Not quite sure where to post this but here goes.
For some years I have been running an Apple IMac as my main PC which is hooked up to a Vortexbox device running LMS (and thence to router etc).
It's been OK-ish - a bit awkward at times for someone with very little knowledge of Linux, networking etc but seems stable at the moment.
However it does get a little frustrating when things go wrong (have to find my way around Terminal, SSH, Linux commands etc) and there are often file access problems getting the Mac to access music files on the Vortexbox device (as well as the Mac not natively working with FLAC files).
So, thought it might be time for a wholesale change and start from scratch.
I am drawn to the concept of a fanless, silent PC with SSD drive(s) to do both jobs - be the workhorse of my usual computing activity (eg office applications, mail, internet etc) as well as host my music. Being low power I don't mind leaving this switched on (low power consumption was one attraction of the VB device). I'm happy to move back to Windows and away from Apple's restrictive universe.
So, is this simply a question of building the new PC, loading a copy of Vortexbox software on it, copying over my music library (FLAC with a mirror MP3 version for the car) hooking up to the router and off I go ? Would be so much easier to not run 'headless' and also give me access to better file management software such as Media Monkey. Or are there other alternatives (I know nothing of JRiver etc).
Answers on a postcard much appreciated.
For some years I have been running an Apple IMac as my main PC which is hooked up to a Vortexbox device running LMS (and thence to router etc).
It's been OK-ish - a bit awkward at times for someone with very little knowledge of Linux, networking etc but seems stable at the moment.
However it does get a little frustrating when things go wrong (have to find my way around Terminal, SSH, Linux commands etc) and there are often file access problems getting the Mac to access music files on the Vortexbox device (as well as the Mac not natively working with FLAC files).
So, thought it might be time for a wholesale change and start from scratch.
I am drawn to the concept of a fanless, silent PC with SSD drive(s) to do both jobs - be the workhorse of my usual computing activity (eg office applications, mail, internet etc) as well as host my music. Being low power I don't mind leaving this switched on (low power consumption was one attraction of the VB device). I'm happy to move back to Windows and away from Apple's restrictive universe.
So, is this simply a question of building the new PC, loading a copy of Vortexbox software on it, copying over my music library (FLAC with a mirror MP3 version for the car) hooking up to the router and off I go ? Would be so much easier to not run 'headless' and also give me access to better file management software such as Media Monkey. Or are there other alternatives (I know nothing of JRiver etc).
Answers on a postcard much appreciated.