Intel Nuc 11

amazon Intel Nuc 11 reviews

Today we temporarily put aside the recently launched RTX 3000 series gaming laptops, or PCs with RGB led Mainboard and Ram, and then water cooling, etc.

Biareview would like to introduce NUC (Next Unit of Computing) – a mini-computer with an ultra-compact and highly customizable design from Intel, with the Intel Nuc11 product.

This is a very interesting suggestion for those who are looking for a complete computer but need to be compact, not take up a lot of usable space but still ensure a good performance to solve work, learning as well as entertainment.

Let’s take a quick look at NUC and its advantages and disadvantages

This computer product line still uses familiar operating systems such as Windows or Linux, compatible with all software and applications, fully meeting the needs of the majority of users, but in terms of size. The size has been significantly reduced, just like a box of sticky rice, and can be held quite compactly in the hand!

Perfectly overcome the weaknesses of “traditional” desktop models, which are often quite bulky in size, difficult to arrange in small spaces, as well as quite inconvenient when you want to bring them out.

Besides, despite being very small, the connection ports on the device are still fully equipped and well support wireless connections such as Wifi and Bluetooth to bring flexibility to users.

The hardware equipment of the NUC models all operate with very low power consumption, so users will not have to worry about electricity bills even if the device is plugged in continuously 24/7.

Currently, on the market, NUC models are offered in two forms: 1 is a fully completed model from the factory, has a copyrighted operating system like Intel’s own NUC Rosa, or some models of companies like MSI Cube, Asus, Gigabyte, Zotac, or ESC (1 brand from Taiwan …)

And the second type is NUC Barebone (also known as NUC KIT): which will include basic components but we will not have a hard drive, Ram, and operating system.

With this form of Barebone, Intel offers greater freedom of configuration customization for users, being able to disassemble and upgrade hardware depending on the needs of each person.

In most cases, the mainboard and CPU chips of the NUC models are difficult to upgrade, requiring quite good technical skills and an understanding of computer hardware.

As for the hard drive and Ram, they can be easily replaced, and because of their small size, the NUC often does not have a discrete graphics card, but only an integrated graphics card.

However, in the last 1-2 years, Intel has also introduced a few large notebook-sized NUC models equipped with discrete graphics cards GTX 1600 series and RTX 2000 series, so it promises to be short. Not far away (when the virtual coin value decreases, the card price is no longer as high as it is today), the overall performance of the NUC will be significantly stronger.

Of course, there are advantages and disadvantages, because the design is too small, and the hardware of the NUC also has some limitations: not all CPU chips can be attached to the NUC, about upgrading Ram and hard drive then users also need to find the right standard,…

A simple design in the form of a square box looks unattractive and eye-catching to some brothers, with almost no change in design over the years.

Intel NUC11 (L6 code RNUC11PAHi50000)

Going back to the protagonist of this review, I have on hand and on the table the typical and latest Intel NUC Barebone (NUC KIT) model in 2021, with the Intel NUC11 L6 code RNUC11PAHi50000.

The highlight of this NUC model is that it is equipped with an 11th CPU and a new generation integrated graphics card, Intel Irix XE Graphics. Let’s find out and evaluate its performance!

External design

In terms of design, through many design versions of the new generation NUC, there is still not much difference compared to before, still a square block with a size slightly larger than an adult hand, a relative weight, neither too heavy nor too light.

The outer shell is made of plastic combined with metal, the plastic part is quite thick, feels like metal (the outer shell is plastic inside with a reinforced metal plate), is painted in glossy black to increase the aesthetics, and is delicate when placing the NUC on the desk or in the living room.

Intel also equips a metal tray at the bottom to attach this NUC to a wall or other surface if the user does not want to put it on the table.

The side edges are equipped with well-finished air circulation grilles, in addition to a multitude of expansion ports, adding flexibility and support for more users: 1 HDMI port, 1 Mini DisplayPort 1.4 port, 1 LAN port, 3 high-speed USB-A 3.1 ports (including 1 gen 2 port, and 2 gen 1 port), 1 SDXC memory card reader slot with UHS-II standard (Ultra) High-Speed II can reach a maximum read speed of up to 312 MB/s), and especially 2 USB-C ports that support Thunderbolt 3.

Meets the needs of high-speed data transmission, as well as connecting to external devices such as monitors, projectors, TVs, removable hard drives, etc. The machine also has an additional headphone port with a mic and Supports wireless connection WIFi 6, and Bluetooth 5 to serve the needs of entertainment and work online.

On the front of the NUC11, in addition to the power button, we also have an IR infrared port (which can be used with the controller), and also an indicator of the operating status of the machine.

Disassembly and Upgrade

Removing and upgrading Ram and hard drive for Intel NUC11 is very simple, use a screwdriver to remove 4 screws at the bottom of the device and lift the metal plate slightly, you can see the M.2 SSD slot and the Ram slot.

This machine has 2 RAM slots for DDR4 SODIMM (Laptop type RAM), and up to 64GB 3200MHz bus can be installed. Supporting both M.2 and SATA ports also allows the installation of 2 storage drives at the same time (1 M.2 SSD and 1 2.5 inches SATA SSD / HDD), the NUC11 allows the installation of standard size 2242 or 2280 SSDs.

