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

[SeanFL]

For those watching, the price for the really thin i5 NUC just dropped $50 or so on Amazon. Just bought 4 more at $339. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...kCode=as2&tag=scvo-20&linkId=TNRH5LCEM3TK4AIT

It's now cheaper than the taller one.

Built 8 of them for an office and they are working great with Samsung 850 evo m.2 and 8 gigs of memory.

Sean

 

[Kaido]

For those watching, the price for the really thin i5 NUC just dropped $50 or so on Amazon. Just bought 4 more at $339. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...kCode=as2&tag=scvo-20&linkId=TNRH5LCEM3TK4AIT

It's now cheaper than the taller one.

Built 8 of them for an office and they are working great with Samsung 850 evo m.2 and 8 gigs of memory.

Sean

5th gen Intel too, nice!

Yeah, all of my clients have requested these mini computers...a couple of them have made them standard equipment. Personally I'd really like to see a dual Ethernet model for PFsense-style projects at some point. Will also be cool to see the newer equipment go into them...8-core i7's on the square desktop-CPU models, 2TB mSATA drives (2TB 2.5" already exist), 32gb RAM kits, which also already exist:

http://www.amazon.com/Crucial-16GBx2-PC3L-12800-SODIMM-CT2KIT204864BF160B/dp/B011ISG132/

These would make amazing ESXi servers!

 

[RossMAN]

What do you think of this bundle for $309.99 after $25 Amex offer?

• Intel NUC NUC5i5RYH, USB 3.0, Supports M.2 SSD card / 2.5" HDD Intel HD Graphics 6000, Mini HDMI, Mini DisplayPort (Model:BOXNUC5i5RYH)
• SanDisk Z400s 2.5" 256GB SATA III Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) SD8SBAT-256G-1122 (Model:SD8SBAT-256G-1122)
• Crucial 8GB 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3L 1600 (PC3L 12800) Laptop Memory Model CT102464BF160B (Model:CT102464BF160B)
• FREE GIFT: G.SKILL 4GB 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3L 1600 (PC3L 12800) Laptop Memory Model F3-1600C11S-4GSL

It will be used mostly for web browsing and Youtube, that's about it. I'm sure it's overkill but is it lacking anything?

 

[Kaido]

What do you think of this bundle for $309.99 after $25 Amex offer?

• Intel NUC NUC5i5RYH, USB 3.0, Supports M.2 SSD card / 2.5" HDD Intel HD Graphics 6000, Mini HDMI, Mini DisplayPort (Model:BOXNUC5i5RYH)
• SanDisk Z400s 2.5" 256GB SATA III Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) SD8SBAT-256G-1122 (Model:SD8SBAT-256G-1122)
• Crucial 8GB 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3L 1600 (PC3L 12800) Laptop Memory Model CT102464BF160B (Model:CT102464BF160B)
• FREE GIFT: G.SKILL 4GB 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3L 1600 (PC3L 12800) Laptop Memory Model F3-1600C11S-4GSL

It will be used mostly for web browsing and Youtube, that's about it. I'm sure it's overkill but is it lacking anything?

Price is pretty good for the hardware, but you still need to buy an operating system, so factor in another $99 to $139 for the Windows OS of your choice. Alternatively, if it's just light web browsing & Youtube, I'd suggest either a Kangaroo PC or a Chromebox. The Kangaroo PC is pretty basic (wifi, 2 USB ports, HDMI) but comes with a full license of Windows 10 & can play back 1080p just fine: (plus has a built-in backup battery that lasts a few hours, which is nice)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883722001

If it's exclusively web browsing & Youtube, a 4-gig Chromebox for $199 would be a real screamer:

http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-CHROMEBOX-M004U-Deluxe-4Gb-Memory/dp/B00K048H7E/

If you don't need 20 tabs open at once, Asus just released the $85 Chromebit, which is the same idea as the Chromebox but with half the RAM: (2 gigs)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883221147

The NUC platform is great - it's expandable, powerful, and lets you do a whole lot more than a Chromebook or SoC PC like the Kangaroo, but you're looking at $400+ with an OS, and if all you need is basic web & Youtube, there are cheaper (and with a 4-gig Chromebox, arguably better) options out available these days.

 

[you2]

First the intel nuc listed above is now $400 ($375 with amex); second the alternatives listed by Kaido are atoms/low end celeron which are much much slower. I did pick up one of the chromebox a year+ ago and put linux on it. It is ok for web browsing but really is pretty slow. I saw the nuc deal but I already ordered a msata ssd (the new nuc is m.2); and i'm still leaning towards the gigabyte brix (iris pro). My only real concern with the brix is heat. It is more expensive ($70) than the intel nuc listed above but it is 2 1/2 times faster and I could use the extra speed iff it can handle the heat.
-
I probably woudl have gone with the intel nuc had it been msata instead of m.2. OS cost isn't an issue for me since I will run linux.
-

 

[Kaido]

First the intel nuc listed above is now $400 ($375 with amex); second the alternatives listed by Kaido are atoms/low end celeron which are much much slower. I did pick up one of the chromebox a year+ ago and put linux on it. It is ok for web browsing but really is pretty slow. I saw the nuc deal but I already ordered a msata ssd (the new nuc is m.2); and i'm still leaning towards the gigabyte brix (iris pro). My only real concern with the brix is heat. It is more expensive ($70) than the intel nuc listed above but it is 2 1/2 times faster and I could use the extra speed iff it can handle the heat.
-
I probably woudl have gone with the intel nuc had it been msata instead of m.2. OS cost isn't an issue for me since I will run linux.
-

Are you browsing with Linux on the Chromebox? The experience is pretty fast on ChromeOS, even on low-end hardware. I have an 11.6" Chromebook as my primary machine (only 2 gigs of RAM though) & it is zippy enough to use as my main computer.

The more powerful NUC & BRIX models do run quite a bit warmer, which primarily results in fan noise & heat output, especially with the models with either the desktop CPU or GPU. The ones that just use laptop CPU's are pretty chill. The main issue for me isn't heat, because the fans do a good job keeping them cool (I've had maybe 3 BRIX/NUCs fail over total the last 3 years of putting in 50 or 100 units or so), but the noise - the more powerful units tend to get pretty noisy when the cooling fan kicks in loudly.

 

[you2]

The chromebox is ok. The linux version of chrome is not that great but it is ok (the problem has to do with pages that have heavy javascript/video which is becomming more common). Also I typically have 15 tabs open.
-
I don't/won't mind the fan noise as long as the box is reliable. I think you have a brix i5 with iris pro. Has it given you any issues with regards to reliability ? I won't use the gpu that often (games) but I will do occasional compile and stuff that will place load on the core. Basically I'm buying a portable work machine that fits in my luggage