Intel NUC 7 Mainstream Kit (NUC7i5BNHX1) - Core i5, 16GB Optane Memory, Add't Components Needed

I'm very impressed with this nifty little NUC. Just got it today along with 2x8GB of ram for testing. I got the short version that only has room for a NVMe card. Testing DragonFlyBSD on it and everything works, which means that it will also work well with Linux and FreeBSD (though I don't know about video accel in FreeBSD). And Windows too, obviously, but who cares about Windows :-). Here's the official CPU identification:CPU: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-7260U CPU @ 2.20GHz (2208.06-MHz K8-class CPU)This cpu is a 2-core/4-thread Kabylake 'U' mobile cpu. I verified that it Turbo's to 3.4 GHz on both cores (all four threads), and will stay there when I load them all down. Performance is roughly equivalent to an older Haswell i3-4130 desktop system (which was a 2-core/4-thread @ 3.4 GHz), though of course with NVMe based storage the filesystem is a hundred times more responsive than a hard drive.I tested: network booting with PXE, usb booting (EFI), and NVMe booting (also EFI). The ethernet works (if_em or if_emx in BSD-land probes the Intel I219-V4). The Wifi works (if_iwm and iwm8265fw firmware). USB works. Sound works, X works fine on a 4K screen. I didn't have a usb-c cable to test a second screen (got one, see note at end). AHCI not tested but looks standard so would certainly work too. Primary screen is via HDMI. xrandr output:DP1 connected 3840x2160+0+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 610mm x 350mm 3840x2160 60.00*+ 30.00 25.00 24.00 29.97 23.98I am very impressed with the performance. It has no trouble running X on a 4K display, no trouble running chrome, no trouble running YouTube full-screen on the 4K display. Very responsive to the UI. I couldn't test a 2160P stream due to network bandwidth limitations but 1440P on a 4K screen looks wonderful.Power consumption is equally impressive. Here are the numbers at the plug with a kill-o-watt, and keep in mind this is WITH a NVMe card plugged in and Wifi operational:14W - BIOS11W - During kernel boot10.5W - Idle, VGA console (C1)10.3W - idle, frequency management only (C1)10.0W - idle, C-state management (C7)12.0W - typical downloading over the ethernet10.0W - chrome idle20.0W - chrome loading YouTube page10.0W - chrome idle w/YouTube page loaded13.0W - Video playing, embedded (1/4 screen)15-17W - Video playing, full screen (4K screen, 1080P stream)11.3W - Video paused, full screen13.5W - YouTube music (1/4 screen, very little video action), over Wifi23.2W - YouTube music + 32-process 8KB block size random read test from NVMe storage. All cpus fully loaded. 1.4 GBytes/sec read rate.Temperature tests:48-50C - Typical idle54C - youTube music playing, low load62-70C - fully loaded test (as described above)Note that both cores (all four threads) stay at 3.4 GHz turbo during the fully loaded test. Temperature increased rapidly to 62C, then fan came on (which I can't really hear), and temperature slowly increased after that to 70C and then stabilized there. Frequency remained fully Turbo'd. This fully loaded test is not using the FP unit heavily... its mostly integer, plus whatever chrome is using (probably mostly GPU video accel and not cpu FP). So its not the absolute maximum load I can put on the system, but its already well over what most people would run it at even doing lots of stuff. Unloading the cpu but leaving YouTube up playing music, temperature instantly dropped to 65C and then headed down to 56C from there.I have to say, I am very impressed with