On this NUC11 unit, Biareview has installed for me 1 M.2 NVMe PCIe Gen 4×4 SSD from Kioxia (old Toshiba brand) with a capacity of 250GB, and 16GB of RAM DDR4 bus 3200MHz with 2 Dual channel bars of TeamGroup. Besides, NUC11 is equipped with Intel 11th generation chip i5-1135G7 and integrated discrete graphics card Intel Iris XE Graphics.

where can you get a Intel Nuc 11 online

Intel NUC 11 with Core i7-1165G7 Processor(Quad-Core & Up to 4.70 GHz), 4″ Mini PC 16GB DDR4 RAM & 512GB SSD – Versatile Desktop Computer with WiFi, Bluetooth, 8K Support – Built-in Windows 10 Pro: Buy it now

Intel NUC 11, NUC11PAHi5 Canyon Mini PC Desktop, Win 10 Pro Mini Computer, Core i5-1135G7 Processor, 4Core,8MB Cache, 28W Iris Xe Graphics, WiFi6, Thunderbolt 3 (16GB RAM+256GB PCIe SSD): Buy it now

NUC11 performance and hands-on experience

In comparison, the configuration of the NUC11 with the Intel 11th generation Tiger Lake chip is quite equivalent to an office laptop model in the price range of $750, or a popular PC with a cost of around $350.

NUC11 with i5-1135G7 and 16GB Ram well meets office work with Office applications, or uses light entertainment in the family: surfing the web, reading newspapers, watching movies and Youtube 4K,….,

And depending on your needs, you can upgrade the storage hard drive capacity. Equipped with many connection ports, we can easily connect many devices at the same time.

With a day of work related to media and content, I often plug in a mouse and keyboard to use, connect to a monitor with HDMI or mini Display Port to work or watch youtube, watch 4K movies, transmit High-speed data from removable hard drives via USB-C, editing photos or videos, there is a memory card reader slot.

NUC11 has Bluetooth support, so I can connect to external speakers to listen to music, and watch movies, in addition, I can put the NUC anywhere without worrying about connecting to the network due to having WIFi 6, I tried holding the NUC11 and mobile screens go out to the cafe to work, although the wire is a bit cumbersome, the overall experience is still very good.

Through graphic design, photo and video editing software such as Photoshop, Premiere: I designed and edited an image file with a capacity of nearly 40MB on Photoshop 2018, and made a video of about 7 minutes in length, exported. Full HD quality with a capacity of nearly 500MB.

With more text and some transition effects on Premiere Pro CC 2018, the performance of the NUC11, specifically the Intel Iris XE Graphics integrated graphics card and the internal M.2 NVMe SSD, is still enough to meet the sports. Editing, video rendering, etc. is quite fast and smooth.

In addition to meeting the needs of office work, and semi-professional and amateur design, the performance power of the i5-1135G7 and Intel Iris Xe Graphics can also help me relax lightly through many games online and offline with acceptable graphics and frames.

I have tried some eSport games such as Fifa Online 4 and League of Legends, playing quite comfortably with friends at around 80 FPS.

As for heavier games such as Rise of Tomb Raider, at Low graphics setting, Full HD resolution I recorded an average FPS of about 50, still playable!!

Similar to the game CS: GO, if you don’t try hard, users can play relatively smoothly at 70 – 80 FPS in Low graphics settings. Users can completely play games on NUC11, but it is not enough “high” to satisfy gamers.

A few performance scores of the NUC11 and compare it with another NUC model I’ve experienced (i7-9750H and GTX 1650 4GB), and a laptop model (i7-1165G7 and Intel Iris XE Graphics)

Despite its compact design, the interior space of the NUC11 is still quite open, so in terms of heat dissipation and air circulation, the device is still quite good even though it does not have a cooling fan.

In the process of testing the performance of the NUC11, the average CPU temperature was about 60-65 degrees Celsius, and when playing games, it increased to more than 80 degrees Celsius after about 45 minutes. Touching the edges of the device only feels warm, not hot.

Besides, the NUC11 also does not consume much power compared to an equivalent desktop computer.

SUMMARY

Advantage:

Compact, delicate and sturdy design

Easy to upgrade with 2 hard drives, 2 RAM slots

Fully equipped with communication ports and wireless connection

Good performance meets basic needs well

There is no fan but the operation is still quite cool

Reasonable price for what it brings

Defect:

The design has not changed over the years

It will need to spend an additional amount of money to equip more Ram and hard drive to work (with NUC Barebone – NUC KIT), and other peripherals such as a monitor, keyboard, and mouse (if not already available).

The performance is just enough for light gaming

Through the above experiences, it can be seen that the Intel NUC11 will be suitable for office users, without high-performance requirements, just enough to use, as well as the workspace is not spacious, or to attach to projector content in meetings at the company.

Also, replace the desktop computer in the family: both are used to handle work, light entertainment, and save electricity, and can be a delicate and elegant decoration on the desk or the TV shelf.