Why does a Music Server require high processing CPU power?

You ask a very valid question. All digital music servers are computers, do they need to have super high computing power for music?

I currently use a fanless PC with a fanless linear power supply.

I’m running a low powered, commercial grade 4 core Intel motherboard with the CPU integrated (8 watts. from memory 2Ghz CPU) in a fanless Streacom case. The case has copper heat pipes and copper heat sink. the case also has fins on the side of the aluminum body, for higher surface area to radiate heat out.

My HDPlex 200w linear power supply has Linear Technology LT3045 voltage regulators on all four rails of power. This is a highly effective way to get ample clean regulated DC power to power 3 runs to my computer server.
19VDC to the mainboard/CPU, and 5VDC to my JCat FEMTO USB card, and another 5VDC just powering the two SSD drives (again no moving parts).
I use a Samsung 850 Pro, 256 GB for my operating system and all programs. I have a Samsung 860QVO 1TB with only media files, uncompressed music (mostly .wav and very few FLAC), my CD’s get stored all in folders with images.

With the hardware sorted out, the next thing I needed was the program/s to make the hardware work at it’s optimum for the tasks it was built for.

Windows Server 2012 R2, this can be run in core mode, and can be switched between the GUI or core. The GUI or graphical user interface uses computing power. My goal is to pass bits of data to my external DAC without losing any data, while doing so with the least amount of electrical noise. Jitter is the enemy!

I currently use 4 different programs in conjunction with WinServer 2012 R2 to achieve this.

1. Fidelizer Pro - this program assigns the CPU cores to work on specific programs, for example the operating system gets it’s own core in the CPU.
2. Audio Optimizer 3.0 - this program is used to put the operating system in core mode and shuts off over 300 running background processes in Windows including the GUI.
3. JPlay FEMTO server - this program is a complete network music software package that converts a PC into a Music Server and Renderer.
4. MinorityClean.exe - A new piece of software for Windows has been released by Hiroyuki Yokota of Bughead fame. It’s purpose is to "Match the electronic bit standard of the CPU register with the internal circuit standard of the memory chip.
   

These software all add up in cost, but together transform my acceptable sounding system into one of detail, clarity and the vanishing of speakers and air that are often mentioned become apparent in my system.

So no, not only do you not need high powered, the fact is the lower voltage, the lower services, the closer one can get to adequately serve the data stream with as little noise and with correct timing the better.

I mentioned FEMTO earlier, it refers to the clock being accurate up to 15 decimal places. Timing in music reproduction is everything to sound quality, just as a low noise floor is.

https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/8721
It’s the last photo posted.

Thanks. Yes. My original question was about a home music server/streamer. For example, please see below:

Innuos ZENITH MK3 1TB BLA
Aurender N10 Music Server
LUMIN X1
Aurender N100h
SGM Extreme
AURALIC ARIES G1 STREAMER / MUSIC SERVER
Innuos Statement
And Many more
Etc., etc.

The exact same principles for ANY music streamer are that they
have as linear a power supply as possible, as little electronic noise as possible (jitter) with the most accurately timed data stream as possible.

Music servers do not pass ones and zeros through wire, they switch on and off either power or light or whatever means the signal is transferred it is done by switching between on and off.

The less electronic noise the more effectual the measuring, reading, transferring of the encoded data is. It’s an analog means of transferring data as a series of nulls and ones (on and off) which can be deciphered into logical and meaningful information.

To analogize, jitter or electrical noise mixed with the actual datastream can cause incorrect bits in the data. Without getting into things like electrical noise and mitigation; it’s not unlike two people giving instructions when only one of them is correct, and you can’t tell them apart.

Field-Programmable Gate Arrays is a bit like having a configurable integrated circuit. It's not set in stone like an IC is, where the function is set. They are often used to prototype and test before the IC is created from the FPGA prototype.

@djones51:
I just got a Hi-Fi Berry Digi+ for my RPi3; Hoping to configure this soon. Did you have any issues with the setup you can share?
I'm setting up another roon endpoint system in the house and had an RPi laying around. 
TIA!
-Dave

+1 to those who say the best they have heard digital sound is through a dedicated Roon core--in particular the Intel NUC running Roon ROCK.  

This blew me away. I've always streamed Tidal to a Bluesound Node and shot the digital algorithm out to a DAC.  Well, going Roon ROCK (Intel NUC) right into the DAC is like buying a real upgrade!  No foolin'.  This is the best $500 I've spent.