XXHighEnd

Started looking at desktops to replace my laptop but I am not a techie and have questions. Also funds are limited so I've been looking at the web sight of a big box store, Costco, where they give you options for configuration.
First, whats the best processor for XX? The choices seem to be Core 2 duo, Dual-Core (pentium) and core i5 or i7.  Does it make a difference if its dual or quad if choosing Core 2?

Secondly, to get the music to the dac I was considering a Julie@, though I will make sure the computor has a firewire port for possible future upgrades ( who knows, maybe I'll win that lottery) to some NOS Dac I keep hearing about.  :). Is something like a Julie@ necessary if the computer comes with a SPDIF output?

Any other considerations I should be aware of. This computer would be used for music and downloading movies to output to the TV.

Lastly, though I am getting great sound from my laptop, better than from my cdp's, I've just run into too many situations where I have to keep fiddling around (almost literally) to get XX to work. So far I've never been concerned with cover art cause I alway close the laptop lid when playing XX. I will miss that aspect of the laptop.

Hi Boleary,

I have a ESI Juli@ soundcard, And yes Its better to get a decent soundcard instead of using the on board one.
The on board one, sounds like Cr@p. (in my case that is)(even a cdp sounds better then that)

I really like the Juli@, It sounds really good and especialy for that price.

Also get W7, its much faster then Vista and maybe it sounds better too (I think it does)

Peter will say get a dual-core (just for audio), but if you are using it for other applications maybe get a Quad core.

I think the cpu power you need for xxhe with quad upsampling is no more than the cheapest E**** intel dual core that money can buy. I went with an E5300 a few months ago, and it wont be a bottleneck. Unless you plan to use the machine also for BD or graphics/video editing you don't need anytghing faster. You can get of course which is the best price/perf ratio at the moment. That excludes the core i5 and i7 for sure (IMO).
Because older intel-based motherboards are just more STABLE.

You want an S3 suspend mode that works and works well, you may want a good (T.i.) firewire onboard (available on some gigabyte mobos like mine).

In short, going for a custom build is the way to go :) No regrets. Ah one, I'll be going completely fanless soon.

Thanks for the replies. Telstar, how can one know whether the S3 suspend mode works well beforehand? On my current setup, everytime the computor goes into sleep mode when I forget to turn it off,  I always have to restart or XX won't work. Obviously, I don't know much about computers so thanks for indulging me.

Roy, I was wanting to use the Juli@ as an inexpensive means of getting music to my DAC, via spdif. Using the Juli@ as the sound device, are you able to us arc prediction upsampling?  How does it sound?

I usually turn off xxhe before i make it sleep, but i dont think makes a difference. Any daughterboard or even external device can cause problems to the sleep mode. The only thing you can do is first of all get a mainboard that is not bugged in this respect (many are).

FYI : I have this problem too. The "fun" is, using WASAPI causes the suspend mode not to happen anymore. I myself am glad with that. Thus, use XXHighEnd (Engine#3) for some playback, and then the PC never falls asleep anymore.

This is a more often heard bug.

Maybe offtopic, though related : When I just rebooted the PC and never used XXHighEnd and start some large copy activity, the PC falls asleep regardless. First use XXHighEnd and it's okay again.

:fool:

Yes, I can use ARC (in my case only double, depends on DAC ofcourse), and it sounds good too, there is a Toslink and for coaxial you have to use a thingie suplied with the juli@,
I still have to modify the card with a decent RCA connector. (see pic)

The Gigabyte MoBo I have is an overclockers-board, with better power-lines or something like that because it sounds really good
It also has an onboard T.I (Texas Instruments) FW connection.
It costs about 150-160 euro range, maybe cheaper already.

No falling in sleep here.

My motherboard is not in the signature, it's also a gigabyte (because they are among the few who provide a TI firewire chip onboard), the model is
GA-EG45M-UD2H
http://www.giga-byte.co.uk/Products/Motherboard/Products_Spec.aspx?ProductID=3021
It costs 80-90 euros.

It has integrated video (decent enough to run BD with a 2,4ghz+ dual core processor), and all the things you will ever need in a dedicated music pc. I'm a PC enthusiast, and I have built my own computers for over 10 years now, with or without overclock.
I have never used a gigabyte board, but they are really stable now, most models with socket 775.