Intel NUC 4" x 4" micro-PC - $299 shipped (1.8ghz i3, motherboard, case, PSU)

[Rio Rebel]

It seems to me the NUC is really most suited for HTPC. If you want performance, you need more cooling and slots and drives, which means bigger.

If you're primarily aiming at HTPC, then anything faster than what's necessary for smooth 3D 1080p playback is overkill.

 

[Kaido]

It seems to me the NUC is really most suited for HTPC. If you want performance, you need more cooling and slots and drives, which means bigger.

If you're primarily aiming at HTPC, then anything faster than what's necessary for smooth 3D 1080p playback is overkill.

Yeah if you don't game & don't need it to act as a file server with a lot of storage, it's awesome as a client. The HD4000 handles 1080p playback just fine!

 

[finbarqs]

just strictly transcoding 1080p via plex!!!

probably will never be used as a client. so 4GB maybe even a 60GB SSD, and i5 4th gen is enough. will sit next to my DS213 and be powered on 24/7

 

[z28dreams]

Pretty cool, but I'll definitely hold out until Haswell for lower power + hopefully onboard Iris (HD 5200) graphics. That said, I'm not sure a small form factor like this could manage the heat from high performance onboard graphics.

EDIT: Looks like they are using HD 5000, oh well, still a nice jump from 4000/4600.

At some point it might be worth just going with a slightly larger case (mini-ITX or similar) to get an extra expansion port.

 

[Kaido]

just strictly transcoding 1080p via plex!!!

probably will never be used as a client. so 4GB maybe even a 60GB SSD, and i5 4th gen is enough. will sit next to my DS213 and be powered on 24/7

The Gigabyte models offer USB 3.0, throw in some USB3 4TB drives and your power bill is even lower :biggrin:

 

[finbarqs]

The Gigabyte models offer USB 3.0, throw in some USB3 4TB drives and your power bill is even lower :biggrin:

How so? since it'll be connected to my DS213 NAS, i wouldn't need USB 3.0... Unless you're talking about getting rid of my NAS all together, and just use that strictly... But I really wanted my RAID 1 for my photos... Wish I can somehow just integrate the NUC into the DS213...

 

[Kaido]

How so? since it'll be connected to my DS213 NAS, i wouldn't need USB 3.0... Unless you're talking about getting rid of my NAS all together, and just use that strictly... But I really wanted my RAID 1 for my photos... Wish I can somehow just integrate the NUC into the DS213...

Oh gotcha, thought it was an Ethernet-only NAS. If you can use it over USB then A+ :biggrin:

Edit: Or transcode via the network

 

[finbarqs]

i5 NUC's @ newegg are 379.99 today!

 

[EliteRetard]

i5 NUC's @ newegg are 379.99 today!

I'd pay that for an i7 quad NUC, unfortunately that's the chip price.
Why no mobile i5 quads? :sad:

 

[finbarqs]

it's ULV i5... even the ULV i7 is only dual core...

 

[faithie999]

has anyone who has hackintoshed a NUC tried purchasing and playing HDCP-protected content from the itunes store?

i have tried this on the NUC (10.8.2) and an MSI/i5 hack (10.8.4) and get the error message from itunes that my display is not HDCP compliant. this is not the case. i can boot the MSI hack into windows and the iTunes purchased content plays properly. i don['t have windows installed on the NUC so i can't test windows iTunes purchased content.

thanks in advance

ken

 

[jalaram]

Celeron NUC QS77 for sale at Newegg ($155)

LInk

 

[OddTSi]

Would the Celeron one be able to play full-quality Blu-Ray rips?

I have a Zino HD as my HTPC that I use for watching TV on Media Center (using an HDHomeRun as a tuner) and for streaming Blu-Ray rips off of a media server. I'm looking to replace that with something more powerful and have been very interested in getting a NUC for that purpose. I would just need to figure out what to do about the remote.

 

[Kaido]

ntel's updated NUC squeezes in Haswell Core-i5, HD 5000 4K graphics:

http://www.engadget.com/2013/09/13/intels-haswell-core-i5-nuc-overclocking-hd5000/

Gigabyte shows off tiny BRIX gaming PC with Haswell and Iris Pro graphics (hands-on):

http://www.engadget.com/2013/09/12/gigabyte-brix-gaming-pc/

Excellent news on the 4K support, I have some Seiki projects I've been meaning to try at work but didn't have to put a big desktop next to them. They have the 39" 4K TV for like $599 now!

