NUC is a pretty popular build. I will look at the new Haswell NUC. There are 2 options :-
1. D54250WYK (
http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/n...50wyk.html) - $383
Core i5-4250U
2. D34010WYK (
http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/n...10wyk.html) - $289
Core i3-4010U
The NUC gives you a mobo, cpu and very small case. These new ones also have a IR sensor. Let's compare to what you can build -
build 1 - $264
http://pcpartpicker.com/user/ecrispy/saved/2Bvm
Core i3-4330, Mini-ITX case with PSU, H81M mobo
build 2 - $275
http://pcpartpicker.com/user/ecrispy/saved/2Bvs
Core i3-4130, a nicer case
I chose these Haswell cpu's because power consumption at idle should still be very low, and they are more powerful. The case is bigger but not too much. You lose some nice things like front panel USB 3.0. Everything else (having to add wifi/BT, memory, ssd) is same.
Of course NUC also comes prebuilt and is easy to put together. But it really doesn't seem like such a great value as I thought it'd be, unless size is so important.
Well you can't compare a i3 with a i5 on price. Your builds are $25 cheaper at most, but don't have a ir receiver which evens the price, and then there's the front USB port which I find very handy. Based on what you've said the nucs good value.
The i5 NUC is $100 more at least, and not that much faster in benchmarks. You can put an i5 in if needed for less. The CPU I chose is faster while having slightly higher power draw.
I liked the NUC due to it being a prebuilt configuration. That way it is exactly the same as everyone else that has one, therefore getting a lot of support. Not that I haven't built may machines, it's not due to building ease. It's due to better support based on numbers of people having it specifically.
I am a PC builder i love to build PC's so that is the route i usually take however i could see how these would work well especially with Openelec running on them but i personally custom build my machines for expandability and tweaking as i need it
The NUC is using a laptop CPU that is soldered down not socketed so you won't be swapping it out. It's also got Intel HD5000 graphics which I'm NOT seeing in any of the desktop CPU and certainly not the cheap ones for sure. I'm NOT sure how worth it that added graphics capability is myself and am struggling over what to buy as an upgrade too. So far no one seems to have a NUC in their hands retail to play with so I guess time will tell. At this tage it's not even clear to me that LIRC will support the IRDA receiver - I sure hope so!
http://www.engadget.com/2013/09/13/intel...ng-hd5000/
I think we can be pretty sure that this little thing won't be capable of overclocking should we need more power but it is a pretty nice package. There's something to be said for having a hardware platform that matches many others as it WILL get supported if it's not junk. An i5 Haswell NUC is what I'm currently pondering, is anyone seeing any REAL downsides to it other than price?
(2013-10-18, 07:20)Kib Wrote: [ -> ]What do you mean no one has one? There is an entire thread filled with people who are using them!
http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=140534
Do you note the first paragraph of the opening post where it says Haswell? Do you notice that the link you posted specifically says Sandybridge/Ivybridge? That's a different hardware platform and in fact an older architecture than the one we're discussing here that hasn't been released yet to anyone except for some hardware test sites. Newegg doesn't list them and so far I've only been able to find Amazon listing them pre-sale order. So no, so far no one seems to have them and certainly not tons of people yet.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00F3F38O2...SY165_QL70
Another possibility to consider is the Gigabyte Brix. However these have no irda. They do come with more powerful CPU, at a price though. These too don't have the HD 5k graphics which appear to be unique to the new NUC with its mobile CPU. I think the Brix may be using desktop CPU. The Brix are supposedly smaller too but not by much.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/s/ref=is_s_s...x+gigabyte
HD5000 (Iris) won't be available in desktop CPUs, only the SoC CPUs. I don't think it will have any benefit for video/audio but might have some for gaming at least according to the benchmarks,
An i3 desktop vs. i3 Soc/i5 vs. i5 is very apples and oranges, especially the i5 since the desktop is quad-core and SoC dual-core.
I think the real way to compare is on features -- what you want to do with it. A desktop mini-ITX build can have a lot more expansion options but if you don't care and want the "coolest" and "latest" maybe a NUC is a good idea.
Personally, I hate the friggin' NUC. Stupid NUC.
(2013-10-18, 02:10)MrCrispy Wrote: [ -> ]NUC is a pretty popular build. I will look at the new Haswell NUC. There are 2 options :-
2. D34010WYK (http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/n...10wyk.html) - $289
Core i3-4010U
build 2 - $275
http://pcpartpicker.com/user/ecrispy/saved/2Bvs
Core i3-4130, a nicer case
I chose these Haswell cpu's because power consumption at idle should still be very low, and they are more powerful. The case is bigger but not too much. You lose some nice things like front panel USB 3.0. Everything else (having to add wifi/BT, memory, ssd) is same.
Of course NUC also comes prebuilt and is easy to put together. But it really doesn't seem like such a great value as I thought it'd be, unless size is so important.
The D34010WYK is more than enough for a competent HTPC. No need for the i5. Other forums see the i5 and people say HTPC ... but its a waste of money buying it for that purpose. I will buy a D54250WYK as a main PC (with main storage moving to a NAS)... reason for this is the NUC will pay for itself in power consumption within 18 months compared to my current PC which draws about 350W.
I save 300W power with NUC. 300W x 10 hours/day x 25cents per kilowatt x 365 days = $273 saved in electricity costs.
You mention low power... and choose the i3-4130 (a 55Watt TDP) in your build. You should really select the i3-4130T which is 35W, if you want a low power choice. Neither of these are at the level of the NUC chip which is 15W TDP.
Then... there will be the Forest Canyon NUC which will be using a 7.5W TDP chip and have room for a 2.5" SSD, and only cost $140.
So in answer to your question... Yes the NUC is really worth it.
I think Intel are surprising people with how low the power consumption is on their new chips, and that the cost of the newer generation NUCs is actually lower than the original ones.
(2013-10-18, 13:28)BLKMGK Wrote: [ -> ]Do you note the first paragraph of the opening post where it says Haswell?
Nope, I was thrown off by the thread title which did not specify that.
I have modified the thread title to be more specific.
(2013-10-18, 16:34)joelbaby Wrote: [ -> ]Then... there will be the Forest Canyon NUC which will be using a 7.5W TDP chip and have room for a 2.5" SSD, and only cost $140.
I never heard about a "Forest Canyon NUC", will that be a Bay Trail NUC?
Gigabyte also announced Brix II models with Iris Pro gpu.
"You have your choice of CPU, which include the i7 4770R @ 3.9GHz, i5 4570R @ 3.7GHz, and the i5 4570R @ 3.2GHz. All three CPU choices will feature the Intel HD 5200 graphics."
These should be available in Dec with a starting price of at least $500, which puts it out of my price range. However these are definitely gaming pc's and not just HTPC.
