Let’s get to the point! On June 24, 2021, I received my first NUC mini PC ↓
The Intel NUC product line has been around for 8 years, with the first generation released in 2013.That year, I had just been admitted to university, and when I first saw this mini PC online, I was attracted by its compact design.At that time, most computers on the market were huge desktop (tower) PCs and expensive laptops.A highly integrated computer like this was as impressive to me as magic.Since then, every time Intel releases a new generation of CPUs, they also release a corresponding NUC mini PC.The price of each generation ranges from 2000 to 8000, which is about half the price of laptops with similar configurations, making it a great value.
However, for me studying in Beijing, these thousands of yuan were a significant amount (back then, services like Huabei and JD Finance were not available, and I didn’t have a credit card, I even had to study the subway transfers and bus routes, just scraping by). Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, 8 years have passed, I have transitioned from a student to a working professional, and the long-awaited NUC has finally been acquired this year.
The NUC I have is the 11th generation model, NUC11TNHv5.
NUC11 is the code name, 11 indicates it uses Intel’s 11th generation processor. v5 means it uses the i5 processor with vPro support (the regular version is called i5), and there are also Xeon V, Atom A, Celeron C, Pentium P, i3, i5, i7, i9, etc.;
K indicates the kit type, B means it only includes the motherboard (no case, power supply, components, or accessories), K is “thin” (without a 2.5″ drive bay), and H is “thick” (includes a 2.5-inch drive bay).
So, the kit I bought is the NUC11 DIY kit equipped with the vPro-enabled i5 1145G7 processor, which requires me to add memory and storage to use. For someone like me who enjoys hardware, I can easily find these components in my old drawers. Here’s a look inside this NUC:
The image shows it with only one M.2 NVME SSD installed. You can see that this NUC supports two M.2 SSDs, compatible with PCIe 4.0 NVME and SATA protocols; the top cover can also accommodate a 2.5” hard drive; and it supports 2 DDR4 memory slots, with a maximum capacity of 64G and a frequency of up to 3200M. Specific hardware parameters are shown below:
This generation of NUC can be described as the “culmination of features”, with Xe graphics, Wi-Fi 6, a 2.5G wired network port, two Thunderbolt 4/USB Type-C ports, and two HDMI ports (supporting up to 8K 60P), all integrated into a palm-sized box! So, I decided to get one to play around with. I cannot disclose the purchase channel and price, but I can tell you that the commercial version of the i5 model is about 600 more expensive than the regular version.
You may not be familiar with vPro technology. “Simply put, Intel vPro technology is a hardware-based platform solution launched by Intel based on the needs of business professionals. It is built on Intel’s core hardware technologies, widely used in enterprise-grade security, management, and applications. Through Intel vPro, hardware-based virtualization technology is introduced into enterprise computers, ensuring the security of computer information and simplifying the update process of unit computers, thereby improving overall office efficiency.” — Excerpt from “Why vPro? Telling you the difference between non-vPro and vPro”
Personally, I prefer to use commercial computers or servers/workstations rather than gaming/home computers. The main difference between home computers and servers/workstations is that servers/workstations generally support 7×24 (meaning they can run stably without shutdown or restart for long periods). This point is also clearly mentioned in the hardware parameters image.
For professional video post-production work, the computing/graphics performance of a computer is only secondary; the primary concern is the stability and compatibility of the entire system (hardware + software). Many friends who have worked long hours on computers have experienced the frustration of watching their hard work disappear with a system alert or a frozen window. You stare at it, it stares back at you, sharing a smile at the past… This is the significance of stable operation. The cost behind this is extremely high — my graphic workstation costs more than three times that of a gaming PC with similar performance.
I want to thank my undergraduate classmate, Yang Shiming, who taught me how to “pick up garbage” on platforms like Xianyu, allowing me to buy a motherboard worth 4500 for just 1500, and a CPU worth 8000 for only 800… Since then, I officially became a “garbage picker” and started “fishing in muddy waters”. The NUC I have now also comes from a source on Xianyu, but this time it is a brand new unopened machine.
