XXHighEnd

I plan on building a PC specifically for the NOS1a.  I would like to make it as silent as possible and optimized for sound quality.  I have spent hours looking through the forums here to see what I need, but due to being a novice I don't think everything is clicking.  As far as I can tell here is the way to go

Hardware -
CPU - Intel Core i7-3930k
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116492&cm_re=i7_3930k-_-19-116-492-_-Product

Motherboard - ASRock x79 Extreme4
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157282&cm_re=ASRock_x79-_-13-157-282-_-Product
Should I be concerned about the reliability issues mentioned in the reviews on Newegg?  Is there an equivalent Intel motherboard?

Memory - 16 gig any recommendations?

Case - any recommendations?

Video Card - any recommendations (again this is just for XXHighEnd)

Hard Drive - should it SSD? size? any recommendations?

Cooling System - any recommendations?

Power Supply - it seems the smaller PS, better sound quality.  any recommendations.  from what I've read clean power in the pc is important for sound quality.

Is there any other hardware I will need?

Software

Windows 8

From what I understand there are many tweaks that can be done to the OS to turn off features (e.g. windows services) that will optimize sound quality.  Does anyone have a list of these? 

Anything else I've missed I should be aware of?

I know I asked a lot of questions.  I will consolidate answers for the next person ;-)

thanks all,
dave

Consider getting the XXHE PC from Peter.  He's already done all the work and his labor charge is very reasonable considering how much time he spent on research (and assembly).  Mine is inaudible FWIW.

Hi

This is the current build I am working on:

Board:Asrock X99M Extreme4, mATX, LGA2011-v3 Intel X99
CPU: Intel XEON E5-2620V3 2.40GHZ (Hexacore, no onboard GFX)
RAM :Crucial 16GB KIT DDR4 2133 MT/s 8GBx2 RDIMM 288pin x4 ECC, 1.2V
GFX: Asus GF EN210 SILENT/DI/1GD3/V2 low power
USB: SilverStone EC04-P
SSD: Samsung Evo 840
PSU:    PicoPSU-150-XT 150W 12V DC-DC ATX
CASE: Streacom ST-FC9B HTPC Fanless Case

This rig will be built with the assumption of that these components are all super energy efficient, so hopefully very little internal (electrical) noise.
You will probably see that this is based on the very new X99 Chipset which is suppost more energy efficient than previos generations.


With the PicoPSU-150-XT, upgrading to a fully linear PSU is always possible should I decided to do so.
The RAM (DDR4) is running with just 1.2V maybe will be able to even tweak down some more.

This built will be completed over the next weeks.

Regards, Michael

Michael, looks like a really interesting build. Will your PSU run off a 12 volt battery or some sort of a wall wart? Just wondering.

For the time being, I will use the following external 12V PSU:

http://www.amazon.de/dp/B006Z9TQE6/ref=pe_386171_51767411_TE_M3T1_dp_1 (http://www.amazon.de/dp/B006Z9TQE6/ref=pe_386171_51767411_TE_M3T1_dp_1)


Later on, I might upgrade to something like this (just swap):

http://www.hd-plex.com/HDPLEX-Fanless-Linear-Power-Supply-for-PC-Audio-and-CE-device.html (http://www.hd-plex.com/HDPLEX-Fanless-Linear-Power-Supply-for-PC-Audio-and-CE-device.html)

Of course, a battery would probably also work ;)

Regards, Michael

Hi Dave, Michael's build looks pretty good. Maybe you should just follow his?


Hi Michael, nice build!

I've often wondered whether there's much point in feeding a PicoPSU with a linear PS or battery. In terms of getting a lower ripple to the mobo, I'd be surprised if there's any difference. The real benefit may be in preventing a load of HF garbage being sent back into the AC mains from a switching PS. If so, there are other ways to attack this, e.g. simply using an isolation transformer for the PC, as I have done.

Having said this, I would love to get rid of the last SMPS from my system, for purely psychological reasons. I may have to follow you at some point.

Thanks for sharing.

Mani.

The simple Pico PSUs bypass the 12V. So this will be linear anyway.
The challenge is to get a more complex pc started up properly. They now sell Picos that can do that.


That's also my thesis. If you are going the linear PSU way, than it makes sense to spend the extra money on a screened transformer.
Besides lower noise in the power line, stability of the power line is key too. Here the quality SMPS is at the advantage.
Next to that, I read once that CPUs run cooler on a linear PSU, I guess there must be less interaction between the CPU load and its supply leading to less losses. You get it: cannot really reason out what is more important though linear looks good from more than one perspective. Only trying will tell in the end.


