Intel NUC 4" x 4" micro-PC - $299 shipped (1.8ghz i3, motherboard, case, PSU)

[cheez]

Thanks cytoSiN and Kaido.

I'm new to Thunderbolt. So since it supports Windows XP, where do you get the driver for the thunderbolt? Does this product come with a CD for drivers n such? Or is this thing plug-n-play thing? please assist.


thanks,

cheez

 

[Kaido]

Have any pics of the inside of this thing?

Inside the unit:

http://images.tweaktown.com/content/5/0/5066_17_intel_next_unit_of_computing_nuc_review.jpg

The base is removable via 4 screws (they don't fall out, they have a catch system, which is nice). That's what you see when you take it out. From there, another 2 screws if you want to completely remove the motherboard. I did that last night (couldn't resist), looks like this:

https://twitter.com/i/#!/weaksauce12/media/slideshow?url=pic.twitter.com/i6NUKgFu

Maglev fan & battery. There are a few currently undocumented header pins (one has a jumper) that I'm curious about. Also the black sides slide off (it's a rounded-off square "ring"), just FYI. So there's the skeleton (top + metal sides), the sides (square ring that slides onto the skeleton sides), the baseplate (bottom), and of course the motherboard unit inside.

 

[Kaido]

Thanks cytoSiN and Kaido.

I'm new to Thunderbolt. So since it supports Windows XP, where do you get the driver for the thunderbolt? Does this product come with a CD for drivers n such? Or is this thing plug-n-play thing? please assist.


thanks,

cheez

I'd assume the onboard Thunderbolt port driver is integrated into the chipset driver installer, since I don't see it listed as a separate download (and because it's an integrated port on the motherboard). Here is how to find the official NUC drivers:

1. Visit the Intel support website: http://downloadcenter.intel.com/default.aspx
2. Search for: DC3217BY (that's the Thunderbolt model number)
3. Select the OS version you want
4. Download the chipset & other drivers

Anandtech has a pretty good review/overview of Thunderbolt on Windows in their MSI Z77A-GD80 review:

http://www.anandtech.com/show/5829/a-first-look-at-thunderbolt-on-windows-with-msis-z77agd80

They make adapters for a ton of stuff - really fast RAID hard drive arrays, Gigabit Ethernet, video editing equipment, etc.

 

[alfa147x]

Thunderbolt to eSata DIY: http://camerarentalz.com/diy-thunderbolt-esata-adapter/

 

[cheez]

^ OMG.. you guys are awesome. Thank you for the great info. Looks like this will be my next HTPC.

thanks,

cheez

 

[Kaido]

Intel NUC: mPCIe -> PCIe + 1x to 16x adapter + graphics card + external PSU

Boom. LAN party machine!

I think the NUC could fit inside my GTX470's ridiculously-sized heatsink

 

[Kaido]

Some pics off my Twitter feed:

NUC vs. Screwdriver: (size comparison)
https://twitter.com/i/#!/weaksauce12/media/slideshow?url=pic.twitter.com/ewRMFkL5

NUC vs. Wyse C10 thin client: (size comparison)
https://twitter.com/i/#!/weaksauce12/media/slideshow?url=pic.twitter.com/HwfckY87

NUC vs. old-gen Mac Mini: (size comparison)
https://twitter.com/i/#!/weaksauce12/media/slideshow?url=pic.twitter.com/QV8XDdFT

NUC vs. WDTV Live Streaming media player: (size comparison)
https://twitter.com/i/#!/weaksauce12/media/slideshow?url=pic.twitter.com/FkzvxcEZ

240gb mSATA SSD drive: (size comparison)
https://twitter.com/i/#!/weaksauce12/media/slideshow?url=pic.twitter.com/BlJUelqY

Windows 7 Task Manager + Aja disk test: With the 240gb SSD & 8GB RAM
https://twitter.com/i/#!/weaksauce12/media/slideshow?url=pic.twitter.com/jnXGuSln

Pics don't really do it justice. When you're holding it, it clicks "this is the future" in your head :awe:

 

[EliteRetard]

Also as far as gaming goes, here's a GPU heirarchy:

http://www.tonymacx86.com/graphics/...-right-now-hierarchy-chart-toms-hardware.html

HD4000 is equivalent to:

Nvidia Discrete: 6800 Ultra, 7600 GT, 7800 GS, 8600 GS, 8600 GT (GDDR3), 9500 GT (DDR2)
Nvidia Go (mobile): 7800 GTX, 7900 GTX

ATI Discrete: X800 XT (& PE), X850 XT (& PE), X1650 XT, X1800 GTO, HD 2600 XT, HD 3650 (DDR3), HD 3670
ATI Mobility: X1900, 3670
ATI Integrated: 6520G, 6530D

So roughly HD4000 = 9500GT. That's not bad for a lot of people's gaming needs!

