[popeye]

Thanks for the replies. Katnapz could you explain more please? It sounds interesting but I'm struggling to find good info on the internet. So, in its' crudest sense what you are describing is a sort of mini-pc that I could put as much RAM on as I wanted, to hook up to speakers? And where would I look for a mini-itx with built in processor?
I would rather do what I think this is (!) than get another mp3 player, to be able to have all my digital music in one place.
Thanks everyone