Intel is exactly the company that stood at the origins of the development personal computers, so the first successful mass-produced computer, the IBM PC, ran on the Intel i8088 processor. Most of the servers, computers, and laptops around the world are powered by Intel processors and, of course, the company perfectly understands what a modern PC should look like and I’ll say right away that a modern PC does not have to be big. We are reviewing a mini-PC Intel Next Unit of Computing, or abbreviated as Intel NUC 7th generation based on a processor Intel Core The i5-7260U comes with a 16 GB Intel Optane module and we will not only evaluate its performance, but also take a closer look at its design.

Characteristics

Packaging and equipment

Intel NUC comes in a bright cardboard package with high-quality printing and informative content on all sides. On the packaging you can see the appearance of the device, learn about the main supported technologies and characteristics of the device. It is also worth noting the emphasis on support for Intel Optane modules on three sides of the package, and such frequent mention of the technology is quite justified; we’ll look at why in a separate review a little later.




As we can see, the packaging is small, but it contains everything you need. The package includes:

• set of instructions;
• metal plate for installing Intel NUC on a monitor with VESA mount;
• a set of necessary screws and a sleeve for installing an M.2 drive;
• power supply FSP065-10AABA;
• a set of four replaceable EU/UK/US/AU plugs;
• processor logo sticker.

Appearance and location of functional elements

The 7th generation Intel NUC has received slight changes in appearance compared to the previous generation. The arrangement of the elements and the color of the case have changed quite a bit from silver to graphite. To begin the review, it is immediately worth noting that the Intel NUC can be available in two housing options: a small one with dimensions of 115×111×32 mm without the ability to install a 2.5″ drive, and a large one with dimensions of 115×111×48 mm with the ability to install a 2.5″ drive. We are testing a “large” Intel NUC with the ability to install a 2.5″ drive.
The top cover of the Intel NUC is made of glossy black plastic and can be easily removed, but, unlike the previous generation, there is no customization option by replacing the cover, which is even a little strange.
The body base is made of aluminum alloy, painted dark gray. On the front side there are two USB 3.0, one of them is marked in yellow and is intended for charging other devices without turning it on, a 3.5 mm four-pin Mini-Jack with the ability to connect both playback and recording devices, and a power button. In addition to these elements, there is also a successfully hidden infrared port and two microphones, which will come in handy for controlling a PC via voice assistants. After turning on the power, the blue LED on the power key and the blue frame around the functional elements light up.
On the left side of the case there is a perforation for air intake, a MicroSD card reader and a hole for a Kensington lock. The right side is occupied only by perforations, which is good, as it gives hope for good air circulation inside the compact case.
On the back side you can clearly see the exhaust of the cooling system, a power connector, full-size HDMI, Ethernet, two USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt 3 compatible USB Type C.
On the bottom metal cover there is a sticker containing service information and trademarks, and four more rubber feet that prevent the mini-PC from sliding on the table and transmitting unnecessary vibrations, because this option can be installed HDD, which can be quite noisy.
Intel NUC is a device in the design of which there is nothing superfluous and everything is to the point; at the same time, high-quality case materials are used, and there is no fault with the assembly. A photo with an Intel Core i5-8600K processor is shown below to illustrate the dimensions.

Internal organization

Intel NUC can be found in several modifications: board only, board with housing and ready-made solution with installed RAM, storage and operating system. It is for this reason that the Intel NUC Kit can be disassembled without much effort. To begin disassembly, you need to unscrew the four screws at the bottom of the case - this will allow you to easily remove the bottom cover.

After removing the bottom cover, a slide immediately becomes available for installing a 2.5″ drive with a maximum thickness of 9 mm, however, now almost all SSDs and most HDDs have a thickness of 7 mm.

To dismantle the slide, you just need to disconnect the power connector and the SATA connector. Removing the slide allows access to two SODIMM slots, so that the maximum capacity random access memory limited to 32 gigabytes. You may notice that I already have an M.2 module installed and this is the same Intel Optane, which we will return to a little later. The M.2 slot is designed for installing both SATA and NVMe drives, as well as Intel Optane modules 42 or 80 mm long.

But what if we look even further? This is not a problem at all, and even in advance, in the spirit of iFixit, we will give the Intel NUC Kit a repairability rating of 10 out of 10. Further disassembly is possible after removing the Intel Optane module and unfastening the power button and microphone cables. To dismantle the printed circuit board, all that remains is to unscrew two screws and carefully remove it from the case.

Next we will look at the features of printed Intel boards NUC. Here we can see a soldered dual-band controller wireless networks Intel Wireless-AC 8265 with 802.11a/b/g/n/ac capability. Since the board can also be installed in a custom case, for example, with passive cooling, on printed circuit board A connector is provided for connecting two case USB 2.0 and standard case wires.
Another interesting thing you can notice is the BIOS_SEC jumper, which is used to reset the UEFI password, as well as the CEC connector, which is intended for connecting external control panels.

On the reverse side, the first thing that catches your eye is the cooling system, the active element of which is the fan Delta Electronics BSB05505HP-SM, the impeller diameter of which is 55 mm. A copper radiator is designed for heat exchange with the processor, the quality of which is not satisfactory.


After dismantling the cooling system, you can look at the processor soldered onto the board.
On the same side there is a battery that maintains safety BIOS settings. The ITE IT8987VG multicontroller is also soldered here.
The implementation of HDMI 2.0 is possible thanks to the MegaChips MCDP2800BC controller, so the Intel NUC can easily output 4K images up to 60 Hz.

The Rialtek ALC283 codec is responsible for the sound and, of course, there is no talk about shielding the audio path, and it’s difficult to imagine it on such a small board.

