I was considering the NUC8i5, but not sure about the performance difference compared to the i7. I don’t use much DSP, and my library isn’t ridiculously large, so maybe not a big deal.
You could also build a desktop if it is going in your closet. Then you can spec better parts then would ever be used in a NUC.
1 Like
That’s another option I’m considering. 
Before you spend any money on the later Generations - see List Your NUC Capabilities Here for actual benchmark comparison of an NUC5i3 vs NUC8i7 involving upconverting, downsampling, Room EQ in mutli-zone playback - the NUC5i3 was able to match everything a NUC8i7 did as a Roon Server.
Remember that the NUCs used a Mobile Intel CPU, and other than Cannon Lake and Ice Lake architectures, all have been 14nm chip die and the same number of processing pipes since 2015, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_Core and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Intel_CPU_microarchitectures.
Also the higher clock speeds in the later Core Generations are irrelevant to a NUC, where the TDP is 15W or at most 24W, so can’t deal with the heat generated as a by-product of the higher clock speeds.
The focus in the later NUC generations has been for on-motherboard Wifi and Bluetooth, and improved GPU for 4k displays etc., which are irrelevant to a ROCK server.
Has Moore’s Law ran out for NUCs when used for an embedded OS (Lunix derived) single function processing device, just using ethernet connections, and core CPU processing?
Simon.
2 Likes
Thanks for the link @simon_pepper (and for the work that went into it)… Not sure how I’d missed that thread in my searching!
I rarely use more than a couple of endpoints simultaneously & don’t use DSP for many of my endpoints, so it certainly seems as though I could go with a “less powerful” NUC. I was mostly looking for a little future-proofing against library size and trying to ensure snappy performance in connecting to the core & working in the UI.
Well I am at a Library size of
so 6.5k Albums and 85k tracks, of which the majority are locally stored.
It is all snappy in terms of artist, album and track selection.
I just have a little initial delay on the NAS drives as I have set to sleep and spin down after 20 mins of inactivity.
There was a Search issue in 1.6 when ROCK had been up for over 19-20 days, but this seems to be cured in 1.7
However the search times and overall snappy-ness could also be a function of internet connectivity and latency for Tidal and Qobuz results. I am quite luckily with a cable based 500Mbps down/50Mbps up with just single digit ms latency and jitter. I have also an optimized home network both for WiFi and equipment taking data streams.
1 Like
Sounds good enough for my library as well. It’s about 1/2 the size of yours, although I’ve still got a large number of CDs that I need to rip.
My internet connection’s gigabit up/down, most of my stationary equipment is wired Ethernet, and the wireless is mesh with pretty solid coverage. Should be fine I guess.
I would just go with the latest, most capable Roon approved NUC. When and if it ever proves to be inadequate, sell it and upgrade then. There will always be a new, unproven version available, but why mess with it?
That’s what I was thinking originally, but I got the feeling that’s the NUC8i7, and that’s the one that I can’t find in stock anywhere.
Hello Jason, I have the NUC8I7BEH. Just did an online search and found an entry for Micro Center. They have them for in store only pickup. $699.99. Do you have a Micro Center near by?
I’m near Boston & there’s one in Cambridge, but they’re showing sold out as well. Thanks though!
Can you get a short one and put it in a fanless case? Is there any other difference between tall and short?
Wow… Price-trend in the US looks really horrible. Just checked my neighbour country, Austria. Plenty offers are available form 500 EUR. I don’t understand neither the availability- nor the price difference.
Price is based on what the market will bear.
Maybe I caught a sale but I bought mine from Amazon on Aug 15, 2019 for 539.99. That is a big increase. Demand probably has a lot to do with the increase.
I think there’s some price-gouging going on due to the shortages. I was originally tracking it on Amazon for around that $540 mark, but it crept up pretty quickly around November.
Found another site with shipping. Here is the link.
Says in stock, sorry if its not.
Sorry, but according to many reviews it is something to avoid.
https://www.trustpilot.com/review/www.nextwarehouse.com
Just checked: Live inventory gives the following result: Quantity=350, ETA 12/30/2019 What??? Looks strange.
Ok, my mistake, I should have thought of checking. Thank you.
If the Micro Center “near me” was actually close by I would offer to pick one up and ship it for cost but its a 180 mile round trip.
1 Like
I was once in a similar situation when I offered a site (it was about shoes) for my daughter. Luckily at the end, just before sending the payment we did a “reliability” check, and found the risks. After that case I always do a scam-check before I offer something Strange and shame, that some have to do this. You want to help, and at the and… Unfortunately there are not only helpful people out there. Roon forums are much better place