Intel Next Unit of Computing Kit with HDMI, Thunderbolt, Core i3-3217UDC3217BY
Intel has released an ultra small form factor (USFF) PC they are referring to as a NUC. The most compelling feature is the size of these devices. They are very small and reminiscent of the early Apple MacMini. Many of the same concepts from this era are returning in the use case models for this offering. Primarily, the features of the Intel NUC are the dual PCIe mini card slot. This allows the NUC to be fitted with an optional wireless card (not included). Being a barebones PC, the added cost is also apparent in the need for in internal mSATA hard drive and laptop style RAM. The standard internal connection for these compontents are an mSATA slot, this is very advanced for hard drive technology, which gives some flexibility, however not as compatible as a similar device could be that accepts a Solid State Drive (SSD). SSD's prices have already come down in price significantly. Clearly 2.5" SATA interface would be your most cost effective common solution for the amount of performance increase in our opinion currently. The NUC is also having a hard time coming to market due to negative feedback on these point and other compatibility issues, namely graphics chipset drivers, etc. Creating a build-your-own PC model as a kit, with the current shifting standards particularly in mSATA products, it's going to naturally inherit some compatibility issues, although by far is it a recipe for disaster.
One major advantage with the NUC platform is one of their models allows devices to be daisy-chained via the on-board Thunderbolt port, opening up a whole new way of looking at processing power and device distribution in a home or small office network. The Intel NUC may prove to be a cost effective competitor to traditional desktops in the same use case scenarios. Prices in RAM and mSATA drives will continue to drop and are becoming more readily available, in fact, the NUC is available for purchase from several online retailers already, but be wary of availability and pricing as the list prices have not quite stabilized yet. Lead times are in the 2 weeks to 1 month range, so we offer a way to order these unit's at a discount online now through the following link
The thing is, companies have been working on this idea of a "NUC" or basic block of Intel processing for the home and business market for quite some time and in fact there are a few more robust offerings that have been on the market a little longer (which translates to more real-world testing). Our company is excited about the fact that Intel has coined a phrase "NUC" for marketing purposes, however, Zotac creates a device called the zBox, and has several product lines leading up to it's latest zBox Giga which has an i3 processor and all the extras included or built-in, while older zBox models offer a VIA Brand Motherboard, along with the Intel Graphics chipsets and components; or you can customize it to create a much cheaper build if you get the opportunity to buy right, and you know what you're doing. More about this Zotac product and how to buy it as well
Intel has released an ultra small form factor (USFF) PC they are referring to as a NUC. The most compelling feature is the size of these devices. They are very small and reminiscent of the early Apple MacMini. Many of the same concepts from this era are returning in the use case models for the Intel offering. Primarily, the features of the Intel NUC are the dual PCIe mini card slot. This allows the NUC to be fitted with an optional wireless card (not included). Being a barebones PC, the added cost is also apparent in the need for in internal mSATA hard drive and RAM. The standard internal connection for these devices are an mSATA, this is very advanced for hard drive technology, which gives some flexibility, however not as compatible as a similar device that accept Solid State Drives (SSD's) are coming down in price now finally and would be your most cost effective solution for the amount of performance increase in our opinion currently. The NUC is having a hard time coming to market due to negative feedback with these and other compatibility issues, namely graphics chipset drivers, etc.
One major advantage however with the NUC platform is it allows devices to be daisy-chained via the on-board Thunderbolt port, opening up a whole new way of looking at processing power and device distribution in a home or small office network. The Intel NUC may prove to be a cost effective competitor to traditional desktops in the same use case scenarios. Prices in RAM and mSATA drives will continue to drop and are become more readily available, the NUC is available for purchase from several online retailers already, but be wary of availability and pricing as the list prices have not quite stabilized yet. Lead times are in the 2 weeks to 1 month range, we offer a way to order these unit's at a discount online now through the following link
The thing is, companies have been working on this idea of a "NUC" or basic block of Intel processing for the home and business market for quite some time and in fact there are a few more robust offerings that have been on the market a little longer (which translates to more real-world testing). Our company is excited about the fact that Intel has coined a phrase "NUC" for marketing purposes, however, Zotac creates a device called the zBox, and has several offerings leading up to it's latest zBox Giga which has an i3 processor and all the extras included or built-in, while older zBox models offer a VIA Brand Motherboard, along with the Intel Graphics chipsets and components or you can customize to create a much cheaper build if can buy right and you know what you're doing. More about this Zotac product and how to buy it as well here.
Everything Computers, LLC is a reseller for the Zotac zBox product line as well as the Intel NUC and a founding member of zCompute. Services like zCompute are sold around the idea of seeing the home or small business PC as a compute cycle or unit of processing power, much the same way a data center sells compute cylcles already today. Services like this are what will ultimately make this product the most successful. Please contact us for more information about how to purchase, and particularly for consultation services if you're interested in deploying multiple zBox or NUC devices in your environment. We can provide custom services to make your deployment remotely and almost seamless to the end user.
The idea of purchasing a Unit of Computing power is not new, but it is the next step forward in a clearly failed return to thin computing. The gap left by the performance shortfalls of thin computing and all inherent benefits of tried and true methods of the shrinking hardware footprint are the foudations of these two products. Both are becoming more aligned with what the needs of a home theater PC (HTPC) builder is and what small businesses are looking for. It's the natural shift we're seeing in the consumer electronics market in the blending of features and needs for personal devices with what are commonly used now in business.">here.
Everything Computers, LLC is a reseller for the Zotac zBox product line as well as the Intel NUC being and a founding member of zCompute. Services like zCompute are sold around the idea of seeing the home or small business PC as a compute cycle or unit of processing power. It's much the same concept as how a data center sells cloud-based compute cycles for consumption already today. Services like this are what will ultimately make the zBox or NUC the most successful. Please contact us for more information about how to purchase any of the products or services mentioned here, and particularly for consultation services if you're interested in deploying multiple zBox or NUC hardware in your environment. We can provide custom services to install and support your deployment remotely and almost completely seamless to the end user when you order from us and are happy to provide references or customer testimonials.
The idea of purchasing a unit of computing power for the desktop endpoint is not new, but it is the next step forward in a clearly failed return to thin computing. The gap left by the performance shortfalls of thin computing and all the inherent benefits of tried and true methods of the shrinking hardware footprint are at the foundation of these two products and the zCompute service. Both pieces of hardware are becoming more aligned with what the needs of a home theater PC (HTPC) builder are and what small businesses are looking for to cut costs. It's the natural shift we're seeing in the consumer electronics market in the blending of features and needs for personal devices with what are commonly used now in business.
