My 6 year old XPS i7 running a 44/16 file with extensive dsp, a you tube video as well Even with much higher resolution files, both flac and DSD Ive never had a resource problem.
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A NUC7i5DNHE has a 4 core i5-7300U processor, somewhere between that of of a Nucleus and a Nucleus+ in processor speed. I configured it with 8GB of RAM (same as the Nucleus+) and 120GB M.2 local storage for the operating system and Roon’s workspace. In terms of compute power, it is less than the Apple Macbook Pro I’m writing this on. It was assembled in a fanless case by QuietPC in the UK.
I used to run the NUC with an external USB 2TB Samsung SSD storing the music files, but yesterday I replaced that by a 4TB Samsung internal SATA drive. This might be enough storage for your 6k albums, depending on sample rate. (Of course one needs to think about backup as well. I use a Synology NAS for that, and a couple of other secondary backup solutions – cloud, hard drives).
I run Ubuntu Linux Server on this box, but that’s because I like to mess around with computers. One could install Roon ROCK, which is Roon’s own slimmed down Linux-based software. Or one could buy a complete comparable server, such as the Roon Nucleus(+) or a sonicTransporter from Small Green Computer.
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@Daniel_Lundh
Exactly. what I was thinking, but wasn’t really sure, mostly due to the fact I couldn’t see what was going on other than streaming. - thank you! 
The fanless concept, as per Nucleus is of interest to me. So that’s something the right computer store can assemble as required - great. Noise from fans is often spoken about on the forum, where some avoid the issue via placement (distance) or fanless (as per Nucleus).
4TB is currently sufficient, but very little room for growth. So perhaps 6TB would be the way I’d move moving forward.
I assume I’d simply go down the path of Roon Rock and as per your current setup seems 8gb of ram is the way to go, with a similar NUC. Obviously the purchase of a NUC is the simplest part for me - off the shelf!
Thanks.
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It all depends on how at ease with electronic assembly you feel. At the time I got my fanless NUC pre-assembled from QuietPC UK, I was too busy to do the assembly myself. Otherwise, I could have got all the parts separately and the case itself from Akasa.
Confidence aside (not very), as of the 13th, I’ll be back to very busy once again, so the possibility of having a computer store do some assembly is very appealing.
That fanless case looks excellent design wise & is further aesthetically very appealing. Gives me a good idea of what I should try and look for out here. 
Cheers.
When I ordered mine here, I was very happy with their service and delivery speed. (I live in the US). There are a couple of other companies who deliver pre-assembled fanless NUCs, there are some other suggestions on this forum.
It’s of course cheaper (and potentially fun, if nothing goes wrong) to get all the parts and put them together yourself.
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