ZEN Mini S vs. Small Green Computer Sonic Transporter i5 music server/Ultra Rendu Streamer

I am not a DIY type and prefer an out of the box solution.

I think you’ve answered your own question.  Rather than mess with an external drive, ripping programs, etc. just go with Innuos.  All in one box, very high quality, great customer support, and their free Sense app is continually upgraded, sounds excellent, and gets great customer reviews.  My only question — why not just get the Zen Mk3 that is only $3150?

No one will probably be able to give you a head-to-head comparison of the Zen Mini S and the Rendu setup, but they’re clearly both excellent and you won’t be disappointed with either.  Just get the Zen Mk3.  It doesn’t require the outboard LPS power supply and gives you everything in one box.  Plus, every time Innuos upgrades their Sense program the sound just keeps getting better, and it’s FREE!  No brainer IMHO. 

I reference @nmolnar post — Do you really wanna deal with all that or just have a one-box solution optimized for audio by a company that specializes in streaming to do or all for you?  Seems like a pretty simple answer to me if you don’t wanna mess with all the BS.  Innuos is your friend. 

The ZEN requires that I free up space on my desk where my router is.  Just a bit clunky IMO.

There’s a neat workaround for this.  Buy a Wi-Fi extender from TP-Link, etc. and just plug an Ethernet cable from that to the Zen and you don’t need it to be on your desktop.  All you need is an outlet for the extender.  Many people here with $$$ systems have done this with great success.  Hope this helps. 

I have a man cave that's about 1,000 sq.ft.  I think I could get by with one of the simpler models, agree?  Looks like I should be able to pick one up for ~ $20.  Do I need a minimum on terms of Mbps for data transfer rate?

Ugh.  So sorry to hear about your back issues.  That sucks and hope you feel better soon.  My guess is you can hook up the Zen where your most comfortable chair is, and as long as there’s an outlet available I’d think you could rip to your heart’s content without needing to be hooked to the internet, but that’s a semi-educated guess.  For the extender, as long as it’s not a large distance from your router or multiple floors away it should work just fine. Also, if you’re vying for Wi-Fi bandwidth with other people gaming, streaming movies, etc. in your house you might consider going with a Mesh system instead.  Anyway, here’s the extender I got just fyi.  It’s probably overkill and a cheaper one would probably work just as well, but for the few added $ I just splurged for the higher performance to help avoid potential issues.. 
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MR90E3A/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

Also, I just saw this Ethernet cable highly recommended by another respected member here that’d probably be great to start running from the extender to your streamer and will save you $$$…

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07VVFB8VX/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_6?smid=A1EA54VWB150Z7&amp=undefined&th=1

Anyway, hope this fills in some gaps, and best of luck in whatever direction you choose. 

@forestg If you get the Zen MiniS you should look into upgrading to their linear power supply at some point because it’s a significant upgrade in sound quality — in case you weren’t already considering it.