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Intel NUC N2820 + 8GB RAM $228 & Intel NUC i3-5010 + 8GB RAM $448 Delivered @ Shopping Express

1110
NUCarse

So here's the 3rd of the Shopping Express deals I've been able to negotiate. Note that both these NUCs comes with a Kingston 8GB RAM module valued at over $70 on it's own. You're also saving around $25 on registered post which includes insurance.

As a comparison, here are the pricetrackers for each:

Sale is limited to one of each per person. Apply coupon NUCarse at checkout and select the second delivery option (with insurance). All stock is shipped from Australia, and should be delivered within 1-2 business days. Good luck and have a great weekend :)

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closed Comments

  • -4

    Rather 1866 ram, this is still no doubt a good price though. NUCs are great!

    • Box doesn't support it: "1.35V, 1333/1600 MHz (down clocked to 1066 MHz), 8GB maximum"

      • The i7 nuc does. Mine runs it.

        • +1

          So does the i3, but not the N2820 model.

        • -2

          @donnot:
          That's what i was getting at. i3 with better ram.

        • +4

          @Damonator84: 1866 only looks good on paper in this case though. Absolutely no impact on performance for what these boxes will be used for.

          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWgzA2C61z4

        • -2

          @donnot:
          It does for the i3, i'll find the review that states it makes alot of difference with the onboard graphics.
          1.35V, 1333/1600/1866 MHz, 16GB maximum

        • @donnot:

          A note on 1866MHz RAM

          Intel's chips have supported 1600MHz DDR3 memory for about three years now, and for most Broadwell chips this is still the highest speed available. It doesn't look like we'll see significantly higher speeds until DDR4 goes mainstream, which will start happening whenever Intel begins shipping its next-generation Skylake architecture.

          The high-end Broadwell-U chips—the ones with either the HD 6000 or Iris 6100 GPUs—can support 1866MHz DDR3. When Intel sent us the original Core i5 NUC, it came with 1600MHz RAM, but it sent this Core i7 NUC with 1866MHz DDR3. Graphics performance stands to benefit the most from faster memory—dedicated GPUs come with their own fast memory, but integrated GPUs are bottlenecked by using the same (relatively) slow RAM as the rest of the system.

          Source:
          http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/03/mini-review-intels-po…

        • +2

          @Damonator84:

          I'm confused. Your own quote says that only the U processors that have either 6000 or 6100 GPUs support 1866. This i3 has a 5500. Intel says max 1600:

          http://ark.intel.com/m/products/84697/Intel-Core-i3-5010U-Pr…

          http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/nuc/nuc-comparison.ht…

    • The N2820 processor is what makes this thing so slow. RAM speed will have no appreciable impact.

  • +1

    Any deals on an i5 NUC? Great work tightass btw :)

    • I5…. How about the i7 :D

      • +6

        i7.. How about i9 …oops did I go too far?

    • +9

      Any deals on an i5 & i7 NUC?

      These are the best the rep could offer right now. I'll be speaking again with him through the week so I'll see if I can bend his arm a little :)

      • I'm in if they can beat their previous epic hour i5 deal!

      • *twist

        :p

        It's cool you negotiate these deals, TA.

      • Break a leg. :)

  • any graphic cards on sale?

  • Question, does NUCS come with an OS? or is it BYO?

    • Byo

    • Byo

    • +2

      BYO OS and storage.

    • +3

      OYB

    • -1

      reddit microsoft software swap, OS cheaps

      • That was stopped ages ago I believe

        • +2

          nah i bought win8.1 from there yesterday, and it activated and prompted for win10 upgrade fine straight away.

        • @richox: Cool. I see they're back there now.

        • @richox:

          Can you explain more please? New to this. I need win8 pretty much now. Thanks

        • -1

          @cloud68:

          just read all this and you cant go wrong:
          https://www.reddit.com/r/microsoftsoftwareswap/comments/3cqp…

          I've bought at least 5 licenses of this s5ean guy and they have all been good - some of them are over 6 months old, and still no problems, so they are all legit. there are a bunch of other sellers in the subreddit if you wanna use someone else.

