High CPU Usage on Mac Mini 2018

I’m reporting the same problem. I just got a new MacMini 2018 a few weeks ago, and this is the third time I noticed the problem of Roon using 300% of CPU. MacMini gets hot and the fan runs wildly.

MacOS 10.15.5
Roon version 1.7 (build 571)
NUC ROCK core
MacMini is just a remote machine
MacMini is directly connected to ethernet, with wifi off.

Restarting Roon doesn’t solve the problem. Rebooting the MacMini makes the problem go away for a while until the next time.

I have another MacMini at my desktop which doesn’t seem to have the problem. Only the second MacMini attached to my TV has the problem.

I just removed Roon app, deleted the Library/Roon folder and reinstalled Roon. It is running at less than 10% now, so let’s see how it goes. I kept the old Roon folder with all the log files which I can forward to you if you want.

Just wanted to report that my other MacMini 2018 (exactly the same setup and used as another remote on my desk) had the same issue today. I have restarted and reinstalled Roon as with the other MacMini. It looks like the problem is still not resolved.

playing with the wifi won’t work as well for many of us…

I’d like to update the status that the same problem keeps happening in both of my MacMinis being used as a Roon remote. In my case, wifi on/off has nothing to do with the problem. The problem happens over time as the Roon is kept on for a while. Once it happens, the only fix is to restart the MacMini. Restarting Roon alone doesn’t solve the problem.

It’s been almost a month since the last official response by @dylan. Any updates from the support team? I was excited to get a new upgraded MacMini and this is a big disappointment.

1 Like

If you’re like me and have a Mac running Roon Bridge or Server that you’re not constantly watching, I cobbled together a small script that checks Roon’s processes for high CPU usage, and if any of them are unusually high it will send me an email and automatically turn wifi on and back off again. As is, the script is configured for my setup, a 2018 Mac Mini running Roon Bridge with wifi normally turned off. I’ve included comments in the script for how to change it if you’re using Roon Server instead. I use an app, LaunchControl, to automatically run the script every 15 minutes. Until the Roon devs can hunt the root of the problem down and fix it, the script lets me keep Roon Bridge running unattended on my Mini without me having to check periodically to make sure that the CPU usage hasn’t been running out of control for perhaps hours on end without me knowing it.

To be able to send mail with the mail command, you may need to setup Postfix and a relay through a service like GMail: https://www.justinsilver.com/technology/osx/send-emails-mac-os-x-postfix-gmail-relay/

#!/usr/bin/env bash
echo "====START `date`===="

#===========================
# The following lines get the CPU usage % of Roon's various processes.
# This is setup for a Mac running Roon Bridge. Please read the comments
# for how to modify this if you're running Roon Server instead.
#===========================

# Replace all instances of RoonBridge with RoonServer if you're running Roon Server instead
read pct_server name < <(top -l 2 -F -o cpu -stats cpu,command | grep RoonBridge | tail -1)

#=! If you're running Roon Server, uncomment the following line and comment out the line after.
#read pct_app name < <(top -l 2 -F -o cpu -stats cpu,command | grep RoonAppliance | tail -1)
pct_app=0

# This line shouldn't need to be changed in either setup
read pct_raat name < <(top -l 2 -F -o cpu -stats cpu,command | grep RAATServer | tail -1)

# CPU usage can spike temporarily while Roon is backing up. Replace "02" with the hour
# your automatic Roon backup actually runs.
HOUR=`date +"%H"`
BACKING_UP_STR=""
BACKUP_HOUR="02"
if [ "${HOUR}" = "${BACKUP_HOUR}" ]; then
  BACKING_UP_STR=", but it may be backing up"
fi

# You can change the cpu usage % threshold you want the script to take action with here.
CPU_THRESHOLD=50
SUBJECT="Roon high CPU usage${BACKING_UP_STR}!"
MY_EMAIL="youremailhere@yourmail.com"

BODY="RoonBridge: ${pct_server}%
RoonAppliance: ${pct_app}%
RAATServer: ${pct_raat}%"

if (( ${pct_server%.*} >= ${CPU_THRESHOLD} )) || (( ${pct_app%.*} >= ${CPU_THRESHOLD} )) || (( ${pct_raat%.*} >= ${CPU_THRESHOLD} )); then
  echo "${BODY}" | /usr/bin/mail -s "${SUBJECT}" "${MY_EMAIL}"
  echo "Exit code for mail was $?"
  echo "Roon seems to be using lots of CPU${BACKING_UP_STR}!

