I wanted to replace my parent's (and in-law's) computer with something modern. They were using very old computers with Windows XP, and were complaining about the slow speeds. They aren't computer savvy, nor do they do a lot with their existing computers, so I thought this was the perfect solution for them. I really wanted to get the Core i5 or i7 version, but I couldn't wait any longer because I'm flying out to meet them. I'm not looking forward to explaining these devices to TSA.
I bought 2 NUCs, both with the exact same hardware:
- Crucial m4 256GB mSATA
- Crucial 16GB (2 x 8G)
- Belkin 6ft AC cord
- AmazonBasics 2-Pack, High-Speed HDMI Cables
My total cost was $1109 for both, including the NUCs, or about $555 / NUC. The 256GB and 16GB is overkill for my parents...but I bought the components as if I was building for myself. Plus, I'm hoping these will last them 5-10 years.
The initial install was very easy. It took about 10 minutes to unscrew, install the components, and screw the chassis back together again. Maybe less.
Installation of Windows 7 was super quick too. It only took between 5-10 minutes from a flash drive. The updates, however, took about 2 hours (still very quick compared to HDD), and the NUC got very warm to the touch. It also got audibly louder, but not annoying or "very loud".
So, here's what I noticed:
- I didn't appreciate that I had to buy an AC cord. I'd rather have a cord than the gimmicky Intel sound when you open the box.
- The NUC had an old BIOS version, so I updated it.
- The fan control in the BIOS was set to CUSTOM. I set it to BALANCED, which lowered the CPU temperature threshold before the fan went faster, by a few degrees C. I was surprised that the threshold was set so high, something like 77C.
- On bootup, the fan rotates at ~3K RPM, which I thought was very high, since I'm used to 600-1200 RPMs. But then, these are tiny fans, so I guess that's normal.
- I also told BIOS to use the maximum amount of RAM it wanted for the integrated video, since there was a lot of memory available.
- The network driver, and 2-3 other drivers, had to be installed from the Intel site. I had hoped that Windows 7 would automatically install them for me.
- After everything was patched and setup (with Office and other necessary software), Windows 7 boots to desktop in about 15 seconds.
I'm also setting them up with dual 27" monitors at 1920x1080 resolution. I hope it's easier on their eyes. 1920x1200 on a 24" or 2560x1600 on a 30" would be too tiny for them.
| Processor | 1.8 GHz core_i3 |
|---|---|
| Hard Drive | 16 GB SSD |
| Graphics Coprocessor | Intel HD Graphics 4000 |
| Chipset Brand | Intel |
| Card Description | Integrated |
| Wireless Type | 802.11a |
| Number of USB 2.0 Ports | 1 |
