BEST SELLERS

In Barebone / Mini Computers

Sold as kit without OS Small form factor Low power consumption

Firstly, I went with 64GB Crucial RAM, and a 2TB Samsung 990 Pro SSD, and latest Ubuntu beta. This one has the most GPU on the CPU, and I don't know which models have less. I immediately updated the firmware. OK, that's 'too much RAM', but at these prices, one and done. You want to get a kit. Don't one stick it. I like to play with Oracle VM Virtual Box and I also do some video editing. The thing has the PCIe 4.0 that this SSD can use. The BluTooth has awesome range and is late version; it works perfectly with my Sony headphones, connected to my phone and this platform simultaneously. Flawless! Comes with heat spreaders built in for the SSD. Four screws on the bottom and popping in the RAM and SSD, is effortless. Love the BIOS, much better than my old Intel NUC. WiFi 6 is flawless, and I cannot sense any faster using the Ethernet, although I'm sure cable is always the way to go when available. pSensor app shows cool running. Never saw it before, but in the BIOS it has a maximum ambient temperature shut off setting. Get ready, that ... is ... so ... cool. AWESOMELY FAST! I am using the HDMI port for video. I used a Crucial X8 external SSD to load my backup and ... just WOW! (Crucial X9 adds encryption, but is otherwise reportedly identical.) This is probably the last 'desktop' I will ever purchase. The power supply included is NOT USB C, and has plenty of cord, and with the cords, seems to weigh about as much as the NUC. Before I got the unit, I wanted the unavailable USB C format, but not now. I imagine Intel just doesn't want to fuss with PSU issues. BTW, getting the PSU heat away from the MOBO is elegant. I game on consoles, and do not PC game at all. I have opened a few browsers and about 25 tabs, as I stream music using VLC. I can pass on the right with this thing. I am single monitor and this thing does 4K playback without a hiccup. This will probably be my last desktop purchase. My nigh original NUC is on its second fan, but still chugs along. That NUC shuts itself off in time with CPU overheating, when the fan dies. (The Samsung 990 Pro SSD had 'issues', but I have purchased two of these and my separate purchases arrived with the latest firmware.) Intel MOBOs and products in my experiences, are super 'solid' and working 'cutting edge'. WiFi, Bluetooth, ports, GPU on the CPU, CPU, MoBo, cooling, noise, ... this NUC has everything I want without compromise.

Was going to get a Raspberry Pi and set up a Linux file server for a home network. But, by the time I got a case for the Pi that was capable of holding a drive I would've spent just as much as buying this ready-to-run NUC. That, and the fact that already had surplus RAM and a SATA drive, and I figured this was better deal (or at least far easier to implement). Did I mention it has four USB 3.0 ports. so you can add as my external drives as you're likely to need for use as a file server.