          I assume this guy just has access to a corporate key generator or something and is being a bit naughty, but nonetheless you arent doing anything wrong as they activate thru to Msoft just fine :)

        • -1

          @richox:

          Thanks a lot

        • -1

          @richox:

          Wow thanks for that I had no idea such existed, this is awesome! Thank you!

    • +3

      You could put Windows 10 Insider Preview on it and you'll get the upgrade when it's released later this month (unless I'm mistaken).

      • +4

        only as long as you stay in the insider program and continue to run the insider builds.

        • Great trade off if it is nothing lore than a media server otherwise be aware EVERYTHING is logged.

  • Does it support a better graphic card?

    • No expansion slot available for a better video card.

    • -2

      Make sure you get 1866 ram

      A note on 1866MHz RAM

      Intel's chips have supported 1600MHz DDR3 memory for about three years now, and for most Broadwell chips this is still the highest speed available. It doesn't look like we'll see significantly higher speeds until DDR4 goes mainstream, which will start happening whenever Intel begins shipping its next-generation Skylake architecture.

      The high-end Broadwell-U chips—the ones with either the HD 6000 or Iris 6100 GPUs—can support 1866MHz DDR3. When Intel sent us the original Core i5 NUC, it came with 1600MHz RAM, but it sent this Core i7 NUC with 1866MHz DDR3. Graphics performance stands to benefit the most from faster memory—dedicated GPUs come with their own fast memory, but integrated GPUs are bottlenecked by using the same (relatively) slow RAM as the rest of the system.

      Source:
      http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/03/mini-review-intels-po…

      • These are the N2820 and i3 models. Faster RAM will not help.

  • TA please negotiate a deal for some high capacity HDD stuff soon :)

  • whole new range of nucs coming out soon…. be crazy to buy these now.

    eg http://www.tomshardware.com/news/asrock-beebox-braswell-nucs…

    • Atom. Laughable. I have the i7 nuc and it is more than fantastic.

      • Intel have released newer nucs that are i5/i7 also. Waiting for newer ones to be released here will also push down prices.
        Also the ones in this post can be quite noisy. This may vary of course, depending on our tolerances and deafness ;)

        • +1

          new ones won't be until skylake.

    • So the new range will cost around $228 ??

      • Sales before a new range is released is common. Subsequent price drops are also common.
        If you MUST HAVE THIS RIGHT NOW then buy it.

  • +6

    Can we get a deal on A-grade RAM with the coupon code RAMATightArse?

    • -2

      I think the code should read RAM-A-TightArse

      • RAM-A-TightArse indeed!

        What a crude attempt at low brow humour when the poster above was merely trying to secure a good value RAM upgrade. This isnt an Ainol thread!

  • How would you turn one of these to a PVR ?

    • You need a V and an R. There are plenty of USB TV tunners for the V if you don't want to capture/save 'Net streams, and they take a 2-1/2" SATA drive internally, or you can record down to a storage device on the USB - USB3 is available and quite capable of coping with the data rate.
      At the absolute cheapest, you could boot a full Linux PVR solution from the USB3 and save down on a USB2 stick - though I wouldn't recommend doing it all remotely over the LAN. Still, if you want a PVR, I'll assume you do have a monitor…

      TL:DR It's a full computer. If you have to ask, get someone to do it for you.

  • +4

    why is this deal getting so many upvotes? i calculated <$20 difference for the i3 model if picking parts from 1st page on staticice

    • +17

      It's the Tightarse effect, the effort going into actually creating the deals by arranging it with the vendors is much appreciated by many and thus reflected in the voting, regardless of whether it's a $2 saving or a $20 dollar saving.

    • +5

      I believe there is an unwritten rule with some that all deals with personalised coupons are to upvoted on principal.

    • Called Kiss Arse.

    • +2

      Does obtaining the various parts involve separate postage? The margins must be thin at the top end of staticice too.

  • +2

    N2820 + 8gb = ?

    is there anything that would make good use of that 8gb of ram and not be severely slowed down by the cpu?

    • +1

      It took me a moment. Use 6GB as a RAM drive, because something is really needed to help that N2820 along!

      Avoid the N2820 processors they really are too slow and there are better ones around for little more.

      • Wasn't there supposed to be a N2830 coming to replace this model? I remember being close to pulling the trigger on one of these over a year ago and everyone said wait a few months for the N2830 - it's much better etc. I guess it never happened.

