>>Why are you considering switching to a PC?

I don't have dash space for my Empeg. I have a factory navigation system with a very nice screen and auxiliary a/v input. For about a year I had the Empeg in the glovebox and used the audio portion of the auxiliary to feed the in-built amplifier. Of course I missed being able to see what was playing and being able to dynamically control the Empeg while driving. I really needed an Empeg with a VGA display I could feed to my Nav screen. Such a thing did not exist. So I built software to control my empeg and provide me with a an interface, this runs efficiently in a 600 mgh epia-V with 128mg ram and an old 8 gig hard drive of which only 3gb are in use. Once the system boots and the app loads there is no access to the hard drive since this is the only software that runs. This software implements all of the functionality of the Empeg that I particularly use:

Display of Track view, now and next view (but now simultaneously)
tweak orders
playlist navigation (replace, insert, enqueue, append, shuffle in),
Search (not just from start of field)
Control via the rio-remote or my Pioneer steering wheel remote (or any remote suported by WinLirc).

There are many things the Empeg does that it does not do, but those are things I don't particularly use (e.g., visuals, etc.). And the search facility in this software is more effective for me than the Empeg's.

This has been working great for some time. No problems. The Empeg is my storage, my sound card, and my power management (empeg wakes up the PC, the PC shuts down 2 minutes after the empeg goes on standby). The empeg does not manage my playlists or running order. So I can replace the empeg by storing the music in the PC's hard drives, using a good sound card, and using a power supply designed for car computer use (e.g., the Opus power supply). At present, the cost of adding these things to the setup are equivalent to the cost of the Empeg. So economically its a wash. I was wondering about the sound quality and the life of the drives, cause I might just bring that Empeg permanently into the house. Plus the Empegs are no longer made....