Which is better - any views?
I prefer the internal SSD storage. Does not take up any USB ports. On the other hand you can probably have more space on an external drive.
I’ve gone for the " all-in-one" approach of an internal drive - but I do have a small SSD drive attached via USB as one of my (several) Roon Backup locations.
Hi Geoff and Mike
I had always thought that you can not store music files on the same SSD as the OS and Roon back up files. Have I misunderstand this?
PS - there is plenty room on my SSD for my music files but wondered about fitting a 2.5 disc into the NUC
When you setup your NUC you install an M.2 SSD drive for the operating system and add Memory, but you can also install a 2nd SATA drive, I chose to install a 2TB SSD Drive, think of it as a C: drive and a 2nd D: drive, you can put your music on that 2nd drive, never put anything on the M.2 drive.
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That is assuming you but a NUC with the space for it, there are versions that are low profile and cannot take a second SSD drive.
This:
Vs this:
I put a 1TB SSD in my Nucleus for music files, even though I only have 4 albums of my own. Maybe I’ll have more later, IDK. I have them backed up outside of Roon on my laptop. I use a 1TB USB HDD for backing up Roon. I would always want that on an external drive to restore to a different computer if needed.
Good point
Using ROCK, the OS drive can only be used for the OS.
If you install an internal drive, you can use that for music, but, NOT backups; because the whole of the internal drive is watched.
If you use an external USB drive, then you can setup an area on the external drive for backups that is not watched by Roon. So, you can use the external drive for both. Since, you need to either plug in an external drive or use a network location as the backup location, I just use external drives.
Now, you can get a SSD drive and put it into an external USB case. That eliminates the “sound” issue, although, I’ve never had sound issues with WD external USB drives and I have one sitting on top of a computer not 8 inches from my ear and you cannot hear it.
Hello, I am a new user of ROON, I have built a NUC (NUC8i7BEH) running ROCK, I have all my music files on my NAS, and old Synology DS710+
It all works fine, but I am wondering, what will I gain if I procure a 2,5” SSD and install it in my NUC for the music files instead of the NAS, will it be faster (I do think it is fast now) I do not believe there will be any difference in SQ 
I have around 1800 albums.
Kind regards Morten
No difference in SQ, but it should be quicker if you’re having delays. I think an internal drive (or USB) will do a better job of recognizing and assimilating new music if you are adding new files.
I have a 1 TB SSD (Solid state drive) installed into my NUC. It works great. This is MORE storage
than Roon will ever need but hey a 1 TB SSD is cheap! One of my earlier confusions when I was setting this all up is that ROON uses the SSD for creating and managing its ROON database. All of my music files are stored on an external NAS. This is your music files library. The ROON database is completely a different thing than your music files library. Don’t mess with the ROON database. Copy your music files to your music files library. Also…a internal SSD is SUPER DUPER FASTER than an external hard drive. Also the ROON operating system which is called ROCK is also stored on this same SSD. It takes a while to learn where everything “lives”.
If everything is working fine and your happy, then, don’t fix what isn’t broken. 
Roon will recognize newly added music instantly on an internal drive and probably the same on a USB attached drive, but I’ve heard new adds on a NAS takes a while to show up in the database.
Welcome to the community.
As far as Roon and Roon’s music files go, many people use their NAS for backup only.
Another alternative is to attach an external USB drive. Less hassle and ultimately portable. No important speed difference between internal or external drives for Roon to access your music files.
You are correct, sir.
In this forum and among Roon users that is minuscule.
Not a snark; excluding Qobuz, I have less than that.
Thanks Gents, I have a 250gb M2 drive for the OS, I may end up getting a 1TB SDD, as mentioned they are cheap, and it will also mean that I have the files on two locations. I used to have them on my now sold Aurender and the NAS was only backup.
Br. Morten
I would go internal, no bits of string hanging off the back, no second power supply , if a powered HDD
Much tidier, internal HHD can get up to 4Tb or maybe more.
I don’t see much point in SSD unless it’s silence