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Next Unit of Computing (NUC) is a line of small-form-factor barebone computer kits designed by
Intel Intel Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California. It is the world's largest semiconductor chip manufacturer by revenue, and is one of the developers of the x86 seri ...
. It was previewed in 2012 and launched in early 2013. The NUC has developed over ten generations, spanning from
Sandy Bridge Sandy Bridge is the codename for Intel's 32 nm microarchitecture used in the second generation of the Intel Core processors (Core i7, i5, i3). The Sandy Bridge microarchitecture is the successor to Nehalem and Westmere microarchitecture ...
-based
Celeron Celeron is Intel's brand name for low-end IA-32 and x86-64 computer microprocessor models targeted at low-cost personal computers. Celeron processors are compatible with IA-32 IA-32 (short for "Intel Architecture, 32-bit", commonly called ...
CPUs in the first generation through Ivy Bridge-based Core i3 and i5 CPUs in the second generation to Gemini Lake-based
Pentium Pentium is a brand used for a series of x86 architecture-compatible microprocessors produced by Intel. The original Pentium processor from which the brand took its name was first released on March 22, 1993. After that, the Pentium II and Pe ...
and Celeron CPUs and
Kaby Lake Kaby Lake is Intel's codename for its seventh generation Core microprocessor family announced on August 30, 2016. Like the preceding Skylake, Kaby Lake is produced using a 14 nanometer manufacturing process technology. Breaking with Intel's ...
-based Core i3, i5, and i7 CPUs in the seventh and eighth generations. The NUC
motherboard A motherboard (also called mainboard, main circuit board, mb, mboard, backplane board, base board, system board, logic board (only in Apple computers) or mobo) is the main printed circuit board (PCB) in general-purpose computers and other expand ...
usually measures approximately , although some models have had different dimensions. The barebone kits consist of the board, in a plastic case with a fan, an external power supply, and a VESA mounting plate. Intel does sell just the NUC motherboards, which have a built-in CPU, although () the price of a NUC motherboard is very close to the corresponding cased kit; third-party cases for the NUC boards are also available.


First generation


Sandy Bridge

The first generation Intel NUC launched in the first quarter of 2013. This
UCFF Small form factor (SFF or SFX) is a term used for desktop computers, and their enclosures and motherboards, to indicate that they are designed in accordance with one of several standardized computer form factors intended to minimize the volume a ...
motherboard A motherboard (also called mainboard, main circuit board, mb, mboard, backplane board, base board, system board, logic board (only in Apple computers) or mobo) is the main printed circuit board (PCB) in general-purpose computers and other expand ...
and system kit are codenamed ''Ski Lake'' (DCP847SK) and ''Deep Canyon'' (DCCP847DY) respectively.


Second generation


Ivy Bridge

The base UCFF motherboard and kit without Thunderbolt or USB 3 are codenamed ''Golden Lake'' (D33217GK) and ''Ice Canyon'' (DC3217IY) respectively. The Thunderbolt capable UCFF motherboard and kit are codenamed ''Campers Lake'' (D33217CK) and ''Box Canyon'' (DC3217BY) respectively. The USB 3 capable UCFF motherboard and kit are codenamed ''Rend Lake'' (D53427RK) and ''Horse Canyon'' (DC53427HY) respectively. The stripped-down DC3217BY model has a signature red top cover and no Ethernet. This model, while stocks were still available, generally sold for a deep discount. The absence of Ethernet may be mitigated by using a USB 2.0 to 10/100 fast Ethernet dongle based upon the Kawasaki LSI one-chip adapter (KL5KUSB102, for example), or a similar dongle based upon a Realtek chip; the Kawasaki Logic dongle requires a proprietary driver for macOS X, whereas the driver for the Realtek dongle is built into macOS X. The DC3217BY runs macOS X (10.9, and any of its updates) flawlessly as the processor's HD4000 is fully supported by macOS X.