Shure. The Mobo itself is one big SMPS, just to start with the 12V line for the CPU i.e. 1.25V@ 60Amps all smps'd from the 12V line.

Thanks for sharing, I'm looking into upgrading the PC too, but am still in the fantasy stage. Got inspired by the Laptop experiments. All this stuff helps.

regards, Coen

Hi Mani

This actually started as a build for my son.
I tried to collect all useful info here and built on the information in the forum. Let's see how it sounds ;)

If I am lucky I will have all components very soon to start.

I will for sure take pictures and report back.

BTW..... the OS will be Windows 8.

Regards, Michael

Michael, thanks so much.  I will most likely build something very similar.  I love that is low energy.  The only possible changes would be the following
- not use a SSD - - i believe i have read that SSD can affect the sound quality.  different vendors affect the sound differently
- not use the SUSB Silverstone - i have read mixed results on this board using the Phasure.  Here is a quote from pedal
"My PC sounds the best with its own MOB. I tried the Silverstone soundcard, both with/without isolation etc, but it gave a kind of artificially coloration in the treble. (Ground lift on both ends reduced this coloration, but didn’t remove it)."

perhaps with the NOS1a these things are moot...

again thanks.  please keep us informed how things progress and if there any gotchas!

Hi,

based on my experience with the laptop Michaels route with an external PS is the most promising.

It will be interesting to see what Coen is digging out too.

I’m sure, exciting/thrilling times are ahead of us.

Joachim

Found this video on building a silent PC, it is pretty close to the one described here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RC_xM5ecq5w

Very nice case. 

How do you plan on getting the OS on the computer without a CD/DVD player?
thanks.

You can use a USB stick that is formed using this sort of tool (http://pcsupport.about.com/od/windows-8/a/install-windows-8-usb.htm). 

I think at the moment the Streacom cases are the best suited products for silent Audio PCs.

I agree that they look also good in a Audio Rig ;)

I would propose to add:

- Microsoft WEDGE MOBILE KEYBOARD
- Microsoft SCULPT COMFORT MOUSE
- Belkin F8T016ng Mini Bluetooth Adapter USB 2

As you can see all is Bluetooth here.
Note:
This specific Belkin Bluetooth Adapter is one of the few ones that allows you to use a Bluetooth KB at startup as well. So you will be able to use your Bluetooth KB to do Bios adjustments if needed.
If you do not need the KB / Mouse, just unplug the Bluetooth adapter ;)

Hope that helps.

Michael

Uhm ... I would be VERY careful with *any* wireless connections. This is all up to you, but don't blame me when the sound went bad or hiccups etc. occur.

Notice that for the normal NOS1 situation this was all forbidden and for the "a" version there's just no explicit reporting that I know of.
Even using USB for keyboard and mouse is a (now only theoretical) no-go.

Regards,
Peter

Hello Peter

Thanks for pointing that out.
This is also the reason I chose the Bluetooth plug solution.
Can be always removed during playback.
I would never choose a Mainboard with onboard bluetooth.
The advantage with Bluetooth is that one plug can handle both KB and mouse.

Something else I was wondering though.
Having WIFI in the same room, wouldn't that have a similar effect?
I understand that remote controlling the PC e.g. with an IPAD needs WIFI.
Or is that not considered a problem?

Regards Michael

Hi Michael,

Yes, that sure WAS a problem and to my perception *that* is not a problem any more. I use a WiFi tablet for control now explusively.

Notice that this is not about having WiFi in the room as such but how OS processes WERE detrimental, just because of the "LAN" connection. So "we" used Bluetooth for that previously (remote) for the same reason - because Bluetooth is more lean.

LAN is OK now (NOS1a) but this doesn't tell a thing about Bluetooth interactions from a keyboard and such, which as far as I can recall did not really work because touching something could imply ticks. This is a different subject and not related to the audio stream being disturbed (like OS activiaty could do it) but how things *stall* because of such interactions (say wrong OS priorities).

All a bit difficult to explain in a small post to someone who just missed all this ... (while 1000s of posts *were* about it).

Regards,
Peter

Just a quick update.

Finished the built for the XXHighend PC.

Works wonderful and completly silent. No fans in the case and external PSU.

One word of caution:
The case I proposed is not compatible with the socket I chose for my XEON. I had to do some manual adjustments in the passive cooling bracked. So maybe another XEON might be better for easy assembly.

This still to do:

I will soon receive the linear PSU and a new USB card I will compare.


