NUC 11 coming out ... worth it?

Roon has never claimed a SQ difference between ROCK and other Linux based OS.

As per Danny in another thread:

There is no distro upon which ROCK is based. It’s a built-from-scratch system. First the compilers are built, then those compilers are used to build every byte running on the system from source. The bootup, the rootfs, and the typical process table looks very different from any other distribution.

2 Likes

IMHO, AudioLinux OS (www.audio-linux.com) is the best choice to use with Roon Server on an UEFI based hardware (i,e. NUC11).

Interesting my router identifies it as Red Hat for NUC/ROCK.

Your router is wrong. It’s probably a bad defaulting situation.

ROCK is a pure “Linux from Scratch” system. First we build cross compilers, then we use them to build every package from source. The layout of the filesystem is not very traditional, and it runs almost no services at all. Even the startup and shutdown stuff is all custom. In the next Roon OS build, even the UEFI code is custom.

The compilers are built using crosstool-ng, and the system is built using some custom scripts. We have new experiments built using buildroot.

7 Likes

@danny , thanks for the update details. Looking forward to OS 2.0

Marketing: Every linux distro is great that runs on UEFI. They are all dependent on the same pieces of software. Roon files are the same. How can audio-linux sound better?

I’ve run a successful software business for over 30 years and have worked with technical staff of my own and others in many organizations all over the country. Your response feels like it came from someone who is more comfortable with code than people.

But, in this context, you are the voice of a business and we are your paying customers. Inherent in a monthly or lifetime software subscription is an expectation that the software keeps up with evolving technology. It is, after all, why people rent instead of purchase software. They are willing to pay more over time just to stay current.

Anyone trying to work with ROCK will have some level of understanding of technology and probably have backgrounds in related areas such as hardware, OS and software development. Personally, I don’t know Linux but have spent decades adapting to “new and improved” technologies in Windows that sometimes seem more like planned obsolescence than meaningful real-world improvements. So, I get that newer is not always better and, therefore, there may be legitimate reasons why NUC11 is not the best tool for the job.

That said, anyone with a technical background who is considering purchasing a NUC would be a fool for not considering NUC11, so it is a simple question for a software vendor like yourself in terms of communicating something to your loyal customers about topics like this.

You could say, for example, we don’t currently support NUC11 because it does not support legacy boot mode. But you could go on to say something like, “We are not working on that at the moment due to other priorities”; or, “We started to work on it but ran into an issue and are waiting on a response from Intel”; or, "We are actively working on it but it is more complicated than it appears and it will not be ready soon; or, “We are getting close and expect it to come out in the next ___ months”; or something along those lines.

In other words, give your technically minded customers something they can use for decision making. For example, I don’t want to purchase a NUC10 if you plan to release a version for NUC11 in the near future; however, if nothing is on the horizon I will purchase a NUC10 now.

It’s not that hard. You just need to understand why your customers are asking these questions, then give them a truthful response in a pleasant way.

12 Likes

Why are people so keen on NUC11 ? Last generation is actually slower on single thread - which leaves it less optimal for Roon. NUC8 is actually more efficient compared to NUC10. Any NUC will do the job. NUC10 is still very much available. I would avoid NUC11 until it is officially supported for Roon ROCK.

I would actually search for NUC8 :slight_smile:

2 Likes

DietPi should run on NUC11 and comes with a Roon Server installer. Can someone confirm that this works fine? As nice and convenient as an appliance OS is, NUCs and RPi 4s are powerful little machines that can easily do more than just run Roon. And DietPi by default isn’t that much bigger than a minimalist appliance OS anyways.

I have not used it myself on a Nuc, Buti I followed another thread where it was discussed and it should work well.
I have always run DietPi on at least one of my Pi’s and always been impressed with it.

2 Likes

Have you tried to purchase a NUC8 recently? They are becoming very difficult to find, especially new and from authorized retailers.

I know, but I have seen them available still (2nd hand market is an alternative place to look). NUC10 is still very much available.

Nuc 11 is quicker, better power management and above all current

1 Like

If you aim for NUC11, install Linux or Windows and install Roon. This will remove the possibility to use ROCK, but I’m sure this will be supported at one point.

Well, if one can believe that speed is important, the newer NUCs provide more speed. They do so through the CPU speed, but also the speed of the memory and memory bus, the USB and PCIe standards used by that specific NUC version.

For example, if you use a M.2 PCIe SSD on a NUC11, it complies with PCIe v4 and its throughput is double that of the same SSD on a NUC10, which uses PCIe v3. I don’t know the point of diminishing returns but the newer ones are faster, and much faster in some cases. The newer standards you purchase today will outlive the older standards, so purchasing the newer standards increases the speed today but also helps to future-proof your equipment.

Well, if speed is the goal you would be using a desktop CPU not a mobile CPU. It is what I choose to do.

But you need to be aware of what speeds are important for Roon. Roon makes use of single core speed over number of cores. So, you want a NUC that has the higher single core speed.

When it comes to storage speed, even USB 3.0 is plenty of data transfer speed needed for playback.

1 Like

This thread is about ROCK, not the desktop versions of Roon. The original poster wanted to know if NUC11 was appropriate for ROCK.

The older generation NUCs can certainly run ROCK, but I responded to a question about why some people were focused on NUC11. The answer is more speed and a longer technology life span.

Regarding your comments about single processor performance, the i7-1165G7 (NUC11) out performs the i7-8665U (NUC8) in that regard by 34%, and in all other areas tested:

Personally, I chose the NUC10 for ROCK because it was supported by Roon. I would have purchased a NUC11 if it was supported. If earlier NUCs meet your needs, then great, but I try not to purchase old technology because I want my purchase to remain useful for as long as possible.

4 Likes

May we assume this thread is closed and there’s no interest from Roon to work on Rock for NUC 11?

The discussion is somewhat dated and moot as RoonOS / ROCK does not support the NUC11, so I’ll close this topic.

There has been some more recent discussion here … but again I’d say moot …

That said Roon have been discussing RoonOS 2.0 but no timeframe …

1 Like