I want to build a new dedicated server for ROON. I currently have it on a PC that I use for other tasks and it slows it down. I have a very large library. Any suggestions on hardware? It will not be in my listening room, it will be on a mostly wired network. One specific question is do I need a fast graphics card if I plan on using the server as a remote source. My budget not including storage drives or a case is around $2500. I already purchased a Fractal Design Define 7XL case.
you are best to focus on speed of cpu not so much on number cores. Ram probably 16GB is more than enough.
how large a library? # of tracks?
you need fast SSD boot drive, NVMe is ideal you dont need much for just a server 120GB should be fine, but hard to find smaller sizes so might be 256GB. library storage can be HDD no issues if $$ is limited.
ROCK might be an option or Linux if you are familiar but Windows is fine too. Can check out goings on in the #tinkering area too
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Roon server doesn’t have a graphics display, so no need for a graphics card above integrated graphics.
Why? My local library is on a NAS and it is remotely mounted on my local machine, it works fine as far as I tell.
Not to store your music on; to boot off of. (And to store the Roon database on.)
Booting is fine, it can take as long as it takes. 
You’ve entirely missed the point.
Which is?
Please clarify if you can.
Accessing your music is the least taxing function Roon performs. Roon’s database operations are heavily I/O intensive.
Are you really unaware of how Roon works [Moderated]?
Which one? Maybe @danny explains better here.
Most of the times, users just stream of Qobuz or Tidal.
Roon database lookup just requires a few CPU cycles, that is all.
I suggest you relocate your Roon database to your NAS, then.
The OP clearly stated he has a large local library.
You have hidden your profile so we can’t see how much you have read here or when you joined thus perhaps trying to obscure from us how much you might think you know about roon and what time you have spent on the community here.
Go run your roon installation of the slowest machine and disk you can find…you will soon know its not going to give you a good roon experience…But hey what do we know - we have been running roon for many years.
So far, I have not complained on the Roon database lookup, I have around 2,500 CDs on my NAS, and my 2012 MM is on a hard drive.
I listen to Qobuz 99 % of the time anyway, so the speed I need would be the performance of my local home network.
So SSD is nice, but I think it is only nice-to-have feature, but of course your own experience is different than mine. If the OP wants to get a SSD, it is fine and recommended, but all I say is that it is not that critical.
You might be surprised how much of a difference it would make. I have the same year macmini and on my large 270K track library it makes a HUGE difference from not running at all to barely working. A 2012 or even 2014 MM can’t run my library even on an SSD.
If you are happy with your performance of course that’s your setup but please dont tell others to use under Roon minimums specs just because it might work for you.
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I would suggest Roon support to look @ it, Roon barely works for doing database queries for 270K track library? That is not right? Unless your machine has a low specs, like low RAM or low on spare disk space?
OK to quote myself…
not running = unbearably slow to import and analyse my music (250K tracks on NAS)
barely working = slow everything…searches, startup scanning, not a great experience
Now on my Win10 Core i7-7700 its snappy, loading the library off of NVMe drive fast system startup is still 1.5-2mins but searches are fast enough to be usable and adding new music is not something that takes hours to analyse.
Import and analyze music is a pain on the neck, it always takes ages, even you run on all available cores on no throttle, but it only happens once when you first import your music.
Here’s a link to a Roon/HQP Server I built a few years ago. You could certainly get more bang for your buck now. I used a mini-ITX form factor so paid a premium for smaller sized PSU and GPU which you can avoid:
My local music storage is partly SSD (1TB) and partly HDD (6TB). There is a very slight difference in startup speed for music if the HDD isn’t already spinning. Also Roon often rescans the HDD, but never the SSD.
Always put the Roon Core on an SSD.
It doesn’t matter to the roon library if the tracks are local or streaming, their metadata gets added to the library and indexed etc.
This is from the roon knowledge base in the NAS section, their emphasis not mine.
We strongly recommend 4GB of RAM and an SSD for the Roon databases . Your music files can be on spinning disks, but ideally the Roon database should be on an SSD. This one optimization can provide the single biggest improvement to Roon’s performance and user experience.
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I have no problem with the SSD recommendation.
It is just that I don’t need SSD, it does not impair my enjoyment with Roon, perhaps my MM performs better than what it is normally expected.