SOtM tX-USBexp Audiophile PCIe to USB Audio Card
see: http://www.sotm.sonore.us/SOtM3.html#6

I can directily connect the Linear PSU to the USB card.

Anybody here tried a similar setup?

Regards, Michael

PC Tweak for NOS1 async USB (http://www.phasure.com/index.php?topic=1826.0;all).

Michael, I think that today you might be the only one using this. haha. That is, for NOS1(a) owners.

Regards,
Peter

Hey Peter

Maybe this USB card will be the key to sound quality improvements we never imagined ;)

You never know haha.....

Michael

So Michael, tell us ! More haha.
haha

Peter (only half-serious)

Peter

I know it's kind of crazy to spend 350 USD for a USB card.
I am just curious thats all.

BTW here is another interesting read for a possible solution for a XXHighend PC.

http://www.computeraudiophile.com/content/612-computer-audiophile-pocket-server-c-p-s-v4-pipeline/

I will post some pictures here of my built as soons as it is complete.

Regards, Michael

But Michael, what I was trying to tell you that this kind of stuff has passed this forum. In this (SOtM) case it was 2011. Not that you can all know this ... but please be careful not to re-invent the wheel. And this is not about a crazy $350 - it is about that quite a few already tried it. So all what can coincidentally happen is that today suddenly such a card works out while it did not in the past. Unlikely though.

Otherwise there's total consensus about the Silverstone USB card, although I don't think the particular version can still be bought (with Molex connection, while its follow-up is SATA(Power) connected). Ehm, 20 euros.

So message : Before you come up with all sorts of Paul Pang tweaks and what not, search this forum. Most likely it has been tried, which usually is done by more than one person. Or just ask if you can't find it - also OK.

And hey, what's on this forum is supposed to be trusted (at least we all try hard, including you of course). I don't recall much of that (to my perception) from other forums. So you gave a link to one and well ... only after thorough interpretation. So small hint (and indirectly I gave it already) :

If you are stuffing in a 350$ card or whatever, it would be good to justify it for yourself. This means that at first you don't have it at all, judge sound, then spend the money and have a verdict. Only then it is valuable for everybody, ehm starting with yourself.
We are no Gods in here, but what I always like so much from this forum is that nobody is really doing wild things without justification. The problem is : within 5 days 50 people copy behaviour (buy that card for instance). So strangely enough there's some responsibility in order. Not so on other forums, but in here it works like that.

This wasn't preaching - just helping, hopefully !
Regards,
Peter

Hi Peter

Point taken. However I see this particular thread as a brainstorming thread to come up with ideas to built the next generation HighEndPC. As you implied, most components of your original built are not available any more. So for people building something with actual components available, a lot of the PC build info cannot be directly applied.

I agree that once a successful built is tested, there should be a seperate thread with concrete solutions that are actually working.
But even if I test it, the only reference point I have is the other PC with normal components.
The most interesting comparision would be to compare my build e.g. with yours.

I have already written that my components did not work out as planned, I had to do some modifications to the case in order to fit everything in.

For this reason, I want to share my learings and also try new things like this USB card. I know it has been tried before.
But things _could_ be different for the NOS1a.

More to follow

Michael

Yep, I still have my SOtM USB card (PCI version, not PCIe) and SATA filter from back then. At the time, I felt both made the sound 'duller'. It's sort of what you would expect - all filters seem to do this, irrespective of where they are placed in the chain (from AC mains, to footers, to IC/speaker cables).

BUT... I haven't tried these SOtM pieces for a while now. I'm happy to do so once I have my PC resurrected, with its replacement mobo and memory DIMMs.

Mani.

So as said in the previous post, here are some photos.

Regards, Michael

Thank you Michael.

I have resized your photos because we couldn't see much of it otherwise. If you wanted to show some hires details then cut that part of the original and repost that.

Peter

Thanks Peter, looks better now ;)

Kind regards, Michael

Update: The Sotm USB Card works without installing any additional drivers.

System very stable. Sound amazing.

Hey Michael, nice build.


Well my PC is now resurrected and I did indeed try my SOtM PCI (not PCIe) card. And oh boy was it a relief going back to the Silverstone PCIe card. The SOtm totally killed the sound. I mean totally. Dull, boring, dead. (But the PCIe version might well be a different animal.)

Mani.

Hi Mani

The SOtm PCIe version is not killing the sound.
While I cannot say it is better, it is for sure not worse.
Well the Silverstone is for sure a good solution.

For the time being, I leave the the SOtm in. I will wait till I receive the linear PSU, which i will directly hook up to the SOtm card.

Maybe that will change things.

I will report once received.

Michael