what compression should i be using for flac?
 

I know higher compression leads to more cpu cycles and smaller files. Yet will the N900 stuggle with highly compressed flac?

Re: what compression should i be using for flac?
 

I don't believe FLAC will impose a significant amount of CPU usage on the N900. I would consider the amount of space you'll use, however, and if you'll be listening in situations and locations that make using FLAC worth it.

Re: what compression should i be using for flac?
 

i think the file sizes produced by FLAC are too big for portable use. Perhaps look into .ogg - it's a little better than mp3 with regard to the listening quality of the compressed audio and the file sizes are very comparable.

unless you intend on only storing a small amount of music i'd go for .ogg.

Re: what compression should i be using for flac?
 

Maybe once upon a time, but these days the N900's ~27GiB can hold (at worst, 30% achieved compression) around 90 hours of CD-quality FLAC-compressed music.

Re: what compression should i be using for flac?
 

assuming you want to fill the entire usable space on the HD