Slimming Desktops Down: Intel Reveals Next Unit of Computing
by Kristian Vättö on May 2, 2012 12:25 PM EST- Posted in
- Trade Shows
- Intel
- Sandy Bridge
- Ivy Bridge
- NUC
Intel has demonstrated a new form factor at PAX East and Intel's Platinum Summit. The form factor carries the name Next Unit of Computing, or simply NUC, and measures in at 4" x 4" (or 10cm x 10cm for metric people). For comparison, mini-ITX is 17cm x 17cm so in terms of area NUC is 65% smaller.
Intel's demo unit was based on Sandy Bridge, although the exact SKU is unknown. Given the size, it's most likely a ULV i3 or i5. In terms of other specifications, there are two SO-DIMM slots and two mini PCIe headers for WiFi for instance. Connectivity is fairly limited with one each for Thunderbolt, HDMI, and USB 3.0 ports, though especially Thunderbolt can support multiple devices using just one port.
There is one thing that goes unmentioned: Storage. Intel provided absolutely no info on what kind of storage NUC supports. In fact, it's not even sure if there is a SATA port since the photos that SweClockers posted are fairly restricting. The dimensions of a 2.5" drive are about 100mm x 70mm x 9.5mm, so fitting one inside a NUC might be a tight fit. An mSATA SSD would be more logical due to the space limits, but SSDs would of course increase the price and/or limit the capacity. It's good to keep in mind that Intel's unit is most likely a protoype showing the idea behind NUC and it's not necessarily a final design—plus OEMs can always do their own designs—so it's hard to speculate at this point.
As this is not a final product announcement, pricing is also unknown. Our rough estimation for a low-end model would be $200-300 since Core i3 CPU alone is at least $100 (though mobile i3s are OEM only so specific price is unknown). Without knowing the exact configuration, it's hard to say how much other components would add to the price but we should be looking at close to $100 with a decent amount of storage and RAM. Then add manufacturing and profits and a $299 price tag sounds somewhat realistic.
The constraints of NUC definitely shape its market niche. While it could be inexpensive, a real desktop can be had for about the same money but with more expandability. Intel claims that NUC is mainly aimed at digital signage and kiosks, and I can definitely see NUC being useful in such environments. NUC could also be a good low-end HTPC if it's configured properly but I can't see much other use for it in a home environment, as a tower desktop is better in almost every aspect other than size.
It seems that NUC is Intel's attempt at bringing the ultrabook idea to the desktop side, and while we have only seen a couple of pictures it's definitely an interesting concept. We have seen what small desktops can do nowadays by looking at Apple's Mac Mini and mini-ITX builds. Even low-end mobile CPUs are more than powerful enough for everyday use, so a full-size tower may not always be a necessity.
Intel is saying that first NUCs should appear in H2'12. It's unclear whether the first models will be Sandy Bridge based, but given that Ivy Bridge is socket and chipset compatible with Sandy Bridge it would seem the more useful processor. Hopefully we'll get some hands on time with NUC in the near future.
Source: SweClockers
38 Comments
View All Comments
StevoLincolnite - Monday, May 7, 2012 - link
Obviously. Hence why I said that's why Via targets the Nano at the Atom.Justturn - Thursday, May 24, 2012 - link
:)mulberry bag : http://www.bagsmulberryoutlet.com
mulberry outlet : http://www.bagsmulberryoutlet.com
Taft12 - Wednesday, May 2, 2012 - link
"The form factor carries the name Next Unit of Computing, or simply NUC"Great idea, but the obnoxious name has me rooting for its failure.
ravisurdhar - Wednesday, May 2, 2012 - link
I think the motherboard on my Asus Eee Slate (SB i5, 4GB DDR3, 60GB mSATA SSD) isn't too much bigger than that.You know what this would be perfect for? More pen-enabled tablets that run windows!
eaanders22 - Wednesday, May 2, 2012 - link
It looks like a handy gadget to carry around on trips for presentations that require full PC horsepower. Plug it into the HDMI on any big screen and control it with a phone using Bluetooth or WiFi.Magichands8 - Wednesday, May 2, 2012 - link
"...plus OEMs can always do their own designs—so it's hard to specule at this point."I agree. It's very hard for me to specule too. What I wish we could get is a fundamental redesign of how the components on a board are laid out and how the MB is designed to make it as compact as possible. Kind of like what Silverstone did for the computer case with the FT03 (although I think it was still quite flawed). Yes, there are ultrabooks available but I want something that enables full access to the highest performance parts and that's designed around maximum cooling efficiency. Something like a modular system block that can incorporate all of the necessities of a top of the line system that's abstracted from a separate storage subsystem. They could even incorporate a hot-pluggable msata SSD drive as a system drive. They should stop aiming for some tiny niche market and design such a system with broader flexibility in mind.
jamyryals - Thursday, May 3, 2012 - link
Flexibility is a niche.tipoo - Wednesday, May 2, 2012 - link
1. Take laptop form factor motherboard2. Remove laptop
3. Sell it for higher margins than higher powered desktops?
Denithor - Wednesday, May 2, 2012 - link
+1yyrkoon - Wednesday, May 2, 2012 - link
Step 2 should be reduce package size. Since laptop motherboards are typically a good bit bigger.Point taken though.