Intel pours Raptor Lake chips into latest NUC Mini PC line • The Register
Just days after removing the covers from its 13th Gen Core vPro CPUs, Intel has unveiled the latest NUC line of miniature PCs, offering a decent chunk of processing power in a space-saving 4×4-inch form factor.
Intel’s NUC, or Next Unit of Computing, has been around for over a decade now. It was originally a compact barebones computer kit but later evolved to include a range of form factors such as the NUC 12 Enthusiast, which was the first to feature one of the company’s Arc GPUs.
The NUC 13 Pro (codenamed Arena Canyon) is based on 13th Gen Core processors, with select models also integrating Intel’s vPro Enterprise technology with embedded security and hardware-based remote management.
Like previous incarnations, the NUC 13 Pro is available as a kit or board, or as a ready-made mini PC that takes up minimal desk space, with the smallest slim chassis option measuring 117mm x 112mm x 37mm.
The kit versions allow users to customize memory, storage, and OS to suit their needs, and the mini PC versions come with specific memory and storage and come with Windows preinstalled. Board versions allow OEM partners to incorporate NUC 13 Pro hardware into their own custom builds, Intel said.
Despite the small size, buyers can choose between Core i3, Core i5 or Core i7 chips up to the Core i7-1370P, which according to Intel offers six performance cores (P cores) and eight efficiency cores (E cores) with a clock speed of up to 5.20GHz.
The NUC 13 Pro motherboard features two DIMM slots that support DDR4-3200 SODIMMs for up to 64GB of memory, while storage features M.2 slots for a PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD and a PCIe 3.0 second -SSD done. The pre-built NUC 13 Pro systems come with a 500GB SSD.
Connectivity options include a 2.5 Gbps Ethernet port and Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3, while there are two HDMI ports and two Thunderbolt 4 ports, as well as three USB 3.2 ports and one USB 2.0 port .
Some hardware sites that got early access to NUC 13 Pro systems have been rather lukewarm about the latest mini PC’s performance, saying it offers only a slight improvement over the NUC 12 Pro hardware. However, it should be on par with comparable systems from ASRock Industrial, which also sell devices in the NUC form factor.
In addition to those looking for a desktop PC that doesn’t take up the entire desk, the NUC 13 Pro targets business applications such as digital signage, edge computing and IoT. With the latter, the hardware is compatible with Windows 10 IoT Enterprise and various Linux distributions.
Intel claims the hardware is qualified for 24×7 operation and is backed by a three-year warranty, with five-year product availability on select configurations.
The NUC 13 Pro Kits and Mini PCs will be available by the end of March with US prices ranging from $340 to $1,080 depending on configuration, according to Intel. Some configurations will also be available through retailers and system integrators by late March, with most available by June. ®