I’ve read over the ROCK suggested hardware guide on the knowledge base, and have a few questions I wanted clarification on prior to purchase and attempting to build. 1.) The guide lists that nuc7i7XXX are supported. Does this extend to include nuc7i7XXXX models? 2.) Will the newer Dawson Canyon NUCS will be supported? Of interest is a NUC7i7DNHE featuring a 15W tdp quad-core i7 which will also be available in a fan-less chassis NUC7i7DNFE. 3.) How about fan-less current gen offerings such as NUC7i7BNF and NUC7i5BNF available from SimplyNUC.com that use slightly different processors than those usually mentioned here, but do seem to fit into the nuc7i7XXX nomenclature? These seem like they would be a good option for someone who wanted a self-baked fan-less solution but didn’t want to buy a separate chassis like the Akasa I see frequently mentioned on these boards…
You can try them out, but until we get some in our hands, we can’t ensure support.
It would be great if Roon could test and approve some fanless options. The reviews of the NUC 7i7 model to which Roon links on Amazon complain of a loud fan and frequent crashes due to overheating.
Roon offers fanless Nucleus+
True, but the Nucleus+ is $2,500. The components that Roon recommends (through a link to Amazon) for the i7i with fan run in the $500s. A fanless case, of course, would cost more than the case in the linked components, but it would still probably not raise the total cost of components above $1,000.
Intel recently released a NUC with model number NUC7i7DNHE. It has an eighth-generation i7. Is it a Dawson Canyon? Does the fact that the model number contains “7i7” mean it is compatible with ROCK?
Similarly, Intel just released the NUC7i7DNFE, which is fanless. Does the “7i7” designation mean it is ROCK compatible?
No
No.
We’ve only tested and built ROCK for i7 in the NUC7i7BN*
We’ve never tried any fanless cases for the NUCs, but you are free to try and let others know. We heard there were issues with the Akasa Plato X7 and it overheating. They’ve since removed the i7 support on the product. They have two new cases that are i7 compatible. Never tried them however. ROCK also assumes adequate cooling that comes from a fan. While some have run fanless, it’s unclear if they are doing long term damage to the units by running them hotter than they should be.
While cooling an i7 is challenging, my setup with a NUC 7i5 runs with a stable temperature around 40 degrees passively cooled in an Akasa case. I am not using any DSP effects though and run mostly 2-3 endpoints at the same time.
I also removed the turbo functionality so it always runs at 2.2Ghz which also helps with the temperature.
I wonder whether the NUC7i7DNHE, which does have a fan but uses an eighth-generation i7, would run coolly enough and more quietly. Until it has been tested for compatibility with ROCK, though, I would be reluctant to buy it.
I think many of you are overthinking compatibility. ROCK is a stripped down Linux OS. I’ve run it with 100% success on a variety of Intel-based PCs. As long as the PC is thermally stable for the load you ask it to sustain, there is no reason why ROCK won’t work. Now, Roon support can only assure it will work for those specific models they’ve tested, this is prudent, but just because the model hasn’t been tested/certified doesn’t mean it won’t work.
Being network connected brings the huge advantage of locating the ROCK appliance away from the listening area. Even a single, low CFM fan cools way more effectively than a fan-less case. Good luck.
@Larry_Post – if you go sideways or backwards, you might be safe.
Usually when going forward, the biggest issue is ethernet and wifi chipset drivers – and in the case of nuc6 vs 7, there was also a issue related to thermal management that needed an update.
I have always gone backwards reusing retired PCs from my office. I don’t upsample and my 5 years old PC(s) have plenty of compute for convolution.
Short of a better power supply, there isn’t much to be gained by using a newer computer, save a wee bit of power. I simply don’t care about a ‘wasted’ 20w when my system at idle consumes 10x that much.
For my needs and my opinion, of course
I’m sure you do, but your advice was about “overthinking compatibility”, which is dangerous advice.
If one were going to buy units based on a guess that they work because your old units that you already had worked, one could be stuck dealing with returns/refunds. @Andrew_Stein is contemplating a new device (NUC7i7DNHE), and not some old thing he has lying around.
@Andrew_Stein – when the NUC7i7DNH* is more easily available, I’ll grab one and get it supported.
Agreed, I should have stated that I don’t believe a bleeding-edge NUC is a prudent choice to run ROCK when a proven, much less expensive, arguably less capable, computer (even an older NUC) can handle the vast majority of Roon users.
Given that the seventh-generation i7 sounds more than adequate to run ROCK, I can see why it would be foolish to acquire an eighth-generation model based on some marginal spreed improvement, which would make no practical difference to the user.
My concern, however, is that the reviews of the seventh-generation 7i7 components to which Roon links to Amazon complain about (1) loud fain noise and (2) overheating and resulting frequent rebooting. Thus, I am wondering whether the NUC7i7DNHE might include hardware with a quieter fan, lower temperatures, and less frequent rebooting.
That said, the Amazon reviews, from the few I that I have read, do not comment on ROCK. Maybe ROCK users do not experience those problems, though I understand that heavy DSP use can drive up the temperature.
I’m running Roon Core on the NUC7i7DNHE on Win10 without issue. I would expect ROCK to be somewhat easier on the H/W
It’s all about drivers from the OS. Roon Core will run spectacularly on that machine.
Does that mean that the NUC7i7DNHE is compatible with ROCK?
no it does not. Roon Core is not Roon OS
I take it that ROCK runs on only the Roon-approved NUCs.
Thank you for your willingness to test the new NUC when readily available. I appreciate it. (I tried posting this message in reply to your earlier post, but it didn’t work. )