The processor receives power from three power phases and this is enough, because the TDP of this processor is only 15 Watts.

The last thing I decided to show you is an Intel NUC case with the board removed.

Testing

Test stand

The Intel NUC, in our case, was supplied without RAM and we used proven and reliable memory modules from Kingston - KVR21S15S8/8, reviewed here.

External and internal organization- this is, of course, good, but we all love numbers and test results, especially when it comes to mini-PCs, because in addition to miniature dimensions, performance is also important to us.

The first benchmark we decided to run was Intel XTU, it's great for comparing the performance of Intel processors, and if you sign up for HWBot, you can compare your benchmark results with the benchmark results of other enthusiasts around the world.
The next benchmark, PC Mark 10, runs real-world workloads and gives you the ability to evaluate performance under real-world conditions.
The quite popular GeekBench 4 benchmark was also carried out for both CPU and GPU.

To evaluate the graphics accelerator, we used 3D Mark Sky Diver.
Rendering speed was assessed using CineBench R15 and Corona Render.
Data archiving speed was tested using WinRAR Benchmark. For testing in games, we used World of Tanks and got the following number of frames in FullHD at medium graphics settings.
We checked the operating temperature at maximum load using the AIDA 64 stress test. The temperature in the room was ∼31°C, and the test was active for more than 10 minutes, during which time the processor warmed up to a maximum of 91°C and, given the initially high temperature, it's quite normal.

conclusions

When it comes to Intel NUC, you need to understand that this device can “play in different colors”, because the list of possible configurations is really large and starts from “accounting” Celeron, and ends with top-end mobile Core i7 and this allows you to use Intel NUC in many scenarios . Personally, my Intel NUC in the tested configuration has confidently taken the place of my main work computer, on it I write review texts, edit RAW photos in Photoshop, and free time I can play and watch movies up to 4K resolution and it all works without freezing in a case with dimensions of 115x111x48 mm - isn’t it a miracle? After using the Intel NUC, you involuntarily begin to wonder, do I need a full-size PC? Personally, I felt some advantages from switching to an Intel NUC: less noise, takes up less space, has a nice appearance and works stably.

When choosing a mini PC, I recommend taking a closer look at the Intel NUC. Based on the testing results, the device receives an award - Editor's Choice!

About the upcoming release of two gaming mini-PCs/barebones of the Next Unit of Computing (NUC) family - Hades Canyon VR based on a three-chip Core i7-8809G family processor Kaby Lake-G and Hades Canyon based on a similar Core i7-8705G chip. The actual release of the new systems has not yet taken place, although the official Intel website recently “hinted” at this event, and besides, during the CES 2018 exhibition, company representatives promised to release Hades Canyon VR during March.

The chipmaker still has a little more than a week left for the new products to appear in retail, but for now we suggest paying attention to their pre-order prices in Western Europe. The older model NUC8i7HVK/BOXNUC8i7HVK (Hades Canyon VR) will cost gamers and fans of new products from the category computer technology at €910.99 and more. The indicated amount does not include SO-DIMM DDR4-2400 RAM modules and solid-state drives (installation of 32 GB of RAM and two M.2 SSDs with PCI-E and/or SATA interfaces is allowed).

Those who want to save a little can pay attention to the product NUC8i7HNK/BOXNUC8i7HNK, the purchase of which abroad will cost from €751.99. Compared to the 100W Core i7-8809G (3.1/4.2GHz) model, this mini PC is limited to the 65W Core i7-8705G (3.1/4.1GHz). The difference in x86-core performance between the CPU/SoC of different systems is small, but the graphics component of the Core i7-8809G (Radeon RX Vega M GH) is more impressive than that of the Core i7-8705G (Radeon RX Vega M GL). It provides modern games with a monitor resolution of 1920 × 1080 pixels.

Despite Intel's intention to sell the Hades Canyon VR and Hades Canyon NUCs in the US market at prices starting at $999 and $799, respectively (excluding sales tax), the retail price of these systems will most likely be lower. According to the resource

Recent years have been fruitful for predictions about the death of desktop computers. However, in fact, it all started about 15 years ago - when there was talk that over time, laptops would push desktops into narrow niches, or even completely destroy them. Thus, there is nothing new under the sun, and it is difficult to guess where technological progress will lead everyone in a few years. After all, a lot has also been written about the “cannibalization of the laptop market” by netbooks - now there are a lot of fans for tablets, and it’s precisely netbooks that have actually died for a long time (at least in the form in which they were first presented to the mass user). One thing is for sure: we won’t be bored. And, regardless of which class of devices becomes dominant, all sorts of advances are also possible within classes. So, for example, a few years ago, monoblocks that seemed to have died long ago found a second life. And in general, a modern desktop can be very different.

What is usually included in this concept? A stationary computer that does not have its own “own” information display device. As a rule, it has rich expansion capabilities and maximum (among single-processor solutions) performance of all systems. Big, noisy and gluttonous - already as a consequence of the previous points. For many years this definition was true, but not just yesterday the integration and increase in productivity of all computer components led to a transition from quantity to quality: it turned out that not everyone needs a classic desktop. And what you need? Relatively inexpensive, compact and quiet. At the same time, it’s not a monoblock or a laptop - it’s still supposed to be used with an external monitor, keyboard, mouse, etc. But internal expansion capabilities, on the contrary, have ceased to be necessary - 99% of the needs of 99% of users began to be satisfied by “integrated” controllers.

