Amir's Music Server Build Thread

[dallasjustice]

I am actually created a test setup for power supplies! Will test the ones I have now before testing others.

I can send you more PSUs but I'm sure you have plenty already.

I've definitely fallen prey to the PSU "upgrade" once or twice. They now lay dormant in my attic.

 

[Purité Audio]

I actually commissioned two Paul Hynes P/S's just to see whether a good linear supply blah blah blah, one for a Metric Halo DAC and the other for a Weiss USB powered converter. no difference whatsoever.
Keith.

 

[FrantzM]

I actually commissioned two Paul Hynes P/S's just to see whether a good linear supply blah blah blah, one for a Metric Halo DAC and the other for a Weiss USB powered converter. no difference whatsoever.
Keith.

Your system is not resolving/revealing enough or you didn't use the Power Cords that work synergistically with the particular linear power supply you used. Synergy! Synergy! You may also need to look into different IC some work better with a given linear power supply.
In all seriousness so no emoticon ...
Nah!

 

[Purité Audio]

A You forget to mention that I am stone deaf , or I didn't spend enough on the power supplies, although if I remember they weren't cheap, almost as much as the Weiss component it was powering.
Keith

 

[decWA]

Great set-up. I see on the Streacom website that they make a fanless FC5 case that is similar but quite a bit thinner. Would the same parts fit in that thinner chassis? As you recommended, I would not be inserting an optical drive.

 

[amirm]

Thanks. Anything less tall would mean that any expansion cards would have to be side-ways (with some kind of riser card) or not fit at all. If you have no intention of adding any internal cards then smaller ones should work just the same.

Looking at their F5 Alpha, it does seem to be the case: "Expansion Slot: 1 x Full Height Expansion Card (Flexible Riser Required)"

That is a nice sleek box.

If you can figure out the bits I did then it will be a good option.

 

[Old Listener]

I considered using a case like Amir's with an Intel NUC motherboard for my personal PC. I decided to buy an Intel NUC barebones PC to start. I figured that I could move the motherboard to a fanless caese where heatpipes conducted heat to the case itself. However, I found that a minute's work in the NUC BIOS to set the quiet fan profile was quite effective. The fan doesn't come on during my normal use.

 

[amirm]

Makes sense. As I noted, even in my higher end CPU it runs extremely cool so a temperature controlled fan likely would have been silent or off anyway.

 

[Keith_W]

Hi Amir, I somehow missed your build thread. Like you, I went for the Streacom FC10. This is what I have in it:

- Streacom FC10 Alpha, Optical
- i7-6700K CPU
- MSI B170i Gaming Pro AC motherboard (has on board wifi and graphics)
- 16GB Corsair RAM
- 1TB Samsung Evo SSD (I bought an M.2 SSD but it had a SATA interface, my mobo supports PCIE interface only!)
- Silverstone Blu-Ray optical drive
- RME HDSPe AES sound card
- Uptone Audio JS-2 LPS
- Software: Windows 10, Acourate, HQPlayer, JRiver (for video)

All this feeds a Merging+ NADAC MC-8.

I wasn't planning to get the LPS, but I had a tonne of spurious noise from my Streacom SMPS. The LPS was a definite upgrade. At the moment I do not have a way to measure the noise coming out the DAC from the SMPS, but it is audible enough to make a Youtube video to demonstrate it. It might be the reason that noise on my system is audible because I have a high gain / high efficiency system.

I use it to run HQPlayer, which also generates the crossovers. If you try to run 8 channels of convolution and upsample to DSD256, it brings the i7 down to its knees! I am currently running at 80% CPU and get occasional clicks if I do this. So I have to keep it at DSD128 or PCM.

Right now I am investigating getting a GPU so that I can CUDA offload from HQPlayer, and also use it to upsample to 4K when I get my new TV. I therefore need as powerful a GPU as possible ... but unfortunately those things tend to have a TDP of 145 or more, and I am not sure if I am able to passively cool it with heatpipes.

 

[amirm]

Thanks for the write-up Keith. My aspirations for processing stopped at Room EQ so it seems good for that. I am very surprised at the RME card was susceptible to power supply noise for digital out. But if you heard it that easily, then it is definitely problematic.

Since the build I have put my 4K OLED TV on it and the poor Intel onboard graphics shows its weakness with low frame rate. It is a minor annoyance for audio but I am hoping for a fanless upgraded of the GPU at some point.

 

[Keith_W]

Amir, I am very interested in how you tackle the graphics card problem. Your build has the PSU located within the case. Mine does not. This means that I can fit a 178mm graphics card. I don't think you would be able to do the same, unless you buy the outboard PSU.

