But he doesn’t have to. That’s my point. Use what works best for Roon for Roon. Use what works best for movies for movies. When you compromise, you often don’t get the best solution for either.
You seem to want to proliferate kit , not all of us do
People on this community should temper advice with good practice , especially to new users who are struggling to get to grips with a new technology
Please consider your advice. I for one find it misguided along the lines of what you personally have done rather than maybe best practices, no offense meant
My advice is to run Roon core on a Roon Nucleus or NUC. I will continue to give that advice. You don’t need to agree.
I don’t necessarily disagree but the Nucleus is a very expensive option where many people have not exhausted their current kit
I won’t buy one where there are more cost effective alternatives
I said “or NUC.” He asked for the best way. That is the best way.
I’ll butt out 
Thanks Daniel - I know what a NUC is (vaguely), no idea about ROCK. I’ll have to read up.
I am only music, there was another user up there who was both music and movies. Alas, I never have time for movies; that would mean eating into music time. 
Thanks Jim - appreciated.
Blockquote ROCK: Getting Started > Roon Optimized Core Kit
What hardware does ROCK run on? For a fully turn-key fanless system in a beautiful case, you will want the Nucleus by Roon Labs. If you are willing to buy computer components, put it together, and install the operating system by hand, we suggest the following configurations:
So, it can either be pre bought installed on a Nucleus (sold out here in audio stores) or built by a computer savvy person at a fraction of the cost I assume.
Hmmmm, diving right in as I’ve done, probably wasn’t my best plan (no plan). Having heard so much about Roon over a few years now & with a large digital library, I figured let’s go. That was roughly my total thought process behind this. I see now the options are vast & considerable thought is required (at least in my case).
Cheers.
If you want to try Roon, you have to start somewhere. Running the Roon core on a desktop or laptop is a good place to start, and for some, a good place to end-up. For others, the advantages of a Nucleus, Nucleus +, or a NUC running ROCK are worthwhile.
It addition to where and how to run your Roon core are the issues around your network and your Roon end-point or Roon bridge devices that are connected to your DAC and sound system. If the Roon core is running OK on your computer, I would concentrate on getting your Roon end-point(s) and/or Roon bridge(s) sorted out.
Having all that in place, you can decide if you want to spend the money on building a NUC or buying a Nucleus or Nucleus +. For me, it became clear very quickly, I did not want to run the Roon core on my laptop. I was able to get my Nucleus for $1119 and it was money well spent. I could have built a NUC for 1/2 that, but I didn’t want to fool with that.
Thank you Jim - I am quickly finding out exactly what you are referring to. As soon as I read your initial comments regarding your experience running Roon on your personal laptop; immediately I felt similarly.
I see Nucleus sold out here for 2k & Nucleus Plus 3.5K. I don’t fully understand it’s advantage over let’s say buying a cheap ssd laptop for perhaps $500 and just using that as a dedicated Roon core. Fan perhaps? And obviously Nucleus is a neat and very elegant solution.
Leave it with me, there’s much to learn. I think what is best for me to do, is give a store or two a call (during the week), where they know me & we can discuss what my best options are in simple English.
I’m already starting to get a little bit bamboozled learning & reading the myriad of options available to the end user. For now, I’m up and running & music is playing very well.
Cheers. 
I would say if everything is working, don’t do anything. Just enjoy the music for a while. I doubt anyone at any store will know as much as the people here on this board and nobody here is trying to sell you anything. Also, think about your budget and how much you’re willing to spend. A NUC is a good option, but there are others.