ARW118

ecwl, Great to hear your running directly from the S/PDIF of the motherboard to your DAC1 with the Realtek Driver. I won't be able to build the PC until next week and will start with with the Realtek setup. I'm really looking forward to the computer setup.

What would be my best S/PDIF digital interface on the computer? An independant Sound Card or the Realtek S/PDIF that is on the motherboard?

I am new to the Audiophile Computer but have been using an HTPC with my projector for years. I am building a PC for my CD collection for FLAC File format and high end audio utilizing J River MC 17 only. Currently a Benchmark DAC 1 w/o USB input is what I have been using with a CD transport via digital cable. The DAC 1 sounds great. Will there be an audio quality loss using the S/PDIF digital output on my motherboard (Realtek Driver) or should a separate audio card just to pass the digital signal to the DAC1 be used? I have read the USB may be a better way to go but do not want to get a new DAC to start. The small silent PC case has a 250 watt power supply which will be fine to pass the signal via the motherboard. Will it be powerful enough to power an audio card if I need it? The video will be handled by the Intel HD2000-I3 2100 so I won't have a video card. Any suggestions with what I am working with is really appreciated!