Maybe a desktop afterall.....

[boleary]

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.

[AUDIODIDAKT]

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.

[Telstar]

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.

[boleary]

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?

[Telstar]

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.

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).

[PeterSt]

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.

[AUDIODIDAKT]

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?

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)

[AUDIODIDAKT]

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.

[Telstar]

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.