Hi!
I’m sorry but this is my first day here on the forum. I don’t know if I’m doing this right! But I will try😬 I’m struggling a bit and there is too much information to prosess! Witch roon core to buy!? It has to be cheap and I only use Tidal! So no nas or storage for music needed!
I hope for some answers and directions!
Preben
You need a PC or Mac and a USB DAC as a minimum. A mini PC like a NUC is an ideal starting point but a laptop running Windows gets the job done. A lot depends on your familiarity with computers when getting started, but once running you just need to get to grips with using the many options in Roon. You should be aiming for a minimum i3 specification to fall within the Roon support umbrella too.
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(Almost) any given computer can act as a core. Install the core on your computer, learn to see what it’s all about, then jump to buy.
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On this forum, popular choices include:
Dedicated Roon servers
- Nucleus / Nucleus+
- Small Green Computer sonicTransporter i5/i9
Full-function (multi-purpose) computers
- Mac Mini
- Intel NUC mini PC
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Ok thanks!! But it costs about 500usd… It’s a bit steep, just for a roon core isn’t it? I would rather spend that kind of money on a new dac or something 
or is it just me…?
Most of us simply install Roon Core (or RoonServer) on an existing computer we already own - Windows PC or Mac usually. You don’t need a dedicated computer to run Roon. For example, I’m running RoonServer on an 8 year old i7 Lenovo desktop computer running Win 10. This computer also handles most everything else I do on a computer (email, word processing, constant browsing of the internet of late, etc…).
I rarely actually control what I’m playing from this computer. I mostly use my iPhone or iPad to do so.
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Thanks guys! I really appreciate it!
If I were you. I would use roon nucleus.
That is somewhat expensive but other every thing is perfect.
Good enough? Just run as a roon core not nas!
Yes that NUC would be great for what you want.
You can also install Roon Rock operating system if you like, and working with Roon will be very easy.
Is roon rock better? Easy to drive?
Here’s an analogy: you have a collection of CDs that you want to play. You have two options:
- use a CD player
- use a PC (fitted with a CD drive) and a CD player software application.
The first is a dedicated appliance; then second is a general-purpose computer.
ROCK turns the Intel NUC hardware into a dedicated appliance: a Roon Core. Roon is also available as a software application for installation on a general purpose computer.
It’s down to you to decide what suits you best. If you already have a PC or a Mac, then the cheapest way to get started is to install the Roon software on it. If you like the idea of a Roon appliance, then my suggestion would be to first see if you like Roon by installing it on a PC or Mac. You can always move to using a Roon appliance later. That’s what I did - I first used Roon on my PC, and then decided that I wanted a hassle-free appliance for my Roon system, so built a NUC and installed ROCK on it.
Hey! Thank you for the answer!! I use roon already and I love it! But my PC crashed and my old pc can’t handle being a roon core for some reason… Is there a reason why I should do roon rock instead of just run the nuc as a core? Is it better in som way? Either way the nuc is just going to run roon! And one more question! Is it just the nuc I can use as roon core/rock or can I use what ever mini pc?
Really good information on getting started with a NUC and the ROCK operating system. https://kb.roonlabs.com/ROCK:_Getting_Started A NUC is fairly reasonable in price and you can even go used for that matter.
Buy a second hand NUC…I did the same for less than 150€ + usb HDD I’m good.
No need to upgrade windows or mac, silent and good overall performance even if it’s a bit old, but if the usb HDD is quite new is ok
So you don’t need minimum i3?
- intel core i3 NUC (i3 5010u 2,10ghz)
- 128 SSD
- 8gb RAM
120€ second hand
Installed ROCK
If you are just going to run Roon on a NUC, then personally, I would install ROCK on it, instead of using Windows 10 on the NUC. That Intel NUC Kit NUC8i3BEH that you referred to earlier comes with a Windows 10 license (which may be non-transferable). So installing ROCK on that kit would mean you are throwing away the cost of the license. It would be better to go for a “barebones” NUC without a Windows license. With this, you need to purchase the RAM and the M.2 SSD separately and assemble the kit yourself, but this is easy to do for most people. Suitable barebones NUCs, memory and SSD are listed on this Roon Knowledge Base page.
If you use one of the NUCs recommended by Roon Labs, then you will get full support. ROCK can also be installed on a wide range of standard PC hardware (we call this a MOCK system in the Roon community - search for “MOCK” in the Tinkering category of the forum). However, be aware that using a MOCK system is not officially supported by Roon Labs.
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Ah nice! But not in Norway
Thanks! Very helpful! MOCK!