Is Ryzen 5 3550H 16gb RAM 512GB SSD powerful enough for Roon Server?

Roon Software Discussion
1

Hi,

I’m new to Roon and thinking of setting up a server. I was wondering if a computer with the following specs is enough for Roon.

Processor: AMD Ryzen™ 5 3550H, 4 Cores/8 Threads
(Total L2 Cache 2MB , Total L3 Cache 4MB , Base Clock 2.1 GHz , up to 3.7 GHz)
GPU: Radeon™ Vega 8 Graphics(Graphics Frequency 1200MHz)
Memory: DDR4 8GB×2 Dual channel (SODIMM Slots×2)
Storage: M.2 2280 256GB/512GB PCIe SSD
Storage Expansion: 1×2.5 inch SATA HDD Slot (SATA 3.0 6.0Gb/s) - 512Gb
Wireless Connectivity: M.2 2230 WIFI Support (Dual-Band Wi-Fi , BlueTooth)

Thanks

2

The answer is that it depends. Things that influence a roon core are;

  1. Library size (local + any streaming tracks)
  2. Type of DSP (upsampling PCM is a lot less demanding than DSD, for example)
  3. Amount of DSP (upsampling to DSD, applying convolution, applying EQ, etc.)
  4. Number of simultaneous endpoints playing

And, they influence both CPU and RAM requirements. Most users, I imagine, would be fine with an i5 and 8 GB of RAM. But, if you can give more insight into points 1 - 4 above then maybe a more focused response to your initial question.

1 Like
3

It’s more than powerful for roon,remember the nucleus is only a i3 dual core

1 Like
4

Use wired network.

If you’re looking at a laptop computer without RJ45 Ethernet port, don’t buy it.

3 Likes
5

Sadly RJ45 ports are becoming somewhat of a rarity on laptops. Fortunately USB to Gbit ethernet adapters are cheap and readily available.

2 Likes
6

Local tracks are minimal and mostly streaming.
Probably a couple of simultaneous endpoints. I have no idea about how to get DSD so PCM for now.

7

It’s a small desktop so it’ll have gigabit ethernet.

8

It is more than capable of running Roon. It is actually comparable in performance to a first generation Nucleus + although the single core performance of the Ryzen is a little slower. It is a pretty good pick and should work well as a server.

1 Like
9

Anytime you add a track to your library, it adds to the database load. Does not matter if the track is local or streaming. So, when factoring what cpu you might need, the total of local AND streaming tracks in the library need to be taken into account. And don’t forget to plan for growth.

1 Like