14 DAY TRIAL // The Next Unit of Computing is one of Intel's more successful side projects, one that more than one company has taken under its wing. This time, we're looking at a hardware upgrade, not a case change.
Intel itself is doing the upgrading. In the past, the NUC made the news because this or that company launched a new fanless case for it. This is different though.
Different because the hardware inside has changed. Intel has outfitted the NUC form-factor system with an SoC from the latest generation.
That's right, NUC finally runs on a “Bay Trail” system-on-chip, specifically the Celeron N2820, which has two cores. Said 64-bit x86 cores operate at 2.4 GHz.
That's not why the Celeron N2820 is remarkable though. What's remarkable is the TDP (thermal design power) of 7.5W.
That said, the NUC also has a DDR3L SO-DIMM memory slot, a small one like the ones used in notebooks.
A single SATA 3.0 Gbps port is included as well, for an HDD (hard disk drive), SSD (solid-state drive), HHD (hybrid hard drive) or SSHD (solid-state hybrid drive).
The rest of the spec sheet is what one would expect from a mini personal computer made for multimedia. This is, after all, essentially an HTPC (home-theater personal computer).
Here is the list for those who don't feel like guessing: Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n WLAN (Wi-Fi), IrDA, a pair of USB 2.0 ports, an HDMI display output, stereo audio, a single USB 3.0 SuperSpeed port, Bluetooth 4.0 and a VESA wall mount.
The Intel NUC measures 116.6 x 112 x 55 mm / 4.59 x 4.40 x 2.16 inches and has a price of $139 / €101 - €139. It should fit into any environment, but you should be able to clasp it to the back of your TV or monitor if you want it to be completely out of sight.