 

[Pheran]

ntel's updated NUC squeezes in Haswell Core-i5, HD 5000 4K graphics:

http://www.engadget.com/2013/09/13/intels-haswell-core-i5-nuc-overclocking-hd5000/

Nice, but no mention of HDMI port, which would be annoying. I guess I could use a DisplayPort to HDMI adapter.

EDIT: Is the inclusion of the infrared sensor new? Because that's a fantastic addition if so.

EDIT2: One of the comments claims it also has a mini-HDMI port.

 

[Pheran]

Official Intel Haswell NUC specs, this is much more detailed than the Engagdet article. Looks great, I think I've finally found an HTPC.

 

[alfa147x]

I want the price! So I can plan 1000 things to use it for and then never buy one...

 

[Pheran]

Intel NUC Kit D54250WYK Review – The NUC Gets Haswell Power!

Claims the street prices will be $283 for i3 version or $360 for the i5 version, ETA late October

 

[Kaido]

Thunderbolt i3 model is on sale for $249 shipped:

http://www.amazon.com/Intel-Next-Com...dp/B0093LINT2/

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16856102001

 

[Kaido]

Intel NUC Kit D54250WYK Review – The NUC Gets Haswell Power!

Claims the street prices will be $283 for i3 version or $360 for the i5 version, ETA late October

Yeah, this seriously looks like the bomb. They said it's about 12% thinner now too, with the Haswell. Still think it's dumb they don't include the 3-prong power cord, but give you the power brick. I love the connectivity as well, they nailed it:

Front: (2) USB 3.0 ports, 3.5mm audio jack, IR sensor
Rear: (2) USB 3.0 ports, Mini DP, Mini HDMI, Gigabit Ethernet

I wish there was a 3.5mm audio jack on the rear, that would make it easier to deploy with an off-the-shelf set of desktop speakers and the hide the audio cable in the back instead of the front, but I'm just happy they included an analog jack at all with the new version. I either had to use USB speakers or a USB sound card, or find a monitor with HDMI speakers.

Really though, this thing is the bomb for non-gaming HTPC's - IR port for normal control, throw Plex & some retro gaming emulators on it with a couple wireless Xbox 360 controllers, get a wireless keyboard & mouse/touchpad for surfing, boom - instant TV computer box :thumbsup:

 

[Pheran]

Really though, this thing is the bomb for non-gaming HTPC's - IR port for normal control, throw Plex & some retro gaming emulators on it with a couple wireless Xbox 360 controllers, get a wireless keyboard & mouse/touchpad for surfing, boom - instant TV computer box :thumbsup:

Yup, that's what I've been thinking. With the HD5000 graphics, you should even be able to do some light gaming.

 

[jaydee]

Yeah, this seriously looks like the bomb. They said it's about 12% thinner now too, with the Haswell. Still think it's dumb they don't include the 3-prong power cord, but give you the power brick. I love the connectivity as well, they nailed it:

Front: (2) USB 3.0 ports, 3.5mm audio jack, IR sensor
Rear: (2) USB 3.0 ports, Mini DP, Mini HDMI, Gigabit Ethernet

I wish there was a 3.5mm audio jack on the rear, that would make it easier to deploy with an off-the-shelf set of desktop speakers and the hide the audio cable in the back instead of the front, but I'm just happy they included an analog jack at all with the new version. I either had to use USB speakers or a USB sound card, or find a monitor with HDMI speakers.

Really though, this thing is the bomb for non-gaming HTPC's - IR port for normal control, throw Plex & some retro gaming emulators on it with a couple wireless Xbox 360 controllers, get a wireless keyboard & mouse/touchpad for surfing, boom - instant TV computer box :thumbsup:

Did Intel drop Thunderbolt for a standard mini-DP?

Edit: What's also really interesting is that the "street price" is expected to be $360 for the NUC with i5-4250U, Intel quotes the CPU alone at $342 "recommended customer price" for the i5-4250U (http://ark.intel.com/products/75028). They must be making a mammoth profit on external sales with that CPU, because clearly their cost is nowhere near that price...

