XXHighEnd - The Ultra HighEnd Audio Player
October 09, 2024, 09:54:23 pm *
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.
Did you miss your activation email?

Login with username, password and session length
News: August 6, 2017 : Phasure Webshop open ! Go to the Shop
Search current board structure only !!  
   Home   Help Search Login Register  
Pages: [1]
  Print  
Author Topic: Maybe a desktop afterall.....  (Read 14215 times)
0 Members and 0 Guests are viewing this topic.
boleary
Crazy Audiophile
****
Offline Offline

Posts: 1233


View Profile Email
« on: October 25, 2009, 01:42:53 pm »

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.  Happy. 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.
Logged

XX2.07/MB: ASRock Extreme 4M , i7-3930K @ 0.5GHz/ RAM-OS W10586/32 Gigs 1600 DDR3/ Clarixa usb cable  /Q1,3,4,5 = *14*/1/1/*1* / *Q1Factor = 1* / Peak Extension: Off/Dev.Buffer = 4096 / ClockRes = *.5ms* / Straight Contiguous / SFS = *.02,/ Do Nothing With Cover Art / not Invert / *(Phase Alignment Off  / Playerprio = Low / ThreadPrio = Real Time / Scheme = 3-5 / UnAttended (Just Start) / *All* Services Off except LAN & RDC/ Persist off/No OSD / No Running Time / Minimize OS / Boost on/XTweaks : Balanced Load = *40* / Nervous Rate = 1/ Cool when Idle = NA / Provide Stable Power = 0 / Utilize Cores always = 1 / Time Performance Index = Best/ Time Stability = On/ No Up-sampling/R-2R DAC
AUDIODIDAKT
Audio Addict
***
Offline Offline

Posts: 727

There's Nothing So Dated As Yesterdays Future


View Profile Email
« Reply #1 on: October 25, 2009, 01:52:54 pm »

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.
Logged

(Sept 30, 2010)                                                
W7 Ultimate x64 Tweaked/60 GB SSD OCZ Vertex (1.50)/Gigabyte GA-EP45-EXTREME/Intel Q9550 2.83Ghz/OZC Reaper 2x2GB/
Esi Juli@ soundcard (KS)(x2v-v0_978)(Tweaked Coaxial)/Nvidea Geforce 9800 GTX+/750 Watt Zalman ZM-750-HP/100 MB Fiber-Optical Internet/
(XXHighEnd 0.9z-2)
#4Engine, Special Mode, 48 samples, SFS 12MB, DAP, Scheme=3, Q1=1, Q2/Q3/Q4/Q5=30,30,0,0, PlayerPrio=Low, ThreadPrio=Realtime
x-Allow Format Change, x-Stop Services, x-Copy to XX-drive by Standard, x-Start Engine3 During Conversion
Telstar
Audio Addict
***
Offline Offline

Posts: 732


View Profile
« Reply #2 on: October 25, 2009, 03:24:57 pm »

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 Happy No regrets. Ah one, I'll be going completely fanless soon.
Logged

(2nd Apr 2018)
Software:
W10 14393 Pro x64 | XXHE 2.10 | MinOS | Q=14x1/0/0/0/0 | SFS 5,19 mixed contiguous | Nervous rate 1 | 4096k buffer |

Hardware:
OrigenAE H5 case | E5300 fanless |  8GB RAM | Winmate DC-DC fanless PSU | OS on SSD | Renesas USB3 pcie card | Belden highspeed usb cable | Audio-gd dac19 NOS with sigxer F1 | My_ref_FE mono amps | Albedo Apex speakers
boleary
Crazy Audiophile
****
Offline Offline

Posts: 1233


View Profile Email
« Reply #3 on: October 26, 2009, 03:05:25 am »

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?

