I’m trying to build a quality audio pc server running either HQPlayer on WIndows or Daphile using Gentoo Linux. I am looking to upsample all music in realtime to DSD512 and have a preference for AMD ZEN3 processor. Output is via USB to a DSD capable DAC. I am not investing in a LPS at this stage but have a Corsair AX860 for optimum switched PSU. I undestand DC ripple is a key issue and therefore looking for a mobo with excellent VRM. I haven’t finalised the CPU yet but pending on benchmarks would be looking at a 5800x although I think I could get away with a 5700x or even 5600x. Would a Gigabyte B550 Auros Master be overkill given I do not intend to overclock and would like to keep the CPU below 50%.
Since your source material is digital and you want to use DSD and use USB the VRM is actually not very relevant at all, as there is no DAC happening in there as it’s all digital and therefore not subject to interference from VRM/DC ripple/noise.
What’s important in your chain is that the DAC has a good PSU as there is actual analog conversion happening
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The vrm shouldn’t really be a part of concern here.
However investing in a good motherboard is always a good idea,
because the motherboard and psu are actually the most important parts of the system.
But yeah it kinda depends on your budget really.
The Gigabyte B550 Aorus Master does indeed has an excelent vrm,
one of the best vrm’s on B550, especially in regards to ripple.
But of course there are also plenty of other cheaper good boards as well.
My concern is latency. A ring/cache overclock on something you can get into the high 5Ghz range might be better for latency. Thinking binned 9700K might be better for latency.
Latency would only be a real problem if you use it to record instruments and for that Windows and Linux is not what you should use actually, since latency is a high degree higher than on MacOS with coreaudio.
Since he probably won’t be using ASIO for Windows the only other method would be kernel streaming and that is kinda iffy and support is meh.
ALSA and Pulseaudio also have a way higher latency already, maybe JACK can help here but setting that up is already a pain enough…
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