NUC & BRIX discussion thread

[Kaido]

Is there an estimated release date for the Intel Skull Canyon with the i7?

I haven't seen anything in the news, however, if you check out Aikouka's link above, I believe that MSI is the first company to release a Mini-STX system, so hopefully we'll hear some more about it soon!

 

[ShintaiDK]

It comes in May.

https://benchlife.info/intel-finally-launch-skull-canyon-nuc-with-i7-6770hq-03172016/

i7 6770HQ, 2x M2. SSD slots, External GFX support, Thunderbolt, HDMI 2.0 etc.

 

[Kaido]

It comes in May.

https://benchlife.info/intel-finally-launch-skull-canyon-nuc-with-i7-6770hq-03172016/

i7 6770HQ, 2x M2. SSD slots, External GFX support, Thunderbolt, HDMI 2.0 etc.

Nice find! Found an English article:

http://www.legitreviews.com/meet-intel-nuc-nuc6i7kyk-skull-canyon-arrives-thunderbolt-3_180007

Intel NUC Skull Canyon Key Features:

6th Generation Intel Core i7-6770HQ processor (2.6 to 3.5 GHz Turbo, Quad Core, 6 MB Cache, 45W TDP)
Intel Iris Pro graphics 580
Thunderbolt 3 (40Gbps) with USB 3.1 and DP1.2 over USB-C
Support for DDR4 memory, up to 32GB at 2133+ MHz
Support for dual M.2 slots for SATA3/PCIe x4 Gen 3 NVMe/AHCI SSDs
Full-size HDMI 2.0 (4K 60Hz) port and Mini DisplayPort version 1.2 (4K 60Hz) supporting 8 channel audio (7.1 surround sound)
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8260 wifi (802.11 ac) and Bluetooth 2 pre-installed
SD card slot (up to 512GB)
Four USB 3.0 ports (including one charging port)
Intel HD Audio via Headphone/Microphone jack
Intel Gigabit LAN
Consumer infrared sensor
Ships with two lids – one with a skull logo, one plain mate black (Support for user-replaceable third-party lids)
Dimension: 216mm x 116mm x 23m – an incredibly small .69L

Regarding pricing:

When it comes to pricing the Intel NUC kit NUC6i7KYK has a $650 MSRP and will be available to pre-order in April 2016 from Newegg. The actual ship date will be in May 2016. You still need to add DDR4L memory, the M.2 PCIe SSD and the operating system. Intel believes that a typical build with 16GB of memory, a 256GB SSD and Windows 10 will be right around $999.

To me, the most interesting part of this setup is support for the $500 Razer Core external GPU chassis:

http://www.engadget.com/2016/03/16/razer-announces-pricing-and-availability-for-the-core/

The following models will be compatible at launch:

Qualified AMD Radeon graphics cards:
- R9 Fury
- R9 Nano
- R9 300 Series
- R9 290X
- R9 290
- R9 280

Compatible NVIDIA GeForce graphics cards:
- GTX Titan X
- GTX 980 Ti
- GTX 980
- GTX 970
- GTX 960
- GTX 950
- GTX 750 Ti
- GTX 750

 

[Kaido]

Is there an estimated release date for the Intel Skull Canyon with the i7?

It's official! Just posted to Engadget:

http://www.engadget.com/2016/03/17/intel-skull-canyon-nuc-core-i7/

Pre-order is in April, ships in May. Extremely cool little machine. CPU looks good enough to run VR:

http://ark.intel.com/products/93341/Intel-Core-i7-6770HQ-Processor-6M-Cache-up-to-3_50-GHz

Downside is the total cost of the parts, especially if you were to go the VR route: $650 barebones (or $999 with a 256gb SSD, 16GB RAM, and Windows 10), $500 for the external GPU chassis, and $350 for a GTX970 (minimum required for the Oculus). Boom, $1,850. Plus then you have two chassis & power supplies to lug around. I'd imagine we'll be seeing compatible tech in laptops in the not-so-distant future, which would make more sense if you wanted portability. My plan for my upcoming VR rig this summer was to use a Corsair 380T Mini-ITX case, which is reasonably compact & also features a carrying handle:

http://www.corsair.com/en-us/graphite-series-380t-yellow-portable-mini-itx-case

Versus the somewhat messy Skulltrail/Core combo:

 

[sm625]

So it will be $1000 for a fully functional NUC. OK that makes sense. Why pay $1000 for a GTX970 desktop when you can pay $1000 and get no GTX970!