Third generation


Bay Trail-M

This UCFF motherboard (DN2820FYB) and system kit (DN2820FYKH) model were codenamed ''Forest Canyon''. The DN2820FYKH product itself is mis-marked DN2820FYK, but the retail package, all retail documentation, and Intel's web site correctly identify this product as DN2820FYKH. The "H" indicates support for internal 2.5" media, SSD or HDD. There is no "non-H" version of this product as it does not include an on-board mSATA connector, hence media which is external to the board is mandatory, and hence the "H" version. This product introduces for the first time a new 12V 3A "wall wart", in place of the traditional 19V 3.42A power brick and its "Mickey Mouse" AC power cord. Four region-specific plug-on adapters, including North America and three overseas countries, are included in the retail package. These models shipped with the problematic BIOS revision 13, however this revision did not recognise most low voltage SO-DIMMs and would report as having zero capacity. Keyboard escapes for BIOS interfacing had been problematic, legacy booting was not supported, and it had been elected to only include
UEFI UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) is a set of specifications written by the UEFI Forum. They define the architecture of the platform firmware used for booting and its interface for interaction with the operating system. Examples of f ...
booting. BIOS revision 48 has been released and resolved the problems, enabling the recognition of most low voltage SO-DIMMs, keyboard escapes and legacy booting.


Bay Trail-I

This UCFF motherboard (DE3815TYB) and system kit (DE3815TYK) models were codenamed ''Thin Canyon''.


Fourth generation


Haswell

UCFF motherboard (D34010WYB and D54250WYB) and system kit (D34010WYK/D34010WYKH and D54250WYK/D54250WYKH) models were designated ''Wilson Canyon'' containing Haswell processors were revealed in June 2013.


Fifth generation


Broadwell-U

In early 2015 a new generation of NUCs, powered by 5th generation Intel processors was released and in Q2 2015 the first NUC with Core i7 processor (NUC5i7RYH) would become available. The collection of 5th generation of NUCs include adaptive/smart performance technology and Turbo Boost Technology 2.0. UCFF motherboard (NUC5i3RYB, NUC5i5RYB and NUC5i7RYB) and system kit (NUC5i5RYK/NUC5i3RYH, NUC5i5RYK/NUC5i5RYH and NUC5i7RYH) models were designated ''Rock Canyon''. UCFF motherboard (NUC5i3MYBE and NUC5i5MYBE) and system kit (NUC5i3MYHE and NUC5i5MYHE) models were codenamed ''Maple Canyon''. In Q4 2018 and Q1 2019 two new SKUs of "Rock Canyon" - Refresh have been launched and become two of a few available models still supporting Windows* 7
NUC5i3RYHSN
an

. These modes have updated CPU revisions and other minor changes. All models include: * Dual-channel DDR3L
SO-DIMM A DIMM () (Dual In-line Memory Module), commonly called a RAM stick, comprises a series of dynamic random-access memory integrated circuits. These memory modules are mounted on a printed circuit board and designed for use in personal computers, ...
, 1.35 V, 1333/1600 MHz, 16 GB maximum * One
Gigabit Ethernet In computer networking, Gigabit Ethernet (GbE or 1 GigE) is the term applied to transmitting Ethernet frames at a rate of a gigabit per second. The most popular variant, 1000BASE-T, is defined by the IEEE 802.3ab standard. It came into use i ...
port * Internal support for M.2 (either B-Keyed ''Maple Canyon'' or M-Keyed ''Rock Canyon'') 22×42, 22×60, and 22×80 SSD card supporting PCIe 2.0 (×1, ×2 and ×4) and SATA 6 Gbit/s * Two
USB 3.0 USB 3.0, released in November 2008, is the third major version of the Universal Serial Bus (USB) standard for interfacing computers and electronic devices. Among other improvements, USB 3.0 adds the new transfer rate referred to as '' ...
connectors on back panel * Two USB 3.0 connectors on front panel * Two internal
USB 2.0 Universal Serial Bus (USB) is an industry standard that establishes specifications for cables, connectors and protocols for connection, communication and power supply (interfacing) between computers, peripherals and other computers. A broad v ...
ports via header * Up to 7.1 surround audio via mini HDMI and mini DisplayPort * Headphone/microphone jack on the front panel
# Version 1.4a # Version 1.2


