Hades Canyon (Intel CPU + AMD GPU) Review @AT

[lopri]

I am surprised that this does not have its own thread, but here it is - the first Intel CPU with AMD onboard on-package graphics.

https://www.anandtech.com/show/12572/the-intel-hades-canyon-nuc8i7hvk-review-kaby-lakeg-benchmarked

Final Words

Coming to the business end of the review, we tackle the pricing aspect first. The NUC8i7HVK is priced at $999. This is par for the course when it comes to SFF systems with discrete GPUs. We have evaluated multiple such systems in the last couple of years - the Zotac ZBOX MAGNUS EK71080, EN1080K, and the EN1080 were launched at $1500, $1900, and $2000 respectively, and the GIGABYTE GB-BNi7HG4-950 was launched at $1000. In our opinion, the launch MSRP of $999 for the NUC8i7HVK is completely justified in light of the features offered and the pricing of comparable SFF PCs.

The Hades Canyon NUC generated a lot of excitement and raised expectations after its launch at the 2018 CES. And after taking it for a test drive, it lives up to a lot of the promises Intel has made thanks to the balance between performance and its small form factor. With that said, as a self-avowed HTPC enthusiast the lackluster media support disappoints me - and it will keep Hades Canyon from being the ultimate HTPC as it should be - so this is the one area where Intel has dropped the ball. There are plenty of other HTPC options, but the search for the singular no-compromises HTPC will go on.

Overall then, the system is easy to recommend for consumers who value a portable VR-ready gaming solution with a high-performance CPU, or indeed anyone that needs a powerful SFF PC that doesn't have to make a static trade-off between CPU performance and GPU performance. There are PCs have much better graphics and CPU performance, but, they are priced a lot higher and don't have the same portability or I/O richness as the NUC8i7HVK. And that really is what makes Hades Canyon shine: it's a major leap in performance over past Intel NUCs, and at this point in time there's nothing else on the market that's going to be able to match its performance and features in such a small form factor.

The review is very thorough and there are a lot to chew over, but no doubt the folks here are most interested in performance: From what I can see this particular CPU (i7-8809G) performs like a 3.5~4.0 GHz Skylake + GTX 970 combo in majority of tasks. Due to pricing and other limitation of SFF form factor it may not be for everyone, but I still think Onboard on-package GPU with the performance of GTX 970 is nothing short of amazing, considering that GTX 960 (which takes up 2 PCIe slots) can handle many mainstream titles @1080p with decent graphics.

 

[UsandThem]

I am surprised that this does not have its own thread, but here it is - the first Intel CPU with AMD onboard on-package graphics.

It already does, just in a different sub-forum:

https://forums.anandtech.com/thread...anyon-review-kaby-lake-g-benchmarked.2541976/

 

[lopri]

Oh, I see.

I guess it is technically a CPU and it being an Intel product has something to do with it. Still I thought the GPU part was what was interesting, since the CPU portion is pretty much a known quality.

 

[UsandThem]

Oh, I see.

I guess it is technically a CPU and it being an Intel product has something to do with it. Still I thought the GPU part was what was interesting, since the CPU portion is pretty much a known quality.

I agree. I figured more people in this area would talk about it, but I guess since it wasn't the next gen AMD/Nvidia cards, it's not a hot topic in this sub-forum. Maybe people are saving their energy up to argue about that.

 

[Blitzvogel]

I know they were trying to make comparisons, but I really wish they had tested some much newer and more relevant games. Hell it seems all the sites are being sorta stingy with graphics tests, even though this is a crucial performance segment and the first time we've seen a Vega product for it. You can just about guarantee that we'll see the Vega GH in graphics card form if HBM prices come down, perhaps as an RX 560 replacement for the next generation.

Maybe I'm just spoiled by Hardware Unboxed and Gamers Nexus and how in-depth they tend to get.

 

[Stuka87]

I think its pretty impressive that there is an integrated GPU that can nearly match a GTX 980. With GPU prices being so high, its a valid option for many casual gamers.

 

[Fallen Kell]

I think its pretty impressive that there is an integrated GPU that can nearly match a GTX 980. With GPU prices being so high, its a valid option for many casual gamers.

Unfortunately you are looking at cherry picked reviews of select games. You will notice that anandtech did not benchmark against even their 2017 game list for this card and stopped showing performance at 1080p resolution. You have to go back to the 2016 benchmarks, and in there you will see this can't compete against a 970 let alone a 980 especially for anything higher than 720p resolution.

I was really hoping this would have been a decent performer as I was looking to upgrade a HTPC, but given that I plan to use it with a 4K TV, there is no way this can handle any kind of gaming at that resolution, whereas a 980 could (not that I would put a 980 in a HTPC, which is why I had hopes that this APU would have been at that performance level)

 

[Stuka87]

Unfortunately you are looking at cherry picked reviews of select games. You will notice that anandtech did not benchmark against even their 2017 game list for this card and stopped showing performance at 1080p resolution. You have to go back to the 2016 benchmarks, and in there you will see this can't compete against a 970 let alone a 980 especially for anything higher than 720p resolution.

I was really hoping this would have been a decent performer as I was looking to upgrade a HTPC, but given that I plan to use it with a 4K TV, there is no way this can handle any kind of gaming at that resolution, whereas a 980 could (not that I would put a 980 in a HTPC, which is why I had hopes that this APU would have been at that performance level)

A 980 cannot game at 4K with modern games either. The reason Anandtech only listed 1080P is because Intel specifically says it was for people with 1080P displays. Nobody that wants to game at 4K is going to use integrated graphics.