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Looking for recommendations for hardware rerquirements for HQPlayer.
Used a Mac Mini (1.4GHz and 4GB of RAM) which was acceptable for transcoding from PCM to DSD 64 but created stutter with DSD 128.
Need to replace the Mini, so wondering if: Mac Mini 1.4GHz and 8GB of RAM is sufficient or will 2.6GHz with 8GB be what's needed.
I have a kid in college, so I want to get by for a little while till the tuition thieves leave my bank account alone.
I would appreciate thoughtful input.
Follow Ups:
don't get an i5 if you need top processor performance.
In my experience, there is a huge performance improvement with i7 over i5.
probably be much better off with an i7 and 8gb ram than an i5 and 16gb ram...
If so, you might try off-loading some of the processing using the CUDA checkbox.
Does Mac Mini have nVidia card?! I doubt it.
If it does not, enabling CUDA has no effect.
Try checking "Pipeline SDM", for additional processing power from the computer, if available.
2.4 GH is the minimum for on-the fly to DSD 128.
PipelineSDM is to be checked only if you have 4 real cpu cores or more, otherwise you may make things worse. I am not sure a Mac Mini does have 4 real cores.
There are many generations of Mac Mini and many configurations in each generation.My Mac Mini has the Intel i7-3720QM 2.6GHz Quad-Core, 16GB RAM, and SSD.
Edits: 01/29/16
have the 4 Cores, but having Pipeline checked hasn't caused any problems, but I'll compare
with and without.
Increasing RAM will not be enough.
The more cpu power you can employ, the better it is for upconversion with HQPlayer.
That said, a Mac Mini 2.6GHz with 8GB should be enough.
Do not forget that you can always employ "2s" filter variety. It should be enough for DSD128 with power constrained systems, perhaps even with your present Mac Mini.
bibo:
Thanks. Wasn't sure what was needed, but as I read your comments, it made sense that it was processing power in transcoding rather than sufficient RAM.
Thanks,
Larry
It seems that you're asking a low-end Mac to do some high-end processing. That entry level Mac is just fine for basic audio playback but more processing power may be needed for HQPlayer. Must you use HQPlayer? Why not let your DAC do the conversion work?That said, I have a 2.6GHz i7 quad-core Mac Mini with 16GB RAM and SSD. There's nothing I've thrown at it that it cannot handle.... but it wasn't cheap.
I see used Mac Minis all the time on Craig's List. You might find a slightly older one there with faster processor and more RAM for a decent price if you don't mind going that route. Or buy a larger less expensive PC. ??
Edits: 01/26/16
Just echoing what Abe said, I use HQ Player myself (along with Audirvana and even the free VLC media player), and I replaced my old Mac Mini last year with a new one in the following configuration:
Mac Mini 7.1
Intel Dual-core i7, 3 GHz
16 GB RAM
2.0 TB hybrid drive - 120 GB SSD)
Like Abe, I haven't encountered any problems. The final price, including a new keyboard and mouse was over $1,600 plus tax. I believe this configuration is still currently offered by Apple.
/
MacMini -> HDMI to Marantz Pre-Pro -> HDMI to 65" Panasonic Plasma.
The RAID drive that holds the music files is connected to another computer in another room and is shared via a (wired) Ethernet switch. So there's not very much on the MacMini's internal drive, aside from a couple of browsers and the music players.
/
Abe and Chris:
As with Bibo's comments, more processing seems plainly the path.
My DAC accepts only DSD. I have so little time for listening right now, feels silly to be spending a thousand bucks for a computer that's largely going to sit in another room six days a week waiting for an hour on that seventh day. I just want something to carry me over for a few years and then maybe I'll return to the audiophile treadmill.
Again, thanks for your input.
Larry
A possible solution: Buy an inexpensive DAC that does not require DSD. Play regular ole PCM music files. The low-end Mac Mini and even a cheap low-power PC will support that.
Abe:
Thanks, bought a very nice DAC that I intend to stick with.
Small inconvenience to cross the threshold to very good performance.
Larry
If you are not adverse to using a Win PC, you can purchase a powerful PC for much less than a comparable MAC.
Edits: 01/27/16 01/27/16
Bob:
Thanks.
I am looking at a Windows machine now because of costs.
If any one is following this thread Jussi Laako thought i5 2.6GHz was about the minimum for transcoding PCM to DSD 128 and that 8GB of RAM was sufficient. Sometimes I forget to go to the source, helps a lot.
Larry
I can confirm Jussi's requirements, having a dual core i5 some years old. It will transcode PCM to DSD128, which is as fast as my DAC goes. It will even do some digital room correction and it will do all of this without stutter. However, when doing DRC and upsampling to DSD128 the computer has to be 100% dedicated to audio to ensure there is no stutter. This computer runs out of capability if one tries to perform DRC on DSD64 and upsample the result to DSD128.
Tony Lauck
"Diversity is the law of nature; no two entities in this universe are uniform." - P.R. Sarkar
You don't need much RAM to play HQPlayer. It uses only about 100 MB of RAM when converting 16/44.1k PCM to 5.6M DSD128 on Windows. So you can be happy with 8GB of RAM. Processor performance is much more important. Take the 2.6 GHz i5 as minimum for 44.1k to DSD128.
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