Opinions on Intel NUC

I have seen these mini PCs for a little while, and I would like to know what do you think about them.
Also, can you tell me if the Core i3 6100U (pic related) is a good model to replace my current Athlon 5350 mini PC? I currently use it to surf the net, watch videos, do some BOINC when I am not working and play some light games.
Many thanks.

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Compare them and see if it's worth it.
cpubenchmark.net/compare.php?cmp[]=2623&cmp[]=2195

How much RAM we talking in this NUC?

Used them at work for users that needed something more than a thin client.
They're decent computers for web browsing/video watching/etc. but IDK if they would do gaming well

The Skull canyon is okay for gaming from what I've seen.

They are pretty cool if you ask me. But not the slim ones, the ones that are cubic. Can put a real GPU in there, basically a tower computer that you can carry. But cooling can be a problem.

Would be pretty nice to use one of those NUCs that you screw behind the monitor.
Want to get really comfy and compact.

Got one - bumped to 16Gb RAM and a 750Gb SSD.
Running CentOS 6.5 for development work - not a bad box at all...

I have a NUC cluster setup for a Hadoop instance that I'm using for a personal project.

It's pretty nice, but the power supplys are shit. Of the 6 of them, three have died and needed to be replaced after being on 24x7 for a year or so.

I wish NUCs weren't that expesive, I'd use one for personal projects instead of a whitebox

I use a 5350, built it in to a small case and it does fine with all tasks i throw at it. Why do you think you should go to a nuc?

Real GPU in an Intel NUC?

We talking about the same thing???

NUCs with TB3 can use a "Desktop" GPU

I bought one for my parents as HTPC. Works pretty good. Is certainly way more expensive than a custom build, but if you need something small I think there isn't anything better for the price.

Don't go i3.
Go for the Skull Canyon ones.
They bring you the ability of external PCI-E devices and it's better for the cost.

I'd use one of these.

I bet they stink from too much heat playing games, as the NUC's have no fans. Best left to web browsing or video playing, even that can create a lot of heat. Better off buying a laptop with a fan for gaming or a tablet, but the tablets can stink from heat if playing games for too long as they don't have fans inside either, mostly.

What OS are you using and how comfy is it in general?

The newer i5 and above have fans.

I use a NUC as the main computer in my home office.

I mainly use it for application development and managing/editing my audio files (audiophile).

If you do not need to game on the computer its a pretty great little system that packs plenty of power in a tiny size. I think oversized boxes with led's and loud fans are overrated and appeals to little teens and immature adults. I like how it stays hidden behind a monitor but I've since moved it to my desk as I frequently plug in usb devices. Its great having a clean and tidy workspace that doesn't distract from your rooms décor.

Performance wise, it can play 4K content just fine (edge is actually more efficient at 4K youtube content than chrome) and gladly handles everything else I've thrown at it very well (code compilation, WAV file editing, encoding movies, etc)

The only downside is that they do run fairly warm, even for at 15 watt TDP. I increased the default fan speed which means at night, when all else is quiet, I can hear the fan. If I mount it behind my monitor, that cuts down on the majority of the noise but then you don't have easy access to the usb ports.

They tend to be more expensive vs. building similar spec system using itx board but then you also increase the footprint greatly.

get one... they are great to not only play/experiment with but can serve as a daily machine just fine.

If you do get one, be sure to get one made after march of this year as they made changes to allow better memory compatibility. Also flash the latest BIOS as it finally addresses the major BSOD bug that many experienced in the past. These things are rock solid with the last few BIOS releases.

Oh, I also used coollaboratory liquid ultra (its a bare die) and it helped drop the CPU temp by 5C. Better than the half dozen other thermal pastes I've tried.

some guy spotted this on /csg/ a few weeks ago, looks good for the price

es.aliexpress.com/item/5Gen-Broadwell-CPU-Win10-Mini-pc-i7-Barebone-Intel-Nuc-Fanless-Computador-Core-i7-5500U/32479534027.html

can't you add a normal psu to them?

Not for gaming, but a nice TV box

Get a mini stx. Almost the same size, much cheaper, and you get to use a desktop CPU.

Can I get some opinions on what the best non-Apple alternative to the Mac Mini is?

Get a NUC

For NUC i need to buy hard drive as well?

I've had a 5th gen i5 NUC for a while now. Godtier device, completely silent, runs smoothly. There are probably cheaper options but I can't really comment on that.

You need to buy an mSSD, yes. The "tall" versions of NUCs also have the possiblity of adding a 3.5 inch SATA drive.

After reading benchmarks on the Skulltrail models it looks like the Alienware Alpha Steamboxes are a much better deal.

i5 and a Gtx 960 for about $700 and comes with a 360 controller.

Don't forget these Nuc devices need an OS, ram, and hard drive.

Who the fuck pays for an OS?

how about ram?

Well you can put Linux or Windows on your Nuc. If you don't want to pirate the Windows you'll have to pay for an OS.

>who the fuck pays for an OS?
Well I guess you don't. It also appears that you're so riddled with autism that you're unaware of an entire PC market existing around you that includes Windows and Mac OS users.

They seem a little pricey for what they are.
I can get the same/better specs with a high DPI screen on a certified recon notebook for less.

Centos, I really don't use it for anything besides hadoop so for general purpose I couldn't say. It's a cheapish cluster that doesn't take up as much space as blades.

They have laptop PSU bricks.

I might be able to adapt them slave a few of them to a regular desktop PSU but that would probably void the warranty.