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

[Kaido]

so the NUC and the Brix use the same power draw... but Brix will come out with an i7 variant... maybe I should wait on that? or i5 is enough? at max, i'll probably have 4 1080p streams... over a 65mbit upload (thanks FIOS)

It's already out, only $529:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16856164008

Keep in mind:

* i7 Ultrabook chip
* Dual-core
* 1.8ghz
* 3.0ghz turbo
* HD4400 integrated graphics (not HD5000 like the Intel version)

But, it is hyperthreaded, so you get 4 cores in Task Manager, and you also get 4MB cache:

http://ark.intel.com/products/75460/

 

[finbarqs]

i5 or i7, being a ULV cpu (instead of an atom) should be able to handle 4 steams @ 1080p w/5.1?

 

[superxero044]

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F3F38O2/...=IGXJGRJD25RCW

This is direct from Amazon. Think this is the official i5 version? Thought the price was supposed to be $360?

Looking at pairing it up with m500 120GB
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BQ8RFAI/...=IGGWGIQJTOSKS

Intel Network 7260
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DMCVKMU/...=IA0OY9JKI2B5E

Crucial 8GB Kit (4GBx2)CT2CP51264BF160B
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005LDLVAO/...=IDMZVWAYTVPQB

Let me know if anyone has a better alternative to any of these parts

 

[Kaido]

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F3F38O2/...=IGXJGRJD25RCW

This is direct from Amazon. Think this is the official i5 version? Thought the price was supposed to be $360?

Looking at pairing it up with m500 120GB
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BQ8RFAI/...=IGGWGIQJTOSKS

Intel Network 7260
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DMCVKMU/...=IA0OY9JKI2B5E

Crucial 8GB Kit (4GBx2)CT2CP51264BF160B
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005LDLVAO/...=IDMZVWAYTVPQB

Let me know if anyone has a better alternative to any of these parts

Yeah it's supposed to be $360, that looks like a placeholder page - it bounced to "temporarily out of stock". PC World has another review:

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2054...y-pc-punches-high-above-its-weight-class.html

They do note that the Core i5-4250U does not have vPro, so if you need to do a large-scale rollout (vPro for remote network control stuff), that's a limitation. It does have VT-x for virtualization though, which is nice. If I were to complain, I'd say add vPRo, add eSATA, add a rear analog audio jack, a full-sized HDMI port, dump the DDR3L requirement, and add a true quad-core model. Another review:

http://missingremote.com/review/intel-nuc-kit-d54250wyk

Be sure to note that it has a Mini HDMI port as well as a Mini-Displayport:

http://missingremote.com/review/intel-nuc-kit-d54250wyk

So you'll need some adapters or special cables no matter what you get: (unless your display has native support for those connectors)

http://missingremote.com/sites/default/files/u701/hdmiadapters.jpg

Also a bonus, the NUC now has a SATA-III port & power header (only enough juice for slimline stuff, but it's a start! I'm sure we'll see some cool HTPC etc. cases with that feature):

http://lh6.ggpht.com/-YO199TzmFS0/UkvmLjvkGLI/AAAAAAAAL2Y/23y6RqeD8M4/s500/use2.jpg

One of the welcome differences between the previous NUC kits and the D54250WYK is the inclusion of a 6.0Gbps SATA port and the header required to power it. It should be noted that Intel did not route 12V to the SATA power connector so 3.5” devices will not spin up, but both the 2.5” HDD and slim-line Blu-ray ODD used to test the feature performed perfectly. The necessary female SATA connector is not included in the kit, but it is possible to use either a standard SATA extension with two or more heads (HDD e.g.) or hunt down the specialized cable (ODD e.g.). I hope to see HTPC chassis that can support both of these use cases in the near future.

So the catches on the new model:

1. No rear analog audio jack (has a front one though - previous models did not have 3.5mm audio)
2. HDMI port is Mini (requires adapter or cable to full-sized HDMI or DVI ports)
3. Displayport is Mini (requires adapter or cable to full-sized ports)
4. Requires DDR3L (1.35v or less) RAM
5. Includes mickey-mouse power cable
6. Includes SATA3 power port & power (not enough for a 3.5" drive, but enough for a 2.5", SSD, or slimline optical drive)
7. 802.11ac wireless adapter from Intel does not have official Windows 7 drivers (there are alternatives from both Intel & Sager, although support is not official for anything before Windows 8)

So when you order, make sure to get the right RAM and an HDMI adapter if required. Make sure to spec out your wireless per your OS as well. I'm not sure why they didn't go with a full-sized, standard HDMI port (it's a tiny bit larger than the Mini HDMI port), or for that matter, why they didn't just slap on a Micro-HDMI adapter for the heck fo it. There's plenty of room back there for a regular connector:

http://lh4.ggpht.com/-7aJyscpEkPs/UkvmTZBjv1I/AAAAAAAAL30/Nojj_FQhYk8/s500/nuc4.jpg

Fortunately Monoprice has Mini-HDMI to HDMI cables pretty cheap, so meh.