Yar, but that's the current 12eu model...imagine the next gen 40eu model in something like this. Rumored around 3x the performance...but even it were only double that should actually be a decent little gamer.

 

[cytoSiN]

Inside the unit:

http://images.tweaktown.com/content/5/0/5066_17_intel_next_unit_of_computing_nuc_review.jpg

The base is removable via 4 screws (they don't fall out, they have a catch system, which is nice). That's what you see when you take it out. From there, another 2 screws if you want to completely remove the motherboard. I did that last night (couldn't resist), looks like this:

https://twitter.com/i/#!/weaksauce12/media/slideshow?url=pic.twitter.com/i6NUKgFu

Maglev fan & battery. There are a few currently undocumented header pins (one has a jumper) that I'm curious about. Also the black sides slide off (it's a rounded-off square "ring"), just FYI. So there's the skeleton (top + metal sides), the sides (square ring that slides onto the skeleton sides), the baseplate (bottom), and of course the motherboard unit inside.

Nice. Sunon makes a good little maglev fan. It's inexpensive, but it's not "cheap."

 

[Kaido]

Nice. Sunon makes a good little maglev fan. It's inexpensive, but it's not "cheap."

I can't even hear it when it's running. The reviewers say you can when you start maxing the CPU out, but I haven't had time to test it that much. But for the couple hours I tinkered with it yesterday...absolutely whisper quiet :thumbsup:

 

[darkewaffle]

I wish the place I work at would ever consider these. Though on the other hand I wouldn't want to go through a hundred of them and install RAM and an SSD by hand either lol.

 

[EliteRetard]

I do wonder, how do VESA cases work? Do they have mounts on both sides so you can put your stand back on?

 

[Kaido]

According to the i3-3217U CPU data entry on Intel's site, the max memory is 32 gigabytes:

http://ark.intel.com/products/65697/Intel-Core-i3-3217U-Processor-3M-Cache-1_80-GHz

I am definitely interested in testing that when 16GB SODIMMs become available! According to a Newegg reviewer, ESXi 5 currently doesn't work on the NUC due to a lack of Ethernet drivers (I'd assume due to the newer QS77 chipset), but hopefully it won't be too long before those get out into the wild...this would make a really killer little server! I can see it replacing a lot of larger servers at small businesses - plus they're cheap enough to buy a spare. Or two. Or three

 

[Kaido]

I do wonder, how do VESA cases work? Do they have mounts on both sides so you can put your stand back on?

They give you a VESA plate and a package of screws in the NUC box:

http://i.imgur.com/AoVvd.jpg

Per the instructions:

1. Attach 2 screws to the NUC (bottom has screw holes)
2. Attach VESA plate to monitor/TV
3. Slide NUC onto plate

The 2 screws on the NUC have big heads to fit in the slide-down holes on the VESA plate. The plate looks like it has maybe 75mm and 100mm holes.

 

[Kaido]

I wish the place I work at would ever consider these. Though on the other hand I wouldn't want to go through a hundred of them and install RAM and an SSD by hand either lol.

Yeah, I'm really fortunate...I've worked at places that were still on Windows 95. With no plans of upgrading

I usually upgrade most of our Dells with SSD's and dual-monitor video cards when they come in, so this isn't a big deal for my workflow. Plus, installation is a breeze - 4 screws & pop off the bottom plate, plug in the SSD & 2 RAM sticks, 1 screw to hold the SSD down, then back together. Takes all of 60 seconds, literally. Amazing!

 

[gorcorps]

I was looking at these earlier and didn't bite but I can't remember exactly why not. I may have decided I wanted a case that can hold a blu-ray drive but I'm not sure.

 

[cytoSiN]

Kaido I've read some reports of problems with the NIC when recording over digital cable and CableCard. Essentially, the NIC works at 100Mbps, but at 1Gbps, the video in Windows Media Center pixelates really badly. Have you encountered this? Any way to test with your setup (doesn't have to be recording over CableCard, just curious if there's an issue at 1Gbps)? TIA.

Also, no USB3.0 is sad, but not a deal breaker. The next gen of this thing is going to be beast though I bet.

 

[rifken2]

How about the power button? I assume it is a standard header to the motherboard??

