Royaume

Xtreme mobos are limited in isolation by microscopic power stability tolerances in trace and gnd plane layout. But it can be isolated IN the dac. The increase to layout complexity and component cost just tends to preclude it. Usually not an issue. But hard to fix because it's integrated with the data signal and thus can't be 'lifted' without dropping data. Better off buying a low-power budget PC by then.

Or I guess go SPDIF or AES. You don't even need toslink, all of the wired platforms for those protocols are transformer-isolated. No PC crud passes to the dac/interface.

@robot zombie Wow! this is an incredible insight into USB and mobo design. I will have to research this and digest it.

This is an interesting area of computer audio and one that has seen a few guides. Programs like Fidelizer and some os programs like Black ??? change os setting and sometimes for the better & sometimes I cannot hear a speck of difference. Aside from Win, we used to do all sorts of crazy stuff with macs. Audible yes, stable, not so much.

I run a 14900KS with HQPlayer. Temps are best when you keep the clocks as low as possible for the load. It reduces spikiness of the CPU and dramatically reduces heat output. The efficiency sweet spot of the 14900KS is a multiplier in the mid to high 30's (with max being 59 all-core or 62 on the two best cores). It has excellent efficiency downclocked to this range and still good power.

I also run it with a Noctua NH-P1 fanless cooler, but with the optional cooler fan and 8 140mm BeQuiet case fans, so I can do some halfway decent gaming. I can push 200w on the CPU and another 150 GPU with this setup, or run a DSD512 rate on ASDM7EC Super and default poly-sinc filters with fans inaudible at 350rpm.

@Riotvan omg, I considered adding exactly those two words!

Executing Execution...

Pooping poops