Intel Or AMD ?

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I am working on building a PC for Audio only {under Linux - Ubuntu Studio}. So far my research has come up with SPDIF >Toslink > USB. This leaves me looking for a Mobo with SDIF header & fitting a bracket {Toslink seems to be the norm these days}. The question ... "Is there a difference between Intel & AMD in the quality of the SPDIF output?" Thoughts? eng hoe
 
That is the conclusion I got from reaing that SPDIF is "better then" Toslink which is "better then" USB w.r.t "jitter". Am I incorrect? I thought that on Intel Mobos the South Bridge generated the SPDIF signal?...haven't found anyhing on AMD mobos. So much to learn...
I dont understand this: SPDIF>Toslink>USB. Do you want to generate USB output from SPDIF or what ?
IMHO, SPDIF is normally generated by the audio codec chip not the cpu, so the cpu choice is insignificant.
 
Intel all the way.

EVERY AMD chip that I've ever known has failed due to it overheating.

I've never had an Intel chip fail on me yet.

If you never had an Intel chip fail on you yet, it can't be conclude "an Intel chip never fail." I had an Intel failed, but I never conclude Intel is better than AMD. Intel and AMD never made one type of processors, you can't conclude base on your processors.
 
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midyim, it does not matter what CPU/chipset brand you choose. I have had both AMD as well as Intel MBs fail, and both will eventually. Things do not work for ever.

IMO a more important issue for you is to learn the principles of audio first, before buying any HW. The proposed SPDIF-TOSLINK-USB chain shows deciding which CPU is still a bit low-level decision at this stage.

You want to use ubuntu - do you have any experience with linux?
 
I prefer AMD purely as one can get a bit more performance from AMD than Intel's performers.Otherwise, you get what you pay for.

Intel processors have been leading the performance benchmarks since their launch of Core 2 Duo processors in 2006. And the power consumption is much lower too.

For audio purposes, both camps should be able to provide more than enough performance even with their entry level products.

AFAIK the onboard audio codec chip is responsible for the SPDIF part - maybe others can chime in. Certain audio codecs have higher sampling rates, better SNR ratings - please refer to the following article:

Audio Codec Comparison Table | Hardware Secrets

Other aspects that you might want to consider are low power consumption and a more silent PC (less number of fans, slow spinning fans... maybe even passive cooling if possible/practical). A quality power supply is also recommended and preferably one which makes less noise.
 
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I am not refering to a chain - rather which fomat {Intel o AMD} would have the least corruption of the digital music file. W.r.t to Linux, Iwill use the terminal if I need to.
midyim, it does not matter what CPU/chipset brand you choose. I have had both AMD as well as Intel MBs fail, and both will eventually. Things do not work for ever.

IMO a more important issue for you is to learn the principles of audio first, before buying any HW. The proposed SPDIF-TOSLINK-USB chain shows deciding which CPU is still a bit low-level decision at this stage.

You want to use ubuntu - do you have any experience with linux?
 
I don't know how you could possibly have an overheating problem with any modern CPU. All modern CPU's come with heatsinks that are just fine. And one of the most popular aftermarket heatsinks is only 20 dollars.

Anyway, the two upcomming consoles, the Xbox One and the PS4 both use AMD CPU's and GPU's. That about says it all.
 
My 2 Cents

Hello all, this is my first post here, so please be gentle. :)

I'm a long-time audiophile who has been doing pro audio engineering work for quite a while now. I've also worked in the IT field since 1993. I've been in charge of many thousands of computers. And IME no single CPU brand is more or less prone to failure.

As a Linux user since 1995, I should point out that AMD (Not Intel or IBM) designed the 64-bit instruction set architecture that's the norm these days, and has licensed the full IA-32 ISA from Intel. Intel is the current cost-no-object performance champ, but there's absolutely no incompatibility between the brands.

When it comes to the hardware that puts out S/PDIF data, that's more a function of the motherboard maker than the CPU brand / chipset. These days it's hard to find a mobo without built-in audio. And IME they're all just fine for the purpose of digital output, since no A/D or D/A conversion takes place. Also IME no type of Toslink header is any better worse than others. I'd love to see an aftermarket Toslink jack made from machined billet, but I've been settling for plastic and just have to be careful not to strip it.

