Possible to install ROCK on USB Stick?

Roon Software Discussion ROCK
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Hi all
I have a new NUC8i5BEK on order for my main system. This will be a very standard installation on the built in SSD.
For my second system I have a NUC6i5SYK available. This machine has Windows installed on its internal SSD and it runs headless (without screen, keyboard etc.). I would like to operate this machine in the following way if possible:

  • Normally boot to Windows from internal SSD, as it has been used up to now
  • When using it as a Roon ROCK Core, boot from a USB stick which has ROCK installed on it

It seems the NUC6i5SYK’s boot configuration can be set so that the machine boots from a USB stick / drive if present. If not it will boot from the internal SSD. Is it possible to install ROCK on a USB stick, so the NUC can be booted from that stick if it is plugged into the NUC?
Maybe at some point I would buy a second NUC for my secondary system, but at this time I would like to try ROCK with minimal investment.

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Why not just run roon core on windows for you second system?

1 Like
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ROCK only installs on the internal drive and will format it completely.

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I was intrigued by the simplicity of Rock, but I will probably do what you suggest and simply install Roon Core on Windows and let it run in the background.
Thanks for the idea

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While unsupported many have had success running ROCK on non NUC hardware myself included…search for MOCK in tinkering.

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This machine will not run ROCK. It requires UEFI boot, which ROCK does not currently support. There is no timeline for this feature yet.

no.

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Thanks for the information, danny. That’s a real pity, as I have already ordered the NUC. I do hope it is only a question of time for UEFI boot to become available.

Thanks, wizard, the asrock Deskmini 310 certainly sounds tempting. But then, not officially supported.

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If its something you have laying around not occupied with anything its free to try.

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Following Danny’s advice that ROCK does not (yet) run on a NUC8i5BEK, I have cancelled that order.

The Deskmini 310 is not something I have laying around, but it looks like a significantly better NUC than the Intel NUC at slightly lower price. I would put an i3-8100 or i3-9100 (4x3.7GHz) in it. Heat management looks a lot better than the NUC, given the quasi open enclosure.
NIC is an intel i219-v, same as in the NUC7ixxxx, so compatibility should not really be an issue, as long as ROCK supports NUC7ixxxx.

HW would be:
asrock Deskmini 310
Intel i3-9100 4x3.7GHz
GF.SKILL RipJaws F4-2400C16D-8GRS (2x4Gb)
KINGSTON A1000 SSD M.2, 240GB

Or am I missing something here?

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I cant comment on that platform but read what others are having success with

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What NUCs run the i219V exactly because that is the chipset on my H310M-ITX build and it wasn’t working last time I checked. I use a USB3 gigabit adaptor instead.

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See here
NUC7i5BNH Drivers
or here
https://www.mini-itx.com/~NUC7I5BNH

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That is looking hopeful my build will be fully functional.

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Let us know, please.
If the H310M-ITX works, then the Deskmini 310 should most likely also work.

Given ROCK does not use more than 2 cores, I would probably use a Pentium Gold G5600 instead of an i3-8100, as the Pentium has a higher single core performance with its higher clock rate and lower TPD to boot.
So the HW BOM of my build would be:

asrock Deskmini 310 (i219-v NIC)
Intel Pentium Gold G5600 2x3.9GHz
GF.SKILL RipJaws F4-2400C16D-8GRS (2x4Gb)
KINGSTON A1000 SSD M.2, 240GB

Goal is higher dual thread performance at lower cost and less noise than NUC with optimum ROCK compatibility.

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