What can you do with an Intel NUC. What is a nuc computer

Laptop gamers especially will be familiar with how hot and low the top and bottom of the NUC can be. (The heat on the underside is related to the location of the hard drive.) Still, it’s admirable that the performance remained stable and that the NUC did not experience any heat related failures given what I was asking for.

What Is an Intel NUC? What to Know and Why You Might Want One

Intel NUC can best be described as tiny backbone PCs that are pretty awesome under the right circumstances.

Desktops are often large, bulky devices. However, many people find this a reasonable compromise to the extra performance they offer over a laptop or tablet. However, in recent years, technology has advanced so that desktops can now fit into smaller spaces.

Intel is a leader in this market by designing compact devices that offer almost the same performance as larger configurations. The company calls them Next Unit of Computing or NUC.

Here’s everything you need to know about Intel NUC.

What Is an Intel NUC?

Before the laptop, desktops were huge items that required dedicated space. They didn’t fit the home, and a powerful PC was a costly inconvenience. Laptops, however, made computers portable. You were no longer chained to your desk if you had to get on your computer.

However, turning on the screen and battery while keeping the device comfortable to wear left little room for performance improvements. This is despite the observance of Moore’s law in the production of electronics. This law predicts that the cost of electronics will decrease and complexity and opportunities will increase.

Intel recognized this and set out to create a small form factor computer that became known as the Next Unit of Computing. The first generation of NUC was launched in 2013. The headless computer — one without an integrated display — was designed as a PC kit. The small, usually square case is equipped with a motherboard, an integrated processor and a power supply.

Other components need to be purchased separately and specifications are at your discretion. Intel doesn’t include peripherals either, so consider getting one of the best wireless keyboard and mouse sets out there. The same goes for your computer’s storage and operating system.

While you can choose any hard drive that will fit your NUC, no software is included. So, if you are going to install Windows 10, you’ll need your own copy. You don’t need to spend a fortune on it, though, as there are still ways to get Windows 10 for free or cheap.

Access to the inside is through the bottom, and when unscrewed, you can see a 2.5-inch SATA drive attached to the base. Then there are two RAM slots on the host computer that can take up to 64GB, and on the other side an M.2 SSD slot.

What is an Intel NUC?

So we know the NUC is small. However, that doesn’t really explain what the NUC is or what it’s capable of.

Let’s start with the basics: NUC is Intel’s designation for their ultra-small, stand-alone personal computers. The acronym NUC stands for Next Compute Unit, which perhaps suggests that in the near future, home computers may become as small as a standard. While the plural of NUC as “Next Compute” is weird, if you think too much about it, NUCs are acceptable speech.

When it comes to hardware, it would be easiest to think of the NUC as a laptop, without a built-in screen and battery. Indeed, many of the same technologies that allowed laptops to be made smaller and more efficient are used in the design of NUC. Modern NUC models usually have one or more M.2 slots, and often can also accommodate a 2.5-inch SATA hard drive. NUC almost uniformly use 260-pin SODIMM memory modules, with the latest ones supporting DDR4 memory.

Intel has been making NUCs for years and as such, the processors in these units have evolved with the advancement of Intel’s mainstream processors, all the way to the 7th generation (as of the publication of this article). Currently, Intel produces NUC with ATOM ™, Celeron ™, Pentium ™ processors and all three major variants of Core ™ processors with very low power consumption (U). Unlike processors designed for more traditional ATX-based builds, NUC processors are hard soldered to the motherboard and therefore not intended to be installed, uninstalled, or replaced by the end user.

It’s also worth noting that Intel sells its NUC offering in three main ways. The most common in the consumer electronics market are fully functional NUC systems with various specifications. There are also NUC kits, again offering different configurations and functions. Kits typically ship without RAM, storage, or a preinstalled operating system. Kits are significantly cheaper than full systems of equivalent power, giving the tech savvy consumer the flexibility to buy components that better fit their needs.

