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A First Look At The Intel Broadwell NUC Kit

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  • A First Look At The Intel Broadwell NUC Kit

    Phoronix: A First Look At The Intel Broadwell NUC Kit

    With wrapping up my Core i7 5600U Broadwell Linux tests using the new ThinkPad X1 Carbon in the next few days, fortunately the Intel BOXNUC5I3RYH just arrived as the first available NUC Kit shipping with a Broadwell processor. The NUC5i3RYH features a Broadwell Core i3 processor, HD Graphics 5500, and support for a M.2 SSD card and 2.5-inch HDD/SSD.

    Phoronix, Linux Hardware Reviews, Linux hardware benchmarks, Linux server benchmarks, Linux benchmarking, Desktop Linux, Linux performance, Open Source graphics, Linux How To, Ubuntu benchmarks, Ubuntu hardware, Phoronix Test Suite

  • #2
    Michael, I'd be interested to hear if you can run two full-size monitors together off the mini display ports.

    Comment


    • #3
      Cooled with fan, not passively cooled.
      Still old legacy USB 2.0 port.
      No USB 3.1 port.
      Too few USB ports.
      Cant use two disks and run RAID.

      Comment


      • #4
        Originally posted by uid313 View Post
        Cooled with fan, not passively cooled.
        It is possible to build fanless, but one or more components will probably be overheating under heavy load

        A find by some UK SPCR forum enthusiasts, the Euler is a surprising entry to the fanless thin mini-ITX case arena by a brand not closely associated with either silent computing or cases. Our exclusive review of this small, passively-cooled case from Akasa. Product Euler Thin ITX Fanless Case (AK-ITX-05BK) Brand Akasa Street Price £61.95

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        • #5
          Originally posted by uid313 View Post
          Cooled with fan, not passively cooled.
          Still old legacy USB 2.0 port.
          No USB 3.1 port.
          Too few USB ports.
          Cant use two disks and run RAID.
          * I would rather have a quiet whirring noise with a very small form factor than have it passively cooled with a big heatsink to compensate for the lack of airflow. Active cooling allows higher clock rates too. Fan noise can obviously be a problem, but for something like this I doubt you'd ever notice it.
          * Uh... I don't see any USB 2.0 ports. Even if there were, USB 2.0 is more than good enough for 99% of all devices.
          * Do you even have any devices that can take advantage of USB 3.1?
          * 4 USB 3.0 ports is a decent amount. Get a hub if you really need more.
          * RAID? Seriously? Do you not understand the purpose of a device like this? That's like complaining that a Mini Cooper can't comfortably fit 4 passengers. This device is meant to have SSDs, which don't have many real-world benefits when using RAID.

          Why are you trying to hate this device?

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          • #6
            Originally posted by schmidtbag View Post
            * I would rather have a quiet whirring noise with a very small form factor than have it passively cooled with a big heatsink to compensate for the lack of airflow. Active cooling allows higher clock rates too. Fan noise can obviously be a problem, but for something like this I doubt you'd ever notice it.
            * Uh... I don't see any USB 2.0 ports. Even if there were, USB 2.0 is more than good enough for 99% of all devices.
            * Do you even have any devices that can take advantage of USB 3.1?
            * 4 USB 3.0 ports is a decent amount. Get a hub if you really need more.
            * RAID? Seriously? Do you not understand the purpose of a device like this? That's like complaining that a Mini Cooper can't comfortably fit 4 passengers. This device is meant to have SSDs, which don't have many real-world benefits when using RAID.

            Why are you trying to hate this device?
            That fan has maximum speed about 6000 RPM, which will be too noisy.
            Two 2.5'' hard drives don't need too much space. RAID is important for system to be usable even if one drive is dead.

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by JS987 View Post
              That fan has maximum speed about 6000 RPM, which will be too noisy.
              Two 2.5'' hard drives don't need too much space. RAID is important for system to be usable even if one drive is dead.
              Maximum fan speed is not the same thing as average fan speed.

              RAID is not important for a device like this, period. This is not a 24/7 server, this is something you give your parents to browse the web, or something you use as a HTPC. If backups are so important, get an external drive or a NAS.

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by No Username
                I have thought about getting a NUC/BRIX/ZBOX/other similar PC many times over the years but each time I reach the conclusion of being able to accomplish my goal for a fraction of the price using a Raspberry Pi/other ARM SoCs on the market.
                That depends on your usage. The Raspberry Pi and many low-cost ARM boards often are hampered with frustrating GPU, which causes problems for anything more than the most basic of HTPC usage. The GPUs are often wimpy, to vastly underpowered compatibly to the NUC-like systems, which prevents usage of more advanced video compression like x.264 or HEVC. Nevermind the state of ARM associated GPU drivers due to lack of development documentation and/or development effort (in the developer-time sense) for Mati, PowerVR, or otherwise.

                Then there is the lack of RAM, which depending on usage may also be a factor. Most low-cost ARM systems have <= 1GiB RAM, versus the 1 to 16 GiB common with NUC. Storage is a similar story.

                For example, I don't think running a web browser is often done on the Raspberry Pi, from a usability point of view it would suck at responsiveness and I suspect suffer from graphically glitches galore. Links / lynx / netcat not-with-standing, and not very usable these days.

                For low-spec requirements, low-cost ARM boards or kits are amazing, but don't be misled by the hype. They don't replace always replace low-power x86 systems at the higher-end like real-time video compression/decompression. A Raspberry Pi won't replace a mid- to high- end HTPC for example.

                Then again you can get a 8-pin DIP with an ARM Cotrex-M0+ (LPC800) core for single unit quantities for about $1 USD if you want to blink a LED or replace a '555 timer chip.

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by No Username
                  I have thought about getting a NUC/BRIX/ZBOX/other similar PC many times over the years but each time I reach the conclusion of being able to accomplish my goal for a fraction of the price using a Raspberry Pi/other ARM SoCs on the market.
                  ...only as long as your use case does not include anything USB, networking, graphical, SD card, or SATA.

                  The terrible hardware in many accompanied with terrible software support makes them only suitable on paper. In practise you will get corruption, non-working devices, slowdowns, and other such fun. There may exist a well-designed, well-supported cheap ARM board, but I have certainly not seen any.

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                  • #10
                    @mctylr and curaga

                    Both of you have valid points, when looking specifically at the Pi. I've repeatedly stated in the past that I think the Pi is a terrible value and not a good platform by any means. The ONLY thing it has going for it is a staggering user-base, which is good for getting help or alternative solutions to software.

                    But there are ARM devices out there that:
                    * Support up to 6 USB ports
                    * Support gigabit Ethernet
                    * Have graphics better than Intel's (pretty much only the Tegra series though)
                    * Have SATA support
                    * Have 1-2GB of RAM (this is plenty in most cases)
                    * Have dozens of GPIO pins
                    * Cost 1/4 the price of an Intel system

                    Albeit, I don't think there is any one platform that does ALL of these things, though UDOO and Hardkernel offer products that supports most of those features.

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