So, there is a need for miniature desktop replacements. Apple was the first to think about this (as often happens) and (as is also traditional for it) even somewhat underestimated the demand. Or maybe she just didn’t quite understand it: with the “live” iMac and laptops making up the lion’s share of the company’s assortment, the Mac mini’s destiny should have become the niche of “the cheapest Mac,” moreover, allowing the buyer to keep the old peripherals from the “weeper” and, thus , (relatively) inexpensive to join the world " the right computers" And then, you see, you will grow to Power Mac, etc. Accordingly, the very first “mini”, which appeared back in the mid-2000s of this century, was an iBook G4 with a weaker video part (Radeon 9200 instead of Mobility Radeon 9550) , devoid of display and battery, but “repackaged” into a compact case measuring 16.5 × 16.5 × 5 cm and weighing 1.2 kg, while the iMac has already moved to a 64-bit Power PC G5 processor, and in Power Mac could meet two of them at once. However, the Mac mini turned out to be of interest not only to “switchers”, but also to the broad masses of workers interested in a compact and relatively productive solution, and after this line was transferred to x86 Core Solo and Core Duo processors, its representatives began to be purchased for use under Windows control. In general, the demand turned out to be greater than predicted, but the computer did not solve the assigned tasks, which is why Apple later cooled down on it. Continuing, however, the development of the line - including in the direction of compactness: the latest generations use cases measuring 19.7 × 19.7 × 3.6, i.e. they have become slightly larger in width than the progenitor, but noticeably thinner. Moreover, this already has a built-in power supply, while the first generation (like most competitors) used an external one. And their performance is not bad: some modifications are currently equipped with Core i7-QM series processors, i.e., quad-core eight-thread models (the only one of their kind). However, the production volumes of these systems were and remain limited, and the company’s pricing policy is similar to the restrictive one: prices only start at $599 (and this is far from being in Russia).

It once seemed that the problem could be completely solved by nettops, which were supposed to cost $100-200, which is much lower than the cost of a mini. However, the first generation of this technology quickly showed that what is cheap is cheap :) The fact is that processors of the Atom line (which were mainly used there) still do not shine with performance, but graphics system these platforms for a long time it was unable to cope not only with games (even the simplest and oldest ones), but even with video playback. In general, despite their cheapness and compactness (many models fit into cases with dimensions of 160x190x25 mm or so), these systems could not boast of versatility - even when using discrete video chips, which increased the price, but did not completely eliminate the problems due to for weaknesses of the central processor. New life was breathed into this market by the emergence AMD platforms Brazos: the performance is higher than that of Atom, and the video part is at a completely different level. True, this only solved the issues of playing multimedia content, and even work on best processors this family (such as E-450 or E2-1800) is only possible out of despair - a Celeron from five years ago, and then much faster. This is not to say that this problem was unsolvable: there have always been models on the market based on Celeron, Pentium and even Core i3 laptops, sometimes equipped with discrete graphics. These were capable of solving most problems, but were expensive, and were much smaller in size than the Mac mini, and, moreover, the smallest nettops on surrogate platforms.

It is possible that these problems would have remained eternal, but... There was no happiness, but misfortune helped. Thinking about the future of the desktop market, Intel decided to pay attention to the mobile and ultramobile segments. And suddenly it turned out that there were no great joys there either: netbooks and Atom-powered nettops have low performance, “regular” laptops are too large, and there is no adequate platform for tablets at all. That’s what they did, giving birth to two at once: Atom received a SoC version and migrated to entry-level tablets (as well as smartphones), and for top models it was decided to intensify the production of CULV Core models, since the development of a new technical process made it possible. It was decided to use them in light and compact ultrabooks (a restyle of “classic” laptops with reduced thickness), as well as in miniature desktop systems. Actually, another surge in the market for the latter has already begun, so in the near future we will meet with a large number of very interesting models. But our today's hero is somewhat atypical, although extremely interesting.

Actually, everyone started looking at the NUC from the very moment of its announcement. Then we studied preliminary specifications and tests. Now it turns out that manufacturers of cases of the corresponding form factor are ready to pick up the new trend. So let's see what the next generation of computers looks like from the point of view of the leader in processor manufacturing.

NUC - Next Unit of Computer

We didn’t make a reservation above - the company really considers such systems to be the future of computers, and not at all another implementation of the concept of nettops or anything similar. This is already included in the name NUC, the explanation of which is given in the subtitle. Therefore, before we climb inside the cute little box, let's see what it is in global terms.

So, the main difference between the NUC and all other systems is the strict rejection of any mechanical drives. Any. Neither optical drives(the size of which limited the dimensions of nettops for a long time), there are no hard drives there and cannot be. Although it is theoretically possible to make a case that allows the installation of such, Intel is not focusing on such a development of events: the next generation computer should be small and as “semiconductor” as possible. Accordingly, it is assumed that the main (and only) storage device is using SSD in the mSATA format, and a cooling system fan is allowed as the only rotating part (and some case manufacturers go even further and offer to abandon it).

But small does not mean low-performance. No Atoms - only “full-fledged” Core line processors. Over time, budget options for Pentium and Celeron will appear (UCFF board DCP847SKE with Celeron 847, potentially allowing the buyer to save about $120 when purchasing a NUC, is already available on the Intel website), but not lower, i.e. the level of performance will be noticeably higher than the nettops that were common until recently (even the Pentium 957 was already a third faster than the AMD E-350 in terms of integrated performance), however... This concerns only the processor component and disk system performance: the use of discrete graphics is not expected. As well as other expansion options: only the use of external peripherals is possible (the only free internal Mini-PCIe slot in most cases will be occupied by a wireless network adapter), and even then in small quantities, since both currently released NUC modifications have only three USB ports. The older one, however, can work with high-speed external devices, since it is equipped with a Thunderbolt port, however, the range of peripherals supporting this interface leaves much to be desired and is mainly limited to external RAID arrays. But a computer is not supposed to have outdated interfaces, and even analog audio outputs have gone under the knife.

