Macbook pro + Roon comparisons and ROCK

I don’t think really. There are some when using the same Mac for control as well. The reasons for Roon changing to always installing a separate server were explained in the release notes of this version:

I guess that’s possible if you use the same machine as an endpoint, too. But then you’d be even better off by separating server and streaming endpoint like Roon recommends. There are nice and cheap Roon Ready streamers now, so maybe that’s a better time investment.