this little guy. Being able to get Haswell i3 desktop performance from a few years ago packed into such a small form factor is amazing. I've tested many NUC's and BRIX's (as well as many other systems), and this is really the first NUC/BRIX form factor that I would be happy to use as a workstation. Mind you, I have servers to do major compile jobs on and such... I'm talking mainly for X windows driving two 4K displays with lots of xterms and chrome windows up. Video, music, etc. Not heavy processing.Addendum: I got a USB-C to HDMI cable and after a bit of scraping I got it working. The second display ran at 4K@30hz so now I have a USB-C to DP1.2 cable ordered to see if I can get them both running at 60hz. I'm still going to give the NUC 5 starts, but I will note that the NUC's USB-C port is deeper than spec, so the cable wouldn't plug in solidly or connect at first. After a bit of shaving of the cable housing I was able to push it in deep enough to connect. Insofar as I can tell, this is a problem with the NUC usb-c port being a bit too deep inside the case. I also noticed that the motherboard in the NUC wasn't properly seated, and corrected that, but the usb-c port issue looks unfixable (other than by shaving the housing of the cable I plugged into it).Addendum2: Sound output on the stereo plug has serious hum. Tried everything... grounded speakers, ungrounded speakers, even found a three prong power supply for the NUC. So I gave up on using the stereo output plug. The HDMI sound output works fine, no issues at all, so I used that. Not going to dock Intel a star for messing up the stereo output since an alternative is available.Addendum3: Still can't test with a DP1.2 cable (snafu trying to order it on Amazon, package was returned for reasons unknown), but I have two 4K monitors running at 30Hz no problem (which is fine for a workstation). Have been using this NUC as my X workstation for a while now and it works great. I'll note here that if you are having problems running 4K@60Hz, its probably that your cable isn't rated for it. In BSD/Linux you can just use xrandr to set the vertical refresh to 30hz to work with older cables.I would also like to note very specifically here that I am using a *real* NVMe SSD and not the Intel Optane junk. *NOBODY* should ever buy Intel's Optane junk. It's a rip-off and it makes zero sense to waste the NVMe slot on it. Buy a real NVMe SSD card, like a Samsung 950/951/960 series NVMe card (e.g. like a 250GB+), and install the system directly onto it. Remember that this NUC is bare-bones. So you need to also purchase the ram (DDR4 laptop memory, I recommend 8GBx2) and the SSD (I recommend a Samsung NVMe SSD of some sort). If you need tons and tons of storage, get the taller version of the NUC and install a secondary SATA SSD or HDD drive in addition to the NVMe system drive. I would still recommend a SSD as the secondary SATA drive but with a little work you could probably fit one of those fat 4TB 2.5" Seagate HDDs in the tall NUC (I have the short NUC so I can't test whether a fat 2.5" Seagate would actually fit in the tall NUC form factor).As I said, I am still going to give the NUC 5 stars even with these deficiencies. Buyers are warned :-). Get a USB-C to DP1.2 ('Club' brand adapters are what Intel seems to recommend), have an xacto knife or box cutter handy just in case you have to shave the housing to get it to plug in solidly (remember, you can also shave the NUC case housing instead, if you don't want to shave the cable), and connect your audio through the HDMI port rather than the stereo plug.-Matt