As it happens, I have a spare one I think it is switchable from 240V to 11oV ... I would have to check.

 

[amirm]

My hope is to find non-gaming cards that support 4K. Have not researched this yet but in the past there were such cards where the GPU was underclocked and passively cooled.

 

[Keith_W]

May I ask - why choose a "non gaming" card? What is the difference between a gaming card and non-gaming? You also said that you chose "non gaming" RAM. Why? (I am not challenging you, I just want to know what the difference is).

The problem with passively cooled cards, and a case like yours (and mine) - is that the PCIE slots on the case are oriented the "wrong" way round. Meaning, the heatsink will be facing downwards. This was the exact same criticism you levelled on that Redgum amp on another forum some time ago Except that it would be much worse in this case - not only is the heatsink facing down, but there is no airflow within the case. Most other quiet PC builds at least have a low spinning fan that generates some airflow.

The lowest power passively cooled card which supports 4K, as far as I am aware, would be a card based on the nVidia 750GTX chip, like this one: https://www.quietpc.com/pal-ne5x75t00941-1073h

I think that heatpiping the GPU is a much better solution. Or at least, it would be ... if you can get it to work.

As I said before, I also think that your internal PSU will preclude you from having a graphics card.

 

[amirm]

Most add-on GPUs are focused on the needs of gamers who need maximum acceleration of 3-D graphics. None of those features are used for video display. Yet the extra circuits sit there consuming significant amount of power. Now it turns out that gaming GPUs are also much more powerful and support higher native video resolution, in this case, 4K. That is all we need out of them. And that capability can be had with the GPU running at very low speeds and with none of the add ons for 3-D acceleration. We essentially want a de-featured GPU. Kind of like buying a car engine and leaving the turbo feature behind!

Likewise memories are offered for gamers that have heatsinks on them and can be overclocked to run faster. In music and even video applications, memory is not stressed to need overclocking. And even if you did overclock it, it will only had low single digital performance improvement.

Back to GPU, for sure I won't be using anything like that powerful card that is aimed at gamers. If not this generation, the next will provide much smaller cards for plain 4K video playback. Likely Intel will speed up the in-built GPU in the CPU to do the same.

Let me do some research and come back here when I find a lightweight 4K video card.

 

[Keith_W]

I see. The reason I am keen for a powerful (i.e. "gaming") GPU is so that I can use it to run MadVR: http://madvr.com/

Think of it as HQPlayer for video. It takes an SD feed and upsamples it to 4K, using the GPU for acceleration. Apparently, if you apply all the maximum settings, it will make a high end video card cry for mummy. If you "only" have a 4K capable video card with no hardware acceleration, then you are limited to using 4K sources, or relying on the 4K upsampling on your TV.

The OTHER reason I want a powerful GPU is so that I can CUDA offload from HQPlayer.

Of course, all this depends on whether you believe that upsampling in your PC is superior to upsampling in your DAC, or upsampling in your TV. Or whether you even believe in hi-res in the first place

 

[Sal1950]

This thread has had me itching to pursue a build of my own for some time now. Only issue is my current box already handles my music serving chores perfectly and I just can't justify to my conscience the $ expenditure. And then what to do with this big full tower rig when I no longer have a use for it. Even with a couple fans slowly running, the big CoolerMaster Cosmos case is lined with sound deadening material so it's very quiet. Even after 8 years it's still a awesome rig, I conjured it to be a pretty timeless piece, I need a new box like a need a new wife.
But a new box is soooo much fun designing and building.
The stress of it all.

 

[amirm]

And then what to do with this big full tower rig when I no longer have a use for it.

Oh, there are many good such uses. Here is a great example:

 

[amirm]

The reason I am keen for a powerful (i.e. "gaming") GPU is so that I can use it to run MadVR: http://madvr.com/

I was going to talk about the exception of madvr but didn't think you were going there.

I have not looked at madvr for a few years. At the time it had good value given the poor scalars in many displays. Those scalars have become far better and commoditized.

I had my son research availability of HDMI 2.0 capable graphics card (needed for 60 frames/sec for 4K resolution). Boy, it is a horrific situation with massive gaming cards being the only ones supporting. Looks like I need to wait for a generation or two before quiet little cards become available with this capability.

 

[Sal1950]

OH CRAP, The creatures from the Black Lagoon.

Oh, there are many good such uses. Here is a great example:

 

[amirm]

They sure are amazing size prawns.