Intel also offers standalone NUC motherboards, although they are primarily intended for industrial users, manufacturers and hobbyists, and embedded solutions. Interestingly, a fairly significant aftermarket has emerged, focused on building specialized NUC enclosures with improved and / or special thermal or strength properties. While many of these cases are available separately, some third-party vendors sell full proprietary systems, all built around genuine Intel NUC.

Through our partnership with Intel, we had the opportunity to see three NUC products: two different kits and one complete system. We’ll go over more of each unit’s specs below, and go through a few of the many use-cases that the tiny footprint of NUC can take advantage of. We also called our friends at Crucial Memory, Corsair and G.Skill and told them we had some NUC kits we want to test and we need hardware to help bring them to life. Each of them came with a few SODIMM sticks to our NUC units so that we have a chance to bring out the best possible performance from Intel mini-motors.

Intel NUC7i5BNH

The first on our list is the NUC7i5BNH, which is the only model we got that is a full system, meaning it includes RAM, storage, and a pre-installed copy of Windows 10 Home.

The NUC7i5BNH is one of the mid-range offerings in the current NUC range and includes the following specifications:

The Optane memory module is the big star here, and we’ve already covered a few other uses for Intel’s Optane technology. Even though the NUC7i5BNH has all its storage on a SATA hard drive, load times for games and other programs are still nice and fast due to the way Optane optimizes data download and storage. Personally, I think 4GB of RAM is not enough, but it is still more than adequate for browsing email and the Internet, and even for light games, especially when paired with the i5-7260U processor.

There is only one pre-installed RAM module on the NUC7i5BNH, which leaves the other slot empty. A theoretically technologically advanced user can double the RAM of the device by adding an identical flash drive, or go all the hog and upgrade to 16 GB or even 32 GB of memory.

The NUC7i5BNH also has a lot of connections available, especially considering its size.

Front

Left

Back

Again, the most interesting feature here is one of Intel’s features. We’ve covered Thunderbolt 3 in detail, and integrating the TB3 connection with the NUC7i5BNH opens up some interesting expansion possibilities. Since the TB3 has enough bandwidth to daisy chain multiple devices, it can be used with one of several docking stations to support multiple monitors, add additional USB ports, and even connect to an external GPU enclosure.

We wanted to try to test the NUC7i5BNH for performance. We knew we weren’t going to see top-notch graphics performance when we moved on to testing, but we wanted to know what that bold little box would handle.

Our first benchmark was more practical. I’ve played a few rounds of Heroes of the Storm because it seems to me that while it supports some graphically demanding options, it does play well in the lower graphics settings. It’s the perfect kind of casual yet strategically deep game to imagine someone without a bell and whistle gaming computer picking up and enjoying.

I found the “Medium” graphic setting was the best place. The FPS on the menu continued into the mid-1940s, with in-game frames hovering between the low 30s and the middle 40s. Even in 5v5 team fights (moments during the game where all 10 players are in the same place, frantically using all of their skills) I have never seen a drop below 30fps.

The downside is how much the device heats up under load. CPU temperature during games has risen to around 96 ℃, though it drops quickly after returning to a more idle state. The layout is quite intense, especially considering that the NUC7i5BNH’s cooling consists of one small fan.

Intel’s NUC machines have been around for several years and are designed to be a compact computing solution. The latest version of NUC 10 Performance is aimed directly at the creative market and more specifically content creators, but will something this size really handle image and video editing?

NUC Computers

OnLogic’s industrial NUC systems are equipped with our Hardshell ™ fanless technology and enable efficient processing in a small footprint even in the harshest environments. Perfect for embedded or IoT applications with limited space, we provide reliability, durability and flexibility in a small package. Need help determining the best fit for your project? Get in touch with our experienced team of sales engineers.