 

[Kaido]

I am not sure if the Haswell NUC requires an Active Mini-Displayport adapter or not. They do make direct Mini-Displayport to HDMI cables:

http://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-.../dp/B00APLJ58M

As well as Mini-HDMI to HDMI cables:

http://www.amazon.com/Gold-Plated-HD.../dp/B00104XCVO

So you can have a pair of standard cables, in theory (without needing bulky adapters - but it needs to be tested/confirmed first). In the reviews, I've only seen them used with adapters, but that may be due to convenience. The link above is for a Type C cable (Mini-HDMI). Type D is Micro-HDMI and Type A is regular HDMI. Type B isn't used yet, but it's basically like dual-link DVI for ultra-high-resolution stuff (like 3,840×2,400). There is also a Type E for cars (it has a locking tab). Visual chart:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a5/HDMI_Connector.jpg

Type A: Full-sized HDMI
Type B: "Dual-link" HDMI (not used yet)
Type C: Mini-HDMI
Type D : Micro-HDMI
Type E: Locking automotive HDMI

Also interesting is this tidbit on the current NUC page:

http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/motherboards/desktop-motherboards/desktop-kit-dc53427hye.html

Intel NUC also has triple display capabilities for multiple monitoring and display.

Requires two Mini DisplayPort*-capable monitors.

More information on the Haswell tech spec PDF:

http://downloadmirror.intel.com/23089/eng/D54250WYB_D34010WYB_TechProdSpec01.pdf

1.5.1.3 Mini High Definition Multimedia Interface* (Mini HDMI*)

The Mini High-Definition Multimedia Interface (Mini HDMI) is provided for transmitting
uncompressed digital audio and video signals to television sets, projectors and other
video displays. It can carry high quality multi-channel audio data and all standard and
high-definition consumer electronics video formats. The Mini HDMI display interface
connecting the processor and display devices utilizes transition minimized differential
signaling (TMDS) to carry audiovisual information through the same Mini HDMI cable.
The processor HDMI interface is designed according to the High-Definition Multimedia
Interface Specification with 3D, 4K, Deep Color, and x.v.Color. . The maximum
supported resolution is 4096 x 2304, 3840 x 2160 @ 24 Hz or 2560 x1600 @ 60 Hz.
The Mini HDMI port is compliant with the HDMI 1.4a specification.

1.5.1.4 Mini DisplayPort*

DisplayPort is a digital communication interface that utilizes differential signaling to
achieve a high bandwidth bus interface designed to support connections between PCs
and monitors, projectors, and TV displays. DisplayPort is suitable for display
connections between consumer electronics devices such as high definition optical disc
players, set top boxes, and TV displays. The Mini DisplayPort interface supports the
1.2 specification.

The DisplayPort output supports Multi-Stream Transport (MST) which allows for
multiple independent video streams (daisy-chain connection with multiple monitors)
over a single DisplayPort. This will require the use of displays that support
DisplayPort 1.2 and allow for this feature.

So the HDMI port is 1.4a and the DisplayPort port is 1.2, which does allow for daisy-chaining on supported displays. Page 23 states that both ports support 4K resolution.

 

[Kaido]

I am actually really excited about the NUC's future in Home Theater. It has the internal ports for a 2.5" drive; since you're not space-limited like in a laptop, you could easily design/make a chassis with support for the thicker 15mm 2.5" drives, which are currently available in sizes up to 2 Terabytes: (I'd recommend just shucking a USB drive though, they are about $50 less than a bare drive)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822236348

Plus HDMI with both 4K and 3D support, as well as integrated surround-sound. And the IR port for remote control. That's a pretty sick setup, actually - I wonder if this will be the heart of some basic Steam boxes for gaming. I think these would be fabulous for a Plex streaming box & Hyperspin retro gaming setup.