In general, at its core, the NUC (like the Mac mini) is a laptop (or rather, an ultrabook - times are changing) platform, but in a desktop version. But the computer is compact and (potentially) could cost less than an ultrabook - there is no display or battery, which makes it similar to nettops. Moreover, the current modifications are in many ways a test of strength and a technical demonstration of the possibility of existence motherboards new format: UCFF. But both models are, at the same time, normal commercial products, i.e. you can buy and use them right now.

Design and communication with the outside world

Externally, the computer resembles the representatives of the Zotac ZBox Nano family nettops we reviewed a year ago, but smaller and more concise. In particular, if the Nano has a body height of 4.5 cm, then the NUC is closer to the Mac mini in this parameter - 3.9 cm. The “length” and “width” are generally reduced to 117 × 112 mm, which is quite a record . Although not absolute: the “mini” is equipped with a built-in power supply, so its almost “200x200” is all that will take up space on the table or behind the monitor. The NUC (like mass-produced nettops) uses an external power supply - which, however, has its advantages: if it burns out, you can simply buy a new one, rather than undertake expensive repairs. The power supply itself, by the way, was manufactured by FSP and is a typical laptop model (i.e., easily replaceable) with a voltage of 19 V and a maximum output current of 3.42 A. The total power is thus 65 W, which is excessive for this machine - it has no chance of “eating” more than 25-30 W. On the other hand, the reserve may come in handy when more powerful models appear in the family.

When viewed from the front, the device looks very simple and concise. On top there is a power button, on the front there is a USB port. That's all. Which, in fact, is necessary and sufficient. Even more than necessary, since many models do without USB on the front, but its presence increases ease of use.

The rear surface is also not overloaded with interfaces: a power supply connector, two more USB ports, two HDMI connectors and gigabit Ethernet. Unfortunately, all three USB port support only outdated version specifications, despite the fact that the chipset has a built-in USB 3.0 controller. The second potential limitation is the maximum resolution of the connected display device - only 1920x1200. Want more? You will have to buy an older modification of the NUC (on the D33217CK board), which, however, has its own additional disadvantages - there is no wired network, and support for “large” monitors is ensured by the fact that instead of one of the HDMIs, an exotic Thunderbolt is installed. Taking into account the current specifics and limited range of TV peripherals, there is a feeling that the older NUC is designed for use in conjunction with Apple Thunderbolt Display, so abandoning Ethernet is quite logical - the corresponding connector is in this monitor. On the other hand, it seems to us, if the owner of an Apple monitor (and at a price of a thousand dollars in the USA, which in Russia turns into one and a half thousand) wants to purchase a small computer, then with a 90% probability it will turn out to be like times Mac mini: although it is more expensive, it is more powerful than a NUC, and that’s the main thing! - made by Apple :) You can, however, use Thunderbolt as a Mini-DP to connect any monitor, but in this case, as mentioned above, we will be left without wired network. And Wi-Fi is, of course, fashionable, stylish and modern... however, despite all the tricks of the developers, at the very least it can only compete with the “old” 100Base-T in terms of real speed transfer of information. And the use of wireless networks in the NUC has its own characteristics, which will be discussed below.

In general, the current NUC lineup, in our opinion, leaves much to be desired. The older model has a limited scope of application (and in general - its target audience is unclear), while in the younger one (more precisely, in the younger ones: DCP847SKE and D33217GKE are similar in peripheral capabilities) the maximum resolution of the connected image device is limited to 1920 × 1200 (1080). You can, of course, call this nit-picking, but complaints about the lack of at least one USB 3.0 port are definitely not that. For a media player, however, or a computer for the general public, the current options are also suitable, but we would like to see another NUC: with USB 3.0 and a DisplayPort connector, replacing one of the HDMIs, but retaining Ethernet. Let's hope that your wishes will be heard. Not the most by Intel- so partners :)

Another complaint of potential users about the NUC (which appeared immediately after the first demonstrations of the computer) is the complete absence of “traditional” audio outputs (as mentioned above): both analog and digital. Sound can only be transmitted via HDMI, which is not a problem for using the NUC as an NTRS, but for desktop use you will have to either acquire suitable monitor(many modern multimedia models contain a built-in DAC, so they can output sound both to their own integrated speakers and to external speakers connected to the audio outputs on the monitor), or external sound card, or a corresponding set of acoustics. In general, there are actually a lot of outputs, but those who want to connect old equipment to a computer are certainly not very happy with them - somehow we are all already accustomed to the fact that two-hundred-pipe computer speakers can be used anywhere. Nettops are no exception to their scope of application, but you can’t connect them to the NUC.

Internal filling

By unscrewing four screws, you can remove the bottom cover of the case - this simplicity is due to the fact that a considerable number of NUCs should be sold in the form of semi-finished products: for self-configuration by the user. Actually, everything that the latter can “configure” is hidden under this cover. The list is small - only four slots. Two are designed for installing RAM in the form of SO-DIMM modules. Support for dual-channel mode (absent in many nettops on the same platform) is a strong point of the NUC: it does practically nothing for the processor, but the performance of the HDG 4000, no matter how low it is in absolute numbers, is even worse in single-channel mode.

And at the top of the photo you can see the only two expansion slots: Mini-PCIe for installing half-length cards and a combined Mini-PCIe/mSATA for full-length ones. The specificity of the layout is such that they had to be placed one above the other in a “sandwich”, with the “short” one hiding under the “long” one. In practice, this leads to serious consequences, which we will talk about later - when we touch on cooling issues. For now, we’ll just note that the “canonically correct” scheme for using the slots is to install an mSATA SSD and a Wi-Fi adapter, the latter of which also has a pair of antennas (for two communication bands).

The antennas themselves are built into the top cover, which is quite logical.

