IMHO you don't need org-roam to use org-mode for note-taking. I use a bunch of plain org-mode files (synchronized between my computers and mobile devices with git and Syncthing) for my notes since 2016, and for me it's the best «second brain» solution I've ever seen. LaTeX formulae! Sheet music (with LilyPond)! Of course, less exotic things like pictures, links, tags are also supported.<p>I tried to use org-roam, but it's too complex to adopt my already written notes to the org-roam format and structure.
Based off my experience you should start using org-mode if you either<p>a) have too much time or
b) have too little time<p>a) because I found it to be quite a time-consuming to set up a configuration that adapts to my needs (event though I restrict myself to note taking and managing todos all from one file) and
b) it is such an amazing tool for keeping all my notes and todos in reach within seconds