If all I’m running in my NUC8 (tall case, 16GB, 500GB) is ROCK, Can I safely remove the fan or will it get too hot. Mainly streaming from Q, no WiFi or BT.
I would not remove the fan. The size of your library (which includes any streaming tracks you have added to i)t and the type and amount of DSP you are doing all affect how hard the PC running ROCK will work.
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Thanks. 
Sorry, I don’t use any DSP, does that change your reply at all?
If you are saying you were going to take the internals of the NUC 8 and put it into a fanless case like an Akasa rated for cooling that CPU, then sure.
If you are suggesting just removing a fan and not replacing it with some type of CPU cooling, then no, I would say that is a bad idea whether you are running Roon or not.
Under normal load with Roon, a NUC 8’s fan should never be loud enough for you to hear anyway.
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TY. It is super quiet.
I have the NUC8i3BEH and I’ve never heard the fan operating. If it is audible, move the NUC away from your listening area.
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For reference, these are the cases that @Rugby referred to. Just in case the fan becomes an issue, or you just want a more aesthetically pleasing case.
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in the bios set up you can de-activate the “boost” mode, this will reduce the maximum power the CPU will use and therefore limit the generated heat … in particular during library scans the CPU could enter the boost mode and then become hot … during library scans the fan of my NUC started although I had de-activated the boost-mode … therefore: use a big case (refer to URL in the other post) and de-activate the boost mode
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You can use a fanless chassis (with special design for the CPU heat dissipation) but you cannot remove the fan in a normal chassis. In the old days removing the fan is fatal.
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I a have a NUC8i3BEH and even with only ROCK and trying multiple BIOS settings I always heard a bit the fan, without DSP. That said it is next to my listening position and it could be heard when there was silence in the music.
I fully agree with previous answers, do not remove the fan. Even on low settings, CPU temperature can get high and damage it. Especially if vents are not completely clean or if there is not strong air flow around its like in a cabinet for instance. You could reduce CPU voltage but then compromising performance.
I have put the NUC8i3BEH in an Akasa Turing case, installation is easy enough, just make sure you get a good thermal paste. Can’t hear a single thing, definitely worth it.
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I have a NUC8i7 in a cirrus7 fan less case and it handles anything Roon can do just fine. As mentioned before, a good thermal paste helps a lot. In the factory case though the NUC needs the fan and you will significantly shorten its lifespan if you get rid of the fan.
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I have my NUC8i5BEH running in quiet mode and i am hearing better sound difference. More mid-high-bass.
I had it in Balanced mode for some time but for sure i hear a difference.