 

[Kaido]

So it will be $1000 for a fully functional NUC. OK that makes sense. Why pay $1000 for a GTX970 desktop when you can pay $1000 and get no GTX970!

Yeah, that's the catch. And I'm not sure what the compelling reason is, given the price...sure, it's small, but then you have to have two boxes, two sets of power cords, and a mess on your desk. The Corsair box I linked above has a convenient carrying handle, which is nice, and you don't have to shell out $500 extra for a special external GPU case.

I love the idea, but I wish the external case was $99, not $499. $100 to add an external GPU to a NUC-sized i7 system? Sure, I'd do that. But it's a brand-new product & Razer's CEO has already said that their products in general don't have a big product margin (and they only have like 400 employees vs. Dell's 100K+ staff), so the high cost is understandable at the present time. Just not something I would personally buy at that pricepoint...a hundred bucks yes, $500 no. But very, very cool that they are doing it, and we all know that innovation grows steadily & the price drops steadily over time, so I'm looking forward to seeing where it's at in a few years.

 

[TheStu]

Yeah, that's the catch. And I'm not sure what the compelling reason is, given the price...sure, it's small, but then you have to have two boxes, two sets of power cords, and a mess on your desk. The Corsair box I linked above has a convenient carrying handle, which is nice, and you don't have to shell out $500 extra for a special external GPU case.

I love the idea, but I wish the external case was $99, not $499. $100 to add an external GPU to a NUC-sized i7 system? Sure, I'd do that. But it's a brand-new product & Razer's CEO has already said that their products in general don't have a big product margin (and they only have like 400 employees vs. Dell's 100K+ staff), so the high cost is understandable at the present time. Just not something I would personally buy at that pricepoint...a hundred bucks yes, $500 no. But very, very cool that they are doing it, and we all know that innovation grows steadily & the price drops steadily over time, so I'm looking forward to seeing where it's at in a few years.

Right now it's just Razer's eGPU that costs that much money. There will be more now that's it's officially supported. Not sure how much the TB3<>PCIe board costs, but the rest of the parts are COTS. Also not sure what software work is necessary.

 

[Kaido]

Right now it's just Razer's eGPU that costs that much money. There will be more now that's it's officially supported. Not sure how much the TB3<>PCIe board costs, but the rest of the parts are COTS. Also not sure what software work is necessary.

Yeah, now that it's been standardized, it's just a matter of time before commercialization starts making it more accessible. I've seen various eGPU projects over the years; PC World published one such project last year:

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2984...owerhouse-with-an-external-graphics-card.html

Definitely interesting in the technology. Not really sure how much sense in makes in reality though, pricing aside - most hardcore gamers I know upgrade their entire machine when they do a GPU upgrade, or else maybe do two GPU upgrades per machine. But then again, people are running Sandy Bridge chips with 980's & Titan X's apparently without any real bottlenecking, so who knows, maybe this will be a good idea long-term...

 

[Justinbaileyman]

It comes in May.

https://benchlife.info/intel-finally-launch-skull-canyon-nuc-with-i7-6770hq-03172016/

i7 6770HQ, 2x M2. SSD slots, External GFX support, Thunderbolt, HDMI 2.0 etc.

This is what I've been waiting for all along. Small,Sleek and powerful. About how strong is the IGPU going to be?? Can it compete with AMD's A10 series of top end apu's?

 

[Kaido]

This is what I've been waiting for all along. Small,Sleek and powerful. About how strong is the IGPU going to be?? Can it compete with AMD's A10 series of top end apu's?

It has Intel Iris Pro Graphics 580:

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Intel-Iris-Pro-Graphics-580.160664.0.html

The exact performance of the Iris Graphics 580 depends on memory configuration and CPU model (different clock speeds). However, it should be clearly faster than the old Broadwell Iris Pro 6200 and may compete with a dedicated GeForce 945M. Modern games of 2015/2016 should be playable in medium settings.