OnLogic’s industrial NUC systems are equipped with our Hardshell ™ fanless technology and enable efficient processing in a small footprint even in the harshest environments. Perfect for embedded or IoT applications with limited space, we provide reliability, durability and flexibility in a small package. Need help determining the best fit for your project? Get in touch with our experienced team of sales engineers.

• AMD Ryzen ™ 4300U quad-core or 4800U octa-core
• AMD Radeon ™ graphics card – supports up to 4x displays
• Available with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth – contact us for details

• Intel® Tiger Lake Celeron or Core i3 / i5 / i7 processor
• Intel Iris® Xe Graphics available
• Up to 4x display support

• Intel i5-8365UE or i7-8665UE processor
• Dual LAN, 3 display outputs
• Expansion options include 4G, Wifi and DIO

• Quad Core Intel i5-8265U
• Dual LAN, 3 display outputs
• Expansion options include 4G, Wifi, DIO

• Up to Intel Core i5
• 2 HDMI, DisplayPort, Gb LAN
• Special prices while stocks last

• Intel Core i3-7100U processor
• Dual HDMI 2.0 and M.2 expansion
• Optional COM and vPro support (with i5 or i7 processor)

• Intel Celeron or Pentium processor
• 2 HDMI, 1 DisplayPort, Gb LAN
• Triple independent display or 4K media playback

Next Unit of Computing, or NUC, is a computer that uses a compact motherboard with full scalability. These minicomputers offer efficient processing, including Intel Core I3, I5 or I7 processors and AMD Ryzen. With a wide range of I / O options, these industrial systems can power up to 4 displays, provide dual LAN and wireless connectivity including 4G. Tons of expansion options mean the small form factor PC you choose today will meet your future needs.

OnLogic’s Industrial NUC solutions are designed with harsh environments in mind. They withstand a wide temperature range and are resistant to vibrations. Constructed of SSDs and no fans, these solid-state systems are designed to be placed anywhere. These mini computers are ideal for factory workstations, digital signage, advanced robotics and other embedded solutions.

Benefits of NUC by OnLogic

A NUC by OnLogic Makes it Possible

These tiny computers are the perfect basis for powering robotics due to their compact size, durability and powerful computing capabilities.

OnLogic’s NUC can handle tough industrial conditions. Got a production workstation with different I / O needs? We have a fanless solution for you.

Reliability and industrial efficiency with the ability to support up to 4 screens, OnLogic’s NUC will enable efficient and durable digital signage installations.

OnLogic offers free US economy shipping on all online orders $ 250 and above. If your purchase qualifies for Free Economy Shipping, this option will be available at checkout.

We offer free economy shipping only on orders shipped in the lower 48 US states (Hawaii and Alaska excluded). For Canadian and International customers, we offer Economy Shipping via USPS on certain products. For smaller components, this can help lower overall shipping costs.

For European customers, we have a website and a store located in the EU at www.onlogic.com/eu-en/. If there is something you do not see on the European page please contact us at [email protected].

Customers are responsible for all shipping and insurance costs. OnLogic will ship products anywhere in the United States, Canada and, at its sole discretion and under specified conditions, to other international destinations. If the products ordered are in stock and the customer’s payment has been confirmed, orders that consist of components only (no embedded systems) that are placed before 5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time will normally ship the same business day if the method is used. UPS shipping.

Note: It is not guaranteed. Orders for multi-component products that have been submitted to the system by OnLogic or for OnLogic usually require 3-5 full working days to build and test. Bulk orders may take longer. Urgent system orders must be placed by 1:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time in order to ship before the end of work the next day.

Again, the Skull Canyon NUC is a kit, so we installed Corsair’s 16GB ValueSelect DDR4-2133 SODIMM memory and the same type of WD Black M.2 SSD as on the NUC7i5BNK.

For Whom is this NUC 9?

