NUC - 5th Gen i3 Vs 4th/5th Gen i5

• 

  gmatht on 13/01/2016 - 18:20

  +1

  I think the 5th gen i3 supports 4K over DisplayPort: https://www.pccasegear.com/products/30757

  It is hard to find TVs with DisplayPort in but it might help in future. There doesn't seem to be much difference in encoding speed according to notebookcheck. The 5th gen i3 is also a bit cheaper. May as well pick that one. Have a look at:
  https://www.reddit.com/r/PleX/comments/320tp6/is_there_a_lis…

  BTW, note that Netflix won't let you do 4K on generic hardware (and won't let you do 1080p on Linux/Chrome).

  • 

    moman on 13/01/2016 - 21:18

    Thanks for the reply. I probably wont be able to do 4K with a download speed of 800KB/s and NBN not coming to me any time soon. So in your opinion is the extra money to upgrade to 5th gen i5 not really worth it?

    Also IF the NUC is the client (and NAS the server, which can't transcode to save its life) then I shouldnt really need to transcode as it could Direct Play anything?

    • 

      gmatht on 15/01/2016 - 13:31

      I am not familiar with Plex, but I presume so. An i3 should be able decode 1080p in its sleep.

• 

  [Deactivated] on 13/01/2016 - 20:00

  +1

  Why not go for an SSHD?

  I've never used one personally but the youtube video in the link has made me decide to use one of those for my next build.
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tu5xKDcFY7Y

  2.5" WD 1TB $139 https://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&…
  2.5" Seagate 1TB https://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&…
  2.5" Seagate 500GB https://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&…

  • 

    moman on 13/01/2016 - 21:19

    Oh didn't even think of that, for the little bit extra it might be worth getting a SSHD, even though I wouldn't use the full space, since my NAS is 6TB Raid 0

    • 

      [Deactivated] on 13/01/2016 - 22:13

      +1

      Basically it stops the disk from wearing out because it will read all those little files from your sshd that are most used and it will save your boot sdd because its not constantly getting written to.

      • 

        moman on 14/01/2016 - 16:57

        Oh i see shoppingexpress.com.au have a 10% off NUC's. How are they with regards to warranties and defective products? Is it safer to just pay the extra $50 and buy it from a brick and mortar store or are they pretty good?

• 

  hunter88 on 14/01/2016 - 17:05

  why not get the skylake NUCs? http://www.mwave.com.au/product/intel-boxnuc6i3syh-nuc-bareb…

  Unfortunately they only carry the i3 version. Have to wait for the i5 one to find out the price.

  • 

    moman on 14/01/2016 - 17:13

    I never considered it as passmark rates the CPU for the 5th Gen i5 (currently $450 at Shopping express) higher than the 6th Gen i3.

    So I wasn't sure if it was worth getting it.

• 

  lansalot on 15/01/2016 - 19:00

  +1

  I've got the alienware alpha, I'd recommend getting one if you can from Dell's clearance outlet for about the same prices you are quoting above. Comes with nVidia graphics too.

  • 

    moman on 15/01/2016 - 20:44

    oh never heard of them. ill check it out.

    where is this factory outlet?

    • 

      lansalot on 16/01/2016 - 11:22

      +1

      http://www.dell.com/learn/au/en/audhs1/campaigns/dell-outlet…

      Under Alienware Desktops

  • 

    silvelining on 01/04/2016 - 13:20

    May I know how much you got it for from DFO? Is it the i5 version? Thanks.

• 

  gcse on 16/01/2016 - 17:43

  +1

  I'm in the same dilemma like you. I was looking for 6th gen i3 vs 5th Gen i5. The 5th Gen i5 can do 2.7Ghz in turbo mode but 1.6Ghz is the base frequency. Whereas the 6th Gen i3 has no turbo mode but base frequency 2.3Ghz. From what i read the Turbo mode will kick when heavily utilized but will not stay on for long. It may not kick in if the CPU temp is high but CPU will work in base CPU even if the temp is high.
  Both CPU's have two cores with HT enabled and not difference in power consumption ratings.

  Considering all the above, 6th Gen i3 would be better as it has higher base frequency than 5th gen i5. Your situation seems also similar. I'm not sure if i have understood it wrong. Is there any other difference between i3 and i5 other than turbo mode that i'm missing. Any advise is greatly appreciated.

  • 

    moman on 16/01/2016 - 21:17

    That is interesting. The only other difference is the video card (ignoring the ports and accessories).

    Your comment raises another question. When you mention turbo mode does this mean that the CPU will either be 1.6Ghz or 2.7Ghz and won't scale up? Which then means, if we ignore the short period that the boost is effective (30 seconds i think), then the i3 with a lower base frequency is better?

    • 

      gcse on 17/01/2016 - 08:23

      This is what i found in the Intel's Turbo boost whitepaper,

      Availability and frequency upside of Intel® Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 state depends upon a number of factors including, but not limited to, the following:

      Type of workload
      Number of active cores
      Estimated current consumption
      Estimated power consumption
      Processor temperature
      When the processor is operating below these limits and the user's workload demands additional performance, the processor frequency will dynamically increase until the upper limit of frequency is reached. Intel® Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 has multiple algorithms operating in parallel to manage current, power, and temperature to maximize frequency and energy efficiency. Note: Intel® Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 allows the processor to operate at a power level that is higher than its TDP configuration and data sheet specified power for short durations to maximize performance.

      In your case you, if everything is under the limits, i guess you can achieve .6 Ghz more for each core using Turbo mode.

      You may consider 6th Gen i3 it is only 440$ in IJK Sydney. I believe it has the better graphics,Intel® HD Graphics 520 and the base frequency is 2.3 Ghz but no turbo mode.