Review of the Intel NUC Skull Canyon (NUC6i7KYK): a baby with the most powerful integrated graphics. What is Intel NUC and who might benefit from it Intel nuc system unit

About the upcoming release of two gaming mini-PCs/barebones of the Next Unit of Computing (NUC) family - Hades Canyon VR based on a three-crystal Core processor i7-8809G of the Kaby Lake-G and Hades Canyon family based on a similar Core i7-8705G chip. The actual release of the new systems has not yet taken place, although the official Intel website “hinted” at this event the other day, and moreover, during CES exhibitions 2018 company representatives promised to release Hades Canyon VR during March.

The chipmaker still has a little more than a week left for the new products to appear in retail, but in the meantime, we suggest you pay attention to their pre-order prices in Western Europe. The older model NUC8i7HVK/BOXNUC8i7HVK (Hades Canyon VR) will cost gamers and fans of new products from the category computer technology at €910.99 and more. The indicated amount does not include SO-DIMM DDR4-2400 and solid state drives(installation of 32 GB RAM and two M.2 SSDs with PCI-E interfaces and/or SATA).

Those who want to save a little can pay attention to the product NUC8i7HNK/BOXNUC8i7HNK, the purchase of which abroad will cost from €751.99. Compared to the 100W Core i7-8809G (3.1/4.2GHz) model, this mini PC is limited to the 65W Core i7-8705G (3.1/4.1GHz). Difference in x86-core performance between CPU/SoC different systems small, but the graphics component of the Core i7-8809G (Radeon RX Vega M GH) is more impressive than that of the Core i7-8705G (Radeon RX Vega M GL). It provides modern games with a monitor resolution of 1920 × 1080 pixels.

Despite Intel's intention to sell the Hades Canyon VR and Hades Canyon NUCs in the US market at prices starting at $999 and $799, respectively (excluding sales tax), the retail price of these systems will likely be lower. According to the resource

Intel is exactly the company that stood at the origins of the development personal computers, so the first successful mass-produced computer, the IBM PC, ran on the Intel i8088 processor. Most of the servers, computers, and laptops around the world are powered by Intel processors and, of course, the company perfectly understands what a modern PC should look like and I’ll say right away that a modern PC does not have to be big. We are reviewing the Intel Next Unit of Computing mini-PC, or abbreviated as the 7th generation Intel NUC based on the Intel Core i5-7260U processor, complete with a 16 GB Intel Optane module, and we will not only evaluate its performance, but also take a closer look his device.

Characteristics

Packaging and equipment

Intel NUC comes in a bright cardboard package with high-quality printing and informative content on all sides. On the packaging you can see the appearance of the device, learn about the main supported technologies and characteristics of the device. It is also worth noting the emphasis on support for Intel Optane modules on three sides of the package, and such frequent mention of the technology is quite justified; we’ll look at why in a separate review a little later.




As we can see, the packaging is small, but it contains everything you need. The package includes:

• set of instructions;
• metal plate for Intel installations NUC for monitor with VESA mount;
• a set of necessary screws and a sleeve for installing an M.2 drive;
• power supply FSP065-10AABA;
• a set of four replaceable EU/UK/US/AU plugs;
• processor logo sticker.

Appearance and location of functional elements

The 7th generation Intel NUC has received slight changes in appearance compared to the previous generation. The arrangement of the elements and the color of the case have changed quite a bit from silver to graphite. To begin the review, it is immediately worth noting that the Intel NUC can be available in two housing options: a small one with dimensions of 115×111×32 mm without the ability to install a 2.5″ drive, and a large one with dimensions of 115×111×48 mm with the ability to install a 2.5″ drive. We are testing a “large” Intel NUC with the ability to install a 2.5″ drive.
The top cover of the Intel NUC is made of glossy black plastic and can be easily removed, but, unlike the previous generation, there is no customization option by replacing the cover, which is even a little strange.
The body base is made of aluminum alloy, painted dark gray. On the front side there are two USB 3.0, one of them is marked in yellow and is intended for charging other devices without turning it on, a 3.5 mm four-pin Mini-Jack with the ability to connect both playback and recording devices, and a power button. In addition to these elements, there are also successfully hidden infrared port and two microphones, which will come in handy for controlling a PC via voice assistants. After turning on the power, the blue LED on the power key and the blue frame around the functional elements light up.
On the left side of the case there is a perforation for air intake, a MicroSD card reader and a hole for a Kensington lock. The right side is occupied only by perforations, which is good, as it gives hope for good air circulation inside the compact case.
On the back side you can clearly see the exhaust of the cooling system, a power connector, full-size HDMI, Ethernet, two USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt 3 compatible USB Type C.
On the bottom metal cover there is a sticker containing service information and trademarks, as well as four more rubber feet that prevent the mini-PC from sliding on the table and transmitting unnecessary vibrations, because in this option you can install HDD, which can be quite noisy.
Intel NUC is a device in the design of which there is nothing superfluous and everything is to the point, at the same time, high-quality case materials are used, and there is no fault with the assembly. A photo with an Intel Core i5-8600K processor is shown below to illustrate the dimensions.