Now, speed demons and game enthusiasts can enjoy a very efficient graphics option that can visually handle almost everything visually thrown at it (we can suggest soon the available ASUS Dual GeForce RTX 2070 MINI OC Edition graphics card, created especially with Intel® NUC 9 and in working with both ASUS and Intel® engineers on board?) and paired with a great monitor (we used the 27 ” Samsung JG56 16: 9 144Hz Curved FreeSync VA gaming monitor, more on that later) and found it all as we had hoped for, we immediately went into full game mode. Who is this NUC 9 for? Us.

ASUS Dual GeForce RTX 2070 MINI OC Edition graphics card

And then came the sticker shock and we were a bit more skeptical.

NUC 9 with Intel® Core ™ i9 processor supports 400,699 for barebones. Add a graphics card (although you can find cheaper cards) for $ 419, a Samsung monitor (steal for $ 280) two RAM modules (16 GB each for a total of 32 GB – $ 123, 8 GB each for a total of 16 GB – $ 68), a 1TB NVME M.2 SSD (such as the one that is super powerful, blazingly fast, and uses a PCIe slot rather than the slower SATA interface) for $ 179, and adds an operating system (USB or up to download, there’s no optical ride with this device) and you’re looking somewhere in the 3,500,800 box. It’s a fairly expensive field to play, but one where you can rest assured of hitting homerins for a while. You can opt for a lower CPU and reduce your RAM)

A key set of memory modules 32 GB DDR4 2666 MHz SODIMM

Intel® NUC i9	Cost	Intel® NUC i7	Cost	Intel® NUC i5	Cost
Extreme set	400,639.00	Extreme set	400 349.00	Extreme set	pLN 999.00
GPU (high-end)	pLN 419.00	GPU (mid range)	$ 399	GPU (value)	pLN 239.00
RAM (32 GB)	$ 179	RAM (32 GB)	$ 123	RAM (16 GB)	pLN 68.00
Operating system (Windows 10 at home)	$ 139	Operating system (Windows 10 at home)	$ 139	Operating system (Windows 10 at home)	pLN 139.00
Mass storage (high capacity) 1 TB	$ 179	Mass memory (medium capacity) 512 GB	pLN 79	Mass storage (low capacity) 256 GB	pLN 64.00
Monitor	pLN 279.00	Monitor	pLN 279.00	Monitor	pLN 279.00
Total	3,500,834.00	3500.368.00	400,788.00

Is it a Buy, Try, or Bye Bye?

This NUC 9 Extreme looks beautiful in action, impresses with speed and performance, and is tough enough to withstand your computer for a while before considering other options. But a fully loaded device is about as expensive as a full-featured, custom gaming PC that can also be built from scratch. The difference is that it will be difficult to find such a complete DIY kit in such a compact package – its size is about the same as most external hard drives available today.

But this price especially in today’s market. You may find that you are better off spending the money building your own, although we’re back in shape. There aren’t enough minicomputers that incorporate the raw power of an i9 NUC 9 processor, although many competitors are starting to dominate the market (such as the Razor Tomahawk) and competitors will come after the hallowed Intel® Core ™ processors (check out what AMD has in store for gamers with the Ryzen Threadripper). So the choice is very personal: do you want a modular and easily customizable unit or something that has no impact on your student loans or mortgage payments? Something that looks good on your desk or can play whatever you throw at it?

Let us know what you think. Does the price matter? Does size matter? Would you sacrifice form for function or vice versa? Let us know in the Comments section below.

In terms of quantity, 8 GB is a great place to start, whether it’s a single 8 GB flash drive or a pair of 4 GB. The 8GB of 1600MHz Crucial DDR3 RAM is just $ 69. The same brand’s DDR4 2400MHz stick costs a little more for $ 85, but is still good value.

Intel NUC 11 Pro review: Design

This latest NUC is tiny: 117mm wide and 112mm deep, just 37mm high and weighs 504g. It’s so small you can easily lose it under a few sheets of paper, and the VESA mounting bracket allows it to be easily attached to the back of the display.

The sides and cover are made of plastic, while the base and the core underneath are forged from metal, and the build quality is amazing. If you need a small computer to withstand a busy office, the NUC will be fine.