Before built-in audio, I used to purchase inexpensive audio cards with either coaxial (electrical) or Toslink S/PDIF outputs, and found no major difference between these and costly name-brand sound boards. It either works or it doesn't. There seems to be some confusion, so I should mention that Toslink is also S/PDIF, only with an optical signal path.

One of the reasons why I use a computer to play my audio files is because that removes the time base errors inherent in a physical disc transport from the equation. At least in theory, the quartz crystal clock should be plenty stable for most ears. If you want better, I've seen kits to convert certain sound cards to use TXCO modules that are that much more stable.

I've read criticism of Toslink for having more "jitter" than coaxial S/PDIF, but I've never read an explanation of why this might be true. Toslink was designed for inexpensive plastic fiber and inexpensive connectors, but I can't say I've noticed any difference. My past pro audio and TV experience has shown me that unbalanced electrical connections like that of a S/PDIF coax hookup can cause electrical problems such as ground loops. I use Toslink as a sort of opto-isolator to keep my digital stuff separate from my analog stuff.

I've also used AES/EBU connectors that used a balanced line signal path. AES/EBU is not S/PDIF, and is mostly for pro audio equipment. If you don't like Toslink, it's the best choice overall, but you'll need equipment that uses it.

I have a couple of portable DACs that have USB options. IME USB audio works surprisingly well, but can be prone to contention and blocking if there are a lot of chatty devices on the bus. But if you use a USB DAC on a dedicated port, that shouldn't be a problem. I'd still prefer a synchronous point-to-point interface, but I can't say I've heard any difference, so...

I'm writing this on a 6-core AMD box (ASUS brand) that I use to pull video off my TiVo boxes, and convert video files, as well as playing music, web browsing and more.
 
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That is certainly a risk I will have to balance if I go the AMD way.

No that is not a risk you will have to deal with at all. KatieDad did not give any context at all for his post so you have to take it with a grain of salt. If you are only using the PC for audio there is no way you are going to experience overheating and failing chips. I have used both Intel and AMD over the last 15yrs and have only had chip problems if overclocking or using inadequate cooling. CPUs have come a LONG way in 15yrs. So again unless you are using the PC for overclocking and ultraperformance overheating is not going to be an issue. As for Toslink that should not have anything to do with CPU choice, that has to do with the motherboard and the supplied audio/spdif chips and configuration.

All that said you are better off getting a mini pc as they use much less power which in turn may reduce potential noise on audio circuits.
 
I am working on building a PC for Audio only {under Linux - Ubuntu Studio}. So far my research has come up with SPDIF >Toslink > USB. This leaves me looking for a Mobo with SDIF header & fitting a bracket {Toslink seems to be the norm these days}. The question ... "Is there a difference between Intel & AMD in the quality of the SPDIF output?" Thoughts? eng hoe

AMD has been making CPUs for almost as long as Intel, and 20 years ago AMD was making copies of Intel CPUs, AMD bought out Nextgen, which was designed by the guy that designed Intel's Pentium series, so comparing AMD vs Intel CPUs for the CPU "quality" seems pointless. The motherboard manufacturers make both Intel and AMD chip-set motherboards and I'm sure they use the same input and output parts, for both AMD and Intel boards. So I'm not sure how anyone can say for sure that one board's S/PDIF is going to be better then another board's S/PDIF.
 
That is the conclusion I got from reaing that SPDIF is "better then" Toslink which is "better then" USB w.r.t "jitter". Am I incorrect? I thought that on Intel Mobos the South Bridge generated the SPDIF signal?...haven't found anyhing on AMD mobos. So much to learn...

Some nomenclature clarification:

S/PDIF (Sony/Philips Digital Interface Format) comes in two flavors, "optical" and "coaxial."

Optical = Toslink (Toshiba Link)
Coaxial = electrical (copper wire on RCA plugs/jacks usually)

The statement that S/PDIF is better than Toslink doesn't make any sense. I guess you meant that coaxial S/PDIF is better than optical S/PDIF?

I keep hearing/reading that digital audio from CPU > USB > DAC is better than CPU > codec > S/PDIF > DAC.

But I'm no expert.
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Oh, and FWIW -- I used to do a lot of desktop mastering and some music production. I swear my old Intel based PC 'sounded better' than my newer (at the time) AMD Athlon based system. I used the same sound card and gear for both (PC upgrade only). I have no measurements or other objective proof to substantiate it. I just 'felt better' about the results I got from the Intel machine. (The sound card was an RME DIGI96/8 PAD, a really excellent one.)
 
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