The media could not be loaded.  INTROI reviewed the previousd 6i5syk unit, and now am giving a review for this model. This new unit I bought the microphone port was a little faulty. I returned it and got a refund from Intel. Bought another from Amazon. This unit works perfect. A lot of the review is explained in the video, so I will be brief in the comments here. Do not be scared of fan noise compared to the i7, I will explain it in detail here for anyone with reservations about it!-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------NEW THIS YEAR TO i5 MODEL (7i5bnk):-i5 7260U CPU. This is about 20% faster in general computing, but online web surfing I noticed the same speed as my 6700 chip on a tower! (6th Gen Bench: 4383) (7th Gen Bench, THIS MODEL: 5739) About 23.5% faster.-Iris 640 Chip: The Iris 640 to be honest isn't a huge bump from last generations Iris 540 Chip. I would say 5-10%. To its credit, I have the increased FPS on 1980x1020 compared to 1440p (just received a new 25.5'' monitor) and the GPU has more screen and resolution to fill. To compare the graphics performance, I get the SAME FPS as I did with last years model (Iris 540) @1080p as I do with this years model (Iris 640) at 1440p. So to give intel the benefit of the doubt, i'd say the new chip is 10% faster. Not a huge improvement, but still good.-New Case. Much more "thermal" efficient. Dual vents for fans keep this thing a lot cooler. Love the new design and the mic jacks (explained in review). Looks much better too in the "matte" black I feel. LED ring is a nice addition. Can change this in BIOS.-Can be fanless. LOVE this. If the temp is 45C or below, you can set it in BIOS. The max temp to allow fanless is 45C-Micro SD slot. Not an issue for me, but only MicroSD allowance on the new unit.-4k@60HZ! This part is awesome. Plays perfectly on EDGE ONLY (as of now may change for chrome later). CPU usage at 20%-Addition of microphone jack (I explain this in the video).------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------4K PERFORMANCEVerified this on Youtube and Netflix to work. If I read so correctly, only Edge is "approved by Netflix, HBO, etc to play all 4k flawlessly.) Dang, its gorgeous. Simply amazing. Now I understand the craze with quality of 4k. Now I don't try to exaggerate reviews, I am pretty strict. But playing 1440p then 4k (3840p) I literally said "WOW" a few times viewing a youtube 4k video. I was speechless. Now I understand I only have a 1440p monitor, and playing 3840p is overkill, but I wanted to test it out and see the performance benchmarks. Simply amazing and again, CPU usage sat at ONLY 20% for all cores.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------GAMING BENCHMARKSTROPICO 4 Performance: @1920x1080p: High Settings (Not all settings maxed but close) 35 FPS. @2560x1440p: Medium High Settings 30FPS.CAESAR 4 Performance: @1920x1080p Maxed Settings @1080p, 30 FPS. @2560x1440 Medium Settings 35 FPS.Age of Empires 3. Maxed out everywhere @40FPS.Ironically, older games to not work as well as newer games. I assume because of Iris graphics modern chipset this is the case. e sits at 99%.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------FAN NOISEI also owned the Skull Canyon. I did return it for that reason along with the cheaper "clamps" to attach the unit. Mine broke. I liked the CPU but the fan was way too much. Especially in gaming. Honestly, I only noticed the Iris pro improving graphics 10-15%. I am completely satisfied with this guy compared to that. I use to tinker all the time with the fan noise on the 6i5bnk and skull canyon.Under "normal" usage with 15 tabs open and visual studio and iTunes, the fan stays at the 30% fan around 65C. I have it right next to me on my desk as you see in the picture. I actually got a different desk and no stand, and I can not hear it at all on the marble desk.With 90-100% load, it does get a little loud. But this is understandable, it's just like a laptop fan. Additionally, it is almost hard to get this thing to get that high of CPU usage, it is very fast. How often will you be able to get the fan that high? Possibly when installing windows, drivers, and initial setup. As well as testing software like Prime, Benchmarks, etc.I personally had 25 tabs open, itunes, antivirus, and a youtube video all playing at once, and the CPU held around 60%. That's the most intensive thing I am pretty sure I have done, and the fan did come on, but I had to turn off my not so loud music off to hear it at that time.If you put this unit in quiet mode in BIOS, AND put the minimum duty cycle for primary AND secondary sensors to 30% it is silent. I literally have had to put my ear ON THE UNIT to hear the fan which is amazing. The unit stays around 50C for i'd say light web browsing, keeping 1-2 windows open with maybe iTunes open also. it doesn't take too much for the temps to get past 50C, but again its whisper quiet. If everything is silent in your room, if you are 5 feet away you will NOT hear it. Heck, if you are right next to it, you still wouldn't hear it, or may hear a slight murmur every now and then. Would have to put your ear right near the unit to hear it.PLEASE NOTE: You MUST change the BIOS to Primary AND Secondary sensors to 25-30% (any lower than 25% may damage the unit, any higher than 30% you will constantly hear the fan). Keeping mine at 30% for both sensors keeps my NUC at idle around 45C (in which fanless mode then kicks in!).------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------MY RIG AND INSTALLATIONRAM: Kingston Technology HyperX Impact 16GB (2 x 8G) 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3L 1600 MHz (PC3L 12800)SSD: Samsung 950 PRO Series - 256GB PCIe NVMe (Recommend Samsung 960 EVO 256GB now.)Windows 10 Home 64 bIT1.) Simply get the Memory, M.2 SSD, and install the operating system.2.) IMMEDIATELY UPDATE THE BIOS. This is found on Intel's website. Simply google "NUC7i5bnk drivers". You-tube can show you how.3.) Install the operating system by putting a USB (or external CD drive) and load the windows installation. If unsure, again look at YouTube4.) Update the rest of the drivers. I recommend installing them on a USB on a laptop and installing them in the NUC. The NUC comes with only the Ethernet driver installed. You must install the rest. I never understood why Intel doesn't ship them with drivers, even with old ones.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Conclusion: I do not really see the need (or recommend) getting the i7 unit. Yes, about 12-15% increase in CPU usage. But the 7260u chip loads just as fast as my 6700 desktop chip did. That's amazing. The i7 is always noisy and unnecessary in my opinion. Plus you cannot get it in the small form factor. However, if you do "heavier" gaming, the i7 or Skull Canyon may be worth it. But gaming benchmarks aren't great on those either. I usually don't take so much time out for a product, but I am extremely picky and this is a lot of power in a small unit. More than enough for me. I'm always open to questions or comments, feel free to ask.

