Mini PC's and Intel NUC's

Boodee on 28/02/2019 - 09:44

Hi all,

I've been looking into purchasing a mini PC but I'm not 100% sure what processor I should be getting. I want to use it mainly as a media box but I also want to do some light gaming like League of Legends for example, I dont play much but on those rainy days it does get boring at home. I will also have multiple tabs open for chrome to switched between Netflix, Stan and various other websites.

I've looked at the Intel NUC Kit 8th Gen i3-8109U for $429 at centre com (https://www.centrecom.com.au/intel-nuc-kit-8th-gen-i3-boxnuc…) though I'm not sure if I need that powerful of a processor.

Some help and advice would be greatly appreciated.

Computing Computer Intel Mini PC

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Comments

  • NuclearWessels on 28/02/2019 - 10:02

    The i3 is overkill for media, but you'll need at least an i3 for HDR output as Intel doesn't support HDR on the Celerons/Pentiums (last time I checked). Not sure about gaming- they're all integrated so I would expect similar performance between the i3 and i5 models

  • Picto3000 on 28/02/2019 - 11:04
    +3

    There's a large performance difference between the i3 and i5, but then only a reported 10% performance difference between the i5 and i7. So the i5 is the best bang for your buck. I have the i5 with 16GB RAM, 512GB NVRAM M.2 SSD, and run Plex, Sonarr, Radarr, NZBGet, Home Bridge, HASS etc., all within Docker.

    This guy reviews all NUC's as they come out: https://nucblog.net/2018/11/coffee-lake-i5-nuc-review-nuc8i5…

    I bought mine around the Black Friday sales last year and it was cheaper to purchase the pieces in the US and build back here.
    Newegg for RAM
    bhphotovideo.com for the NUS itself.
    I went via eBay Aus for the RAM due to Samsung discounting at the time.

    For full kits in Aus, MWave were cheaper at the time and have a range of kits. But yeah, it was still cheaper in the US after shipping and everything.

    • yolo123456789 on 28/02/2019 - 11:43

      I was actually looking to buy one of these as well, so if I had bought one of those ssd like this one here

      https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/439608 (this is just a random link i found on ozb)

      am I suppose to buy Intel "NUC8I5BEH Mini PC NUC Kit" one here with the 2.5 inch driver bay? or am I on the wrong tract completely? and I assume with the kit, all I need is a SSD and also memory card? thanks for your reply!

      • Picto3000 on 28/02/2019 - 13:00
        +2

        There are two versions. Both have a M.2 drive capacity, so it's just if you want a second drive in the case:
        BEH - Taller model that can fit a 2.5" SATA HDD/SSD
        BEK - Shorter model without the space to fit a 2.5" drive

        • yolo123456789 on 28/02/2019 - 13:18

          I do a bit of lite gaming like dota and cs, would this run those fine? by no mean a hardcore gamer and don't even mind make the setting a bit lower, but just wondering if it would a okay to run those games?

          I can see there are cheap gaming pc deals every so often, but the idea of having a really small pc really appeals to me..

          • Picto3000 on 28/02/2019 - 13:33
            +1

            @yolo123456789: You're effectively purchasing a laptop without the built in screen, keyboard, touchpad etc. It utilises a pretty standard "on chip" Intel GPU.

            I don't use it for gaming so can't really comment, but I wouldn't recommend the i3 for gaming.

    • magic8ballgag on 01/03/2019 - 09:53

      Can I asked what operating system you're using to run Docker and it's using to store media? Do you just have an external drive hooked up to the NUC?

  • Boodee on 28/02/2019 - 11:23

    Thanks for your feedback guys :)

    • Danthemanz on 28/02/2019 - 19:53

      There is no light gaming on anything that at least a little gaming spec'd in graphics.
      Maybe try and pickup a SkullCanyon NUC 2nd hand.
      I recently sold one for $400 and picked up a 2nd hand HadesCanyon 2nd hand for $900 to replace it.thst said, the proper i5 & i7 8th Gen NUCs actually have similar graphics to the SkullCanyon.
      Not totally shit for games, just fairly shit…

  • websterp on 28/02/2019 - 11:45

    Recently I've noticed few new entrants in this segment releasing mini pcs with 8th gen Intel CPUs and prices aren't bad either.

    Of course they are all unknown Chinese brands with questionable warranties in case something goes wrong but still it is good to see more competition in this space.

    If you are interested, some of these have been reviewed on Youtube and this one

    • shaybisc on 28/02/2019 - 17:14

      This one is interesting

      https://www.aliexpress.com/item/DDR4-Fanless-mini-computer-I…

      Man, that's a long URL- is that the world record?

      "Kingdel Intel i5-8250U Quad Core 1.6 GHz Turbo Frequency 3.4GHz 6MB Cache
      ​
      The default Operating System Windows 10 Pro, it is just for testing, copied and activated but not licensed, please install the licensed one if you like it."

      • Boodee on 28/02/2019 - 19:32

        That does look nice 8gb ram and 256 ssd for $494 not bad…

        I wonder how hot these things get as I'll probably have it on 24/7 idle most of the day and using it as an HTPC/light gaming.