All the interesting things are concentrated on the top part of the motherboard, which can only be reached by completely pulling the board out of the case. Most of it, however, is covered by the cooling system casing, so without dismantling the latter you can have fun searching for familiar chips: Intel 82579V (gigabit Network Controller, now popular among all motherboard manufacturers) and Nuvoton NPCE791C (hardware monitoring controller). Do you feel like something is missing? Yes - audio codec on board there is no. That is, the refusal to use audio outputs is not the tyranny of the manufacturer, but a very clear policy, supported by the elemental base. In fact, this is the end of a long process that started back in 1997, when the AC97 standard clearly separated the analog and digital parts of audio devices. Why did you have to wait so long? In 2004, AC97 was replaced by new standard- Intel High Definition Audio, however, it immediately became clear that standard digital outputs are suitable for realizing all its high-quality capabilities multi-channel audio, simply not on the market. Accordingly, audio codecs have become standard equipment for motherboards for a long time. However, HDMI is now actively used, where everything you need is there, so the analog part, in fact, has become a rudiment of the era - you can do without it. This is what Intel decided to do when creating the next generation computer.

And here’s a close-up of what’s hidden under the cooling system. Pay attention to the sizes of the chips (after all, production technology is extremely important): the processor is on the left, and the chipset is on the right; their crystals are comparable in size, but not in complexity. By the way, the chipset used is QS77, which supports all the “goodies” of business platforms (up to VT-d, vPro, etc.), which, alas, are incompatible with the one used Core processor i3-3217U. Let us note, by the way, that in the i5 family not all models of the U and Y lines support the necessary technologies, but they still exist - this is another way for the further development of the NUC, after which the “box” will be of interest to corporate users as well. And enthusiasts can also be interested in a remotely controlled HTPC, for which everything is ready - only another processor needs to be soldered (which, by the way, according to the information we have, is included in the company’s plans).

Temperature

As soon as the first copies of the NUC reached the testers, a small scandal immediately broke out: it was overheating, they say. In the best traditions of the genre, we have two news for you - good and bad.

Let's start with the good: the standard cooling system for the processor is more than enough. The device performed well in all our tests (including rendering or games where the video core is actively used) regardless of the fan operating mode. The automatic mode selected by default is almost silent, but we only managed to “warm up” the processor in it to 71 degrees, which can be considered absolutely cold: the limit for this model is 105 degrees. For fun, we also tested the maximum rotation speed - in this case the noise emitted is already very noticeable (which is understandable - just look at the size of the fan in the photo above), however, regardless of the load, the processor temperature is the same 41 degrees as at relative rest. Accordingly, you can either not touch the standard settings at all (they are quite suitable for the needs practical use), or (if you want to twist something) look for a compromise between noise and processor temperature.

As for overheating of other components, it is quite possible with this design, and this is bad news. The fact is that SSD and wifi adapter, as mentioned above, are located on the other side of the motherboard, and this compartment is not ventilated in any way in the original design. And the situation is aggravated by the fact that for compactness the slots had to be placed in a “sandwich”, and the longer SSD completely covers network card. Accordingly, when actively transferring data over the network, its chip may overheat, which is what colleagues experienced when trying to transfer a 5 GB file. Whether this problem can be solved by selecting some low-power adapters is still unknown. Similarly, the capabilities of “alternative” UCFF cases announced by many manufacturers need to be tested. However, it also requires reproducibility of the situation in situations closer to reality. Obviously, when using a wired connection (which has virtually no alternative if you need to actively exchange information: instead of waiting for the file to be transferred via Wi-Fi, you can transfer it faster to a flash drive) there will be no problems at all. Although, of course, I would like them not to arise in other situations.

Performance

As mentioned above, we ran a full set of platform performance tests on full version techniques, equipping the device with two modules Kingston memory KVR1333D3S9/2G (4 GB total) and a 256 GB Crucial m4 SSD. However, for now there is nothing special to compare the results with (all previously tested compact systems have noticeably lower performance), so we will postpone their publication a little and devote a separate material to it. But, in principle, no discoveries were made during the testing process: the Core i3-3217U is, of course, much faster than nettop and netbook platforms, but this is one of the lowest processors in the line, the frequency of which is almost half that of the desktop Core i3. Except that the graphics part is more powerful than most desktop models (and not only Core i3, but also Core i5), but there is nothing unexpected for us in the performance of the HDG 4000: this graphics core is not a full-fledged gaming solution, but with all other tasks copes well. Yes, and attempts to play will be about twice as successful as in the case of the AMD Brazos platform, which has long been the leader in this segment in terms of graphics, and it is unlikely that we will see boards based on the Trinity APU with a TDP of 17 or 19 W in the near future (their supplies are excessive It’s hard to name, so basically everything is bought up by laptop manufacturers).

Total

Let's start with a global question: now it is clear how to understand Intel's statement about leaving the market of motherboards for desktop computers :) Apparently, the presence of a large laboratory in Israel affected the mentality of the company, so it turned out to be a kind of “Jewish departure”: say goodbye , but stay. Because today we saw what the next generation computer should be like: minimally configurable and maximally integrated. So why spend the energy of an entire division (Desktop Motherboard Business) on developing something that other manufacturers can easily compete with, when you can master a convenient and comfortable market segment and not strain? The UCFF format will certainly be in demand, since something more compact than Mini-ITX is often needed, and most boards for nettops are not standardized at all... So other manufacturers will also join in implementing the format, but this market segment is very easy to control, since most components is purchased from Intel, and in the finished configuration the only “weak point” is the memory modules - everything else is either already installed or can be purchased from Intel, without turning to other manufacturers at all. In addition, due to the compactness of the boards themselves, there will be nothing for a particular manufacturer to stand out too much. Unless you solder Wi-Fi somewhere and install an audio codec somewhere. Or, on the contrary, you can save a lot by soldering the Celeron and one memory slot, and providing for the possibility of installing a “regular” hard drive in the case and, accordingly, a SATA connector on the board. That's all, actually - all computers in this design will be very similar to each other, and they will be purchased in regular consumer electronics stores. And most often in an already equipped form, although with the current NUC delivery options there is also a little fuss - choosing memory and SSD.