 

[exar333]

Definitely getting one, already pre-ordered the Razor Core to add-on...

Couple of points:
-Already have a 5th-gen NUC and LOVE it. Get a lot of compliments from people on 'where is the computer' and I show them the NUC mounted on the back of the display. Awesome..
-The only drawback of the NUC is the lack of ability to play newer games. The TB3 connector eliminates that. It will be amazing!
-Dual M.2 is VERY nice. Planning to throw my 850 pro (512GB) in there and then wait for the 1TB 950 pro to arrive. M.2 premiums are shrinking and the performance difference between SATA drives and 4x PCIE is pretty significant.
-I don't like laptops, so this is really the next best thing. Portability (awesome for VR especially) and flexibility to use the Core as a GPU + docking station for multiple components is awesome. I can also still upgrade my display independently without needing a whole new machine.

Been wanting to go REALLY small with my next build and modular. This fits the bill. Can't wait!!

 

[Aikouka]

Downside is the total cost of the parts, especially if you were to go the VR route: $650 barebones (or $999 with a 256gb SSD, 16GB RAM, and Windows 10), $500 for the external GPU chassis, and $350 for a GTX970 (minimum required for the Oculus). Boom, $1,850. Plus then you have two chassis & power supplies to lug around. I'd imagine we'll be seeing compatible tech in laptops in the not-so-distant future, which would make more sense if you wanted portability.

If you really want a small computer that can handle VR, what about Zotac's upcoming GTX 980-equipped PC. To be clear, this is using the laptop variant of the desktop GTX 980 not the 980m. I can tell you first-hand that the 980m does not meet Valve's VR standard (mine scores a 4.7).

My only worry about the Zotac part is... price. Zotac has a similar small PC right now that has a GTX 960 in it (MAGNUS EN970), and it's $800 with a desktop 960 GPU. That "desktop" wording is important, because laptop GPUs are stupidly expensive. The 980m upgrade for my laptop, which includes a replacement heatsink, is between $700-800! Here's a real-world example from XoticPC where you can see that there's a $700 price difference between the 980 and the 980m model. To be fair, there are a few other differences, but at most, they may equal up to $200. So, keep in mind that the GTX 980m already costs quite a bit, which is more than the desktop GTX 960 used in the EN970, and now you need to tack $500 onto it.

 

[Kaido]

If you really want a small computer that can handle VR, what about Zotac's upcoming GTX 980-equipped PC. To be clear, this is using the laptop variant of the desktop GTX 980 not the 980m. I can tell you first-hand that the 980m does not meet Valve's VR standard (mine scores a 4.7).

My only worry about the Zotac part is... price. Zotac has a similar small PC right now that has a GTX 960 in it (MAGNUS EN970), and it's $800 with a desktop 960 GPU. That "desktop" wording is important, because laptop GPUs are stupidly expensive. The 980m upgrade for my laptop, which includes a replacement heatsink, is between $700-800! Here's a real-world example from XoticPC where you can see that there's a $700 price difference between the 980 and the 980m model. To be fair, there are a few other differences, but at most, they may equal up to $200. So, keep in mind that the GTX 980m already costs quite a bit, which is more than the desktop GTX 960 used in the EN970, and now you need to tack $500 onto it.

Yeah, with the ZBOX-EN760-U barebones being pulled from stock, it will be interesting to see where they position the price on the Magnus. If it's a grand or less, going to be awfully hard not to pull the trigger on it as a VR machine. I like the Corsair 380T mini-ITX case, which has a carrying handle, and would let me upgrade to Pascal down the road, but a Zotac-small size would be really nice for taking a VR setup out of the house with me. My entire Gear VR setup fits in a cheap camera bag, which is really nice for portability.

 

[beginner99]

Anyone in the market for an Intel NUC as HTPC should read this thread in the support forums. Basically typical intel market segmentation. The artificially cripple Braswell NUCs so as a consumer you either must run them with Linux or upgrade to a core-i model. The conclusion of this thread is driver support for NUCs suck at typical intel level and be prepared for stuff not to work, in this case HD-Audio Bitstreaming. Note that this is a driver issue and hence affects other vendors as well.

