NUC & BRIX discussion thread

[you2]

Confused these are called nuc but they look a lot bigger than your previous nuc. Also they are no longer squares What are the actual dimensions ?

 

[Kaido]

Part of me thinks "super cool!" but an equal part would prefer the more cube-ish shape of old. Heck, I'd take it a little taller to have a moderate-end MXM video option!

Agreed, I don't mind a nice-looking box on my desk :thumbsup:

 

[Kaido]

Confused these are called nuc but they look a lot bigger than your previous nuc. Also they are no longer squares What are the actual dimensions ?

NUC = "Next Unit of Computing", which is the brand name for Intel's mini PC's. They've mostly been cubes, although the Skull Canyon (p/n NUC6i7KYK) looks like a slice of meatloaf, haha. Item dimensions per Amazon are 5.94 x 6.49 x 1.69 inches. I have a couple coming next month (one for one of my workstations, one for a CAD station with the Razer Core, whenever that thing ships), curious to see how they perform IRL.

 

[daperl]

NUC Skull Canyon NUC6i7KYK - A Look at the Inside 2

Still no interior look at the lid replacement side, but this video talks about air flow, and it shows memory and storage installed.

Here's the video author's response from a question about performance:

Below are some performance comparisons we did based on benchmarks, next is some gaming, but some of that is relative (as is benchmarks) Expect some videos next week showing off some gaming.

NUC6i7KYK is
17.71% faster than NUC6i5SYH on processor performance
20.69% faster than NUC5i7RYH on processor performance

52.06% faster than NUC6i5SYH on graphics performance
40.11% faster than NUC5i7RYH on graphics performance

We are currently doing MIPs performance testing.

 

[Kaido]

$650 pre-order from Newegg:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16856102166

Wonder if it comes with any kind of mounting option. I hang BRIX off desks & walls a lot using the including mounting plate system.

 

[daperl]

$650 pre-order from Newegg:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16856102166

Cool, thanks.

Wonder if it comes with any kind of mounting option. I hang BRIX off desks & walls a lot using the including mounting plate system.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6rV1M8wX6w#t=2m14s

 

[Kaido]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6rV1M8wX6w#t=2m14s

Nice, thanks!

 

[Kaido]

MSI Cubi 2 Plus vPro Skylake mini-STX PC review:

http://www.anandtech.com/show/10282/msi-cubi-2-plus-vpro-skylake-ministx-pc-review

Neat option if you need vPro! Note that there is a regular Cubi 2 (see article for details), then the vPro model, which has a Intel Q170 NIC. Has an M.2 & 2.5" SATA slot, so you can run dual drives. I'd be curious to see if Windows Server 2012 would support all of the hardware...might have to pick one of these up. Swappable CPU, 32 gigs of RAM, NVMe support...basically like a Skull Canyon, but with vPro & the optional for a nice mechanical internal backup/data drive instead of dual NVMe drives.

 

[daperl]

Nice, thanks!

Not sure, but if I quote someone it seems I don't get moderated. Here's the latest video. A little disappointing because of the metal plate covering all the goodies.

Video 3 Under the Lid

 

[Kaido]

Not sure, but if I quote someone it seems I don't get moderated. Here's the latest video. A little disappointing because of the metal plate covering all the goodies.

Video 3 Under the Lid

Yeah, I think you have to hit a certain number of posts otherwise.

Dang, I knew it was small but didn't realize just how small, that's like the size of your hand from wrist to fingertips!

 

[exar333]

Can't wait for my Skull Canyon pre-order...

 

[daperl]

Dang, I knew it was small but didn't realize just how small, that's like the size of your hand from wrist to fingertips!

A little over 8" long (8.30" x 4.56" x 1.10"). The guy said it would void the warranty if he removed the metal plate.

 

[daperl]

Can't wait for my Skull Canyon pre-order...

Then read this:

http://unlocked.newegg.com/intel-skull-canyon-nuc-hands-on-review/

 

[exar333]

Then read this:

http://unlocked.newegg.com/intel-skull-canyon-nuc-hands-on-review/

:thumbsup:

 

[you2]

8 inches seem rather large compared to last generation nuc. I wonder if heat is better controlled compared to the gigabyte iris pro. Those boxes tend to run 75/80c when heavily used.

 

[Kaido]

8 inches seem rather large compared to last generation nuc. I wonder if heat is better controlled compared to the gigabyte iris pro. Those boxes tend to run 75/80c when heavily used.

1. Yeah, but it's flatter, so it's more like a NUC that melted in the sun

2. Curious about the noise level - the double-decker BRIX, especially the Gaming line, tend to get REALLY noisy. Nearly all of my users have come back with a request to use the mounting plate to put them under their desks, so I always end up mounting them on the inside of the desk & drilling a hole & putting a cup to run the wires through to reduce the noise on those ones.

