Miminum PC requirements for Roon Endpoint

I have been using a Lenovo Thinkpad t410 as an endpoint for Roon, connected by WiFi to my Core and by USB to my Schiit Bifrost. Unfortunately it’s Intel Wifi processor failed so it has gone back to Amazon. I am looking at a Lenovo Thinkpad Yoga 11e as a replacement. Its only function would be to be an endpoint to my Core. Fidelizer would be the only app installed other than Roon and Roon Bridge. These are the Yoga’s specs:
128GB SSD
4GB DDR3
Intel N3150 Processor 1.6 Ghz
Windows 10
Intel 802.11 AC Dual Band WiFi

I don’t know the specifics of the Soundcard, only that it supports Dolby Advanced Audio. It would need to be able to recognize the Bifrost and adjust the audio settings to 32 bit, 192,000 hz.
Any thoughts?

If I understand correctly you want a Roon audio device that also functions as a Roon remote? Any generic laptop/pc that you can install Windows on will work. You could also use any device that runs macOS.

That being said, I think it is best to use a Roon audio device strictly as an audio device and use something else (phone/tablet/another PC/mac) as the remote. If you choose to go this route then whatever you are replacing the Yoga with could be the remote (unless your daily driver is another Windows laptop or Macbook that you could install Roon on) and the end point could be a Raspberry Pi or Roon-ready device like a Zen Stream. The Roon system is really designed to be three separate parts - core (which it sounds like you have already separated from the rest of the Roon parts), audio devices (one per zone/listening location) and remotes (as many as you need - could be one mobile device for all zones or one remote per zone).

Thank you glc,
I mistakenly called the Yoga an “endpoint” rather than a “remote”. I have been using PCs with Wi-Fi since ethernet isn’t available in my living room where the Bifrost is. If the Yoga doesn’t work I will probably try another, more powerful Thinkpad. I don’t know if the Raspberry Pi is WiFi, and the Zen Stream (IMO) has been a train wreck since its inception.

Why bother with windows if it’s just an endpoint? Wasting money on as os you dont necessarily usem You don’t need much at all to run an endpoint. I ran ROCK just as an endoint on a Thin client NuC gen 3 works fine. You can use pretty much any bog standard pc and put a Linux os on it and run it headless, you can even install a lightweight os like diet pi and add Roon bridge.

I’m confused by what you said above:

If this is the case then the returned Lenovo (sorry, I referred to it as the Yoga when that is actually it’s replacement) was definitely being use as an audio device (if you aren’t using it as a Remote too then what were you using?), which you can continue to do with the Yoga if you want but it’s highly preferred to something else as the audio device and just use the Yoga (or whatever your daily driver is) as the remote.

Thank you for your input! I guess the main reason is I am uninformed (dumb as a box of rocks) as to the options you are discussing! :rofl: :rofl: When Rugby earlier suggested that I just connect any unused PC to the Bifrost I just ran with it.

Run Roon core on a computer device. That can be a desktop, laptop, or headless Nucleus, NUC, Mac Mini, etc.

Roon endpoints can be a lot of things. I have an Oppo 203 for one situation and two RPi4’s for headphones. I also sometimes us an iPhone or iPads. These are each connected to external DAC’s most of the time.

For Roon control, I use my Dell laptop, iPhone, or iPad.

https://roonlabs.com/howroonworks

EDIT: You can have multiple cores, but only have one activated at a time with one Roon license. You can have multiple control devices running and connected at the same time.

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Nothing wrong with that especially if you already have an unused computer that fits the bill but it sounds like you made a new purchase just for this so why not buy a more appropriate device for this like a Roon-ready device or RPi with RoPieee? A Windows based PC will still work but is overkill for this as pointed out by CrystalGipsy.

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I am most likely using completely incorrect terminology! I don’t understand the difference between “audio device” and remote! :rofl: Here’s how my system works: Lenovo PC connected by ethernet to the Internet houses my Roon Core. I use a laptop to select music on Roon. That request gets sent by WiFi to another laptop (located in my audio rack) which is connected to my Bifrost. The Bifrost converts the audio to analog and sends it to my AVR.

audio device aka end point aka bridge aka streamer is what gets attached to a DAC in a listening room (could also be built-in to a DAC). A remote is what you use to control (play/pause/queue management/etc) Roon.

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Any Atom mini pc (mine for less than 100 EUR just for reference https://www.amazon.it/gp/product/B08GPBQHT4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) with a Daphile OS installed works flawlessly as Roon endpoint once Squeezebox enableb. For higher Sound quality of course better to feed a DAC from USB rather than use its analog jack.
Another cheap solution is an old LG V20-30 etc. (you can find online used like new for less than 150 EUR): LG V20 (and so all following generations) analog output 3,5mm jack to RCA is outperforming many streamers like BlueOS node2i, which I compared. Of course you can also feed a dac with its USB TypeC plug. You have a Roon remote and endpoint with sceen off. The plus is the versatility (in multiroom envirement as remote can be grouped to any device), the minus is you have to run it on battery (which is a plus if you believe the quality of your power network sucks and spoil SQ…).

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