Braswell

These UCFF system kit (NUC5CPYH and NUC5PPYH) models, formerly known as ''Pinnacle Canyon'', are based on 5th generation
Celeron Celeron is Intel's brand name for low-end IA-32 and x86-64 computer microprocessor models targeted at low-cost personal computers. Celeron processors are compatible with IA-32 IA-32 (short for "Intel Architecture, 32-bit", commonly called ...
and
Pentium Pentium is a brand used for a series of x86 architecture-compatible microprocessors produced by Intel. The original Pentium processor from which the brand took its name was first released on March 22, 1993. After that, the Pentium II and Pe ...
-branded Braswell 14 nm processor family. There is also the UCFF complete system (NUC5PGYH) model, formerly known as ''Grass Canyon'', which is based on 5th generation
Pentium Pentium is a brand used for a series of x86 architecture-compatible microprocessors produced by Intel. The original Pentium processor from which the brand took its name was first released on March 22, 1993. After that, the Pentium II and Pe ...
-branded Braswell 14 nm processor family and comes with 2 GB of RAM and 32 GB of eMMC with Windows 10 installed. All models include: * One memory channel
DDR3L Double Data Rate 3 Synchronous Dynamic Random-Access Memory (DDR3 SDRAM) is a type of synchronous dynamic random-access memory (SDRAM) with a high bandwidth ("double data rate") interface, and has been in use since 2007. It is the higher-speed ...
SO-DIMM A DIMM () (Dual In-line Memory Module), commonly called a RAM stick, comprises a series of dynamic random-access memory integrated circuits. These memory modules are mounted on a printed circuit board and designed for use in personal computers, ...
(204-pin), 1.35 V, 1333/1600 MHz, 8 GB maximum * One
Gigabit Ethernet In computer networking, Gigabit Ethernet (GbE or 1 GigE) is the term applied to transmitting Ethernet frames at a rate of a gigabit per second. The most popular variant, 1000BASE-T, is defined by the IEEE 802.3ab standard. It came into use i ...
port * 802.11ac
Wi-Fi Wi-Fi () is a family of wireless network protocols, based on the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, which are commonly used for local area networking of devices and Internet access, allowing nearby digital devices to exchange data by radio wave ...
(Intel Wireless-AC 3165) and
Bluetooth 4.0 Bluetooth is a short-range wireless technology standard that is used for exchanging data between fixed and mobile devices over short distances and building personal area networks (PANs). In the most widely used mode, transmission power is limit ...
* Internal support for
M.2 M.2, pronounced ''m dot two'' and formerly known as the Next Generation Form Factor (NGFF), is a specification for internally mounted computer expansion cards and associated connectors. M.2 replaces the mSATA standard, which uses the PCI Exp ...
(E-Keyed) 22×30 wireless card supporting
PCIe 2.0 PCI Express (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express), officially abbreviated as PCIe or PCI-e, is a high-speed serial computer expansion bus standard, designed to replace the older PCI, PCI-X and AGP bus standards. It is the common m ...
×1, and USB 2.0 * Two
USB 3.0 USB 3.0, released in November 2008, is the third major version of the Universal Serial Bus (USB) standard for interfacing computers and electronic devices. Among other improvements, USB 3.0 adds the new transfer rate referred to as '' ...
connectors on back panel * Two USB 3.0 connectors on front panel * Two internal
USB 2.0 Universal Serial Bus (USB) is an industry standard that establishes specifications for cables, connectors and protocols for connection, communication and power supply (interfacing) between computers, peripherals and other computers. A broad v ...
ports via header * Up to 7.1 surround audio via
HDMI High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) is a proprietary audio/video interface for transmitting uncompressed video data and compressed or uncompressed digital audio data from an HDMI-compliant source device, such as a display controller, ...
* Headphone/microphone jack on the front panel * Headphone/
TOSLINK TOSLINK (from ''Toshiba Link'') is a standardized optical fiber connector system. Also known generically as optical audio, its most common use is in consumer audio equipment (via a "digital optical" socket), where it carries a digital audio st ...
jack on the rear panel *
SDXC Secure Digital, officially abbreviated as SD, is a proprietary non-volatile flash memory card format developed by the SD Association (SDA) for use in portable devices. The standard was introduced in August 1999 by joint efforts between SanDis ...
slot with UHS-I support on the side * CIR Sensor * According to the Intel Technical Product Specification, these models have fans.


