Hi there!
I just stumbled upon Cirrus7:s new(ish) finless case for the i7 NUC.
Can anyone say if it would be the right way to build a ROCK that would meet Roons specs for a NUC?
As far as I can see it would.
https://www.cirrus7.com/mini-desktop/cirrus7-nimbini-v2-business-edition.html
BR,
Thomas
Hi Thomas
To be 100% safe you should ask the seller for the exact model number NUCi7.
From the mention of i7-8650U CPU, I would guess it’s a NUC7i7DN** - which is supported by Roon for ROCK. But if you are buying with the intent of official support from Roon, I would double check with the seller for the exact model number.
Also, I believe ROCK supports M.2 SATA SSD, not NVMe (even if it would work). I don’t see an option for M.2 SATA SSD - either 42mm or 80mm- but they should be able to supply and install that if you asked.
I think if you can double check these with them (just to be sure) everything else looks good.
Others will chime in, in case I missed something or got something wrong.
QuietPC in the UK will also build a fanless NUC, and they show all the details required (NUC model, SSD type etc):
https://www.quietpc.com/sys-ultranuc-pro-7-fanless
Always worth double checking against the official requirements here:
https://kb.roonlabs.com/Roon_Optimized_Core_Kit
Cheers
ROCK does support M.2 SSDs using the NVMe interface - I’ve got an Intel 600p M.2 SSD with NVMe in my NUC… The Cirrus site offers a choice from the Samsung 970 EVO range of M.2 SSDs with the NVMe interface. Not cheap, though…
Cool, just found this:
Just worth double checking the NUC model but apart from that, looks good. But yeh, expensive compared to a DIY build.
Many thanks for your answers.
The Quiet PC version looks a lot like the Cirrus, minus that the Akasa case in my opinion isn’t even half as sexy as the Cirrus case.
To me it seems like this option is just about the same thing as a Nucleus+.
The Cirrus7 with i7, 8GB RAM and 128GB m.2 WD Green SSD is around EUR 900,00. This is a extreme bargain compared to EUR 2‘600,00 for Nucleus+ !!!
cirrus7 nimbini v2 - Business Edition - mit Kaby Lake
I’m eyeing the Cirrus7 alternative as well. But then there is always the new stuff — and I do like the idea of having the latest, since it would possibly last the longest.
Bean Canyon NUCs with Coffee Lake just out and ready for orders. Not officially supported by Roon and probably no fanless case right now (?) but sure makes me hesitate getting the older generation.
as long as it has no fins harmed in the process #finemism 
Another option that I have found is this Chinese computer manufacturing company called Hystou. These are fanless mini PCs based on the Kaby lake platform (i7 7500U) with solid aluminum case (looks like Akasa to me). Can configure with various storage options, but i went with no storage or OS. Installed 8gb ddr4 memory myself + 250gb Samsung EVO SSD (total cost with storage is $565). I have installed Roon Rock with no issues and it has been working flawlessly for the last 2 months. Here is their website, but you can get cheaper from Alliexpress. Comes with 2 year warranty.
website link: https://www.hystou.com/fanless-pc-i7-7500u
I love the idea of people using their existing PC’s to run ROCK (MOCK builds) - in this case it costs $0 to get that going. So if a future Roon update breaks their MOCK build, it’s no big deal.
But I can’t recommend to anyone (even a close friend or family members) planning to run RoonOS to spend new money on a non-ROCK supported build. It may work for many years or it may break on the very next update.
If someone is going to be spending new money with the plan to run RoonOS, I have to recommend a Roon supported NUC or Nucleus.
Theres this on Amaon https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fanless-Desktop-Computer-HUNSN-1SDReader/dp/B07CLZDLBK/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1536489445&sr=8-3&keywords=i7+fanless
For that price, too risky to spend new money on a non-ROCK supported build for RoonOS. It may work, it may not later.
Spend a little more to get someone to build a fanless ROCK supported NUC to run RoonOS. Better peace of mind (and support) long term.
If someone wanted to start a new thread for where in the world to buy a fanless ROCK supported NUC, then people can share where to look, depending on location.
Its a lot cheaper than buying a NUC and it really depends on whether you bothered about ROCK i guess. I use ROCK on ajn i3 non NUC its fine. I i have not found it any better than using Vortexbox OS and Roon bridge which I had on the same system before. That was rock solid. Its if you want the same horsepower for less.
Absolutely but one potential key point is a future RoonOS update may affect it on a non-supported ROCK (MOCK) build, even if it works fine for now.
Fine if you already had a PC lying around and wanted to run RoonOS - that costs $0. But to spend new money and potentially have issues later? Not advice I’d give a friend or family member.
You can contact Cirrus7 yourself to confirm/verify the exact NUC model but somebody did that yesterday and it looks good:
Yeah i like to ride it close to the edge 
Hehe I get that too but I’m just a little more careful with advice to others, especially when it comes to spending $.
I feel like I’d be doing the Community a disservice by advising anyone to spend money on non-RoonOS supported hardware.
Does that cirrus come in Black?
Dunno, ping them an email.
Sean, I am just wondering what you mean by saying non-Roon supported hardware. The above Hystou platform I mentioned has the same exact hardware as NUC. It also is runing the same BIOS. Even the board is 99% the same. I am not a computer engineer, but it seems to me if Roon supports NUC, it will also support a platform based on the same hardware and platform. In fact, my Hystou does work without a glitch with all the recent updates. I am not recommending the above to anyone and have no affiliation with the company. Just putting the idea out there for people to do their own research and decide. Cheers!