Streamers do a much better job than PCs or Macs. For years I used a MacBook plugged into the DAC on my system… I would unplug the MACBook so it was not being charged. In my office system I tried all sorts of software hard drives, power conditioning… shutting stuff down. It sounded OK.
It wasn’t until I got a streamer that things took a marked improvement. For me it was a Auralic Aries G2, but got really great when I switched over to Aurender. I now have the two best systems I have heard (click on my user ID). My digital end… streamer and DAC provide the same fidelity as my really great analog Turntable cartridge and Phonostage. My streamer sounds a bit better on many recordings because of the higher resolution files available on Qobuz… (highly recommended as the best high quality streaming service).
So after a couple of decades of trying to make my digital end sound as good as my analog end? Well, until recently it was not possible… and for a while only investing huge amounts of money in digital. But now it is. I would look at it this way… in general you want to put in around the same amount of money in each carefully chosen and synergistic component. So, at first pass say, streamer, DAC, Preamp, amp… all $2,500 if that is your investment level. Individual solutions will vary of course My streamer is about 15% more than my DAC or preamp… but my streamer is the same as my amp. Each component is critical… if you don’t get it right at the start… like a turntable…. Then it is not going to get better.