Logged

XX2.07/MB: ASRock Extreme 4M , i7-3930K @ 0.5GHz/ RAM-OS W10586/32 Gigs 1600 DDR3/ Clarixa usb cable  /Q1,3,4,5 = *14*/1/1/*1* / *Q1Factor = 1* / Peak Extension: Off/Dev.Buffer = 4096 / ClockRes = *.5ms* / Straight Contiguous / SFS = *.02,/ Do Nothing With Cover Art / not Invert / *(Phase Alignment Off  / Playerprio = Low / ThreadPrio = Real Time / Scheme = 3-5 / UnAttended (Just Start) / *All* Services Off except LAN & RDC/ Persist off/No OSD / No Running Time / Minimize OS / Boost on/XTweaks : Balanced Load = *40* / Nervous Rate = 1/ Cool when Idle = NA / Provide Stable Power = 0 / Utilize Cores always = 1 / Time Performance Index = Best/ Time Stability = On/ No Up-sampling/R-2R DAC
Telstar
Audio Addict
***
Offline Offline

Posts: 732


View Profile
« Reply #4 on: October 26, 2009, 12:46:12 pm »

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).

Logged

(2nd Apr 2018)
Software:
W10 14393 Pro x64 | XXHE 2.10 | MinOS | Q=14x1/0/0/0/0 | SFS 5,19 mixed contiguous | Nervous rate 1 | 4096k buffer |

Hardware:
OrigenAE H5 case | E5300 fanless |  8GB RAM | Winmate DC-DC fanless PSU | OS on SSD | Renesas USB3 pcie card | Belden highspeed usb cable | Audio-gd dac19 NOS with sigxer F1 | My_ref_FE mono amps | Albedo Apex speakers
PeterSt
Administrator
High Grade Audiophile
*****
Offline Offline

Posts: 16851



View Profile Email
« Reply #5 on: October 26, 2009, 01:05:29 pm »

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
Logged

For the Stealth III LPS PC :
W10-14393.0 - July 17, 2021 (2.11)
XXHighEnd Mach III Stealth LPS PC -> Xeon Scalable 14/28 core with Hyperthreading On (set to 14/28 cores in BIOS and set to 10/20 cores via Boot Menu) @~660MHz, 48GB, Windows 10 Pro 64 bit build 14393.0 from RAM, music on LAN / Engine#4 Adaptive Mode / Q1/-/3/4/5 = 14/-/0/0/*1*/ Q1Factor = *4* / Dev.Buffer = 4096 / ClockRes = *10ms* / Memory = Straight Contiguous / Include Garbage Collect / SFS = *10.13*  (max 10.13) / not Invert / Phase Alignment Off / Playerprio = Low / ThreadPrio = Realtime / Scheme = Core 3-5 / Not Switch Processors during Playback = Off/ Playback Drive none (see OS from RAM) / UnAttended (Just Start) / Always Copy to XX Drive (see OS from RAM) / Stop Desktop, Remaining, WASAPI and W10 services / Use Remote Desktop / Keep LAN - Not Persist / WallPaper On / OSD Off (!) / Running Time Off / Minimize OS / XTweaks : Balanced Load = *62* / Nervous Rate = *1* / Cool when Idle = n.a / Provide Stable Power = 1 / Utilize Cores always = 1 / Time Performance Index = Optimal / Time Stability = Stable / Custom Filtering *Low* (16x) / Always Clear Proxy before Playback = On -> USB3 from MoBo -> Lush^3
A: W-Y-R-G, B: *W-G* USB 1m00 -> Phisolator 24/768 Phasure NOS1a/G3 75B (BNC Out) async USB DAC, Driver v1.0.4b (16ms) -> B'ASS Current Amplifier -> Blaxius*^2.5* A:B-G, B:B-G Interlink -> Orelo MKII Active Open Baffle Horn Speakers. ET^2 Ethernet from Mach III to Music Server PC (RDC Control).
Removed Switching Supplies from everywhere (also from the PC).

