I have 2 NUCs - one a 7i5 and the other an 8i3, and I want to convert one into a dedicated Roon machine. Both have 16GB of RAM. My library has around 10,000 tracks, a mix of FLAC on my NAS and Tidal. I have around 15 endpoints, mostly Chromecast Audios, with a few other random things mixed in. No DSP right now. I plan to run Windows 10, could be convinced to go Rock if its really a significant difference. I really dont care which one I use - the other one is going to run Plex and a few other things that would work just fine on either one.
Is there going to be any appreciable difference between them?
Looking at the Intel pages, the 8i3 has a higher base frequency and slightly faster memory spec.
I heard or read or this forum that faster single core clocking is better for Roon. The memory speed probably won’t make much difference. I would probably go with the 8I3 but I’m prejudice having the NUC8I7BEH.
What m.2 ssd do you have?
If the NUC is going to be dedicated to Roon I would go with Rock to eliminate the possibility of Windows updates coming in a causing problem. But again I’m prejudice because I run Rock. Had the NUC/ROCK for 1.5 years with only Roon updates and it has not failed me yet.
It looks to me like the 8i3 is a superior machine for video. Both machines are great for Roon so look at which is better for the other things you want to do.