Shopping Express have the i7 NUCs for $500 using the PRAISE code on eBay. I've been contemplating buying one of these for a while and this seems very well priced.
What does the team here think?
i7 NUC $500. Worth Buying?
crc32 on 06/05/2018 - 11:30
Last edited 06/05/2018 - 12:20 by 1 other user
Last edited 06/05/2018 - 12:20 by 1 other user
Comments
Pretty sure a low end egpu still thrashes Vega-M …
define low end
vega-m in hayes nuc, beats 1050Ti and hitting close to 1060
unless you're referring 1070 e-gpu ? $$$$$ + that dual core i7 bottlenecks it
Looking for a reasonably portable desktop for web browsing, some offce stuff, torrents etc. Not at all interested in gaming.
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Dell-Inspiron-11-3000-AMD-7th-GE…
"for web browsing, some offce stuff, torrents etc"
I'd get dell laptop above at $399 (after 20% off ebay code : PRAISE )
It's light/thin/small/portable/mobile, plenty enough for your usage & you can hook it up to ext. display/TV/HDD/mouse/keyboard just like nuc.That $500 nuc still needs ddr4 rams + SSD storage drive. More like $750 in the end.
Thanks but not what I'm looking for.
This NUC is up to those tasks, but the i5 model could also do those tasks almost as well. You will need to factor in the cost of RAM, SSD and a Windows license (presuming you want to run legit Windows). Also, if your monitor doesn't have HDMI input, you will need some sort of thunderbolt USB-C adapter.
I set a NUC up for a relative a few years ago. Attached to the back of the monitor and using wireless keyboard and mouse, it's pretty discrete.
That's the sort of set up I'm thinking about. Something that's relatively compact and easy to move around but more comfortable to use than a laptop. The i5 would be enough but this seemed like a pretty good price for the 7.
It looks okay but personally I'd grab a laptop, seems to be similar enough from specs per price (I think?) and it has a screen for using on trains and other places. Not sure, but from what you need to use above, the only thing will be ensuring office is compatible which most devices nowadays should hopefully be able to handle.
I was going to get a intel compute-stick, but it was better value to get a dell refurbished laptop instead. intel compute cards might be worth a look also, they're fairly new and come with ram & hdd.
Hadn't considered the Intel compute sticks. I'll have a look. Thanks.
I ended up getting a Dell Inspiron 11 3000 m3-7y30 4gb ram 128gb ssd refurbished from Dell outlet for $380
When Laptops like this are for sale, nucs drive a pretty hard bargain.
I bought an i5 Nuc for $450ish a while back.
Then added $500 worth of RAM (32gb)
and an m2 SSD for $160, ontop of my old 2.5" SSD.Great little computer for my needs, HTPC, programming, some old games, batch photo editing and video processing.
Not cheap though. But like having all the ram I can fit.
I did a lot of research on this a while back. Once you add on all the extras (hdd, ram, OS(?) etc), there is little saving (if any) to be had from just buying a laptop of the exact specs you want.
I currently have my old laptop with the battery removed, sitting upside down underneath my computer acting as an HTPC. Set the bios as always on, and disable all the sleep modes etc. Works fantastic.
I've had an I5 NUC for a few years. Swapped the case for a fanless one. Runs fine under the TV as a semi-permanent HTPC and emulation machine with wireless keyboard and mouse. Also have a laptop, they are just used in different ways, and would be a hassle to keep plugging it into TV.
I have two nuc's in the house, both i5/8gig. One for the wife/bedroom pc running win 10 and Kodi.
The other in the lounge connected to the TV also running win 10 and Kodi but also dumping out to run powerdvd for 3d movies. This one also runs a vanilla, family minecraft server in the background.
I also bought one for my dad so he can Facebook/YouTube/email on his telly.
I might be biased towards these little buggers but they're quiet, discreet and use bugger all power.
Highly recommended.
Just buy it.
I was waiting foe someone to tell me that! 🙂
what do you want to use it for ?
overkill for htpc
under-spec for gaming (though iris plus 650 is the best intel igp , it's still far behind ryzen apu for 1080p gaming)
even with external gpu through thunderbolt ; the dual-core i7 will cause bottleneck
but then if you're going for e-gpu, might as well spend it on hayes canyon nuc nuc8i7hvk with vega-M to begin with