This basic base is attached with four screws and the panel is easy to remove. Once inside, the motherboard is simple: you’ll find two SO-DIMM memory slots that can hold 64GB of memory. The platform has three M.2 slots, with two shorter connectors used for the wireless card and SSD. The third M.2 connector is a full size 2280 slot that supports PCI-E 4.0, so you’ll be able to install the fastest NVMe SSDs.

The NUC 11 Pro is the smallest machine in the current range. The NUC 11 Performance is the same width and length as the Pro, but 19mm taller and with different features. The NUC 11 Enthusiast is designed for gaming and content creation and features Nvidia graphics in a much larger form factor.

The only problem with the NUC 11 Pro isn’t the computer – it’s a 120W power supply that’s practically the same size as the system. While it provides a lot of juice for additional components and peripherals, it does seem a bit inconvenient.

The NUC is one of the few great small package options available today. The latest Apple Mac mini is bigger than the NUC but has inferior upgrade options, while the Asus Mini PC PN50 is very affordable and just a little taller than Intel’s unit.

Intel NUC 11 Pro review: Hardware & performance

The NUC 11 Pro we tested includes a Core i5-1135G7 processor along with a 512GB SSD and 8GB of memory in a dual-channel configuration – so essentially this desktop uses the hardware configuration you’d expect in a laptop.

In our tests, these elements scored 141 points. If your daily life consists of office applications, email clients and browser-based tools, the NUC 11 Pro will have no problem getting the job done, and the Core i7 version can handle light photo editing as well.

The NUC is virtually silent when performing low-intensity tasks, and the NUC is no louder than the average work laptop when it deals with more demanding tasks. Loudspeakers, headphones or a busy office can handle the noise without any problems. The internal temperatures were acceptable, although in extended tests the processor throttled to 3.2 GHz. That’s a bit slower than the top of Turbo for all of the chip’s cores, but no surprise given the size of the NUC.

The SSD was mediocre as well, with read and write performance of 561MB / s and 502MB / s. These are reasonable results and good for everyday use, but are far behind the best NVMe drives and slower than a Mac drive.

It’s solid performance, but the rivals are much faster. The Mac mini with the M1 processor scored 223 in our tests, and the AMD Ryzen 7 4800U on the Asus scored 213. Both systems are much more efficient in more demanding work and content authoring applications. When the Mac mini is £ 583 excluding VAT and the Asus hull hits £ 408 excluding VAT, these alternatives are attractive.

Geekbench provides further evidence of Intel’s weaknesses. NUC scored 1,391 and 4,869 points in single-core and multi-core tests. The Mac mini scored 1,740 and 7694 points, while the Asus AMD chip is slightly slower in the single-core test but ranks with the Mac in the multi-core test.

Intel’s single core performance is its biggest advantage, and that bodes well for everyday workloads and less demanding tasks. But if you want to run more difficult applications, support multitasking, or work creatively, you’ll need AMD or Apple hardware.

Also, don’t expect a lot from Intel Iris Xe graphics. It has a speed that allows media playback, basic photo editing, and casual games, but in an off-screen test, the GFXBench Car Chase scored 88fps – while the Mac mini got 179fps. In 3D Mark Fire Strike the NUC scored 2,685 points, but the Asus Radeon Vega chip is about 1000 points faster.

Some Core i5 NUC models use the i5-1145G7 processor instead of the i5-1135G7, but the difference between them is slight. The Core i7 version won’t provide a drastic improvement either, so spending more cash won’t help NUC outperform its rivals.

The Core i5 NUC model we review costs £ 545 excluding VAT for a complete system with memory, storage and operating system, which puts it on a par with the competition – but there are ways to add value to Intel. If you already have memory, storage and operating system licenses, the Core i5 barebones are £ 325 ex VAT, while the Core i7 barebones are £ 435 excluding VAT. If you only need the system for entry-level tasks then the Core i3 hull model costs just £ 209 excluding VAT.