        The i3 is probably the better entry point for anymore beyond light use.

        • The N3050 has just been released. Skycomp is the only place I know that sells them

          http://www.skycomp.com.au/intel-nuc5cpyh-nuc-kit-silver-blac…

          $184.80 + shipping. So if you add Ram you're looking at about $250 minus shipping. So it's not as cheap but it is the latest low power NUC available. I got mine a couple of weeks ago.

        • nice! i had no idea they were already available.

          this is the dual core one, i would recommend the quad for a better experience in general :)

        • @baldy:

          The dual core one is fine for Kodi, Netflix, Steam Streaming etc. But yeah if you want to do any heavy lifting (lots of browsing, office apps etc) it's not the best. But for a media center the Celeron based N3050 is fine (I know as I'm using one :) )

          It's similar to the N2080 when it comes to CPU performance, GPU is a fair bit better though. And it uses less power overall

        • exactly!

          if i was going to use it as a everyday pc, or say give one to my parents, i would spring for the quad. it would just be a snappier, happier experience.

  • OP, when will this deal expired?

    • The SE rep will PM me when he's out of stock. I have no idea, sorry.

  • Any reason for me to get this when I have Chromecast and Apple TV?! For daily usage and gaming needs, I have desktop gaming PC and MacBook set up with external screen…

    • +1

      Just sell your Chromecast and Apple TV and MacBook. Then you can buy this.
      Keep your gaming PC for gaming purpose. :p

  • +1

    I have been looking at NUC deals in the past but have decided on an Alienware Alpha:

    http://www.dell.com/au/p/alienware-alpha/pd

    I know Alienware is considered to be overpriced (which I normally think it is), but it’s not impossible to get up to 20% off by talking to the sales when making a phone order. And recently Dell was discounting the i3 version to $599 and Dell was part of the 20% off eBay sale at the end of financial year not long ago. JB HiFi was also doing 15% off the i3 and i7 models.

    The Alpha has a customised Nvidia graphics card (modified 860m 2GB) so for those needing a little more graphics power may find these more suitable. Also, these machines already include ram and HDD (slow as they may be) and it comes with Windows. So if you consider the cost of these when building a NUC, I don’t think the prices are too unreasonable as long as you are not paying Dell's RRP.

    The downsides with Alienware Alphas are that it uses more power and it is not fanless to it can be nosier. Also the box itself is larger but it is still small enough to be used as a multimedia pc. I’ve also been told that it may not be able to do 4K as it doesn’t have a displayport.

    • It has got HDMI 1.4a which will do 4k @ 30hz, which is fine for media viewing. Its quite a bit bigger then an NUC and would use quite a bit more power as well. But ok priced if you get 20-25% off.

    • So, do I just phone up and beg for a discount?

  • I see these pop up now and then on here and always wonder, what do people use them for?

    They're just cute, little, underpowered computers aren't they? (I didn't even know what NUC stood for until just now!)

    Curious.

    • +2

      Media PC's primarily, but they are also awesome for office PC's etc (due to ultra small footprint and <10w of power consumption.

      • Oh yeah? That's neat, I guess.

        I gather they're not upgradeable or anything, are they? To give them more grunt and such.

        • Apart from ram/msata/m-pcie no they arent.

          That being said, its about eqivalent to a laptop in that sense.

        • @Copie:

          Fair enough. Now I know!

        • @Selenium:
          My ATX AMD 1090T got fully replaced by an Intel i7 NUC. And will be mounted on the back of my 32" Monitor :D

        • +1

          @Damonator84:
          Neato~ :o

    • +2

      I got a 2820 with 4gb of ram last year. It's a great little media player. It's running open elec, which is just a stripped down Linux running xbmc (now called kodi). It plays 1080p mkv files over my network without issue, which is all I need it to do at this stage.

      However, I also got one for my mum as a day to day pc with windows 8. All she uses it for is looking at photos, email, and browsing the web. It's small, quiet, and handles those tasks just fine. A tower pc with dedicated gpu or extra hdds would have been overkill, so why bother?

      • I see. Pretty cool.

        I've currently got two laptops, one much weaker but quiet and light to that's what I mostly use now.