  • dcep on 28/02/2019 - 12:40

    i think that's barebones kit without storage / rams.

    once you add those into the final price, you're better off getting a laptop.

    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/434841

  • tomsco on 28/02/2019 - 13:44

    Thought I’d piggy back on this if anyone knows…

    I have an older Celeron NUC I’m considering using as a plex server. Wondering if there will be much power draw leaving on 24/7.

    Would primarily be streaming to PS4 a couple of times a week (so maybe 5-10 hours a week). If it goes to sleep and I access the Plex app on PS4, can this wake up the NUC?

    • Toons on 28/02/2019 - 14:24
      +1

      enter bios settings that control this live there, reliability I'd question! trial and error my friend.

      You can always make changes to the devices that make them appear longer through your router and less chance of falling out.

      Ensure you have the new network sharing option ticked on the NUC within Windows latest build. allows you to pull and push from your own network

      • sween64 on 03/03/2019 - 02:25

        Where exactly is this new setting? Thanks.

    • Fornax on 28/02/2019 - 19:22

      Not sure about power draw when idle but you could enable wake on Lan in the bios if plugged into an ether net port. Download an app to your phone to perform a wake on Lan send to the nuc which will power on the machine. Then use a scheduled task to power off your pc at 1am for example.

  • Toons on 28/02/2019 - 14:16

    I trialled the NUC hades Canyon both versions and the smaller unit they tout as a media centre all failed spectacularly thanks to their own in house DRM protection, they tried blaming everything apart from their own product.

    The Intel Staff were not aware or capable to handle issues and the website for a company that big leaves a lot to be desired incorrect links / files attached, unsigned drivers that get rejected by the system.

    Feedback,

    AMD, Intel, and Microsoft all point fingers at the failures at each other, when they should be helping each other.

    Basically the system specs didn't meet the capability. I suggest you read the Intel - NUC forums before you dive in as mentioned above bare bones isn't as appealing as it sounds.

    Cost through the roof making alternatives more attractive.

    It has 2 M.2 PCI bus connections by the time you have added M.2 SSD Unless you plan on using LAN the second slot has the Network Wifi adaptor in it.

    You need to purchase copy of Windows and RAM so before you bat an eye you have spent close to $2500

    The integrated dedicated Vega GFX caused no end of grief motherboard can't be upgraded so this is your one and only

    The small form factor machine is a bit of a con when you take into account the PSU is almost the same size as the unit and heavier.

    I'd wait a while before even contemplating another one.

    Intel's own security protocols with HDCP 2.2 on HDMI 2 cause issues you can't use DRM protected content via the machine. "Could have been fixed by now" people couldn't use a blu-ray player to watch a movie on you end up just buying more and more crap hoping something works.

    From release the specs have slowly been downgraded they failed to get certification for the higher specs.

    Advice work out exactly what you want / require then look at the machines available there's actually much better options out there now that run stable

    I've seen some awesome SFF machines lately and NUC is dead lat on my list try looking into the newer corsair units Alienware, Origin. there are tons.

    Sorry for the rant but it's a beer beware thing

    • DangerNoodle on 28/02/2019 - 16:52

      In terms of replacing the GPU, you can use the thunderbolt port to hook up an external GPU. From what I've seen, it works well despite the pcie bandwidth loss as long as you connect a display to the external GPU so you don't waste the bandwidth on two way traffic. But some games do seem to clash since there's already an Intel and AMD GPU onboard.

      • Toons on 28/02/2019 - 17:32

        Yeah clash is an understatement, once again though you're looking around 800 min for an egpu that's low end so you just keep spending and it's obliterated the SFF machine principal

        Once you have got to this you may as well have bought a custom built tower it would be the same size and weigh less probably.

        and as much as I like the thunderbolt 3 port once you have consumed the power for an egpu you trickle feed everything else

        There is a couple of new machines that are SFF but allow quick easy replacement of components take a look at the Legion it's a pretty solid alternative

        • DangerNoodle on 28/02/2019 - 17:47

          Mmm, I considered the whole nuc with an egpu but it's cheaper to do an itx build in an sff case.

          Hopefully amd Navi turns out well, we may see some ryzen 3400g that would do well in a nuc

      • magic8ballgag on 01/03/2019 - 10:15

        In terms of replacing the GPU, you can use the thunderbolt port to hook up an external GPU.

        Doesn't this sort of defeat the purpose of having a SFF PC in the first place? May as well just look at building a custom PC using a mini-ITX motherboard/case if you're going to start to add external graphics card units etc.

  • Rysta on 28/02/2019 - 17:36

    There's a popular build using the InWin Chopin and a Ryzen 2200g/2400g that would cost a similar amount and thrash it in performance. Highly recommend it over the NUC for the iGPU alone.

    Might still be a little overkill though; a second hand laptop would likely do the job fine.

  • dan2k on 01/03/2019 - 08:46
    +1

    Why has no one mentioned Nvidia Shield? Media with Kodi or other similar app, plenty of games options. ~$250 with controller.
    Plus if you have a desktop or laptop with nNvidia graphics you can stream your games to the shield.
    As mentioned above, NUCs get expensive quickly and still have no decent graphics performance.
    Even a cheap android box can do everything the OP mentioned almost as well as a NUC for $50.

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