 

[you2]

To be fair (not that I really care one way or the other) it sounded like at the very end of the thread they are working to 'update' the driver to allow the pass-through in window drivers. The entire thread was a bit weird (well intel position) and rather amazed at how long it is taking them to get the driver out but that is politics....

 

[TeknoBug]

It comes in May.

https://benchlife.info/intel-finally-launch-skull-canyon-nuc-with-i7-6770hq-03172016/

i7 6770HQ, 2x M2. SSD slots, External GFX support, Thunderbolt, HDMI 2.0 etc.

Why does that remind me of the Intellivision?

PS- went to the Microsoft Store here in Vancouver and saw an Alienware laptop with an external GPU setup, looked tempting.

 

[TheStu]

Why does that remind me of the Intellivision?

PS- went to the Microsoft Store here in Vancouver and saw an Alienware laptop with an external GPU setup, looked tempting.

I'd much rather have the Razer Stealth and their eGPU solution. The Alienware 13 has a 960m, compared to the Razer's intel iGPU, but everything else is better on the Razer. It looks nicer, has a great display, is lighter and thinner, more RAM and an SSD stock, etc.

Plus the Razer Core, although more expensive, will be compatible with more systems. The Alienware Graphics Amplifier uses a proprietary interconnect.

 

[beginner99]

To be fair (not that I really care one way or the other) it sounded like at the very end of the thread they are working to 'update' the driver to allow the pass-through in window drivers. The entire thread was a bit weird (well intel position) and rather amazed at how long it is taking them to get the driver out but that is politics....

They promised this over a span of 7 month and delivered nothing. they did the same with an older version of the NUCs. It's intentional market segmentation. It can easily be done as it works under linux. It's just a warning. Do your research before you buy one. And even if you do the cheaper atom-based one might run into some arbitrary limitations in the future.

 

[Kaido]

They promised this over a span of 7 month and delivered nothing. they did the same with an older version of the NUCs. It's intentional market segmentation. It can easily be done as it works under linux. It's just a warning. Do your research before you buy one. And even if you do the cheaper atom-based one might run into some arbitrary limitations in the future.

What a bunch of BS. Especially for a product that is essentially the future of consumer desktops & HTPC's, outside of DCC workstations

 

[exar333]

I'd much rather have the Razer Stealth and their eGPU solution. The Alienware 13 has a 960m, compared to the Razer's intel iGPU, but everything else is better on the Razer. It looks nicer, has a great display, is lighter and thinner, more RAM and an SSD stock, etc.

Plus the Razer Core, although more expensive, will be compatible with more systems. The Alienware Graphics Amplifier uses a proprietary interconnect.

This.

Plus TB3 has a LOT more bandwidth vs. the Alienware solution.

 

[TheStu]

This.

Plus TB3 has a LOT more bandwidth vs. the Alienware solution.

I for one welcome our TB3/USB-C overlords and have already begun the transition.

 

[exar333]

I for one welcome our TB3/USB-C overlords and have already begun the transition.

Lol, this.

It is really pretty awesome. The ability to hot swap something like the Core as a docking station, for multiple devices, is really a great feature.

 

[Kaido]

Lol, this.

It is really pretty awesome. The ability to hot swap something like the Core as a docking station, for multiple devices, is really a great feature.

Especially as a multi-purpose box...use it as a desktop at your desk, but unplug it & carry it over to your TV, where you can plug it into a Razer eGPU & game on the big screen. Or take it with you to work, or to a LAN party, or traveling & hook up to a hotel bedroom TV, without having to lug a bulky laptop around.

 

[Aikouka]

My only complaint about the Razer Core is that I wish it had a 2.5" HDD bay in it. The Razer laptops have a piddly amount of storage space, and games are getting really big these days! Someone suggested just using external USB storage, which is a perfectly valid solution, but I prefer less things hanging off my devices.

 

[TheStu]

My only complaint about the Razer Core is that I wish it had a 2.5" HDD bay in it. The Razer laptops have a piddly amount of storage space, and games are getting really big these days! Someone suggested just using external USB storage, which is a perfectly valid solution, but I prefer less things hanging off my devices.

Given the size of it, the 2.5" drive bay would probably eat like 40% of the battery space.