A nice PC upgrade

If using a more powerful computer results in better sonics in some or many systems than using a less powerful computer, I would not assume that the reason has anything to do with computing power in itself.

The details of the designs of more powerful vs. less powerful computers will differ from each other in a vast number of ways, a great many of which might cause differences in jitter on the S/PDIF output that is being used in this case; and differences in the amplitude and frequency characteristics of noise that may be riding on that signal, or coupled into the AC wiring, or radiated through the air from the computer or the cable to other parts of the system; and differences in ground loop effects that might occur between the computer and whatever it is connected to in the system.

So chances are that whatever sonic differences may result between the two kinds of computers in a given application have nothing to do with computing power per se. IMO.

Regards,
-- Al

USB stands for universal serial bus, so all processes run in series.

A clarification: "Serial" in the context of a data bus such as USB doesn't refer to processes. It refers to the fact that the bits are transmitted through the USB interface one after another, on the same wire. Or more precisely, on each of two wires, since USB utilizes a balanced pair of signals, which are the same except that the polarity of one is inverted relative to the other.

The opposite of a serial bus would be a parallel bus, in which (to cite a hypothetical example) the 16 or 24 bits of audio data (per sample per channel) would be transmitted simultaneously on 16 or 24 parallel wires (or balanced pairs of wires). That is not done for reasons of practicality, cost, etc., given that serial bus technology is available with sufficient speed to communicate the bits one after another.

That said, it is certainly conceivable that the amount of noise and jitter on the USB interface to a DAC could be affected to some degree by the type of drive and drive interface that is being used.

Best regards,
-- Al