If you just wanted to use it as a streamer (as far as local data goes), you could re-purpose that internal SATA port for a Blu-ray drive so that you could have a disc-player for CD/DVD/Bluray discs as well as network material from your server or the Internet. Plus it has USB 3.0, so it'd be a cinch to plug in a large 4-terabyte drive and still get a high-speed connection.

Very exciting!

 

[superxero044]

Amazon status changed to

Usually ships within 1 to 3 weeks.

Still $383

I will be gone all next week. Might wait to see if price drops when its actually out.

 

[Kaido]

Amazon status changed to

Usually ships within 1 to 3 weeks.

Still $383

I will be gone all next week. Might wait to see if price drops when its actually out.

Down to $379.51, but 2 to 4 weeks now. I'll jump on one as soon as it's available, very anxious to test the HD5000 graphics for a couple specific applications!

I think I'm also going to pick up the i7 Brix model to see how it compares. The i3 NUC's I've been using do feel a bit laggy when I go into poweruser mode. My run-of-the-mill desktop users don't notice it at all, but I do because of the way I use the machine, so I'm curious if a dual-core i7 will eliminate that or not.

 

[Kaido]

My 1.1ghz Intel Celeron NUC came in. I needed one for a small project at work, so I figured I'd give it a shot while it was on sale. Amazon has it for $153 shipped right now:

http://www.amazon.com/Intel-Next-Com.../dp/B00B7I8HZ4

I'll be trying it out with 4 gigs of RAM on both Windows XP and also on Windows 7. I'm curious to see how well XP works on it, because that'd be a really nice Plex/Hyperspin platform if it can handle HD playback, or at least basic retro gaming. I'm also curious to see how 64-bit Windows 7 performs on both the Celeron as well as limited RAM. If I keep 7 on it, I'll probably bump it up to 8 gigs since I have a bunch of spare 4-gig sticks lying around.

 

[you2]

Is there any way to drive a vga or dvi lcd display with this thing? As far as I can tell it only has hdmi out ?
-
This would be a great 'web' machine running linux.
-
Ack this is ivy bridge ?

My 1.1ghz Intel Celeron NUC came in. I needed one for a small project at work, so I figured I'd give it a shot while it was on sale. Amazon has it for $153 shipped right now:

http://www.amazon.com/Intel-Next-Com.../dp/B00B7I8HZ4

I'll be trying it out with 4 gigs of RAM on both Windows XP and also on Windows 7. I'm curious to see how well XP works on it, because that'd be a really nice Plex/Hyperspin platform if it can handle HD playback, or at least basic retro gaming. I'm also curious to see how 64-bit Windows 7 performs on both the Celeron as well as limited RAM. If I keep 7 on it, I'll probably bump it up to 8 gigs since I have a bunch of spare 4-gig sticks lying around.

 

[Kaido]

Is there any way to drive a vga or dvi lcd display with this thing? As far as I can tell it only has hdmi out ?
-
This would be a great 'web' machine running linux.
-
Ack this is ivy bridge ?

Yes, this is the older 1.1ghz Celeron model. The older BRIX model (also Ivy Bridge) is only a few bucks more for the 1.8ghz Celeron:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16856164005

There is a Haswell Celeron BRIX coming out:

http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=4743#ov

The 1.1ghz Intel model I picked up has dual HDMI. You can use DVI with a simple adapter or cable (HDMI to DVI). I'd lean towards the BRIX model for $170 though, you get a much faster 1.8ghz CPU vs. the 1.1ghz on the model I got. I was curious about the performance on the 1.1ghz model, which is why I picked it up over the BRIX.

 

[Pheran]

Is there any way to drive a vga or dvi lcd display with this thing? As far as I can tell it only has hdmi out ?

Just use an HDMI to DVI cable. I don't think you could easily do VGA without some expensive converter.

 

[Kaido]

Just use an HDMI to DVI cable. I don't think you could easily do VGA without some expensive converter.

Yeah, there's no onboard analog video support. Closest I've found is an active adapter for like $20, but the reviews are pretty mixed:

http://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-.../dp/B007SM7O2U

You can buy an LED monitor with HDMI input for like $100 - $150 these days, so if all you have is a VGA monitor available, it's probably about time for an upgrade :biggrin:

 

[Kaido]

Very interesting new product from Gigabyte:

http://www.gigabyte.us/products/product-page.aspx?pid=4779#ov

The GB-BXPi3-4010 - a combination i3 NUC and LED projector! Uses a Ti DLP chip with WVGA (854x480) resolution, 75 lumens of brightness, and 900:1 contrast. Up to 85" screen size. That resolution is fine for DVD movies, SD shows, and most Youtube stuff, although the brightness definitely leaves something to be desired. Pretty good first offering though - throw XBMC or Plex on there for the ultimate "play everything" box!

http://www.gigabyte.us/FileUpload/Features/104/Photo/3520.jpg

This would be great combo'd with a Logitech K400, which is a compact RF wireless keyboard with built-in touchpad:

http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Wireless-Keyboard-Built-In-Multi-Touch/dp/B005DKZTMG/

I have one in my HTPC & it works great!