Now as for these very current options and the concept itself. I really liked the concept. Yes, the system turns out to be somewhat more expensive than a “traditional” desktop, but it is small (it’s no secret that the main component of budget desktop computers is air, filling 90% of the volume of the case) and quiet. In fact, it’s even unnoticeable - you can simply screw it to a monitor or TV using the bracket included in the package (they didn’t skimp on it - unlike the cable to the power supply, which you have to purchase yourself, since sockets are different in all countries, and there are places in the box not so much). And this is far from a nettop in terms of performance, but a fairly fast computer - many still use slower ones.

But the price and performance are determined by the specific filling, but at the moment there are a number of comments about it. The main drawback of all versions is the lack of USB 3.0 ports, despite the fact that they are supported by the chipset. And the older modification has an unclear target audience - it lacks support for a wired network (which is currently the most trouble-free way to connect the NUC with the outside world - don’t forget), but is equipped with a Thunderbolt port that is not yet very relevant. That is, simply put, we would like to see at least one more configuration option external interfaces. And a little more choice in terms of processor too - the idea with Celeron is great for budget modifications, but slightly more expensive options would be interesting: with Core i5, or even Core i7. Moreover, the prices of processors do not differ so much: the recommended price of the Core i3-3217U is $225, the i5-3437U, which supports vPro and is faster due to Turbo Boost, is the same $225, and the even more sophisticated i7-3667U is $346, so Intel has a certain freedom of maneuver. It’s easy, of course, to notice that the company, in a certain sense, is still using it now, practically “giving out” the case and power supply to the user for free (just compare the cost of the NUC with the “official” prices of the processor and chipset :)), but this option is not the only possible one .

So, as in every new concept, there is still work to be done with specific implementations of it. However, what distinguishes NUC from so many concepts that we have seen enough of over the past years is that even in its current form it is a real commercial product (even a product line) with a very tangible market niche. In any case, there are no problems with the target audience: all those who need a relatively inexpensive but powerful (excluding 3D graphics) compact desktop computer. In addition, this, unlike mass-produced nettops, is also a standardized platform. Of course, with different options peripheral connectors, so the cases will not be fully compatible (this requires a larger Mini-ITX), but the number possible options limited, i.e. we will see a variety of cases for those who like to customize the “original” NUC, and versions of production systems not only from Intel, but also from the company’s partners, many of which were already announced at CES 2013.

In general, this is truly something new and original. And it can significantly change the computer market, as well as the concept of “desktop systems” itself. What cannot be ignored is our traditional award for such cases, which the company deserved without any reservations.

Test stand:

• Platform: Intel NUC NUC6i7KYK;
• RAM: 2x DDR4-2133 (15-15-15-36), 2x 8 GB;
• Storage: Intel SSDSCKHW240A4 240 GB;
• Operating system: Windows 10 x64.

I already wrote that turning the NUC NUC6i7KYK into full-fledged computer allowed two sticks of DDR4-2133 RAM with a total capacity of 16 GB and a 240 GB Intel SSDSCKHW240A4 solid-state drive. Operating system - Windows 10 x64.

To determine the performance of the integrated graphics of the Iris Pro 580, I took four central processing units: AMD A8-7670K, AMD A10-7890K, Intel Core i5-6400 and Intel Core i5-5675C. Based on these “stones,” it is quite possible to assemble a compact desktop and even call it a “gaming one.” For example, in a building like this. In all cases, DDR3/DDR4 RAM was used, operating in dual-channel mode and operating at an effective frequency of 2400 MHz. I attach a list of games and settings. Additional screenshots - . Resolution - Full HD.

List of games:

• Bioshock Infinite - average;
• Battlefield 4 - average;
• Far Cry 4 - low;
• Fallout 4 - low;
• GTA V - standard;
• "The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt" - low;
• DiRT Rally - high;
• Rise of the Tomb Raider - low;
• Need for Speed- low;
• XCOM 2 - low.

Heating, throttling, noise level, power consumption

First, let's study the operating features of the NUC NUC6i7KYK. When idle, the noise emitted by the mini-computer is noticeable. It’s not annoying at all, but it’s there. A sound level meter placed half a meter away from Skull Canyon recorded 36.8 dB, which is 0.8 dB higher than the noise level in the room. So, without load, the desktop runs relatively quietly. I'm quite happy with it. But in games the impeller spins up to 4400 rpm. The noise level increases to 40.3 dB. Not a record, of course, but the characteristic sh-sh-sh-rumbling noise is immediately noticeable. Finally, in LinX the turbine begins to openly howl. There's nothing you can do: the load is extremely high, and here you have four full-fledged cores and eight threads, striving to work stably at 3000 MHz. The fan spins up to 4800 rpm.

Intel NUC Mini PC Review | Introduction

Until recently, if you wanted the power and versatility of a desktop PC, you had to prepare a lot of floor or desk space for a tower case. But today, compared to mini PCs like Intel NUC(Next Unit of Computing) Even ultraportable laptops look big. These systems are fast enough to replace your main computer and small enough to fit anywhere. The $390 NUC5i5RYK uses fifth-generation Intel Core i5 processors based on Broadwell architecture, supports 802.11ac Wi-Fi and high speed SSD with connection via PCIe. We purchased and installed our own set of RAM, storage, and operating system, and our review unit ended up costing $670. For that price, Intel's new mini PC has a lot to offer.

