MOCK Success Report - GMKtec Mini PC N97

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I can confirm that the GMKtec Mini PC N97 appears to work fine with the latest (as of this writing) Roon ROCK factory reset image.

I almost always stick to officially supported NUC part numbers when installing Roon OS. I picked up the GMKtec during the Prime Day sale and figured why not give my a try?

There was no need to change any BIOS settings. Just flash the image to a thumb drive, insert it, boot the image by pressing F7 within 3 seconds of power-on, and follow the prompts. YMMV, but this was the easiest Roon OS install I’ve done to date.

Here’s ETA PRIME’s review of the hardware. Impressive for its size and price.

It won’t compete with the Nucleus One, but at $149, it’s an inexpensive way to get that hands-off Roon OS experience with only slightly more setup effort.

I’ll be sure to report back on this thread about any issues, but it’s been running like a top so far.

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It would also make a great little RoonBridge endpoint for those needing a Windows box to run ASIO drivers.

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That, or also for HDMI audio to get 5.1 or 7.1 multi-channel output. I’ve not had much luck with this using a Raspberry Pi. This is not much more expensive.

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that is awesome

that nucbox seems an ideal mock for whenever my old mock dies

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what are the processing speeds? and how big is the library you’re running this on?

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I gave this MOCK build to my nephew to help him start his Roon journey. He does not currently have a local music library, so it’s only the favorites he has on TIDAL. However, I did build a 66k tap convolution filter for his listening room. The little N97 has no problems applying this filter to tracks up to 24-bits, 192 kHz. He also has a second zone via Chromecast to an NVIDIA Shield TV Pro.

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Have you had the chance to try the HDMI output?

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I have not, but I have no reason to believe HDMI output would not work as expected. That said, best to avoid using Roon Server as an output device.

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Understood. Thank you.

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Can you indicate which image is needed to be put on the USB Flash? Tempted to buy one of these to see if it works better than in performance compared to a very old NUC I’am running now.

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Sure. It’s just the image on the ROCK page:

To install ROCK, you will first need to download the factory reset disk image to another computer (like a Windows PC or a Mac). You can download the image from here. After the download, this file has an extension of “.img.gz” – you do not need to decompress/unzip it.

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This is a little bargain. Thanks for the tip. Shame it only supports one internal sata drive.

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Unlike many Intel NUC models, there’s no space for an internal 2.5 inch SATA SSD here. Such a drive is typically 3.94 in x 2.75 in. This tiny PC is only 2.83 x 2.83 x 1.75 in., so the drive won’t fit inside. The 2422 M.2 NVMe SSD is the only internal storage. It will hold the Roon OS boot image and Roon’s database but no music.

Fortunately, there is a microSD card slot that works fine for music (a small library). The three USB 3.2 ports work great for external storage. For example:

Edit: this could be a good option for smaller local music libraries (a few thousand CDs ripped to FLAC): Amazon.com: SanDisk 2TB Extreme microSDXC UHS-I Memory Card with Adapter - Up to 240MB/s, C10, U3, V30, 4K, 5K, A2, Micro SD Card- SDSQXAV-2T00-GN6MA : Electronics

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Can you control that with Roon on an iPhone or iPad. Can you power it with a 12V plug in a car? Might be a great alternative to Roon ARC for someone who can’t use ARC for some reason and doesn’t have CarPlay.

How do you connect to do the software installs, with a USB keyboard?

I currently use my iPad Mini 6 in my 2016 Nissan Altima that doesn’t have CarPlay to run Roon ARC.

Would Roon work OK with the pre-installed Windows 11 for someone who doesn’t want to fool with ROCK?

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Yes. With Roon OS installed, it behaves exactly like a supported ROCK build and almost the same as Nucleus. Ethernet connection highly recommend if not required.

Interesting idea. Possible, if one can find or make a cigarette lighter to USB C power cord.

Yes. A standard HDMI cable to a monitor or TV and a USB keyboard. You’ll need a thumb drive to which you’ll flash the standard ROCK install image.

Yes. These come pre installed with Windows 11 Pro. The Pro version is helpful because it supports Remote Desktop. You can connect from your Mac using Microsoft App.

I’ve not compared the performance of Roon Server on these small PCs with Windows 11 vs Roon OS. If there’s a difference, I expect Roon OS performs better because of less cruft.

The effort to install Roon OS on this PC is tiny. Easier than a standard ROCK build. Far less trouble than dealing with Microsoft Patch Tuesday and other Windows nonsense.

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Thanks David. I have several of these.

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Edit: I believe the adapter you showed only outputs 5V. This small PC requires 12V, despite the USB C power connector.

You may have to manually power down the PC each time before you switch off your car. Otherwise, you’re likely to eventually corrupt your Roon database.

There are other challenges that may make keeping one of these little PCs in your car impractical. You’ll need wired network infrastructure. A travel router could work, but you would need to make sure it booted first before powering on your tiny Roon PC so that the PC can get an IP address.

Roon usually wants an Internet connection, so you’d need to set up tethering between the travel router and your phone.

So, if you can get 12V power for the tiny PC, you could maybe use this solution for long road trip, but it’s a ton of bother for the school run or a quick trip to the shops.

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If Roon ARC did not work so well for me, I would order one of these for the car. I can do it with my laptop, but its a little cumbersome. I’ve only done it with the laptop a time or two when my wife was driving and I was in the back seat with Lucy. :dog:

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Thanks David, I have just left it running as a Windows 11 Pro, but with auto login and no standby. It has been running like charm over the last 4-5 days and is very very responsive, and no heating up at all. I think for the moment I will leave it ‘as-is’ and not migrate it to a real ROCK. I don’t see the benefitis (yet) of doing so. Great tip the GMKTec: it works really really well !! a lot of windows updates the first time running but after that, works fine !

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Cool. The main benefit to installing the ROCK image with Roon OS is no more dealing with Windows updates. There are a few others:

  • Local storage is accessible as a network share automatically and with zero configuration
  • Web interface for basic operations, like power off, restart, etc.
  • Automatic CD ripping when you connect an optical drive and local USB or microSD storage
  • Likely somewhat be better performance because of fewer background tasks
  • Lower power consumption for the same reason
  • Very fast power down and boot up
  • It “just works”, so less time troubleshooting down the road

Of course, it’s perfectly fine to leave Windows running for now, but if it creates work for you later, you have the ROCK image in your back pocket. Enjoy.

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