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[JimShy]

After exhausting myself researching the length and breadth of hardware and OS choices for a music server (not to mention the hard care audiophile upgrades and tweaks), I'm thinking the best way to get my feet wet is to buy a refurbished SFF pc of about 2015 vintage, remove the DVD drive, install MC and connect it to my Outlaw 2160 receiver through USB.  Prices are currently $150-200, with Win 10 installed.

I know there are cheaper options if I go with a Raspberry Pi, or use Linux, but though I've installed and used Linux before, I just don't have the time or patience right now to set it all up, though I will likely try out Daphile or Snakeoil at some point.

I also know that a PC like this is far, far from ideal in terms of noise (physical noise and electrical noise from fans, power supply, etc.) but what I like about this approach (aside from the fact that I'm a cheap lazy bastard) is that any upgrade I make to better hardware or a newer system, I can test against my middle-aged ears for myself.

If anyone thinks I'm wasting my money, or has suggestions for alternative cheap hardware, I'd be happy to hear!

[WinoOutWest]

After years of building my own PCs I recently went the route of a refurb HP Elitedesk off eBay to replace my failing desktop.  I couldn't be happier.  I don't need cutting-edge power so I selected aa top of the line (at the time) HP SFF that came with an SSD drive and 1-year warranty and Win 10 Pro.  I paid $235 for an i7-4770 and 8GB of ram.  For an HTPC type machine, I probably would go the same route with an i5 of the same vintage.  Stick with a reputable vendor I would imagine you'll be quite happy going that route like I was.
Cheers!
Wino