We've reviewed the Intel NUC in both its early Ivy Bridge Core processor incarnation and also very recently packing a Haswell Core i5 processor and Intel HD 5000 graphics. These bare bones systems were priced around the £300 mark and while the latest version we saw had much improved graphics performance it still wasn't cutting it in gaming. It "failed to break the crucial 30fps barrier with either BioShock Infinite or Far Cry 3 at low-quality settings and 1080p" noted Tarinder. So perhaps a tiny system which doesn't have any such graphics acceleration aspirations but can sit quietly in your living room doing media centre duties works better for now, at a much better entry price. Fitting that profile Intel has launched the NUC Kit DN2820FYKH fitted with a Celeron N2820 (Bay Trail) processor running at up to 2.4GHz dual-core with 1MB cache and a 7.5W TDP.
Summing up the appeal of this latest member of the NUC family Intel says that it provides users with "an ideal combination of power consumption, software compatibility, and performance to drive your social media, work, and entertainment." Like other NUC computers it measures about 4-inches square but this one is a little taller than the i5 Haswell version we had in for review, that measured 35mm in height while this Bay Trail NUC measures just over 51mm tall.
The Intel NUC Kit DN2820FYKH has the following key specifications:
- Processor: Intel Celeron processor N2820 (up to 2.4GHz dual-core, 1MB cache, 7.5W TDP)
- Memory: 1 DDR3L SODIMM, 1.35V, 1333/1600 MHz (down clocked to 1066 MHz), 8GB maximum
- Storage: 2.5-inch drive compatibility
- Graphics: Intel HD Graphics (up to 756MHz)
- Audio: Up to 7.1 surround audio via HDMI interface
- Connectivity: 1 x HDMI 1.4a, Back panel headphone/microphone jack, 1 x USB 3.0 port on the front panel, 2 x USB 2.0 ports on the back panel, Front panel consumer IR sensor, 10/100/1000Mbps Ethernet port, Intel Wireless-N 7260BN pre-installed, including wireless antennas, (IEEE 802.11bgn, Bluetooth 4.0, Intel Wireless Display built-in)
- Physical: 116.6mm x 112mm x 51.5mm, VESA mount bracket (included), plus 12V 36W power adaptor brick.
Please note that the single half-length PCIe mini-card slot is currently in use by the Wireless card. Also this is an actively cooled NUC model but it is rumoured that there is a fanless SKU on the way.
Liliputing notes that the bare bones system is currently available on Amazon US for $140, which ties in with our exclusive reveal of this Bay Trail NUC last September. Also it found a pre-kitted-out version at another retailer.
