An irresistibly tiny PC that sets new
standards for compactness and power-efficiency
Despite the pompous name, Intel’s Next Unit
of Computing (NUC) is a modest creature indeed. Measuring less than five inches
square, and standing a squat 39mm tall, it’s an exceptionally compact PC that
makes even Apple’s Mac mini look big and at first glance, the price appears
sensational.
What you’re buying isn’t a complete system,
however. Whether you choose the all-black DC3217IYE or the pricier
maroon-topped DC3217BY, all you actually get is a motherboard, processor and
case. Adding your own memory, storage and OS isn’t difficult, but it ups the
cost significantly and if you’d hoped to populate your NUC with old spare
parts, be warned that Intel’s Lilliputian design demands DDR3 SODIMMs and
storage in the modern mSATA format.
Intel
NUC DC3217IYE
The color isn’t the only difference between
the two NUC models. The DC3217IYE provides a Gigabit Ethernet socket at the
back along with two HDMI sockets, while the DC3217BY bears a Thunderbolt
connector and a single HDMI socket.
In other words, the DC3217BY comes with no
networking capabilities at all out of the box but both models provide an
internal half-length mini-PCI Express slot with antenna connections, so you can
add a Wi-Fi card if you wish.
Intel
NUC DC3217BY
The only other connectors are a pair of USB
sockets at the back, with a third at the front. Oddly, there all run at USB 2
speeds, rather than USB 3, which is crazy: with internal storage limited to a
single mSATA drive, the NUC is crying out for high-speed external connectivity.
The DC3217BY model can at least support Thunderbolt drives, but these are far
more expensive than their USB 3 equivalents.
Inside, both NUCs are powered by a
surface-mounted Core i3-3217U, clocked at 1.8GHz. Like all Core i3 models, it
lacks Turbo Boost, so you won’t see that frequency ramp-up under heavy
workloads. The processor does offer two physical cores, however, with
Hyper-threading providing two additional virtual cores. In practice we found
Windows 8 ran perfectly smoothly on a NUC (the DC3217BY in this case) equipped
with 3GB of DDR3-1066 and a 32GB Samsung PM830 system disk. A Responsiveness
score of 0.67 in our benchmarks confirms that sense of slickness, while a
sluggish 0.37 in the Multitasking test expose the limits of the dual-core CPU.
There’s
something delightful about the tininess, quietness and overall simplicity of
the NUC design
We also tried pitting the NUC’s integrated
HD 4000GPU against our Crysis 3D benchmarks. The system averaged a barely
playable 28fps in our Low quality test, falling to 18fps at Medium quality and
8fps at High quality.
The NUC’s low-power design has upsides.
Cooling requirements are minimal: at all loads, the built-in CPU fan is barely
audible. Use the VESA mount included with the DC3217BY model to affix the NUC
to the back of your monitor, and you won’t hear it at all. Another benefit is
power efficiency: sitting at the Windows 8 desktop, our NUC idled at an
absurdly low 8W. Even in the throes of our multitasking test, it never topped
20W. By comparison, the Mac mini idles at 18W.
With its frugal processor and limited
connectivity, the NUC will never be as capable or versatile as the Mac mini and
the need to populate it yourself east away at the price advantage. Our setup
would have cost us $595 if we’d bought all the elements.
Yet there’s something delightful about the
tininess, quietness and overall simplicity of the NUC design. For a front-room
system, an always-on server or a basic office desktop, a NUC could be just the
ticket and if Intel ever produces a version with USB 3, it will deserve serious
consideration from anyone seeking a stylish, compact PC. For now, though, while
these first two models prove that the Next Unit of computing concept has
tremendous promise, they’re simply too limited for a general recommendation.
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Specifications
§ Price:
DC3217IYE $278, DC3217BY $306
§ Ratings:
4/6
§ Supplier:
www.morecomputers.com
§ 1.8GHz
Intel Core i3-3217U
§ Intel
HD Graphics 4000
§ HDMI
§ Secondary
HDMI (DC3217IYE only)
§ 2
x DDR3 SODIMM sockets
§ 1
x 51mm mSATA slot
§ 1
x 26mm mini-PCI-E-slot for Wi-Fi card with antenna connections
§ Gigabit
Ethernet (DC3217IYE only)
§ Thunderbolt
(DC3217BY only)
§ 3
x USB 2
§ 3yr
RTB warranty
§ 112
x 117 x 39m (WDH)
§ Power:
8W idle; 20W peak
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