 

[Kaido]

Did Intel drop Thunderbolt for a standard mini-DP?

Edit: What's also really interesting is that the "street price" is expected to be $360 for the NUC with i5-4250U, Intel quotes the CPU alone at $342 "recommended customer price" for the i5-4250U (http://ark.intel.com/products/75028). They must be making a mammoth profit on external sales with that CPU, because clearly their cost is nowhere near that price...

Yup, they dropped Thunderbolt on the new models. Both of the Haswell systems are the same except the processor (i3 or i7). I'd be interested to see if Gigabyte does a BRIX that has a rear analog audio port, though.

Yeah, it's the same idea as a car - it's cheaper if you buy it as a package, because individual parts are going to be way more expensive if bought separately. Especially on stuff that is sold in low volume outside of the mainstream product, like a laptop CPU. A quick Newegg search is showing me an i3 Haswell laptop for $449, even though the CPU tray price is $287 and Windows 8 is $99, which would make the laptop itself $63 (screen, motherboard, shell, keyboard, touchpad, RAM, battery, A/C plug, etc.):

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16834314150

http://ark.intel.com/products/75459/Intel-Core-i5-4200U-Processor-3M-Cache-up-to-2_60-GHz

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16832416550

Probably my only real complaint with the NUC is the price, but what you spend up front nets you a good i-series mobile CPU, a tiny low-heat, low-noise computer, and super low wattage. The new Haswell NUC is like 5 watts idle and 30 watts load...so even at max, it's only half the power of a 60-watt light bulb, which is pretty crazy.

I think the new ones will definitely be a hit with HTPC enthusiasts. The inclusion of an IR port is really nice because getting a good-quality living-room/family-friendly remote control for a computer is always a hard thing to come by.

 

[Kaido]

Intel & Gigabyte also have a new Bay Trail-M Atom NUC coming out in Q1 2014 (the DN2810FYK), which looks like it will have an MSRP of $139:

http://www.pcper.com/news/General-Tech/Bay-Trail-M-Powered-Intel-NUC-Coming-Q1-2014-140

One USB 3.0, two USB 2.0, IR receiver, analog audio jack, HDMI, Gigabit Ethernet, single DIMM slot (max 8GB RAM). It will also be taller because it will apparently use a standard 2.5" drive, which would be huge for the overall cost factor because you could buy cheap laptop drives instead of expensive & small mSATA drives, and also throw in a large storage drive, like a 1TB 2.5" drive.

I'm curious to see if the new Atom CPU/GPU stuff can handle things like high-bitrate 1080p MKVs. If so, there's virtually no reason to buy the Core i-series Haswell NUC for HTPC usage, unless you want to do some lightweight gaming or run 4K source material. aka, super cheap HTPC front-ends! :awe:

 

[finbarqs]

Yup, they dropped Thunderbolt on the new models. Both of the Haswell systems are the same except the processor (i3 or i7). I'd be interested to see if Gigabyte does a BRIX that has a rear analog audio port, though.

Yeah, it's the same idea as a car - it's cheaper if you buy it as a package, because individual parts are going to be way more expensive if bought separately. Especially on stuff that is sold in low volume outside of the mainstream product, like a laptop CPU. A quick Newegg search is showing me an i3 Haswell laptop for $449, even though the CPU tray price is $287 and Windows 8 is $99, which would make the laptop itself $63 (screen, motherboard, shell, keyboard, touchpad, RAM, battery, A/C plug, etc.):

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16834314150

http://ark.intel.com/products/75459/Intel-Core-i5-4200U-Processor-3M-Cache-up-to-2_60-GHz

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16832416550

Probably my only real complaint with the NUC is the price, but what you spend up front nets you a good i-series mobile CPU, a tiny low-heat, low-noise computer, and super low wattage. The new Haswell NUC is like 5 watts idle and 30 watts load...so even at max, it's only half the power of a 60-watt light bulb, which is pretty crazy.

I think the new ones will definitely be a hit with HTPC enthusiasts. The inclusion of an IR port is really nice because getting a good-quality living-room/family-friendly remote control for a computer is always a hard thing to come by.

YES!!! 24/7 operation for my transcoding done!!!