinets India | Buy Computer Cabinet Online | Buy Computer Cabinets in India | Computer Cabinets India

2. CD/DVD Rom : Asus SDRW-08D2S-U LITE

3. RAM : Corsair 4GB is fine

4. HDD : If possible replace the 2TB WD with a 3TB as its more value for money.

5. Mobo: Asus H87I-PLUS
Asus H87I-PLUS New UEFI BIOS Intel LGA1150 Motherboard

6. PSU : Corsair, or Cooler Master Thunder 450W
Cooler Master Thunder 450W (RS-450-ACAB-M3) Thunder Series Power Supply

7. External USB DAC : http://www.proaudiohome.com/Amp-Dac

OS: Try Windows 7/8
Applications : Media Center 19 is best

FOR DAC : If you're planning to buy Yamaha YHT-299 for home theater, you don't need separate DAC. You can connect 299 with PC using spdif cable.
If you still must buy one:-
Soundcards , DACs

P.S. - make sure the mobo you buy has spdif header, check the mobo by opening box for spdif header, don't go by the print on the box, sometimes it says header but it's not the header you want

 

[Rockfella]

LOl this post of mine applies to listening to music through headphones ONLY. For analogue speakers a good sound card should be in your buying list. hyeah:

I have Asus Xonar DX and Fiio E10. They don't work together. PFU picture:

As my head is a tinkering machine I tested my Audio Technica M50s with onboard audio, Xonar DX, E10 and Asus Xonar U7 borrowed from a friend.

This is what I observed:
M50s on onboard audio sounds okayish. Honestly you won't like it. I did not.
M50s on Xonar DX sound much better than onboard audio but they were not really loud enough! The DX has no headphone amp for the front panel. I tested it on the front audio port. Maybe things will be different with sound card with dedicated headphone amp.
M50s on Xonar U7 sound better than the DX (obviously onboard as well) Sound is much fuller and richer I would say.
M50s sound real good on Fiio E10. I can watch movies and listen to music on M50 and E10 for hours. The E10 makes the M50 sound like a discotheque. Although the E10 sounds a bit hollow/not "full" unlike the Xonar U7 I enjoy everything on E10 and would suggest it over the Xonar U7 and Xonar Dx anyday.
PS: I am talking about running the E10 at notch 4/5 on it only. Don't feel the need to crank it up more. It goes up to 8!
If you ask me don't invest in a sound card at all! Get a USB DAC+AMP like the E10 or something even better (I don't know if there are better models at that price range) Since you will be using it with your desktop I suggest to get the E10 as it has no internal battery! Batteries of FiiOs die fast. E10 works on USB power and gives raw power lol.
PPS: Just to add more I tested the M50s with Onkyo HTS3500 as well. M50s sounds better on E10 than the AVR too!
Enjoy!
PPPS: The FiiO E10 works fine on my 10 meter USB3 cable coming all the way from my desktop to my bed side table but the Xonar u7 didnot work on the same cable lol. But the comparison was done on small stock cables.

 

[Rockfella]

That is true to an extent, plus smaller motherboards tend to be more expensive and have limited expandability options due to compact layout.
Going for a vertical or hori orientation cabinet is entirely your call. Problem is in India we don't have much options for HTPC cabinets.
If you go for vertical cabinets I would recommend Corsair 200R. Corsair's entire line-up is good. I have used coolermaster cabinets, though they are the most innovative they end up compromising on build quality to make their stuff cheaper.
For a "music only PC" a Yahama 299 does not fit anywhere. You should be looking out for stereo AMP and speakers. Experts here would elaborate more on that.
Corsair value select Ram is good enough. Vengeance probably has some OC potential but stay away from XMS.
ASUS writers are notorious for short life span. Stick with Samsung.
OS: Windows 8.1 Pro.

Actually small cabinets have some heat issues and also limitations for space to use good components.

I would prefer same width cabinet for Music PC which we use for HTPC (17" or so). Also I have changed my mind for sound card and planning to get a good external USB DAC.

So considering these facts, please suggest the configuration from scratch now.

1. Case : Standard size, Horizontal (should look decent, not cheap) ?
2. CD/DVD Rom : LG/Samsung (Just to rip the media)
3. RAM : Corsair 4GB (not vengeance), or any other?
4. HDD : Already purchased WD Green 2TB
5. Motherboard/Chipset : ?
6. PSU : Corsair, or any other?
7. External USB DAC : Should sound warm/neutral but detailed (Budget can go upto 15-20K but should be REALLY worth at this price point of view)

OS: Windows 7
Applications : Foobar2000 / May be JRiver or both

FOR DAC : I am planning to buy Yahama YHT-299 for home theater, it has inbuilt Burr-Brown DAC. Do you think I can put it in the chain (instead of extern USB DAC) and use its (Optical) and Analog out to Stereo Amp? Make sense?

Gigabyte wins over Asus for better after sales service and less failure %.
Corsair PSUs win over Coolermaster. Coolermaster tend to always over rate their junk.

1. Case : you can look for case here:-
Buy Computer Cabinets India | Buy Computer Cabinet Online | Buy Computer Cabinets in India | Computer Cabinets India

2. CD/DVD Rom : Asus SDRW-08D2S-U LITE

3. RAM : Corsair 4GB is fine

4. HDD : If possible replace the 2TB WD with a 3TB as its more value for money.

5. Mobo: Asus H87I-PLUS
Asus H87I-PLUS New UEFI BIOS Intel LGA1150 Motherboard

6. PSU : Corsair, or Cooler Master Thunder 450W
Cooler Master Thunder 450W (RS-450-ACAB-M3) Thunder Series Power Supply

7. External USB DAC : Soundcards , DACs

OS: Try Windows 7/8
Applications : Media Center 19 is best

FOR DAC : If you're planning to buy Yamaha YHT-299 for home theater, you don't need separate DAC. You can connect 299 with PC using spdif cable.
If you still must buy one:-
Soundcards , DACs

P.S. - make sure the mobo you buy has spdif header, check the mobo by opening box for spdif header, don't go by the print on the box, sometimes it says header but it's not the header you want

 

[Rockfella]

Call Prime to check if he can get this for you:

Buy Online SilverStone Grandia GD04 HTPC Case in India

 

[Amitkg]

The larger the PC is, the more the sonics will degrade. Motherboards have complex circuitry that are an EMI minefield. I thought my low spec e350m ITX mobo sounded great until I got the tiny cubox. This one provides a really quiet and black background with the musicality and rhythmic sense more audible than the desktop style PC.

Don't commit the folly of using a regular PC architecture with a 150W or larger PSU. Get an ARM cortex a9 based low power device that runs on 10W of power or less for best results. Same as your android smart phones but with a custom Linux distro not the usual android which is unoptimized for pure audio.

G0bble

--------------------------------------------

Is there any low-powered motherboard or PC available in the market with at least one PCIe slot ? as I have a PCIe sound card and I don't want to make it redundant

Thanks,
Amit