Intel upgrades its NUC series, including a sequel to its Hades Canyon gaming mini computer

Intel is updating its Next Unit of Computing (NUC) series of miniature computers with its 11th generation processors, and it also includes a game-focused model. The NUC 11 Enthusiast is a sequel to the NUC 8 Hades Canyon from 2018, which managed to deliver a triple-A game performance (not to mention I / O competing with a size-size desk) in pack a small casing.

Included in the refresh are updates for the company’s more traditional NUC Performance Mini computers, which previously had tenth generation processors. The upgrade brings Wi-Fi 6 and Intel Xe graphics to the i5 and i7 models. Intel has also added a NUC Pro line, some of which have vPro-enabled CPUs and all of which can power 8K monitors. There is also a NUC 11 computer unit, which is only a board that needs to be integrated into future computers. This is not the first time that Intel has the idea, but we will go into more about it in a moment.

Image: Intel

However, NUCs are notable for their size, and while the Performance and Pro rules are indeed very small, they are more minor updates over what we’ve had before. What’s more interesting is the game version.

The NUC 11 Enthusiast, codenamed “Phantom Canyon”, promises gaming performance with a 28W quadruple i7-1165G7 (the same one found in the 2020 Dell XPS 13) and an RTX 2060, released a day before Intel’s announcement of the computer. It also holds the stacked I / O that made the last generation excellent, including two Thunderbolt 4 ports, 2.5 Gb Ethernet, just as much USB 3.2 Type-A ports and Wi-Fi 6. The lack of HDMI 2.1 ( it has only 2.0b) can be somewhat forgiven due to the inclusion of a Mini DisplayPort 1.4 output. And again, these would mean that you have to spend for these processes, which is about as big as a solid book.

Image: Intel

Like the other NUC models, the Enthusiast also has Xe integrated graphics, which should be good for streamers or creative professionals who enjoy Intel’s Quick Sync video encoding technology. Although it’s a shame about the almost recent graphics card, the computer still needs to deliver a good amount of gaming performance in an absolutely small package, and I’m glad that Intel is still working on mini-gaming computers.

Intel has a long history of turning the NUC into a full-size miniature gaming computer. It even partnered with AMD to place dedicated Vega graphics in the NUC 8, which clearly hoped to appeal to gamers more than office workers, with a glowing skull logo on top. Then, at CES 2020, it introduced the NUC 9 Extreme, which aims to be a gaming computer with an easy-to-upgrade computer unit. Aside from the fact that Intel has so far not released any updates for the PC units, at the moment it is just an expensive and modular game PC for no reason.

Intel has not yet announced pricing and availability, but SimplyNUC.com has the Phantom Canyon from $ 1,349. It looks like a better price than the NUC 9 Extreme, which is $ 1,599 on the same site and also has a separate mini -graphic map required. It also beats its more direct predecessor, the NUC 8 Hades Canyon, which is still $ 1,234 for nearly two-year-old hardware.

Intel apparently uses the same strategy as it used to for the NUC computers, where people can buy a complete computer or package where needed to provide the RAM, storage, and OS. SimplyNUC’s $ 1,349 model has the drive and RAM, but you will have to pay extra for your own Windows copy or bring it with you.