Intel NUC Mini PC Review | Use Cases

Intel NUC Fast enough to replace the main PC for students, office workers and other users. By uniting Intel NUC with monitor high resolution(or two), you get all the benefits of a compact all-in-one PC, but with the ability to keep the old monitor when upgrading your hardware.

If you install a large capacity hard drive or connect it via USB, Intel NUC easily copes with the role of a powerful home theater. And retail outlets can use Intel NUC at terminals or kiosks.

Intel NUC Mini PC Review | Design

Measuring 114 x 112 x 33mm and weighing 453g (including storage and RAM), the NUC5i5RYK is shaped and sized like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. The unit is thin enough to fit even into miniature entertainment systems. It can easily be placed next to your keyboard on your desk or attached to the back of your monitor using the included VESA mount.

Most competitors in the mini PC segment are significantly larger, including Mac Mini(36 x 197 x 197 mm, 1200 g), ThinkCentre M83 Tiny PC (178 x 183 x 34 mm, 1315 g) and HP Stream 200-010 Mini (146 x 145 x 53 mm, 635 g). Even the power adapter Intel NUC very small - only 45 x 83 x 23 mm and weighing 184 g.

Although Intel NUC can be easily placed on a shelf or hidden behind the display, thanks to compact size and attractive appearance it is unlikely to spoil the design of your office or living room if it sits on a table. The main body is made of aluminum in a matte silver color with a shiny black plastic lid and a matte black plastic bottom. There are ventilation holes on the sides and back, and on the top cover there is a neat silver power button.

The top cover can be easily removed without use additional tools. Intel itself does not produce replacement covers, but keeps their parameters freely available, so any company or person can make a cover not only with its own design (including printing it on a 3D printer), but also with additional functionality. At CES 2015, the company showed several prototype covers, including versions with a TV tuner and NFC.

Intel NUC Mini PC Review | Connectors

With such small sizes Intel NUC has very broad communication capabilities. On the front panel there is a 3.5mm audio jack, an IR receiver and two USB 3.0 ports, one of which is designed to charge devices even when the system is in sleep mode. The rear panel has a power connector, a Gigabit Ethernet port, mini-HDMI and mini-DisplayPort outputs, and two more USB 3.0 ports. On the right is the Kensington lock slot.

Intel NUC can display images on the monitor in Full resolution HD. Thanks to a combination of video outputs, Intel's mini PC can support up to three monitors simultaneously. The DisplayPort connector supports the DisplayPort 1.2 protocol and is capable of outputting images to three displays with a resolution of up to 1920 x 1200 pixels through a dedicated splitter or using a daisy-chain connection. However, the easiest way to connect one monitor to each connector is with mini-HDMI and mini-DisplayPort cables.

Wireless Internet connection is provided using an Intel 7265 card that supports Wi-Fi 802.11ac and Bluetooth 4.0 standards. Additionally, the card can transmit video to a set-top box using the Intel WiDi standard.

Intel NUC Mini PC Review | Necessary components and their cost

Intel sells Intel NUC as a platform: without RAM, storage and operating system. So get ready to spend at least another $250 and some time selecting and ordering the missing components.

The system has two DIMM slots that support 1.35V DDR3L SODIMM modules. You can install one or two sticks with a total capacity of up to 16 GB. 8 GB of RAM of this type will cost about $55, although to save money you can buy a 4 GB stick for $28.

Although some configurations Intel NUC In addition to the M.2 slot, they are equipped with a bay for 2.5-inch SATA drives; our sample NUC5i5RYK has only M.2. It is compatible with M.2 22 x 42, 22 x 60 or 22 x 80 SSDs with M or B+M key. Motherboard Supports M.2 SSDs using SATA or PCIe x1, x2 or x4 bus. Thus, Intel NUC will work with almost any M.2 SSD on the market.

Most of these drives work with SATA bus, which has an upper speed limit of about 540 MB/s. A 250 GB drive can be found for $120. Alternatively, 120GB solutions are available for up to $100.

More expensive PCIe x4 drives are sometimes twice as fast as SATA. For our tests, we used a Samsung XP941 256 GB with PCIe x4 interface, which costs about $250 but has read speeds of over 1000 MB/s and write speeds of over 800 MB/s.

If you want to install Windows, the OEM version will cost about $100. Don't forget about the various free Linux options eg Ubuntu.

Intel NUC Mini PC Review | Prices and competitors

If you buy a standard 256GB SATA M.2 SSD, 8GB RAM and copy of Windows, then a full-fledged computer from Intel NUC for $390 it will actually cost $670. If you limit yourself to 4 GB of RAM, a 128 GB SSD and a free OS, then the final price will drop to $490. However, Intel NUC has a lot of spec options, and if you get something inexpensive with a Celeron processor, the price will be noticeably lower.

In a situation with Intel NUC You're paying for a combination of small size and high performance, especially if you use a PCIe x4 SSD. If you want a ready-to-go mini PC right away, you can find less expensive systems with much slower processors and no SSD. For example, the HP Stream 200-010 mini costs $179, but it is 220 grams heavier and about 2.5 cm larger Intel NUC, besides, it is equipped with a slow processor Intel Celeron, 2 GB of RAM and 32 GB storage.

Lenovo ThinkCentre M83 Tiny Desktop is almost twice as big and three times as heavy Intel NUC, but is supplied immediately in a complete set for $483. It includes a fourth-generation Intel Core i3 processor and a 500 GB hard drive. The version with Core i5, SSD and 8 GB of RAM will cost $1000. MacBook Mini also looks big next to Intel NUC, and the price is for a model with Core i5 and hard drive starts at $499. The version with SSD costs $699.