Internal organization

Intel NUC can be found in several modifications: board only, board with housing and ready-made solution with installed RAM, storage and operating system. It is for this reason reason Intel The NUC Kit disassembles without much effort. To begin disassembly, you need to unscrew the four screws at the bottom of the case - this will allow you to easily remove the bottom cover.

After removing the bottom cover, a slide immediately becomes available for installing a 2.5″ drive with a maximum thickness of 9 mm, however, now almost all SSDs and most HDDs have a thickness of 7 mm.

To dismantle the slide, you just need to disconnect the power connector and the SATA connector. After removing the slide, two SODIMM slots are exposed, so the maximum amount of RAM is limited to 32 gigabytes. You may notice that I already have an M.2 module installed and this is the same Intel Optane, which we will return to a little later. The M.2 slot is designed for installing both SATA and NVMe drives, as well as Intel Optane modules 42 or 80 mm long.

But what if we look even further? This is not a problem at all, and even in advance, in the spirit of iFixit, we will give the Intel NUC Kit a repairability rating of 10 out of 10. Further disassembly is possible after removing the Intel Optane module and unfastening the power button and microphone cables. To dismantle the printed circuit board, all that remains is to unscrew two screws and carefully remove it from the case.

Next we will look at the features of printed Intel boards NUC. Here we can see a soldered dual-band wireless controller Intel Wireless-AC 8265 with 802.11a/b/g/n/ac capability. Since the board can also be installed in a custom case, for example, with passive cooling, the printed circuit board provides a connector for connecting two case USB 2.0 and standard case wires.
Another interesting thing you can notice is the BIOS_SEC jumper, which is used to reset the UEFI password, as well as the CEC connector, which is intended for connecting external control panels.

On the reverse side, the first thing that catches your eye is the cooling system, the active element of which is the fan Delta Electronics BSB05505HP-SM, the impeller diameter of which is 55 mm. A copper radiator is designed for heat exchange with the processor, the quality of which is not satisfactory.


After dismantling the cooling system, you can look at the processor soldered onto the board.
On the same side there is a battery that maintains safety BIOS settings. The ITE IT8987VG multicontroller is also soldered here.
The implementation of HDMI 2.0 is possible thanks to the MegaChips MCDP2800BC controller, so the Intel NUC can easily output 4K images up to 60 Hz.

The Rialtek ALC283 codec is responsible for the sound and, of course, there is no talk about shielding the audio path, and it’s difficult to imagine it on such a small board.

The processor receives power from three power phases and this is enough, because the TDP of this processor is only 15 Watts.

The last thing I decided to show you is an Intel NUC case with the board removed.

Testing

Test bench

The Intel NUC, in our case, was supplied without RAM and we used proven and reliable memory modules from Kingston - KVR21S15S8/8, reviewed here.

External and internal design is, of course, good, but we all love numbers and test results, especially when it comes to mini-PCs, because in addition to miniature dimensions, performance is also important to us.

The first benchmark we decided to run was Intel XTU, it's great for comparing the performance of Intel processors, and if you sign up for HWBot, you can compare your benchmark results with the benchmark results of other enthusiasts around the world.
The next benchmark, PC Mark 10, runs real-world workloads and gives you the ability to evaluate performance in real-world conditions.
The quite popular GeekBench 4 benchmark was also carried out for both CPU and GPU.