        Now I have the room for a desktop, but I'd want something with more grunt. I'll build one eventually, but now I have an idea what these NUCs are for, I guess. :p

      • If looking at photos, email, and browsing the web is all she does you might as well get a windows tablet for $50, free touch screen too!

        • My mum needs a full size real keyboard. You should see her try and use a touchscreen. It's not pretty. Also needs a 24" screen. Trust me, I suggested a tablet. It did not go down well.

  • I PM'd shoppingexpress for a deal on the N2820/2830 and they didn't respond, so I bought elsewhere. Sigh.

  • Any chance you can get us another sub $300 deal on the HP Gen8 1610T Microserver? :D

  • If most folks are just using this as a HTPC then won't a $100 Pipo x7 from gearbest do the same thing?

    • Pipo X7 is a lot slower and has a lot of other limitations as well.

      slow and limited EMMC memory
      2GB of non upgradable RAM
      USB 2.0 only
      can overheat

  • As a comparison

    Gamedude
    $385 + 89 = $474

    Umart
    Intel BOXNUC5i3RYH 5th Gen NUC, i3-5010U CPU, 2.1GHz, 2x DDR3L 1.35 Support M.2 SSD, WiFi/BT $409
    Kingston KVR16LS11/8 1.35V 8GB 1600MHz DDR3 SODIMM $77

    Total = $486

  • The i3 model has 4 USB3 ports, if I plug 4 2tb portable HDDs in,say the older 9mm ones, you think it will have any trouble running them?

    • hi not all usb ports have power so you will need to read the tech specs

  • +1

    N2820 is a terrible CPU. It scores a CPUmark of 995. In comparison, that unisurf windows tablet's Z3735G scores 911. Yes folks, this is about as powerful as a $17 tablet. Granted the 8G ram makes it run smoother but whenever you hit anything cpu intensive you might as well be using a tablet.

    • Or if you're using it as a networked HTPC, a $200 Intel Compute Stick takes up a lot less space and handles netflix/hulu/youtube/MKV well enough. Unlike the NUC, it comes with a bit of storage and OS.

      Although there are cheaper stick PCs coming up after Windows 10 is released in a few weeks.

      Lenovo IdeaCentre Stick - US$130
      Archos PC Stick - US$100

      http://www.zdnet.com/article/archos-99-pc-stick-is-latest-wi…

  • Which is better ?

    NUC or HP micro server?
    or build my own?

    ===

    What do people use this NUC for?

    • Back end server: micro server (file store, Plex server, Virtual machines, torrent box, etc)
      Front end client: NUC (XBMC/Kodi, desktop OS, Plex client, etc)

  • Hi rep, I missed out on the previous I7 NUC deal, when are you going to bring it back? I'll definitely get one if its going for the $599 again

  • -1

    Thanks to NUCarse for getting the deal :)I still wish the NUC prices could come down a little more, on some laptop deals for similar and sometimes less you get similar CPUs and a screen and memory (yes low I know 2 - 4 gig) plus an OS plus a maybe 500 gig HD. Among other buys over the years about two years back I got a new Core i5 (early gen) 14" laptop with 4gig ram, 500 gig HD & Win 7 OS for $420 so the core i3 still seems expensive.

    • -1

      Plus an example from last month I bought, a new laptop with Celeron N2840, 14" screen, 500 gig HD, Win 8.1 bing, 2 gig ram (obviously 8gig would be much better here!). Total cost after Dick discount (plus free pickup locally) and manufacturer discount $214! (I said $215 in another post but just checked my invoice). It has HDMI etc so may end up as a media center once more RAM is added.

    • Stop comparing a laptop to an Intel NUC, it's totally different.

      • +1

        Sorry you didn't get my point kevin22, perhaps you would like to explain your point a bit? It's easy to be negative in a small comment, it's a bit harder to make a better explained argument. I have been playing with PC's since the first Apple (well more like Apple clones from Taiwan and Singapore for me at the time) and worked 30+ years in IT so as an old fart probably don't get some modern viewpoints. Always happy to learn more, I just tend to take the long view these days and appreciate how cheap all this stuff is in real worked for it dollars these days..

  • Is this deal finished? Coupon not working!

    • Deal expired.

    • Sorry for the delay in updating.

      deal has expired

      Regards
      SE

      • Damn. I was going to get one today.

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