 

[Kaido]

Kaido I've read some reports of problems with the NIC when recording over digital cable and CableCard. Essentially, the NIC works at 100Mbps, but at 1Gbps, the video in Windows Media Center pixelates really badly. Have you encountered this? Any way to test with your setup (doesn't have to be recording over CableCard, just curious if there's an issue at 1Gbps)? TIA.

Also, no USB3.0 is sad, but not a deal breaker. The next gen of this thing is going to be beast though I bet.

I saw that in a couple reviews, but haven't seen it myself (yet). The original problem seems to be due to the Intel Wifi/BT chip they recommend...it causes network slowdowns & network lockups during large data transfers on the Thunderbolt model, including over Ethernet - but when the Wifi card was removed, Ethernet went back to normal (they think it's heat-related). I went with a third-party Wifi chip anyway due to Mac compatibility. I'll do some more testing & report back if I encounter any hiccups.

On the HTPC review with the pixelation, that may be due to either the Wifi chip or to a lack of driver support for their current operating system...tough to tell without more detailed information. So far it's handling everything I throw at it, but I don't have any tuners available for testing, so I can't comment much on that. I'd be interested to know more...

And definitely, an i5 model with USB 3.0 would open a lot of doors...that'd make a killer server with some 4TB external drives! And they're 22nm chips now, so I wouldn't say an i7 would be out of the question for maybe a 4th-gen CPU.

 

[Kaido]

How about the power button? I assume it is a standard header to the motherboard??

I believe there was a pushbutton onto the board, I'll snap a picture tonight or tomorrow for you. Does the remote thing work via physical wiring that way?

 

[SithSolo1]

I do wonder, how do VESA cases work? Do they have mounts on both sides so you can put your stand back on?

Most monitors/displays that support mounting this or similar units have stands that insert at the bottom of the display. As far as I can tell if your stand mounts to the back, ala most Dell UltraSharps, you are SOL. However I could be completely wrong.


As the owner of the WDTV live streaming I love the idea of this much power in such a small unit. However the price is too steep for me atm. May pickup the next-gen unit though.

 

[Kaido]

As the owner of the WDTV live streaming I love the idea of this much power in such a small unit. However the price is too steep for me atm. May pickup the next-gen unit though.

My next unit will have 4GB RAM ($20) + a 30GB SSD ($55), so the total cost is about $380 with the US power cable. I think that's pretty reasonable, especially if it runs Plex/XBMC well! The $650 configuration is for everything maxed out, which you don't really need for media playback.

I also have a WDTV Live Streaming, awesome little box!

 

[rifken2]

The remote power on works by placing itself inline with the power button. I forgot that the unit requires a floppy drive molex to power it... but I could probably rig something up to work around that... I think this would make an awesome XBMC box if you could power it on via remote control (needed for WAF)

 

[Kaido]

The remote power on works by placing itself inline with the power button. I forgot that the unit requires a floppy drive molex to power it... but I could probably rig something up to work around that... I think this would make an awesome XBMC box if you could power it on via remote control (needed for WAF)

There is a push-button soldered to the motherboard that turns on the NUC: (next to the top black foam square)

http://i.imgur.com/hYFxa.jpg

Flip side shot: (push-button is under my finger on the bottom, under the purple/silver cap below the yellow jumper)

http://i.imgur.com/W60GG.jpg

Shot of the plastic push-button, ah, pusher: (white thing is the LED tunnel, black + is the mechanical pusher)

http://i.imgur.com/QjHr3.jpg

I did a casemod earlier this year where we soldered some thin wires to a pushbutton like that (it was an Xbox 360 USB wireless receiver that got integrated into the case, pretty nifty), so if you're up for a bit of soldering, it shouldn't be too hard. Not quite sure about the power thing though...

 

[Kaido]

Sweet!

I use the following http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811999191&Tpk=antec%20ir for the ability to turn the PC on and off with a logitech harmony remote.

I wonder if there is some way to integrate that in to this device, albiet the box would sit outside the case...

Have any pics of the inside of this thing?

Also FWIW, the NUC only uses 2.5 watts in standby: (or ~8 watts idle if you don't want to put it to sleep)

http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/review/desktop_pcs/intel/next_unit_of_computing_nuc_review/443763

So if you used an RF keyboard, mouse, or remote, or a USB-IR adapter (if you want to use something like a Harmony or universal remote), you could just do a wake-on-input type of thing and have it sleep all the time instead of shutting it down - and since it's SSD-based, the wakeup would be really fast, without having to actually boot it up from scratch every single time.