I have a personal fascination with tiny computers & boxy computers (ever since my G4 Cube & subsequent Mac Mini :wub, so I absolutely love these things, especially the concept of getting an i7 with 32 gigs of RAM & a 2,000mb/s NVMe SSD in something the size of your palm. Totally nuts!

 

[Kaido]

Then read this:

http://unlocked.newegg.com/intel-skull-canyon-nuc-hands-on-review/

I really like this idea from that article:

INTEL SKULL GRAPHICS DOCK?

What I’d really love to see is a Skull Canyon NUC with an optional slot for a graphics card. Simply take one of those graphics docks for ASUS or Razer and add the sweet, slimmed Skull i7 goodness.

Really, Intel does the heavy lifting with the Skull Canyon form factor. A U.2 PCIe cable could, theoretically, act as a PCIe riser to the graphics card. Then run a companion power brick and you’re good to go. Easily the smallest VR system available, right?

That said, I’d love to see Intel really flex its GPU muscles and release an Iris Pro VR. Sure, it’s easy to say make an i7 CPU integrated graphics VR-ready, the thermal management alone would be a hurdle in a tiny case. But the goal is worthy — a small Skull Canyon PC able to run the Vive or Rift.

I have an HTC Vive VR headset coming next month & have not yet built the PC for it. It'd be so cool to have a lunchbox to tote around the PC, something like the old-school professional metal lunchboxes with handles:

Have the Skull Canyon board on the left, the GPU on the right (Razer Dock-style), and a PSU in the back, with a carrying handle on top, all in a sturdy travel case.

 

[daperl]

Quiet is my number one priority, with decent power a close second. A 2012 2.3GHz i7 Mac Mini is my daily driver and it's the best all-around computer I've ever owned, but lately I've been trying to figure out whether or not I need OS X as my primary os. I built a decent Windows box for my son, and we do some light gaming together, but we're obviously limited by game selection. Maybe I get a NUC6i7KYK and call it a day. Other than finding Logic Pro and Time Machine alternatives, I'm having a hard time seeing much of a downside.

@Kaido

I like how you're thinking. PC innovation is far from over. I watched this whole teardown video for the MSI Vortex G65. I'm kind of shocked after three years it's still the only Mac Pro derivative, and it's kind of fun to see how MSI does its best to not be too proprietary.

MSI Vortex G65 Un-build Log - Let's find out what makes this $4,000 PC tick!

 

[Kaido]

I like how you're thinking. PC innovation is far from over. I watched this whole teardown video for the MSI Vortex G65. I'm kind of shocked after three years it's still the only Mac Pro derivative, and it's kind of fun to see how MSI does its best to not be too proprietary.

Yeah, and prices are getting nutty now. Crucial has a 32GB DDR4 SODIMM kit for $129 shipped on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/CRUCIAL-TECHNOLOGY-32GB-16GBx2-CT2K16G4SFD8213/dp/B015YPB8ME

That's insane!

 

[daperl]

Yeah, and prices are getting nutty now. Crucial has a 32GB DDR4 SODIMM kit for $129 shipped on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/CRUCIAL-TECHNOLOGY-32GB-16GBx2-CT2K16G4SFD8213/dp/B015YPB8ME

The guy on the Simply Nuc videos was talking about these Cas Latency 13 sticks. Newegg is out-of-stock and Amazon doesn't seem to cary the 16GB x 2 package. They're a $139.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820104669

But they have single 16GB sticks in stock for $70.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820104668

 

[Kaido]

The guy on the Simply Nuc videos was talking about these Cas Latency 13 sticks. Newegg is out-of-stock and Amazon doesn't seem to cary the 16GB x 2 package. They're a $139.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820104669

Ridiculous prices for that amount of memory.

I'm curious about Windows 7 support. They have Win7 drivers & a USB prep tool (copies your Win7 disc to USB, along with USB 3.0 drivers), so supposedly it works. I know some engineers who want to try a Skull Canyon & Razer Core setup but can't go to Win10 for various reasons, including software support for older packages. Also curious to see about Quadro support in the Razer Core. And overall power usage with a Kill-a-watt (both for the Skull Canyon box & the Razer Core box). So many questions! Looking forward to getting my first unit off pre-order in a couple weeks!

 

[daperl]

And overall power usage with a Kill-a-watt (both for the Skull Canyon box & the Razer Core box). So many questions! Looking forward to getting my first unit off pre-order in a couple weeks!

According to Razer rep in this video, the Core has a 500W power supply, 375W of which are dedicated to the graphics card.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGFRoWj0YOw#t=3m13s

Have fun!

 

[Kaido]

B&H has the Skull Canyon NUC for $634 on pre-order for May 21st:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1243688-REG/intel_boxnuc6i7kyk_mini_pc_nuc_kit.html

 

[daperl]

Here's a link to some technical information:

http://www.intel.com/content/dam/support/us/en/documents/boardsandkits/NUC6i7KYK_TechProdSpec01.pdf

 

[TeknoBug]

That i7 6770HQ packs a fair bit of punch in a small system like that.