 

[Pheran]

Meh, the non-HD resolution makes that not so interesting to me. Plus, having a bullet point in the title that says "Supports 4K output at twice the resolution of standard HD display" is incredibly obnoxious and misleading. I realize they must be talking about the HDMI/DisplayPort outputs, but that's some scummy marketing there.

 

[Kaido]

Meh, the non-HD resolution makes that not so interesting to me. Plus, having a bullet point in the title that says "Supports 4K output at twice the resolution of standard HD display" is incredibly obnoxious and misleading. I realize they must be talking about the HDMI/DisplayPort outputs, but that's some scummy marketing there.

Yup, agreed. My only real gripe is the lumens, actually. 75 lumens is pretty dang low. Although as far as the resolution goes, meh. It's a start!

 

[Kaido]

The last-gen Celeron NUC is on sale for $135: (showing $9.45 shipping from a third-party for me, so a total of $144.45)

http://www.amazon.com/Intel-Next-Com...dp/B00B7I8HZ4/

Reading through the comments, it seems to be very popular with OpenELEC (bootable XBMC via USB) enthusiasts. No mSATA SSD required, just add a stick of RAM & optional Wi-fi. One reviewer said his is using just under 19W max during streaming and 1W during S3 sleep, pretty nice! Belkin has a power cable for it for $3.61 + Free Shipping:

http://www.amazon.com/Belkin-Prong-N.../dp/B000AV14OK

I'm still messing around with my gray-top Celeron NUC. I'll have to add OpenELEC to the testing suite along with 32-bit XP & 64-bit Win7. Kind of sad that the OS is $4 more than the computer, haha:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16832116992

I think this would be the perfect Hyperspin cabinet computer - hookup some Xbox 360 controllers & go to town on emulators! I'll have to test the basic HD graphics with the higher-end emulators like MAME & stuff to see how it fares though.

 

[Kaido]

The Haswell i3 NUC is now available for $338.49 + $8.99 shipping = $347.48 shipped:

http://www.amazon.com/Intel-D34010WY.../dp/B00F3F381A

Quick recap:

* 4th-generation Haswell Intel Core i3-4010U processor
* Intel HD Graphics 4400
* Dual channel SODIMM DDR3L 1333/1600 MHz, 1.35V
* Mini HDMI 1.4a with audio support
* Mini DisplayPort 1.2 with audio support
* Intel WiDi Supported
* 4 USB 3.0 Ports
* Front Headphone/Microphone Jack
* Silver with Black Top

Also, Intel has a pretty good diagnostic & performance tools page up:

http://www.intel.com/support/motherboards/desktop/sb/CS-032037.htm

 

[SithSolo1]

If you don't mind waiting, it looks like you can order it direct from amazon for $299 shipped and they'll ship it when it comes back in stock. Then again, who knows how long that will be.

http://www.amazon.com/Intel-D34010WY...=ATVPDKIKX0DER

 

[Kaido]

If you don't mind waiting, it looks like you can order it direct from amazon for $299 shipped and they'll ship it when it comes back in stock. Then again, who knows how long that will be.

http://www.amazon.com/Intel-D34010WY...=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Oh I see - click on "11 New" and the select Amazon as the seller - nice!

 

[DoeBoy]

Man these Nuc's are blowing up. My plan, I think is going to be to get one of those homerun primes to stream tv onto the network and then use a nuc device like this as a media center and use it as a dvr as well. Anybody else have a setup like that?

 

[Kaido]

Man these Nuc's are blowing up. My plan, I think is going to be to get one of those homerun primes to stream tv onto the network and then use a nuc device like this as a media center and use it as a dvr as well. Anybody else have a setup like that?

Yeah, it's pretty much the perfect HTPC box. USB 3.0 on the new ones for massive local storage (4TB externals go on sale all the time for like $149). My only complaint is that the wiring can get messy, like if you have an Xbox 360 USB receiver for gaming, an external drive, etc. But you can shove it all in a shelf and hide it pretty easily, so not a biggie.

