1. Introduction: 2.5L Host with 12th Gen Core and Arc A770M Graphics
In the realm of ultra-mini computers, Intel NUC has always been the industry benchmark. After the launch of the Arc A770 graphics card, Intel synchronously applied the mobile version of this card to its NUC product line, which is the product we are reviewing today: Intel NUC12 Serpent Canyon.
NUC12 Serpent Canyon integrates high-performance hardware such as the i7-12000H processor and Arc A770M 16GB graphics card in an extremely limited space. So what other features are worth noting?
1. 2.5L Volume
Typically, an ATX case has a volume of about 40L, making it nearly impossible to fit on a desktop. In contrast, the dimensions of the NUC12 Serpent Canyon are only 230*180*60mm, with a volume of less than 2.5L.
Additionally, this host supports both horizontal and vertical placement, fully compatible with various small desktop spaces.
2. How Does the Arc A770M Perform?
The Arc A770M uses the ACM-G10 core, based on TSMC’s N6 6nm process technology, integrating 32 Xe cores, with 4096 stream processors, 256 texture units, and 128 ROP units.
The above parameters are almost identical to the desktop version of the Arc A770, with the only difference being that the mobile version has a TDP of only 120W, while the desktop version is 225W.
With the power consumption halved, how much performance can the Arc A770 still deliver? This is worth paying attention to.
3. First Launch of Killer AX1690i Wi-Fi 6E Wireless Network Card
Killer AX1690i is also known as AX411. Previously, whether for desktop hosts or laptops, the most common ones we saw were AX210/211.
This AX411 is a new product just released by Intel last month, and like the Arc A770M, it was used in its NUC product line immediately.
Compared to AX210/211, Killer AX1690i expands Wi-Fi 6 to the 6GHz band and adds 110 channels, while the previous 5GHz band only had 45 channels, doubling the throughput.
Additionally, the built-in Bluetooth function has been upgraded from 5.2 to Bluetooth 5.3.
Intel NUC12 Serpent Canyon specifications are as follows:
2. Photo Gallery: Supports Horizontal and Vertical Placement with 3 M.2 Interfaces
Unboxing, the packaging design is very interesting, unfolding left and right, creating a sense of ceremony.
The front panel has a power button, a Thunderbolt 4 port, an SD card slot, and a USB 2.0 port.
The yellow USB port below may be unfamiliar to everyone; it can charge mobile phones even when the device is powered off, acting as a fast charger.
The back has 4 USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, a 2.5G Ethernet port, one Thunderbolt 4, one HDMI 2.1, two DP 1.4, and a power socket.
On the right side, there is a row of cooling vents.
The right side of the host has a large area of ventilation holes primarily for intake, and we can also see two turbine fans above and below.
Additionally, we can see rubber feet at all four corners, allowing the host to be placed horizontally on the desktop.
The effect of the host placed horizontally is also very space-saving and can fit into some lower spaces.
The power adapter is quite large, with an output power of up to 330W (19.6V/16.8A).
Disassembly of the NUC12 Serpent Canyon is quite simple; just unscrew the four screws on the left side.
Surprisingly, the motherboard has three PCIe 4.0 M.2 slots, with the middle M.2 slot occupied by a Kingston PCIe 4.0 512B SSD.
The two SO-DIMM slots on the left side are already populated with memory.
The wireless network card is quite special; it is the newly released Intel AX411, also known as Killer AX1690i. This Wi-Fi 6E network card was just released last month, and it’s surprising to see it used so quickly in their own product line.
The three M.2 slots, with the middle one occupied by a Kingston FURY Renegade PCIe 4.0 512GB SSD.
The upper M.2 slot supports both SATA and NVMe protocols.
3. CPU and Disk Performance Tests: SSD Read Speeds Exceeding 7000MB/s
1. CPU-Z
In the CPU-Z test, the i7-12700H scored 722 in single-thread performance and 7543 in multi-thread performance.
2. CineBench R15
In the CineBench R15 test, the i7-12700H scored 263cb in single-thread and 2670cb in multi-thread.
3. CineBench R20
The i7-12700H scored 684cb in single-thread and 6245cb in multi-thread.
4. CineBench R23
The i7-12700H scored 1817cb in single-thread and 15086cb in multi-thread.
5. Hardware Dog
The total score of the NUC12 Serpent Canyon is 478326, surpassing 91% of users. The CPU score of the i7-12700H is 174365, the graphics score of the Arc A770M is 225770, the memory score is 50261, and the disk score is 27930.
6. AS SSD Benchmark
The NUC12 Serpent Canyon uses a Kingston FURY Renegade PCIe 4.0 512GB SSD.
In the AS SSD Benchmark, this 512GB PCIe SSD scored 5976, with sequential read and write speeds exceeding 5180MB/s and 2000MB/s respectively, 4K random read at 72MB/s and random write at 229MB/s.
