I might recommend this one instead for the ability to turn ports on/off. I've had mine for quite a few months now and its been great.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BWF5U0M/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

So, just in case anyone stumbles upon this:

First I changed the router closest to the pain cave to channel 4 with a range that kept it outside of channel 10. Then I replaced the battery in the powertap but didn't do the HRM and that ended up reducing most of my issues greatly but my HRM somehow got even worse. I then took one of these USB port thingers I had sitting around and stuck it in a port on the back of the computer and put the ANT+ dongle on there and now my HRM is connecting perfectly. This is literally the first time I've done a ride without a single noticeable dropout with the HRM.

I did run the Zwiftalizer afterward and it showed around 5 or so reconnections on each device across an hour and a half ride which is good enough for me. Based on this experience I suspect that the biggest problem was the ANT+ not getting enough juice plus a low battery on the power meter.

So, if a Pi kit like this costs ~$60 (yes, they can be bought for less and piecemealed together, but based on "huge noob" statement this is probably more realistic), plus a simple hub like this for ~$7, the total investment to run on a Pi is going to be ~$67 (assuming no need to purchase an ethernet cable). At a cost difference of $8.64/month savings, it will be 7.75 months before investment/savings breaks even.

This is not an argument against a Pi. The energy savings in the long term is great, as is the fact that it doesn't require use of the primary PC so OP can do whatever he/she likes with the PC and just "set and forget" the Pi. Simply pointing out that the savings are not immediate.