 

[AzNPinkTuv]

Kaido,

I've been following this thread for the better part of a 6 months now and wanted to thank you for bringing this product to the attention of masses. Being said, whats your opinion of the IVB i5 one vs the new Haswell ones?

Only reason why I ask is I have a spare 80gb msata intel drive, 16 gb 1.5v ram and the intel 6205 wireless card laying around from a laptop that was retired and sold as barebones. That leaves me with the issue of some of this stuff is getting a little more dated yet would work perfectly in the ivy bridge version of the nuc, and not work in the haswell one (ram for one). This would net me a difference in $200+ savings alone i think from not having to buy new ram and what not.

I was thinking that I'd primarily be using this as a desktop replacement for an office environment where the machines currently being deployed are old P4's (so anything is better). Being said, do you know how the haswell compares vs the IVB in raw compute? I looked at AT bench but they dont seem to have any metrics. Ideally, I'd like the haswell one because of its IR sensor and sata port and what not in the event that I don't end up using this computer for the office and more for a small portable all round entertainment machine (i like the option it gives me).

Just wanted your thoughts.

 

[Kaido]

Kaido,

I've been following this thread for the better part of a 6 months now and wanted to thank you for bringing this product to the attention of masses. Being said, whats your opinion of the IVB i5 one vs the new Haswell ones?

Only reason why I ask is I have a spare 80gb msata intel drive, 16 gb 1.5v ram and the intel 6205 wireless card laying around from a laptop that was retired and sold as barebones. That leaves me with the issue of some of this stuff is getting a little more dated yet would work perfectly in the ivy bridge version of the nuc, and not work in the haswell one (ram for one). This would net me a difference in $200+ savings alone i think from not having to buy new ram and what not.

I was thinking that I'd primarily be using this as a desktop replacement for an office environment where the machines currently being deployed are old P4's (so anything is better). Being said, do you know how the haswell compares vs the IVB in raw compute? I looked at AT bench but they dont seem to have any metrics. Ideally, I'd like the haswell one because of its IR sensor and sata port and what not in the event that I don't end up using this computer for the office and more for a small portable all round entertainment machine (i like the option it gives me).

Just wanted your thoughts.

Same here, the earlier machines I have are Celerons & P4's. I've had like 3 die of old age this week, and even though I can replace them for ~$100 shipped off eBay, I'd rather just go with these new, faster, power-savings models. So to start out with, the Ivy Bridge model uses the i5-3427U and the Haswell model uses the i5-4250U. Primary differences: (IVB vs. Haswell)

1. Power: 17w vs. 15w (2w difference)
2. CPU: 1.8ghz vs. 1.3ghz (0.5ghz difference)
3. Turbo: 2.8ghz vs. 2.6ghz (0.2ghz difference)
4. GPU: HD4000 vs. HD5000

Here is a basic comparison on CPU Boss:

http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Core-i5-4250U-vs-Intel-Core-i5-3427U

They are pretty much on-par with each other; the new Ultrabook i5 CPU in the Haswell NUC actually gets beaten out in a couple places (on features & 3D Mark). So performance-wise, they're about the same. The big differences on the new model are:

1. GPU: HD5000 (HD4000 comparison here: http://www.anandtech.com/show/7072/intel-hd-5000-vs-hd-4000-vs-hd-4400)
2. USB: (4) USB 3.0 ports (2 front, 2 rear)
3. Sound: Front analog audio port (in addition to digital audio over the video ports)

Downside is you'll need DDR3L & special cables or adapters for the Mini-HDMI & Mini-Displayport audio/video jacks. If you can save a few bucks & don't need the extra goodies (in particular, the extra GPU horsepower), I'd say just go with the current Ivy Bridge model.

 

[Kaido]

Only reason why I ask is I have a spare 80gb msata intel drive, 16 gb 1.5v ram and the intel 6205 wireless card laying around from a laptop that was retired and sold as barebones. That leaves me with the issue of some of this stuff is getting a little more dated yet would work perfectly in the ivy bridge version of the nuc, and not work in the haswell one (ram for one). This would net me a difference in $200+ savings alone i think from not having to buy new ram and what not.

Also meh on the wireless card. Officially, the new 802.11ac chip only works under Windows 8, even though people have got it unofficially working under Windows 7, so unless you're (1) going with Windows 8, and (2) connecting them to an 802.11ac router ($$$), I wouldn't bother. The 802.11n 6205 should be a workhorse for you!