Sixth generation


Skylake-U

UCFF system kit (NUC6i3SYK/NUC6i3SYH and NUC6i5SYK/NUC6i5SYH) models were designated ''Swift Canyon'', containing Skylake processors. UCFF system kit (NUC6i7KYK) models were codenamed ''Skull Canyon'', containing Skylake processors. They were launched in Q4/2015, except for NUC6i7KYK, which was launched in Q2/2016. All models include: * Dual-channel DDR4
SO-DIMM A DIMM () (Dual In-line Memory Module), commonly called a RAM stick, comprises a series of dynamic random-access memory integrated circuits. These memory modules are mounted on a printed circuit board and designed for use in personal computers, ...
, 1.2 V, 2133 MHz, 32 GB maximum * One
Gigabit Ethernet In computer networking, Gigabit Ethernet (GbE or 1 GigE) is the term applied to transmitting Ethernet frames at a rate of a gigabit per second. The most popular variant, 1000BASE-T, is defined by the IEEE 802.3ab standard. It came into use i ...
port * Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8260 (802.11ac), 1×1, up to 867 Mbit/s * Dual-mode Bluetooth 4.1 * Internal support for M.2 M-Keyed 22×42 and 22×80 SSD card supporting PCIe 3.0 (×1, ×2 and ×4) and SATA 6 Gbit/s *
SDXC Secure Digital, officially abbreviated as SD, is a proprietary non-volatile flash memory card format developed by the SD Association (SDA) for use in portable devices. The standard was introduced in August 1999 by joint efforts between SanDis ...
slot with UHS-I support on the side * Intel HD Graphics 540 video (580 for the NUC6i7KYK) * Up to 7.1 surround audio via full-sized HDMI and mini DisplayPort * Intel Wireless Display (Intel WiDi) ''Skull Canyon'' models include: *
USB-C USB-C (properly known as USB Type-C) is a 24-pin USB connector system with a rotationally symmetrical connector. The designation C refers only to the connector's physical configuration or form factor and should not be confused with the conne ...
port supporting USB 3.1 Gen 2 (SuperSpeed+),
Thunderbolt 3 Thunderbolt is the brand name of a hardware interface for the connection of external peripherals to a computer. It has been developed by Intel, in collaboration with Apple. It was initially marketed under the name Light Peak, and first sold as ...
and DisplayPort 1.2 * Internal support for a second M.2 M-Keyed 22×42 and 22×80 SSD card supporting PCIe 3.0 (×1, ×2 and ×4) and SATA 6 Gbit/s


Apollo Lake

These UCFF system kit (NUC6CAYS and NUC6CAYH) models formerly known as ''Arches Canyon'', are based on the 6th generation Celeron-branded Apollo Lake SoC 14 nm processor family. The main difference between the two systems are that NUC6CAYS adds 32GB of
eMMC The MultiMediaCard, officially abbreviated as MMC, is a memory card standard used for solid-state storage. Unveiled in 1997 by SanDisk and Siemens, MMC is based on a surface-contact low pin-count serial interface using a single memory stack subs ...
storage. They were launched in Q4/2016. *RAM: DDR3L-1600/1866 1.35V SO-DIMM


Seventh generation


Kaby Lake-U (Baby Canyon)

Intel seventh generation NUC models, codenamed ''Baby Canyon'', are based on their Kaby Lake-U processors. They were launched in Q1/2017 and Q2/2017.


Kaby Lake-U (Dawson Canyon)

A refresh of the seventh generation NUC models, codenamed ''Dawson Canyon'', saw a replacement of the USB 3.1 Type-C port with a second HDMI 2.0a port. This refresh also updated the CPU's in the i5 models while still using Kaby Lake-U processors, and the i7 models to Kaby Lake-R processors. The i3 models saw no change in the CPU. Intel Optane M.2 support remains, but no models with a preinstalled module were released. M.2 support was updated from a single 22×42/80 slot to dual 22×30 (key E) and 22×80 (key M) slots. They were launched in Q2/2017.