Tiene buen desempeño, aunque siendo un Core i7 esperaba que tuviera 4 núcleos, pero tiene sólo 2. Por otro lado me agrada que tenga un puerto thunderbolt 3, así le pude conectar un docking station. Puertos no le faltan. La fuente de poder es ligera y compacta, un poco más grande que un cargador de celular. La compré para programar más que nada y para eso está sobrada.

Este equipo ha sustituido mi computadora personal y estoy felíz. Funciona de maravilla! Tiene características de una computadora de escritorio a pesar de su tamaño. Una verdadera sorpresa para alguien que como yo, trabajo con las computadoras de los años 60 - denominadas "mainframes". Con caracterísiticas que me permiten conectar todo en mi entorno sin esfuerzo o complicaciones.

Chidota la recomiendo banda... ya para que trabajen rapidon y vean que Intel rifa califa y sino le creen pues ahí se ven

4年前の製品であり、今さら感は否めませんが、手持ちのメモリとM.2 NVMe SSDが流用できそうだったので、こちらをチョイスしました。同価格帯（3万円未満）では、完成品の中華ミニPCも選択肢に入りますが、メジャーアップデートを繰り返すごとに徐々に重くなっていく（ような気がする）Windows10に、Celeron J4xxx/N4xxx系では将来的にやや不安があることと、やはりIntel純正製品への信頼性が決め手になりました。他の方のレビューにあるとおり、キットとは言え組み立て自体は極めて簡単で、むしろ外装パッケージの開封の方が時間がかかるくらいです。Windows10（21H1）のインストール作業も特にトラブルなく完了しました。さて、ノート向けプロセッサを搭載しているため、ミドルクラスのノートPC並みの静粛性を期待しがちですが、サイズの制約から冷却ファンの回転に頼った簡易的な冷却機構になっているか、アイドル状態でもハッキリとファンの音は聞こえます。特別不快とか耳障りというレベルでもありませんが、静かな室内では気になる人も多いのでは？というレベルでしょうか。体感的な性能としては、現時点でも必要にして十分で、2C/2TのCeleron G3930T機からの乗り換えということもあり全く不満はありません。Core i5-7260UはPassMarkのシングルスレッドのスコアが2,000近くに達しているため（追記：本機で実測したところ、2,055ptと2,000オーバーでした）、WebブラウジングやOffice作業などの一般的な用途では、今でも準メイン機として通用するレベルだと思います。なお、現時点で商品写真は2.5"ベイを備える厚型タイプになっていますが、届いた商品は2.5"ベイのない薄型のタイプでした。事前に型番からリサーチすれば勘違いすることもなかったと思いますが、返品も面倒ですし、どうしても2.5"ベイが必須というわけでもないので、このまま使うことにしました。

本体サイズはちょうどティッシュ箱1/2サイズで、片手で持てるくらい小さいです。メモリスロットは2つ、M.2スロットは1つ、SATA(2.5インチ)も1つ。ネットをするだけなら良いかもしれませんが、バリバリの3Dゲームをするならファンを常時フル回転で、CPUのターボブーストテクノロジーをOFFにしないと余裕で95度ぐらいに張り付きます。(そのせいかゲーム中にフリーズします)グリスを熊グリスに塗り替えてファンをフル回転でやっと75度〜90度です。(効果があったのかフリーズしなくなりました。)小さなゲーム用PCとしてちょっと期待して買ったんですけど、やっぱり無理がありますね。(スペック的にも)