All of these machines are available as fully defined or barebone rigs in the Pro and Performance editions – the Pro model is smaller and has a vPro, while the higher Performance machine has more ports and a 2.5 ” bay. This is admittedly a confusing range, but for the most part, you’ll be able to pick up a Core i3, i5, or i7 processor, Pro or Performance cases, and either a fully customizable platform or a barebone version. Vendors like Simply NUC also set up systems if you want to specify your components and accessories.

However, the pre-assembled device is easy to set up and provides an inexpensive, space-saving alternative to a full-size iMac. There are also more affordable options. The Raspberry Pi is the most popular NUC alternative, but even the latest models won’t be able to achieve the same performance as Intel devices.

What you get with an Intel NUC

You will receive certain parts in the box with Intel NUC. Exact specs may vary, but in the end you expect to find:

• Intel processor.
• Motherboard.
• Thing.
• Charger.

Some Intel NUC packages also ship with RAM and a solid state drive (SSD), but this is not always the case.

What you need

This means that you still need to provide a few key accessories. In addition to the monitor, keyboard, and mouse so you can interact with your new PC, you’ll need to provide storage and RAM if you purchased a NUC that didn’t provide them, and importantly, a Windows 10 license.

Storage

You’ll be looking for SSD storage for your NUC, and some high-end models will even take up more than one. The exact type of SSD will depend on the NUC you purchased. For example, the high-end Skull Canyon takes up m.2 SSDs, while the cheaper NUCs have larger 2.5-inch drives.

You could put a 2.5 inch hard drive inside instead, but for the best experience you’ll need an SSD, and now they’re not that much more expensive. The extra expenses are definitely worth it.

If you’re looking for a 2.5-inch drive for one of the cheaper square NUC models, the 250GB or 500GB Samsung 860 Evo is your best bet. If you only have one disk, I recommend 250 GB as the absolute minimum capacity. The 250GB 860 Evo currently costs $ 95, but it’s a fast and reliable SSD.

If you want to spend a little less, 250 GB WD Blue SSD is also a good choice. For the same price and capacity, you can get the WD Blue in m.2 form if you need it instead, which is a good choice.

If you’re building a portable powerhouse out of one of Intel’s NUC Skull Canyon processors, you can put an NVMe SSD drive there instead. These are the absolute fastest types of consumer data storage drives on the market today, with the Samsung 960 Evo being one of them. For $ 120 for 250 GB, you get a blazing-fast SSD, and it’s one of Windows Central’s favorite drives. The price savings over the 960 Pro are worth the slight performance penalty for most people.

Your NUC kit will tell you how much RAM the system supports and exactly which type to buy. Since we’re dealing with small PCs, you’ll be looking at SODIMMs from RAM, the smaller pens you’d normally find in laptops. Whether you need DDR3 or DDR4 will depend on the NUC you purchased, but again the kit will tell you which one to buy.

Cheaper, entry-level NUC devices will likely continue to use DDR3 memory, which is certainly more affordable. DDR4 is a bit more expensive, especially now, but will be indispensable for some of the more expensive, more powerful NUC versions.

In terms of quantity, 8 GB is a great place to start, whether it’s a single 8 GB flash drive or a pair of 4 GB. The 8GB of 1600MHz Crucial DDR3 RAM is just $ 69. The same brand’s DDR4 2400MHz stick costs a little more for $ 85, but is still good value.

Mouse and keyboard

The downside is how much the device heats up under load. CPU temperature during games has risen to around 96 ℃, though it drops quickly after returning to a more idle state. The layout is quite intense, especially considering that the NUC7i5BNH’s cooling consists of one small fan.

Performance

The performance of the Intel NUC 10 is directly aimed at the growing community of creators, and the balance of power and size is starting to make sense when you’re using the device.