To evaluate the graphics accelerator, we used 3D Mark Sky Diver.
Rendering speed was assessed using CineBench R15 and Corona Render.
Data archiving speed was tested using WinRAR Benchmark. For testing in games, we used World of Tanks and got the following number of frames in FullHD at medium graphics settings.
We checked the operating temperature at maximum load using the AIDA 64 stress test. The temperature in the room was ∼31°C, and the test was active for more than 10 minutes, during which time the processor warmed up to a maximum of 91°C and, given the initially high temperature, it's quite normal.

conclusions

When it comes to Intel NUC, you need to understand that this device can “play different colors“, because the list of possible configurations is really large and starts from “accounting” Celerons and ends with top-end mobile Core i7s, and this allows the use of Intel NUC in many scenarios. Personally, my Intel NUC in the tested configuration confidently took the place of my main work computer, on it I write review texts, edit RAW photos in Photoshop, and free time I can play and watch movies up to 4K resolution and it all works without freezing in a case with dimensions of 115x111x48 mm - isn’t it a miracle? After using the Intel NUC, you involuntarily begin to wonder, do I need a full-size PC? Personally, I felt some advantages from switching to an Intel NUC: less noise, takes up less space, has a pleasant appearance and works stably.

When choosing a mini PC, I recommend taking a closer look at the Intel NUC. Based on the testing results, the device receives an award - Editor's Choice!

Hardly a year goes by without an announcement about the release of a truly compact gaming PC. Marketers immediately attribute all imaginable advantages to the new product: it consumes little, does not heat up, does not make noise, everything runs smoothly... Practice shows that at least one advantage was attributed in vain: it either gets hot, or makes noise, or slows down in resource-intensive tasks. To be fair, it is worth noting that some specimens are very good, but they appear rarely and cost a lot of money. This is because simply taking a ready-made OEM solution, wrapping it in a beautiful plastic case and pushing it onto the shelves is not enough - a lot needs to be developed from scratch, debugged and corrected. Only large companies with their own engineers, production and other things can seriously engage in this.
One such company is Intel. In a short time by the standards of the IT market, she agreed with AMD to develop a graphics core, received the product, put everything together on one substrate and presented it to respected users. New processor Intel with a Vega graphics core is installed in the “Hades Canyon” NUC, which came to the Treshbox.ru tests.

Specifications

• Processor: Intel Core i7-8809G (4 cores, 8 threads, 3.1-4.2 GHz, 100 W).
• RAM: 2 × Kingston HyperX KHX2666C15S4/8G.
• Video card: Intel HD Graphics 630 / Radeon RX Vega M 4 GB.
• Drive: SSD KINGSTON SKC1000240G.
• Wired network: 1 Gbit Ethernet (Intel I219-LM + i210-AT).
• Wireless network: Wi-Fi 802.11ac (Intel 8265).
• Power supply: 19.5 V, 230 W.
• Dimensions: 221 × 142 × 39 mm.
• Case volume: 1.2 l.

Packaging and equipment

Inside the suitcase is the so-called Intel NUC Kit - a set of the NUC itself, input devices, power supply and helmet virtual reality. Each element is placed in its own niche, carved into dense foam rubber. The protection against mechanical damage is excellent, it looks brutal and presentable.

In the center is the NUC itself (Next Unit of Computing).

It comes with a 230 Watt power supply, as well as wireless keyboard and a mouse.

Another add-on is the Oculus Rift CV1 Touch virtual reality helmet, designed to show the capabilities of the built-in graphics core.

Looking ahead a little, I will say that the idea is excellent. Now - in detail about the NUC itself

NUC in detail

Previous versions of the NUC looked more ascetic, but this one, due to the beveled corners and curved side panels, no longer looks like a strict office machine.

On the front panel there is a power button, three LED indicators, USB 3.1 Type-A, USB 3.0, HDMI 2.0a, one USB 3.1 Type C, a four-pin 3.5 mm audio jack for a stereo headset, an SD card reader and an IR port. Below are stamped ventilation holes.

On the back side of the connectors there are even more - audio output (including optical), power socket, two Thunderbolt 3 ports combined with USB 3.1 Type-C, two miniDisplayPorts, a gigabit network connector, four USB 3.0, HDMI 2.0a. Below are wide ventilation slots, through which the fins of the long radiator are visible. By all indications, these are “windows” for the release of heated air.

Cold air is taken in through holes in the metal bottom. The required gap when installing the case horizontally is provided by rubber feet.

The NUC can also be installed vertically, for which the serial version will have a steel adapter plate with holes for a VESA mount.
The label suggests the NUC model - NUC8i7HVK, also known as NUC8i7HVB.