Kaby Lake-R (Dawson Canyon)

They were launched in Q1/2018.


Gemini Lake (June Canyon)

The UCFF system kit (NUC7PJYH and NUC7CJYH) models, codenamed ''June Canyon'', based on 7th generation Pentium & Celeron-branded Gemini Lake SoC 14 nm processor family. They were launched in Q1/2018. RAM: DDR4-2400 1.2V SO-DIMM. Officially as stated in intel ark for NUC7PJYH model max memory size is 8GB. There have been reports of "over-ramming" to 16GB and 24GB without any problems while running in 24x7 environments. Max memory supported stated in BIOS dmidecode is: Handle 0x0018, DMI type 16, 23 bytes Physical Memory Array Location: System Board Or Motherboard Use: System Memory Error Correction Type: None Maximum Capacity: 32 GB Error Information Handle: Not Provided Number Of Devices: 2


Eighth generation


Kaby Lake-G

Intel eighth generation NUC models, codenamed ''Hades Canyon'', is based on their
Kaby Lake-G Kaby Lake is Intel's codename for its seventh generation Core microprocessor family announced on August 30, 2016. Like the preceding Skylake, Kaby Lake is produced using a 14 nanometer manufacturing process technology. Breaking with Intel's p ...
processors with a TDP from 65 W to 100 W. It features a custom
AMD Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD) is an American multinational semiconductor company based in Santa Clara, California, that develops computer processors and related technologies for business and consumer markets. While it initially manufactur ...
GPU, based on
Vega Vega is the brightest star in the northern constellation of Lyra. It has the Bayer designation α Lyrae, which is Latinised to Alpha Lyrae and abbreviated Alpha Lyr or α Lyr. This star is relatively close at only from the Sun, an ...
and
Polaris Polaris is a star in the northern circumpolar constellation of Ursa Minor. It is designated α Ursae Minoris ( Latinized to ''Alpha Ursae Minoris'') and is commonly called the North Star or Pole Star. With an apparent magnitude that ...
technologies. They were launched in Q1/2018.


Coffee Lake-U

Intel eighth generation NUC models, codenamed ''Bean Canyon'', is based on their
Coffee Lake Coffee Lake is Intel's codename for its eighth generation Core microprocessor family, announced on September 25, 2017. It is manufactured using Intel's second 14 nm process node refinement. Desktop Coffee Lake processors introduced i5 and i ...
-U processors with a TDP of 28 W. They were launched in Q3/2018.


Cannon Lake-U

Intel eighth generation NUC models, codenamed ''Crimson Canyon'', is based on their 10 nm Cannon Lake-U processors. They come with Windows 10 Home x64 preinstalled along with a 1TB SATA3 HDD. They were launched in Q3/2018.


Whiskey Lake-U (Islay Canyon)

Intel eighth generation NUC models, codenamed ''Islay Canyon'', is based on their
Whiskey Lake Whiskey Lake is Intel's codename for a family of third 14 nm generation Skylake low-power mobile processors. Intel announced Whiskey Lake on August 28, 2018. Changes * 14++ nm process, same as Coffee Lake * Increased turbo clocks (300 ...
-U processors with a TDP of 15 W. They were launched in Q2/2019.


Whiskey Lake-U (Provo Canyon)

Intel eighth generation NUC models, codenamed ''Provo Canyon'' and marketed as NUC 8 Pro, is based on their
Whiskey Lake Whiskey Lake is Intel's codename for a family of third 14 nm generation Skylake low-power mobile processors. Intel announced Whiskey Lake on August 28, 2018. Changes * 14++ nm process, same as Coffee Lake * Increased turbo clocks (300 ...
-U processors with a TDP of 15 W and optional vPro. They were launched in Q1/2020.


Apollo Lake

Intel eighth generation NUC models, codenamed ''Chaco Canyon'', is based on their Apollo Lake processors with a TDP of 15 W, and 64 GB of eMMC. The 4GB of RAM are soldered directly to the motherboard and are therefore non-upgradeable. They were launched in Q3/2019. Intel NUC 8 Rugged specifications, first fanless NUC since 2014, was released in September 2019.


