Hi there - I currently have Roon ROCK running on a beelink SEi mini PC which has an Intel i5 8259U cpu. I also have a fanless NUC running on my desktop with the same chip, it currently runs linux. I was wondering about consolidating between the two devices, running both Roon Server on Linux on the fanless NUC and I would then use the beelink for something else down the line.
I would continue to run linux, probably Ubuntu thought and install Roon server, and also attach a 4tb SSD for storate. I would just normally try it, however I think the beelink has a better SSD m2, and would need to take both machines apart using the best components in the fanless NUC. So, before I do that, am I likely to see any difference in performance between Roon ROCK and roon server?
ROCK is a bespoke Linux OS designed solely to run Roon Server, and doesn’t have the overhead of mainstream Linux distributions, e.g., no desktop environment such as that you use with your NUC.
Nonetheless, Roon Server, which is the same whether you’re running ROCK or Ubuntu, is not demanding on the CPU. So, you should be fine switching over to Ubuntu (if you share your library size and details of any DSP you use, you’ll get a more informed response.)
I suggest you install Roon Server on the NUC, restore a backup from the Beelink, and give it a try.
Thanks @Martin_Webster, I have 100k tracks in my library. I occasionally upscale on my main stereo endpoint, up to 256 dsd, but I also have the option of using an alternatve machine with HQPlayer instead to reduce the load.
I have ubuntu installed on the NUC, and then I have installed Roon server (and Jellyfin too), with 4tb SSD for the music and a Samsung 960 M.2 for the OS etc. The NUC is sat on my desk in an akasa case, so silent and looks good too.
Performance seems very good. Always a tinkerer, I am now wondering whether I should have installed Ubuntu server as would have less overheads, but not sure yet. I was also using the NUC yesterday to check email and use the web, so might be better this way if performance does not suffer.