5th generation NUC?

AssaTM

AssaTM

AssaTM

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Hi all, ive been hmm'ing and ahh'ing about a small form factor PC for movie streaming/game emulation to my TV for a while now, and I happened to stumble upon the new 5th generation NUC which sounds just perfect for what i'll need, but I have a few questions.

I'm a bit out of the loop spec wise but will it drive 4k movies with no issues at all? I have a 4k TV and more and more content will start appearing for it in the future so that will be what i'll be streaming on it when the time comes, also how much grunt GPU wise do these pack? I am guessing for SNES emulation etc it'l be a doddle, but what about more modern gaming? what are the limitations i'd be expecting? thank you for your help! :)
 
It will handle 4k, but don't expect a great deal from it gaming-wise. There's a decent review of the i3 version at http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2015/02/11/intel-nuc-kit-nuc5i3ryk-review/ if you've not already seen it.

I've been strongly considering the Broadwell NUC for the past few days and there are two things that have stopped me pushing the button:

- Fan noise. Although it's reported as quiet in most reviews, there is the odd mention of audible fan whine when it's under load, so it might be an issue depending on how sensitive you are to that. Apparently you can change the settings to stop the fan coming on until higher temps, but it did concern me slightly. From what I read the Gigabyte Brix is a quieter solution, but it doesn't come with inbuilt IR (which could be handy if you're using it as a HTPC.
- Skylake. Skylake isn't all that far off now and is rumoured to be quite a significant performance step up from Broadwell (which looking at the benchmarks isn't that much better than Haswell). You could be looking at Skylake NUCs being available some time around Aug-Oct, which would also tie in nicely with the release of Windows 10. Apparently Skylake will also provide hardware support for the new HEVC/H.265 codec, which will futureproof you somewhat.

I am very tempted by the Broadwell NUC, but I think I'll wait for Skylake. The new iteration of NUC might also address the minor fan noise complaint (and if it doesn't then a Skylake Brix is an option - you can get a plugin USB IR receiver for a fiver).
 
The NUC also has a mini HDMI port vs. a full size one on the Brix. The cost of an adapter is trivial, but still, something to bear in mind if deciding between the two for HTPC use.
 
Anyone heard when we might see these on overclockers? Know its a minor incremental improvement but can't quite bring myself to click buy on the Haswell systems given they must be close. Not overly worried about GPU, I'm at the point in this console generation where convenience overcomes excessive graphical beauty. Will probably jump back into PC gaming once there is an APU in the realms of a current mid range discrete card.
 
Can you just buy the components? I want to make one with a tranquil Abel H22 fanless box but I only see the systems available for purchase already in a box.
 
Noxia said:
Can you just buy the components? I want to make one with a tranquil Abel H22 fanless box but I only see the systems available for purchase already in a box.
Click to expand...

You can buy NUC boards without the casings. The only difference from buying a pre-built one is going to be the case - you'd still need the RAM and storage whichever way you went, and I believe the processor is soldered to the board, so there's limited scope for tinkering with the hardware.
 
Thanks Harold. Not actually seen the non boxed components for sale as of yet. Obviously not looking hard enough.
 
Nice, mine's only to be used to Kodi and YouTube duties so I went with the BOXNUC5i3RYK. Impressive little box, should be building it today when the SSD arrives.
 
Sounds good. I need mine for CCTV duties therefore on 24hrs and hopefully not using massive amounts of power.
 
Had to cancel my order as I received an email saying the item was now not in stock :(.

Funny it's still showing as in stock.

Searching for another place to order.
 
haroldbishop said:
Cool. Are you running Windows on it? If so, does it launch Kodi on boot?
Click to expand...

Runs 8.1 fine, only problem I have is sometimes waking from sleep I have to restart it as the desktop doesn't work, ie not start menu etc.

I don't have Kodi start automatically, as I use it for a lot of YouTube etc.
 
I went with a Chromebox as a stopgap Kodi system. I've got it setup to dual boot either OpenElec/Kodi (Primary) or ChromeOS. I'd prefer a NUC with Windows (I find ChromeOS a bit limiting), but it's a good cheap option (£100 off eBay) and runs Kodi great.
 
Don't forget the Gigabyte Brix as an alternative. Comes with wifi and bluetooth included unlike the Nuc AFAIK.
 
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