Ninth generation


Coffee Lake Refresh-H

Intel ninth generation NUC models, codenamed ''Ghost Canyon'' and marketed as ''NUC 9 Extreme'', is based on their Coffee Lake Refresh-H processors with a TDP of 45 W. They newly support an 8" desktop discrete graphic cards and a NUC compute element for CPU upgrades. They have a 5.0-liter case instead of the 0.67-liter case of most previous NUCs. They were launched in Q1/2020.


Xeon E-2200M / Coffee Lake Refresh-H

Intel ninth generation NUC models, codenamed ''Quartz Canyon'' and marketed as ''NUC 9 Pro'', is based on their Xeon E-2200M and Coffee Lake Refresh-H processors with a TDP of 45 W. They were launched in Q1/2020.


Tenth generation


Comet Lake-U

Intel tenth generation NUC models, codenamed ''Frost Canyon'' and marketed as ''NUC 10 Performance'', is based on their Comet Lake-U processors with a TDP of 25 W. They were launched in November 2019.


Eleventh generation


Tiger Lake-U

Intel eleventh generation NUC models, codenamed ''Phantom Canyon'' and marketed as ''NUC 11 Enthusiast'', is based on their Tiger Lake-U processors with a TDP from 150 W. It features an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 discrete GPU. They were launched on January 13, 2021. Intel eleventh generation NUC models, codenamed ''Panther Canyon'' and marketed as ''NUC 11 Performance'', is based on their Tiger Lake-U processors with a TDP of 40 W. They were launched on January 13, 2021. Intel eleventh generation NUC models, codenamed ''Tiger Canyon'' and marketed as ''NUC 11 Pro'', is based on their Tiger Lake-U processors with a TDP of 15 or 28 W. They were launched on first quarter 2021.


Jasper Lake (Atlas Canyon)

The UCFF system kit (NUC11ATKPE and NUC11ATKC4) models, codenamed ''Atlas Canyon'', based on Pentium Silver & Celeron-branded Jasper Lake SoC 10 nm processor family. They were launched in Q1/2022. RAM: DDR4-2933 1.2V SO-DIMM.


Twelfth generation


Alder Lake

Intel released its 12th generation NUC compute elements in Q1 2022, code named ''Eden Bay''. The complete kit was code named ''Dragon Canyon.'' It uses 12th generation Intel CPUs. 12th generation also supports PCI Express Gen 5. Intel twelfth generation NUC models, codenamed Wall Street Canyon and marketed as NUC 12 Pro, is based on their Alder Lake-P processors with a TDP of 35 W. They were launched on third quarter 2022.


