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Hands-On With Intel's "Next Unit of Computing" Mini PC
crookedvulture writes "Intel's Next Unit of Computing has finally made its way into the hands of reviewers. The final revision is a little different from the demo unit that made the rounds earlier this year, but the concept remains the same. Intel has crammed what are essentially ultrabook internals into a tiny box measuring 4" x 4" x 2". A mobile Core i3 CPU provides the horsepower, and there's a decent array of I/O ports: USB, HDMI, and Thunderbolt. Users can add their own memory, storage, and wireless card to the system, which will be sold without an OS for around $300. Those extras raise the total price, bringing the NUC closer to Mac Mini territory. The Apple system has a bigger footprint, but it also boasts a faster processer and the ability to accommodate notebook hard drives with higher storage capacities than the mSATA SSDs that are compatible with the NUC. If Intel can convince system builders to adopt the NUC, the future of the PC could be a lot smaller."
No, this is a motherboard and case for half of what a Mac Mini in working order goes for. At $300, you still need to add a power supply, mSata storage, memory, ethernet, etc.
Mac mini's start at $599, ready to run, with an i5, 4gb ram, 500gb hdd, and have ethernet, firewire, sound ports, etc.
Mac mini's start at $599, ready to run, with an i5, 4gb ram, 500gb hdd, and have ethernet, firewire, sound ports, etc.
System comes with a 65W laptop-style power brick that plugs into the back of the enclosure, are you seriously implying that the addition of a $300 to spend on hard drives and memory is a bad thing, with the advantage the device comes with 2 expansion slots. The idea as I read it is this will be given to "system builders" to make ready.
I do find it cue you mention firewire :)