No problems about the questions, but I will pull the OT posts into a new thread later, so that people who aren’t necessarily interested in this part of the discussion aren’t bothered with it. Just want to check if there is an appropriate existing thread to take it to or start a new one.
I think the “thin client” model for the final connection (Ethernet renderer ?) to the DAC is a good one. I use the mR myself for that reason. I believe that keeping the Ethernet renderer as thin as possible with the best clean power (I am a happy user of the Up Tone UtraCap LPS-1) means that we can be much more agnostic about the server PC compared to a single PC solution. Chris Connaker, in the CA comments below his review of the SOSE, noted that he couldn’t hear any difference when using treated/untreated servers as input to the SOSE as an Ethernet renderer. I would expect no less from the mR.
Having said that I think room EQ (and some attention to room treatments, placement of furnishings, elimination/dimnution of first reflections etc.) is probably the best bang for buck improvement that we can make in the hobby. So if putting the Core on your audio PC meant you could implement room EQ then I would suggest going for it and seeing how it sounds. My guess is that the improvements from room EQ would be greater than any processing effects in the audio PC, particularly if your audio PC is otherwise isolated from power noise etc.
This post from AudioPhil back in March sets out how Roon Server can be run in WS2012R2 core mode under the new version of AO. I haven’t tried it out.
My understanding is that outside of the new version of AO loading the required media pack will reload a gui in WS2012R2.