Intel NUC Mini PC Review | Installation and configuration

Installing RAM and SSD takes no more than five minutes. To get to the inside of the system, simply turn it over Intel NUC and unscrew the bottom panel, which is secured with four standard Phillips head screws. After that, all that remains is to install the RAM modules, insert the SSD into the M.2 slot and tighten the fixing screw.

Installing Windows takes 10 to 20 minutes. The installer must be on a flash drive. Don't forget to download latest versions drivers from the Intel website.

Intel NUC Mini PC Review | Performance

The Core i5-5250U (Broadwell) has a base clock speed of 1.6 GHz, but can be boosted to 2.7 GHz with Turbo Boost. Thanks to the relatively powerful Intel chip, the NUC5i5RYK is great for serious tasks such as processing spreadsheets, surfing the web, watching 4K videos or even editing videos.

In testing, it took just 1 minute and 8 seconds to transcode a 2 min 30 sec 1080p movie trailer to 720p resolution. using Windows Movie Maker, a 4K video was playing simultaneously in another window. However, the platform uses a dual-core mobile processor, so the benchmark scores Intel NUC more comparable to ultraportable laptops than desktop computers, which use more power and feature quad-core processors running at higher clock speeds.

Availability mobile processor provides its advantages, even on desktop systems. During testing Intel NUC It maintained a fairly low temperature, while the fan was very quiet.

Our test sample is equipped with 8 GB of RAM and fast Samsung SSD XP941. It scored 5,611 in the Geekbench 3 synthetic test, which measures overall system performance. This is slightly below the all-in-one laptop average (7013), but above the ultraportable laptop average (4037). The Dell XPS 13 with a Core i5-5200U 2.2 GHz processor scored 5530, almost the same result was shown by the Apple iMac 2014 (5464) with a Core i5-4570R 2.7 GHz chip. The Lenovo C560 equipped with a Core i3 CPU with a frequency of 2.9 GHz was ahead with a score of 6209.

Overall Performance (Geekbench 3) – CPU and Memory Speed ​​Test (More is Better)

Intel NUC with the Broadwell chip showed that it was more than capable for serious office tasks, completing our spreadsheet test (converging 20,000 names with addresses in Open Office) in just 5 minutes and 2 seconds. The result is identical to the XPS 13 and more than twice the ultraportable average (10:17). It also beats the all-in-one PC average (7 minutes) but falls slightly behind the iMac (4:47).

Speed ​​of working with tables. Time spent matching 20,000 names with addresses in Open Office Calc (less is better)

NUC5i5RYK needed only 12 seconds to cold loading Windows 8. Thanks to the incredibly fast PCIe x4 SSD, the mini PC completed the File Transfer Test, which involves copying 4.97GB of files, in just 16 seconds. That is, the speed was 308.8 MB/s - this is one of the fastest indicators we have ever seen on a PC. It significantly exceeds the average results for all-in-one PCs (58 MB/s) and ultraportable laptops (120.5 MB/s).

File transfer test. MB/s (more is better)

Intel NUC Mini PC Review | Graphics performance

Power integrated GPU Intel HD Graphics 6000 is more than enough for watching 4K videos, but in terms of gaming you shouldn't expect anything more than casual video games. In the synthetic benchmark 3DMark Fire Strike, which measures overall graphics performance, Intel NUC scored 888 points. That's slightly more than the average ultraportable (670.31) and the Dell XPS 13 (704). The average in the all-in-one category was slightly higher – 1053 points.

3DMark Fire Strike is a synthetic test that measures graphics performance (more is better)

When we played World of Warcraft with automatic settings in a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels, Intel NUC managed to maintain a frame rate of 37 FPS, but when increasing the resolution to 1080p, the figure dropped to 26 frames per second. This puts it roughly on par with ultraportables, which averaged 33.7fps and 31.5fps, and is also close to the Dell XPS 13, which averaged 33fps at 1080p. But when we set the graphics quality to ultra settings, Intel's mini PC was only capable of slideshows at 16 and 17 FPS at the two aforementioned resolutions.

Intel NUC Mini PC Review | Options and Configurations

Intel has several versions in its 2015 lineup Intel NUC, differing in various components. The base model costs $295 and is equipped with a 2.1 GHz Core i3-5010U processor. The version that has a 2.5-inch drive bay is only 15 mm taller and $5 more expensive. Our Core i5 system retails for $391, but there's also a 2.5-inch version called the NUC5i5RYH for $383.

Intel NUC with a Core i7 processor (NUC5i7RYH) will appear this year, but the price is still unknown. Also, each configuration is presented in a business version, characterized by the presence of Intel vPro management technology and two mini-DisplayPort connectors instead of mini-HDMI + mini-DisplayPort.

We highly recommend purchasing Intel NUC with a 2.5-inch drive bay because it allows you to use two drives: a capacious mechanical hard drive for storing files and a fast M.2 SSD for the system and applications.

Intel NUC Mini PC Review | Let's sum it up

Intel NUC– high performance in a small, attractive package. For those who don't want the hassle of installing RAM, storage, and OS, there are larger, more expensive mini PCs like the MacBook Mini or ThinkCentre M83. Advanced gamers tend to prefer desktops or laptops with discrete video cards. But if you don't mind doing a bit of work with a screwdriver and want a small desktop system as your main PC or home theater system, then Intel NUC with Broadwell chips is the best option.

Advantages:

• Attractive compact design.
• High performance.
• Support for fast M.2 SSDs.
• Replaceable covers with additional functions.
• Output images in 4K or on 3 monitors.

Flaws:

• Comes without RAM, OS and storage.