Three days after receiving the machine, I used it for a few hours, tested a few software applications, and would like to provide a brief review. First, a computer of this size cannot match the performance of a desktop, but it is slightly better than current commercial laptops, due to power supply and cooling. The low performance of laptops is not due to their hardware limitations, but because they cannot sustain power and cool down properly. Just like a person, eating a bowl of noodles will never be as energetic as when they eat two bowls. Furthermore, if you cannot focus, you are more likely to make mistakes. To achieve stable operation, you must “take your time and do it carefully”. This NUC is equipped with a 120W power supply; although its fan is not large and does not run at high speeds, it is much stronger than the ultra-thin laptops that pursue extreme slimness. Therefore, there is no doubt that this i5 mini PC can easily outperform most i7 ultrabooks. I confirmed this by running my own “image quality comparison software” between a DELL XPS (i7) office laptop and the NUC (i5), achieving the above results.
The new generation of Intel iRIS Xe integrated graphics has significantly improved performance compared to the previous generation UHD graphics; the integrated graphics of the i5 1135G7 is roughly on par with NVIDIA 1050, which is completely sufficient for daily office work and light gaming, and even some light graphic design tasks. I verified this while editing images using Affinity Photo and editing mobile videos using DaVinci Resolve. However, it struggles with color grading, so don’t push it too hard; just like a person who eats noodles will never outperform someone eating braised pork. Additionally, this generation (Gen 12) of integrated graphics supports hardware acceleration for advanced video codecs like AV1 and HEVC, making it highly efficient for playing high-quality movies or performing simple encoding conversions.
As for networking, I haven’t tested Wi-Fi 6 or the 2.5G wired network port for several reasons: I lack the necessary environment, I am familiar with the related technologies and hardware, and my version of the NUC only has one network port, which is not suitable for soft routing, so I won’t be testing network performance. Intel offers expansion accessories to add 2 more wired ports, and some enthusiasts have even modified the device to fit 4 network ports or dual 10G optical ports inside the small chassis. After modifications, it would be very suitable for use as an ALL-IN-ONE machine (soft routing + media server + download machine + office machine, etc.).
Intel has prepared comprehensive drivers, including chipset, integrated graphics, USB, Thunderbolt, wired and wireless network cards, TPM, and vPro management engine, all available on their official website.
I was very surprised by the BIOS settings; first, it supports controlling the power LED and audio LED, allowing me to turn them off completely, so they won’t disturb my sleep at night. Besides adjusting brightness, I can also adjust the flashing frequency of the LEDs and even switch the information source displayed by the LEDs, such as using the power LED to show the hard drive’s read/write status, which is quite meaningful for commercial users. Additionally, it allows you to choose the orientation of the display device. For instance, I am currently using a vertical monitor, and it can display “normally” from the boot logo; the BIOS can also be displayed correctly on the vertical monitor without needing to tilt my head for adjustments. They even provide a logo modification program to easily customize the boot logo; here’s the result of my custom boot logo:
For someone with OCD like me, this is extremely comfortable. The product manager of NUC is definitely very experienced, and NUC lives up to its reputation as a professional commercial computer.
This machine was released in the spring of 2021, and it has only recently become available, using a new integrated graphics solution, so there is currently no hackintosh installation solution. If you are looking for a hackintosh, you might consider the previous generation (NUC10). According to user reports, the 10th generation NUC can run Mac OS 10.5, 11, and other systems almost perfectly. I haven’t personally verified Linux systems, but according to user reports, Ubuntu can be used normally.
If you are looking for a compact, exquisite, and “powerful” office/media entertainment machine to place on your desk, you might want to consider it.
Alright, that concludes today’s exploration of the new machine. Thank you for your attention, everyone. If you have any fun devices that you want to buy but can’t afford or can’t find, feel free to @ me; I might be able to get first-hand information to share with everyone.