It’s worth noting from the outset that the NUC has quite the processing power of a larger desktop as it only has integrated graphics and the power supply is only 25W; however, what it can do is quite remarkable.

Getting up and running for the first time and you can see it quickly, this machine is faster than most full-size computers I have used. The programs loaded quickly, and viewing selected RAW images from the Sony A7R II proved just how fast this machine is.

Before loading a selection of imaging and video processing applications, I wanted to test the machine through a series of benchmarks including GeekBench and AJA.

The results of GeekBench 5 were impressive.

Single core: 1237
Multicore: 5771

In context, the little i7 processor was faster than my 2018 i9 MacBook Pro. By using the two side by side, the MacBook had an advantage, possibly due to the graphics and 16GB of additional RAM, but not enough to justify the price difference.

Even comparing it to the NUC 9 Extreme, the clean processor was remarkably good.

Switch to AJA to test M.2 speed and results. They were a bit slower than I expected by:

Read: 1257
Write: 816

Still fast enough for most creative uses, including 1080p and some 4K editions.

After your quick benchmark, it’s time to take a look at the real-world test.

loading images into Adobe Bridge was the first real look at computer performance. It took a few moments to load the thumbnails, but it wasn’t as if I had time to pop out and have a cup of coffee while the machine did the processing. Likewise, opening ten images in ACR was fast and making changes was fun and fast with little delay.

By opening a few photos in Photoshop and creating cutouts, applying filters and adjusting the scale, the machine quickly processed the photos without annoying lags and slowdowns.

When it comes to editing in Photoshop, the NUC 10 was as good as any machine I’ve used recently, and the lack of dedicated graphics had little effect on the speed or performance I needed to keep my workflow running smoothly.

However, the real test came when the machine was dealt with several video editors.

First there was Adobe Premiere Pro. Like Photoshop, this one loads quickly, ready for a new project.

After setting up the HD project and dragging S-Log2 material, the NUC 10 easily coped with the editing and application of the Bouncecolor LUT.

I kept increasing the number of edits and transitions to create a short five-minute video to test the speed and features, and the results were impressive. The workflow was smooth and the editing, dragging and dropping of clips was within the machine’s capabilities.

Rendering the last mix of video and two-minute video rendering time was longer than expected at 3 minutes and 32 seconds.

The next step was to create the same project in DaVinci Resolve and re-edit, and the material handling was smooth enough. When his camera was exported, it took 4 minutes and 52 seconds.

Final thoughts

After a few weeks with the NUC 10 Performance, I was impressed, although not like the NUC 9 Extreme.

The little machine was incredibly fast and allowed me to easily edit photos and videos.

However, I had to stop and think hard about using the machine in the creative market. Why not just buy a powerful laptop? It would have been more versatile after all, then I checked the price, and aside from one Dell at roughly the same cost, the price of a similar Spec PC laptop is roughly double, and that’s before you consider upgrading options.

OK, with a laptop you can conveniently move it from one room to another, but really if you are editing a video you should be sitting at your desk for health and posture reasons more than anything else.

The NUC 10 has added tons of features that make it that simple. I hooked up the wireless keyboard and mouse, and when I wanted to, I just unplugged them from the monitors in the studio, took them home, plugged them into the TV and sat comfortably on the sofa.

The choice of two types of display, HDMI or Thunderbolt 3, increases the versatility.

OK, a laptop can do much of what a small NUC 10 Performance could do, but the small size and power are much more conducive to a smooth and stable workflow.

The ability to put so much capacity in one small box makes it stand out. At the end of the test, I am very impressed with the little NUC 10 Performance and its capabilities.

I also see potential and as a creative machine I find it an amazing device and I already know a few people who love small sizes that can be easily stowed away.

This is the main point of the little machine; it is minimalistic but powerful. If you need more, you can add eGPU. Still, ultimately, for imaging it is as powerful as it is needed; for HD video editing is perfect, but for 4K you increase its capabilities and should look at the NUC 9 Extreme.