Can anyone suggest a specific laptop to operate as my Roon core? Small library.
@Bob_Hennessy, do you have a preference for a Mac or Windows?
Not much preference here.
While Roon does not recommend a laptop unless it can be connected via an Ethernet cable (they prefer the Roon Server to be Ethernet connected to the network), any recent vintage MacBook M series laptop should work, as well as any recent PC laptop (running at least an i5 and with 16 GB of RAM and Windows 11) should suffice. I have run mine on both Mac and PC laptops without any issues, but you want to try to have an Ethernet connecction or at least WiFi 6 (802.11ax).
If you plan to run more applications simultaneosly other than Roon, more RAM may be better.
Thank you. So would I take the Ethernet cable that’s currently going from my router to my DAC and connect it to the laptop instead?
Not necessarily. If the DAC is a streaming DAC and is Roon Ready, you would need to connect your laptop acting as the Roon Server to the network either via another Ethernet cable or, if the WiFi is strong and stable, via WiFi.
If the laptop doesn’t have an Ethernet port - as is the case with many recent ones - you can use a USB-to-Ethernet dongle (either USB-A or USB-C). Gigabit ones are really cheap:
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My Dell XPS 15 running Windows 11 works great as a Roon server connected by WIFI. It’s not my main server except when away from home as I frequently am for 2 weeks at a time using Verizon Wireless cellular.
It’s an i7 with 32GB RAM and 1TB SSD. I don’t have any local files and stream from Tidal and Qobuz. When at home, the Dell is my main Roon client controlling a Roon Nucleus. Even then, my Dell is still connected by WIFI.
When at home, I sometimes switch from my Nucleus server to Dell server and run it for a while, more or less as a test. It works very well.
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Do get one with an Ethernet port, and no less than 16GB RAM. The boot drive SSD should be no less than 512GB. In the unlikely event you’re getting a used PC laptop, note that Windows 10 / 11 is required.
A post was split to a new topic: MacBook Pro power settings for Roon server
Hit send too soon…
FWIW I repurposed an old Lenovo yoga 2 laptop (its about 10 years old) I had lying around as my Roon Server and its working well. I only use it as a Roon Server and not for anything else.
It’s under spec’d on memory - I wouldn’t run a Windows laptop on less than 16GB these days - but its running fine with 8GB. I just checked and it has about 4GB free.
I almost never have more than one zone and I don’t know how memory usage is with multiple zones.
I do have an USB Ethernet dongle for the network rather than WiFi and a 2TB external USB SSD drive for my Roon library.
Specs:
- Lenovo 20266
- Windows 10 Pro 64bit
- Intel(R) Core™ i7-4500U CPU @ 1.80GHz (4 CPUs), ~2.4GHz
- Memory: 8192MB RAM
- 256GB internal hard drive with about 176GB free
Hth
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Memory usage is mostly affected by the size of the library. I don’t know for sure, but I don’t expect playback to use much memory, even with DSP, so adding a zone should not be an issue.
I also have an Asus 4 year old notebook with I3 and 8GB RAM. 512 SSD. I installed Rock on it and it runs great as a server.
When I started with Roon, I simply installed Roon Core on my daily laptop (2019 MacBook Pro, Intel processor) and used it with Wifi without knowing that an Ethernet connection was recommended 
. The RPi endpoint is also on WiFi. It worked fine and I used it this way for over a year without issues, so I’d say that Wifi can work if it’s a good connection. Eventually I got tired of needing to start up my laptop just to listen to music, and I set up a NUC Roon Rock, connected on Ethernet.
Consider a reconditioned notebook. Lots of Dells, HPs and Lenovos are available for good prices. You can get an i5 with 16gb memory and a 512gb SD for an attractive price. I use reconditioned Lenovos for dedicated Roon cores in two locations (homes in two countries) with no problems. Some may not be upgradeable to Windows 11 and beyond from Windows 10, but if that becomes an issue in the future you can install Linux later.
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Im using a M1 MacBook Air. Connected to a lan dongle. Works great
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