@timequest
Building your own audio PC is actually pretty simple, you just assemble the parts and most components come with decent enough directions these days. The only thing I’d worry about is making sure you purchase compatible components, that takes some research.
WGlenn’s list is almost the same as what I did for both the home office and the ‘entertainment’ PC. After I assembled I did a power on for a quick test, and immediately thought I’d done something wrong as nothing happened when I pushed the power button. A few minutes of checking quickly revealed the problem, it was working fine and I just couldn’t hear it from 2 feet away with an open case!
Definitely something I’d recommend for your music if you don’t mind the look of a black box in your listening room. Cost was about 900$USD for what I did.
Richard
Why not a Mac Mini then. Tiny, sexy, silent, easy, low energy use.
I originally thought of building a PC too but opted for the Mini and zero headaches or intrusion into my room
Just ordered my parts. Total cost will be about $1200.00 US with a new copy of Win 8. Mac is awesome but I wanted to use dBPoweramp on this machine and also wanted 3.5" internal mass storage. Otherwise, I would not have any Windows compys in the house. Here’s the rundown on the final build:
Antec Solo II quiet case w single 120mm exhaust fan
Intel DZ77GA-70K mobo (has the connectivity I want; Gbit ethernet and lots of USB3)
Intel i7 3770 CPU (4 core/8 thread, 3.4 GHz)
Silverstone Argon AR03 CPU cooler w 120mm fan (got scared that the NoFan cooler wouldn’t fit)
16gig DDR3 1600MHz memory (went for it with the hopes that I could figure out how play the music files from memory rather than streaming off the HD)
3TB WD Green HD for files
256G Samsung SSD for OS and programs
Seasonic x-400 fanless power supply (dead quiet, very efficient!)
No graphics card (built into CPU)
Windows 8 64 bit OEM
Other USB drives and peripherals I already have
…it ought to last me a while. B-)
EDIT: Argon AR01 CPU cooler (I forgot that I had changed my mind, AR01 fits 1155 chip better)
Nice, happy assembling!
Make sure the attachments for the CPU heatsink are properly padded for the underside of the MB, sometimes they are missing that, which puts you at risk of scratching/shorting out the traces on the MB. You will need to assemble that before putting the MB into the case.
Cheers,
$ard
And don’t forget the thermal paste.
Thanks, guys!
I’m looking at “Old Betty” here next to me. She has a FLOPPY DRIVE! :))
wglenn said: Windows 8 64 bit OEM
Why Windows? Just because of dBPoweramp?
Also, if Windows is your preference, you can run it flawlessly on a Mini too.
All in one smart little package and with a warranty too.
Looking at the PC vs Mac versions of Jriver, I also suspect the the Mac OS “core” output may be more direct than on Windows.
Alekz said: Just because of dBPoweramp?
dBPoweramp has a lot to do with it. I love this program and am familiar with it. I also am (regrettably) familiar with Windoz. I could also boot a version of Linux! Probably try that later.
@Gordon: I, too, prefer Mac gear but overall, with the ability to swap and modify hardware (particularly internal HDs) I chose the PC platform.
@wglenn said:
with the ability to swap and modify hardware (particularly internal HDs) I chose the PC platform.
Heeee Heee
Funny, that’s exactly why I migrated to Mac.
Gordon said: Funny, that's exactly why I migrated to Mac.
You run a Mac so you can modify it? Or is this a delicious bit of satire stating your preference to stay far away from such activity?
Do tell…
No!
So I could NOT do it.
Got it. 
The equivalent of putting epoxy on every seam of the case.
wglenn said: I could also boot a version of Linux
Yeah, dual boot is a good idea. But I would use "native" Linux with Windows in VirtualBox (just like Maniac).
Hmm just finished reading the responses to wglenn putting together a PC and win8 64bit
home build great stuff having used each system mentioned here and all past releases of windows. Win 8 runs well and is efficient, wglenn I don’t think you will regret your purchase - enjoy
@admin any news Paul? On wavestream that is. Everytime I get a loud pop between tracks I thought shit hope that doesn’tkill my speakers and only if wavestream is ready.
@johno: Was cursing my choice for a day and a half. Could not load the OS, it failed after two screens. Got a, “…needs a media driver,” message which, by the looks of the Windows forums, has MANY different fixes. In other words the error message is woefully imprecise. The official Microsoft fixes did not work. After trying many means of loading I took the advice of one fellow who moved the USB drive that he was using to load and .iso image of the Win 8 DVD from the front to the rear (or visa versa). I moved mine from the rear to the front and “poof,” the OS loaded. Go figure. ~X( ~X( ~X(
Good news.
It continues to surprise me how USB connectors originating off of the same Mobo are often different; the degree to which they are powered, process priority, etc.
I hope everything else goes smoothly.
@wglenn
I’ve performed many builds over the years and not uncommon to have a hiccup in some. Excellent you worked a solution, hopefully everything else goes trouble free from here