${BODY}"

  # If you normally have wifi on, just swap the 2 networksetup lines and fix the echo lines.
  echo "Turning wifi on and wait for 10 seconds..."
  networksetup -setairportpower en0 on
  sleep 10
  echo "Turning wifi back off..."
  networksetup -setairportpower en0 off
else
  echo "Roon seems to be ok!

${BODY}
====END===
"
fi

2 Likes

wifi is off. And not on a mac mini. Not sure why my post was moved here. It’s an i9 imac with 64gigs of RAM.
Either way… still a problem.
And my server is a Roon Rock in another room also connect via ethernet.

Saw on a related thread that I should reboot roon core. I rebooted the server and now CPU usage is down below 3%. Yay.

Just woke computer from sleep. Roon is idle at CPU usage over 300%, RAATServer at 99.7%. Does ROCK need to be rebooted every few days? Does Roon need to be restarted every few days?
Roon is the only app that fires up the fans in this computer.

Roon ROCK or other implementations should not need to be rebooted or restarted often due to high CPU usage, this is an ugly software flaw/issue Roon currently has apparently since 1.7 came out as the first reports match with 1.7 release.

Few users report the wifi trick work for them, for many of us it does not work…

1 Like

I too am experiencing this issue – after migrating from my 2010 Mac Pro to a 2020 Mac Mini (which I believe is the same hardware as the 2018 Mac Mini).

I only use this Roon application on the Mac as a user-interface client (the core is a ROCK install on a NUC). I never noticed high CPU consumption by the Mac client on other Mac desktops (the 2010 Mac Pro, a 2017 MacBook Pro, others); but on this 2020/2018 Mini, Roon 1.7 (571) pegs multiple CPUs and makes the machine toasty-warm.

Of course (this being the way of computer bugs), it doesn’t ALWAYS do that. Sometimes, on the same hardware, Roon is benign and cruises at its accustomed low level of CPU suck. But usually it burns CPU. And I haven’t yet found any external circumstances which correlate with the difference between high- and low-CPU Roon states.

The machine in question: Mac mini (2018), 3.2 GHz i7. macOS 10.15.6.

I was hoping that the recent OSX upgrade to 10.15.6 might have resolved this issue but so far I had two incidents since the OSX upgrade (about a week now), once in each of the two MacMinis. I didn’t do anything but lately the problem seems to happen less frequently, and the wifi on/off method also works for me, so I am less nervous about this problem. I’m still awaiting the final resolution by the Roon team.

again… so annoying… have to reboot in the middle of work or switch to other software while reboot (wifi thing does not work for me…) what mega leak:

MacMini8,1: 3GHz 6 core i5 with 32GB of RAM, running Catalina
Roon 1.7 build 571
Audio I/O is a Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 connected via USB-C

See the graphics… When I start Roon (client, not server) my CPU usage goes dramatically up and my fan goes full throttle. Anecdotally, I think this started with the latest build.

Before:

After:

Turning wifi on here has reversed the CPU usage. It much more closely represents the top image.

A

I have discovered that it only happens to me after the Mac goes to sleep 3 or 4 times and wakes up. Only once the wifi on/off worked for me, last time it happened it didn’t help:

I wasn’t putting the Mac to sleep at all after work or at night and happens to just after I started doing it.

I had reported this early last year on another thread and glad to see this main thread, so I’ll hop on.
Cannot use Roon anymore as it is now always making the CPU run at over 400% (2019 version). WiFi has never been on.
Rebooting Mac does nothing.

not for me, MacBook Pro starts overheating again within a few hours of Roon restart

Not only a restart of Roon, also the Mac. This has worked for me so far, without fail:

  1. Stop the Roon app
  2. Reboot the Mac. I’ve also had success with just toggling on and off again the WiFi connection of my Mac without rebooting!
  3. Start the Roon app

But I’ve seen other people reporting that this didn’t work for them. Nevertheless, for me it did work for which I’m very glad.

" * Experimental changes to potentially address high CPU / GPU usage on certain MacOS devices"

:partying_face: :partying_face: :partying_face: :partying_face: :partying_face: :partying_face: :partying_face: :partying_face: :partying_face: :partying_face: :partying_face: :partying_face: :partying_face: :partying_face: :partying_face: :partying_face: :partying_face: :partying_face: :partying_face:

1 Like

Just updated Roon. Let’s see how it goes and post our experience here.