For a general PC :
W10-10586.0 - May 2016 (2.05+)
*XXHighEnd PC -> I7 3930k with Hyperthreading On (12 cores)* @~500MHz, 16GB, Windows 10 Pro 64 bit build 10586.0 from RAM, music on LAN / Engine#4 Adaptive Mode / Q1/-/3/4/5 = 14/-/1/1/1 / Q1Factor = 1 / Dev.Buffer = 4096 / ClockRes = 1ms / Memory = Straight Contiguous / Include Garbage Collect / SFS = 0.10  (max 60) / not Invert / Phase Alignment Off / Playerprio = Low / ThreadPrio = Realtime / Scheme = Core 3-5 / Not Switch Processors during Playback = Off/ Playback Drive none (see OS from RAM) / UnAttended (Just Start) / Always Copy to XX Drive (see OS from RAM) / All Services Off / Keep LAN - Not Persist / WallPaper On / OSD On / Running Time Off / Minimize OS / XTweaks : Balanced Load = *43* / Nervous Rate = 1 / Cool when Idle = 1 / Provide Stable Power = 1 / Utilize Cores always = 1 / Time Performance Index = *Optimal* / Time Stability = *Stable* / Custom Filter *Low* 705600 / -> USB3 *from MoBo* -> Clairixa USB 15cm -> Intona Isolator -> Clairixa USB 1m80 -> 24/768 Phasure NOS1a 75B (BNC Out) async USB DAC, Driver v1.0.4b (4ms) -> Blaxius BNC interlink *-> B'ASS Current Amplifier /w Level4 -> Blaxius Interlink* -> Orelo MKII Active Open Baffle Horn Speakers.
Removed Switching Supplies from everywhere.

Global Moderator
AUDIODIDAKT
Audio Addict
***
Offline Offline

Posts: 727

There's Nothing So Dated As Yesterdays Future


View Profile Email
« Reply #6 on: October 26, 2009, 03:39:49 pm »

Quote
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)




* Capture.JPG (119.75 KB, 774x893 - viewed 1011 times.)
Logged

(Sept 30, 2010)                                                
W7 Ultimate x64 Tweaked/60 GB SSD OCZ Vertex (1.50)/Gigabyte GA-EP45-EXTREME/Intel Q9550 2.83Ghz/OZC Reaper 2x2GB/
Esi Juli@ soundcard (KS)(x2v-v0_978)(Tweaked Coaxial)/Nvidea Geforce 9800 GTX+/750 Watt Zalman ZM-750-HP/100 MB Fiber-Optical Internet/
(XXHighEnd 0.9z-2)
#4Engine, Special Mode, 48 samples, SFS 12MB, DAP, Scheme=3, Q1=1, Q2/Q3/Q4/Q5=30,30,0,0, PlayerPrio=Low, ThreadPrio=Realtime
x-Allow Format Change, x-Stop Services, x-Copy to XX-drive by Standard, x-Start Engine3 During Conversion
AUDIODIDAKT
Audio Addict
***
Offline Offline

Posts: 727

There's Nothing So Dated As Yesterdays Future


View Profile Email
« Reply #7 on: October 26, 2009, 04:45:00 pm »

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.
Logged

(Sept 30, 2010)                                                
W7 Ultimate x64 Tweaked/60 GB SSD OCZ Vertex (1.50)/Gigabyte GA-EP45-EXTREME/Intel Q9550 2.83Ghz/OZC Reaper 2x2GB/
Esi Juli@ soundcard (KS)(x2v-v0_978)(Tweaked Coaxial)/Nvidea Geforce 9800 GTX+/750 Watt Zalman ZM-750-HP/100 MB Fiber-Optical Internet/
(XXHighEnd 0.9z-2)
#4Engine, Special Mode, 48 samples, SFS 12MB, DAP, Scheme=3, Q1=1, Q2/Q3/Q4/Q5=30,30,0,0, PlayerPrio=Low, ThreadPrio=Realtime
x-Allow Format Change, x-Stop Services, x-Copy to XX-drive by Standard, x-Start Engine3 During Conversion
Telstar
Audio Addict
***
Offline Offline

Posts: 732


View Profile
« Reply #8 on: October 27, 2009, 03:41:03 pm »

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.
Logged

(2nd Apr 2018)
Software:
W10 14393 Pro x64 | XXHE 2.10 | MinOS | Q=14x1/0/0/0/0 | SFS 5,19 mixed contiguous | Nervous rate 1 | 4096k buffer |

Hardware:
OrigenAE H5 case | E5300 fanless |  8GB RAM | Winmate DC-DC fanless PSU | OS on SSD | Renesas USB3 pcie card | Belden highspeed usb cable | Audio-gd dac19 NOS with sigxer F1 | My_ref_FE mono amps | Albedo Apex speakers
Pages: [1]
  Print  
 
Jump to:  

Powered by MySQL Powered by PHP Powered by SMF 1.1 RC2 | SMF © 2001-2005, Lewis Media Valid XHTML 1.0! Valid CSS!
Page created in 0.064 seconds with 20 queries.