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CFan previously introduced mini PCs represented by MSI’s Sea Hawk and Intel NUC in the article “The Smallest Comparable to USB Drives! It Turns Out PCs Have So Many Forms?!”, and this ultra-mini PC, when combined with a monitor, becomes an AIO, is gradually receiving more attention from family and business users. Today, we will take NUC as an example to briefly discuss the purchasing ideas for such devices.

Mini PCs and NUC

Intel NUC, Zotac ZBOX, Gigabyte BRIX, and MSI Cubi/Trident are typical representatives in the field of mini PCs.

Among them, the NUC, also known as “Next Unit of Computing”, is a mini barebones desktop PC launched by Intel in 2012. It provides users with a standard “skeleton” (including chassis, adapter, processor, cooling system, wireless network card), and users only need to purchase and install additional memory and hard drive to become a standard mini host, with almost zero DIY difficulty. Coupled with its stylish, compact, and portable design, it has captured a significant share of the market originally belonging to all-in-one computers and laptops.

NUC is a “barebones” kit that does not include memory and hard drives by default, making it relatively affordable. However, Intel’s official website and major e-commerce platforms (including physical stores) directly provide complete mini PCs with pre-installed memory, hard drives, and Windows 10. The price is slightly higher than purchasing hardware separately, suitable for users who do not want to deal with installation. The following content will focus on the NUC barebones system.

The Mystery of NUC Model Numbers

NUC is the oldest barebones system, and currently, there are both new and old models on the market equipped with Intel’s sixth to eighth generation Core processors, making it a rare case of three generations existing simultaneously.

At the same time, NUC also includes two product forms: “full height” and “half height”, as well as the “Skull Canyon” or “Coffee Canyon” customized for gamers. For users unfamiliar with these, it can be easy to confuse the models. In fact, NUC from different periods and configurations can be identified from the Chinese and English characters in the model number.

Although the latest Coffee Canyon looks large, its actual size is only half that of a PS4 Slim game console

“NUC” is the prefix for all NUC device models, and the first digit following it represents the generation of the Core platform used by the current device; the following characters represent the processor model equipped in the device; and the last character can be used to distinguish the device form (see the table).

What’s Inside the NUC

As a barebones system, NUC offers an ultra-easy disassembly design, allowing for DIY by simply removing the top cover. For full-height models like NUC8I5BEH, removing the top cover reveals a 2.5-inch hard drive bay and the PCB motherboard below it, while the half-height NUC is essentially a mini version achieved by eliminating the 2.5-inch hard drive slot.

Recent generations of NUC have adopted a design with onboard wireless network cards (non-upgradable or replaceable, but this also eliminates the cost of purchasing one), supporting M.2 SSD slots with PCIe channels, and 2 notebook memory slots. Although the half-height NUC will also reserve a SATA interface, how to install the 2.5-inch hard drive after adding it will test the user’s hands-on ability.

Users who do not care about aesthetics can extend the SATA cable outside the device to connect to the 2.5-inch hard drive

If you take out the NUC’s motherboard and flip it over, you will see a large cooling fan, as well as the heat pipes and onboard processor chip hidden under the fan. Since the heat pipe of the NUC cooling module is very close to the fins, and the turbine fan size is large enough, their cooling effect is significantly better than that of laptops equipped with the same processor, with basically no risk of overheating and throttling.

As for the top model in the NUC family, Coffee Canyon, its internal design is luxurious, offering 2 M.2 SSD slots with PCIe channels, and the cooling design is also more luxurious, equipped with expansion interfaces comparable to desktop computers.

Can NUC’s Performance Meet Your Needs?

If you do not have a more powerful desktop or laptop at home, and NUC is your only PC, my suggestion is to ignore the low-end models equipped with Celeron and Pentium processors, and focus on models that include “NUC8”, which are equipped with eighth-generation Core processors.

Other brands of mini PCs equipped with eighth-generation Core processors mostly use the 15W TDP models designed for thin and light laptops (such as i5-8250U and i7-8550U), while Intel NUC is equipped with the i3-8109U, i5-8259U, and i7-8559U with a TDP of up to 28W. They have higher CPU base frequencies, and the CPU performance of the i5-8259U/i7-8559U is even better than the latest i8-8265U/i7-8565U that have just been launched.

The GPU integrated graphics of these three processors has also been upgraded to Iris Plus 650, which performs comparably to the Nvidia GeForce MX130. In other words, even the i3-8109U has comprehensive performance comparable to a 4000 yuan dedicated graphics thin laptop, while the i5-8259U is comparable to a 5000 yuan dedicated graphics thin laptop.

The i7-8705G and i7-8809G equipped in Coffee Canyon are even more powerful. They belong to the Kaby Lake-G platform jointly developed by Intel and AMD, with TDPs of 65W and 100W, respectively, integrating Radeon RX Vega M GH/GL graphics, and their 3D performance can even surpass the GeForce GTX1060 Max-Q!

Which NUC is Right for You?

The full-height and half-height versions of NUC are priced the same, and users with higher storage space requirements are advised to choose the full-height version. Currently, the prices of NUC8 barebones systems equipped with eighth-generation Core i3, i5, i7, and Coffee Canyon on Tmall are 2299 yuan, 2999 yuan, 3899 yuan, and 4999 yuan, respectively. Now, 8GB DDR4 memory costs about 300 yuan, and a 250GB M.2 PCIe SSD costs about 300 yuan, and a mainstream 23.8-inch narrow-frame monitor costs about 600 yuan, which means you can build a standard PC by adding 1200 yuan to the NUC, and its overall performance is basically on par with or slightly higher than that of laptops at the same price point, while also offering a more stunning and color-true visual experience.

Small Tip:To fully utilize the performance of the integrated graphics of NUC, dual-channel memory support is required, so it is recommended to choose a memory combination of 4GB + 4GB or 8GB + 8GB. The Core version of NUC can support a maximum of 32GB of memory.

Therefore, if you do not need to carry a PC outside or play large 3D games, DIY based on the NUC barebones system is a more reliable choice than directly purchasing a laptop, and it takes up less space on your desk compared to traditional desktop and all-in-one computers. As for which NUC to choose, it depends on your actual budget situation.