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Intel NUC DC3217BY Kit - Leading the Downsizing Revolution

By Kenny Yeo - 8 Feb 2013

Conclusion

Mini Novelty

After spending some time with it, the Intel NUC Mini-PC is an interesting proposition. Mostly, we are impressed with its size. It’s really tiny and fits easily in the palm of your hands. In total, its volume is only about 520cm3, which is smaller than most ready-made mini-PCs that are out in the market, such as ASUS’ EeeBox PC and Sapphire’s Edge, both of which have volume in excess of 1000cm3. That said, they are smaller alternative’s such as Zotac’s Zbox nano XS, which comes in at just 415cm3. Nevertheless, the Intel NUC Mini-PC is still remarkably small and portable.

Size aside, the Intel NUC Mini-PC is also a decent performer. Although results on SYSmark 2012 was underwhelming, the unit was actually pretty impressive on PCMark 7. And in normal usage, we found the NUC Mini-PC to be pretty brisk and responsive. Of course, much of this has to do with its very speedy mSATA SSD, which more than makes up for the unit’s lack of computing power. It also helps that we fitted our NUC Mini-PC with 8GB of memory (it can accommodate up to 16GB of memory). All in all, in most practical usage scenarios such as word processing, watching HD videos and web browsing, we have no complaints with the Intel NUC Mini-PC.

In terms of connectivity, our kit - the DC3127BY - has three USB 2.0 ports, a Thunderbolt port and a HDMI port for display. Realistically, with just three USB ports, unless you have a wireless keyboard and mouse combo, you’d be left with a single USB port. You do have a Thunderbolt port, but Thunderbolt-enabled devices are still not widespread at this moment and they also command a considerable premium. Additionally, because it does not have an Ethernet jack like alternative kit - the DC3127IYE - hence you would definitely need the add-on wireless card (or a wireless USB adapter) if you wish to have Internet connectivity. If you choose a wireless USB adapter, you would probably be left with no free USB ports. Furthermore, none of the USB ports are SuperSpeed (USB 3.0). 

General connectivity aside, another point of concern is the lack of an audio output jack, which means audio has to be strictly passed through HDMI or digitally via USB speakers or USB based audio processors, thus making the NUC Mini-PC difficult to pair with standard speakers and headphones that rely on the humble 3.5mm audio output jack.

According to international pricing, the DC3127BY kit will retail for around US$315, with the DC3217IYE kit being slightly cheaper at US$299. While this sounds affordable, do not forget that this is a barebones kit and you’ll need to provide your own storage, memory, wireless solution and even OS. In our review spec, this is the additional cost you will be looking at:

  • Intel SSD 520 180GB mSATA SSD - US$200
  • Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6235 Wireless Card - US$30
  • SO-DIMM DDR3 8GB memory - US$50
  • Windows 8 Pro (OEM) - US$139

All in, you are looking at a total system cost of around US$734. With this amount, you could build a decent regular ATX form factor PC with better components and tons more performance. At this price, it is also significantly more costly than other mini-PC SFF barebones systems from competitors such as Shuttle, Zotac and Sapphire, which typically retail at the US$200 mark and with an AMD based option, these could perform better. Just take a look at the even smaller Zbox Nano XS AD13 Plus that's even more compact and has a better range of connectivity options.

Locally, we’ve received word from Intel that the DC3127IYE kit will retail for S$429. And looking at international retail prices, the DC3127BY kit we have will likely retail for slightly more - maybe around S$450. Add in all the other necessary components and you are looking at close to a grand.

Incredibly compact, but a novelty at best at this point given its high cost and foibles.

All things considered, we can’t help but think that the Intel NUC Mini-PC is, at this point of time at least, a bit of a novelty. For sure, it is incredibly compact and it has decent performance for its intended uses, but it does have its restrictions and shortcomings. To begin, mSATA SSDs are not easy to source locally at this moment and so is a suitable wireless card. Furthermore, the absence of USB 3.0 might be a deal-breaker to some; and the lack of a dedicated audio jack makes it difficult to pair it with desktop speakers and headphones.

Therefore, the Intel NUC Mini-PC is best suited as a HTPC or as a complementary system for well-heeled enthusiasts who wants something compact for simple tasks such as web browsing and watching videos. Even so, we've highlighted other more competitive options that can do the same and may not cost as much. The Mac mini is attractively-priced and it's a fully equipped system that's ready to run right out the box. And then there's alternatives from Zotac and Sapphire, which, on paper might not be as powerful, but should do the job just as well.

That said, it is deeply impressive that Intel can cram this much performance into such a tiny form factor and when Haswell does hit the market later this year, we can’t wait to see what else Intel can do to improve on their NUC Mini-PC concept.

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7.0
  • Design 7.5
  • Features 7.5
  • Performance 7.5
  • Value 6
The Good
Very compact and light
Quiet operation
Decent performance for HTPC use
The Bad
Components such mSATA SSD, Mini PCIe wireless card are hard to source
No dedicated audio jacks & USB 3.0
No power cord provided
Pricey
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