Reception and ecosystem

The NUC was seen by some reviewers as Intel's response to (or adoption of) the Apple
Mac Mini Mac Mini (stylized as Mac mini) is a small form factor (desktop and motherboard), small form factor desktop computer developed and marketed by Apple Inc. , it is positioned between the consumer all-in-one iMac (Intel-based), iMac and the profes ...
format, although it is actually smaller, physically. Given its kit nature, other reviewers have seen it as a more powerful
Raspberry Pi Raspberry Pi () is a series of small single-board computers (SBCs) developed in the United Kingdom by the Raspberry Pi Foundation in association with Broadcom. The Raspberry Pi project originally leaned towards the promotion of teaching basic ...
, particularly since the NUC boards could be bought without a case. The NUC can also be seen as an extension or continuation of Intel's earlier mobile-on-desktop (MoDT) initiative that was spearheaded by
AOpen AOPEN (, stylized AOPEN) is a major electronics manufacturer from Taiwan that makes computers and parts for computers. AOPEN used to be the Open System Business Unit of Acer Computer Inc. which designed, manufactured and sold computer componen ...
as early as 2004. Most of the third-generation NUCs come in two case sizes, one with room for a 2.5-inch drive, and one without. The smaller case, although lacking room for a 2.5" drive, still has an internal
SATA SATA (Serial AT Attachment) is a computer bus interface that connects host bus adapters to mass storage devices such as hard disk drives, optical drives, and solid-state drives. Serial ATA succeeded the earlier Parallel ATA (PATA) standard to ...
connector (including SATA power). Some larger third-party cases have appeared that can fit such drives. The Intel case is actively cooled with a fan. Silent PC Review notes that “The original Intel NUC had "the distinction of being the quietest fan-cooled mini-computer we've come across." The NUC D54250WYK aswell-based with the same cooling system, sounds exactly the same. In normal use, you can't hear the fan until your ear is inches from the unit.” Nevertheless, passively cooled third-party cases have appeared on the market as well. Larger or metallic third-party cases also provide lower operating temperatures. A review by the
Tech Report The Tech Report is a web site which used to be dedicated to covering personal computing technology and culture.
TechReport's "Abo ...
of the pre-production 2012-vintage NUC found that the NUC would seize up after a few gigabytes were transferred over wireless and that the problem could be alleviated by better cooling of the NUC case. Intel later increased the default fan speed for production machines through a BIOS update (downloadable from Intel's web site for "early adopters"). Regarding power consumption, in their review of the D54250WYK with a Haswell i5-4250, Silent PC Review concluded that "An idle power level of just 6 W and typical use power barely into two digits is very impressive in one sense; in another sense, it's what you find in current
Ultrabook Ultrabook is a marketing term, originated and trademarked by Intel, for a category of high-end laptop computers. They were originally marketed as featuring ultra thin form factor and light weight design without compromising battery life or perf ...
s using similar components." Other companies have subsequently adopted a form factor similar, but not identical, to Intel's NUC. For example,
Gigabyte Technology Gigabyte Technology (branded as GIGABYTE or sometimes GIGA-BYTE; formally GIGA-BYTE Technology Co., Ltd.) is a Taiwanese manufacturer and distributor of computer hardware. Gigabyte's principal business is motherboards. It shipped 4.8 million moth ...
launched their BRIX series, which attempts to differentiate itself using more powerful components, up to th
i7-4770R
processor, which embeds
Intel Iris Pro Graphics Intel Graphics Technology (GT) is the collective name for a series of integrated graphics processors (IGPs) produced by Intel that are manufactured on the same package or die as the central processing unit (CPU). It was first introduced in 2010 ...
.


Operating system support

NUCs support
UEFI UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) is a set of specifications written by the UEFI Forum. They define the architecture of the platform firmware used for booting and its interface for interaction with the operating system. Examples of f ...
compatible operating systems, such as
Microsoft Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...
, as well as most distributions of
Linux Linux ( or ) is a family of open-source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged as a Linux distribution, which ...
. Additionally, they can be used for virtualization with
VMware VMware, Inc. is an American cloud computing and virtualization technology company with headquarters in Palo Alto, California. VMware was the first commercially successful company to virtualize the x86 architecture. VMware's desktop software ru ...
vSphere VMware vSphere (formerly VMware Infrastructure 4) is VMware's cloud computing virtualization platform. It includes an updated vCenter Configuration Manager, as well as vCenter Application Discovery Manager, and the ability of vMotion to move m ...
; multiple NUCs can be used together to create a home lab for learning purposes. It is technically possible, with some limitations in functionality, to install an unauthorized copy of
MacOS macOS (; previously OS X and originally Mac OS X) is a Unix operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc. since 2001. It is the primary operating system for Apple's Mac computers. Within the market of desktop and lapt ...
on a NUC, creating a "
Hackintosh A Hackintosh (a portmanteau of "Hack" and "Macintosh") is a computer that runs Apple's Macintosh operating system macOS (formerly named "Mac OS X" or "OS X") on computer hardware not authorized for the purpose by Apple. This can also include runn ...
". The pre-Haswell Core i3 and Core i5 NUCs will run OS X 10.9 Mavericks well. Skylake and Broadwell-based NUC is also a supported device in
Google Fuchsia Fuchsia is an open-source capability-based operating system developed by Google. In contrast to Google's Linux-based operating systems such as ChromeOS and Android, Fuchsia is based on a custom kernel named Zircon. It publicly debuted as a sel ...
OS.


References


External links


Intel NUC
{{Intel technology Intel products Personal computing