In the CrystalDiskMark test, the sequential read and write speeds reached 7084MB/s and 3923MB/s respectively, with 4K random read and write speeds of 73MB/s and 182MB/s, showing a very balanced overall performance, with read and write performance at above average levels.
Summary of CPU Performance Tests:
During the tests, the i7-12700H processor in the NUC12 Serpent Canyon maintained a stable power consumption of 80W most of the time, with 6 P-cores stabilizing at 4.0GHz or even 4.1GHz at maximum all-core frequency, fully unleashing its performance.
For longer tests like CineBench R23, the processor’s power consumption would drop to 70W, with the P-core all-core frequency around 3.8GHz, roughly achieving over 90% of its performance. This performance is significantly better than most laptops.
4. Arc A770M Gaming Performance Tests: About 75-80% of Desktop Performance
1. 3DMark
In the 3DMark Fire Strike Extreme test, the Arc A770 graphics score was 12707, with the highest frequency during operation at 2000MHz, and the maximum temperature only 65, with maximum power consumption at 119W.
In the 2K resolution 3DMark Time Spy test, the Arc A770M’s graphics score was 10484, with the highest frequency at 2000MHz, highest temperature at 68 degrees, and maximum power consumption at 118W.
2. Elden Ring
This game has a frame rate cap of 60. We tested at 1080P and 2K resolutions with the highest graphics settings, both maintaining a stable 60FPS.
3. Horizon: Zero Dawn
The Arc A770M achieved a frame rate of 65FPS at 1080P resolution.
In comparison, the desktop version of the Arc A770 achieved a frame rate of 87FPS at 1080P resolution.
4. Shadow of the Tomb Raider
The frame rate at the minimum resolution of Tomb Raider: Shadow is 87FPS.
5. PUBG
The Arc A770M achieved frame rates of 169FPS and 144FPS at 1080P and 2K resolutions respectively.
6. World of Tanks
The Arc A770M scored 23462 at 1080 resolution, which translates to a frame rate of 146FPS.
The Arc A770M scored 17238 at 2K resolution, which translates to a frame rate of 108FPS.
5. Stress Testing: GPU Stress Test at Only 64 Degrees, Overall Performance Release at 164W
1. CPU Stress Test
ADIDA 64’s sensors couldn’t collect useful temperature information, but HWINFO could see it.
After 11 minutes of CPU stress testing, the i7-12700H stabilized at a power consumption of 70W, with P and all-core frequencies at 4.0GHz, and E-cores at 3.2GHz.
2. GPU Stress Test
Strangely, there was no temperature curve during the Furmark stress test. After 12 minutes of stress testing, the Arc A770M was at 68 degrees, with a stress frequency of 1700MHz and power consumption at 117W.
When using Furmark to fully load both the CPU and GPU for 20 minutes, the CPU’s power consumption stabilized at 45W, with a temperature of 90 degrees. The GPU’s power consumption stabilized at 119W, with a temperature of 75 degrees.
6. Conclusion: Intel’s Precise Positioning, High-Performance Mini PCs Are the Trend
Here is a summary of this test:
1. Performance Release and Cooling
The i7-12700H’s single stress power consumption is 70W, with a temperature of 96 degrees after 10 minutes of stress testing.
The Arc A770M’s single stress power consumption is 117W, with a temperature of 68 degrees after 12 minutes of stress testing.
During dual stress testing, the CPU power consumption is 45W, and the GPU power consumption is 117W, with temperatures of 90 degrees and 75 degrees respectively.
The overall performance release of the NUC12 Serpent Canyon is 45+119=164W, overall reaching the level of high-end laptops.
2. Performance of Arc A770M
From the 3DMark scores, the Arc A770M reached 80% of the desktop version of Arc A770.
From actual game frame rates, the Arc A770M is roughly equivalent to 75-80% of the desktop version.
At 1080P resolution, except for extremely demanding projects like Cyberpunk 2077, the NUC12 Serpent Canyon can ensure a frame rate of over 60FPS in most AAA games.
This performance level is basically on par with the RTX 3060 Mobile (110W).
The era of DIY is fading, and for individual users, it is virtually impossible to build a high-performance computer with a volume of 2.5L. Even for ITX hosts, few are less than 10L.
Intel NUC12 Serpent Canyon accurately targets a user group that wants an extremely mini high-performance host. Gaming is just one of the needs; more time is spent on work, such as Office, video editing, rendering, image design, etc.
In terms of expandability, the NUC12 Serpent Canyon has three M.2 slots, two of which support PCIe 4.0, which is not much different from desktop computers.
Overall, the NUC12 Serpent Canyon is well-made, but there is still some noise when running games. Hopefully, Intel’s engineers can invest more effort into developing a quieter cooling system, making this NUC the perfect high-performance mini computer.
Who wouldn’t want a powerful and silent ultra-mini host?