It's time to take an interest in the internal structure, and at the same time make a configuration. The top plastic cover is easily removed, as is the shielding plate underneath with the RGB backlit skull. The back side is revealed motherboard.

It has SO-DIMM slots for two DDR4-2666 Kingston HyperX memory modules with a total capacity of 16 GB.

Clearly visible on the right Wi-Fi module 802.11ac Intel 8265.

Above it are two M.2 drives of the 2280 form factor.

The connector is visible on the right in the photo. SATA power supply and blue signal connector. A two-cable splitter is connected to it, allowing you to connect a pair of 2.5’’ form factor drives to the system. The drives are mounted above the motherboard.

The kit comes standard with one Intel 760p SSD (SSDPEKKW256G8).

Two antennas are located at the corners of the metal internal chassis, they are covered by an external plastic casing

Four more screws are removed, and the front side of the board is revealed.

Three crystals are clearly visible on the substrate: CPU, graphics and HBM2 memory with a capacity of 4 GB. The CPU crystal is slightly lower than the GPU and VRAM. The step can also be seen on the sole standard system cooling.

CPU - quad-core Core i7-8809G, capable of operating in 8 threads. Core - Kaby Lake-G, 14 nm process technology.

Graphics cores two: integrated into the CPU HD 630 and developed AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL with 1536 universal processors and 4 GB of video memory. Frequencies from 225 to 1190 MHz.

The TDP of the entire bundle is 100 watts, and it is clear that the frequencies of both the processor and Vega graphics were lowered to curb power consumption. They are cooled by a cooler consisting of an evaporation chamber with fins...

...And two 12-volt turbines mounted on the base.

Test results

The eight-thousandth mobile stone is unexpectedly fast, at the level of a vigorous socketed quad-core processor. The frequency under load is high - from 3800 to 4200 MHz, which makes it possible to show good results in older applications that are not accustomed to scattering tasks across all available cores. This is more than enough for a mid-level gaming station.

The game block consisted of four popular games, the numbers are given without comparisons - based on the average FPS it is easy to understand whether the video card has enough power in one mode or another for comfortable gameplay.

Games that are not complicated in terms of graphics go with a bang even at 2560 × 1440. It is clear that there will not be hundreds of FPS at ultra, but stable 50-60 frames at high settings- Please. Games that are more demanding on the power of the video card are difficult to run on the 2560; the brakes are visible to the naked eye. In FullHD things are better - at medium or high picture quality settings it is quite possible to get 45 or more average frames.

VR fun with games from the Oculus brand store cannot be measured by fraps; you just have to rely on subjective impressions. I liked the game Robo Recall, a nice dynamic shooter.

I didn’t notice the brakes, I compared them with a powerful build on the 8700K and GTX 1080 Ti. There are no complaints about the Oculus Rift CV1 Touch helmet - with proper adjustment to the head, many hours of fun do not cause discomfort, the sticks (or joysticks) work stably and are almost not felt after one or two hours of getting used to.

The measurement was carried out before conversion to 19.5 V, so the losses of the power supply itself should be included in the resulting figures. Typically, efficiency ranges from 75 to 95 percent depending on load power and platform. Some may call the results in the last graph overestimated - the NUC itself consumes less! But, in my opinion, it’s better this way - you can evaluate the system as a whole, rather than individual components or units.

Only 14 watts in idle mode is an excellent indicator for both the system and the power supply. Processor tasks “consume” no more than 115 watts, and further jumps to 175 watts should be attributed to the video core. There is one thing: processors generate almost all the power they consume in the form of heat. And with temperatures the picture is not so joyful.

A small load on the video core and a serious load on the processor - we get 86 degrees. I note that the mutual influence of the crystals on each other is small - 50 degrees on the GPU, despite the fact that they have a common copper heat sink.

Let's sum it up

The official price for it is $1,000; at the time of writing, the new product could not be found in retail sales. Are they asking a lot for it? Judging purely by test results, yes. If you take into account the size of the NUC, the price is quite reasonable; you also have to pay for compactness.

In any case, the company shows the world and its partners how it can be done. The latter, we hope, will develop the idea and also show their variations.

Pros:

• Small dimensions, low noise level under load.
• Good performance in games and work tasks.
• Stable work.
• Thoughtful arrangement of connectors and controls.
• Rich (for a form factor) upgrade options.

• Not detected.

• Price.
• High CPU heating under load.