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Intel NUC 8 Mainstream-G Mini PC - i5/1.6GHz - 8GB + 16GB Intel Optane - 1TB HDD $499 @ Bing Lee

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I been looking for an NUC to run one of my laser machines.

Seen the mwave deal but opted for one of these instead.

Couldn't find it posted anywhere and couldn't find this machine anywhere near this price.

Processor : Intel® Core™ i5-8265U Intel® Optane™ Memory: 16GB 
Operating System: Windows® 10 Home 
Storage: 1TB HDD 
RAM: 8GB 
Video Graphics: AMD Radeon* 540X 
Wireless Network: 802.11ac 2×2

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closed Comments

  • How is it as a parents pc?

    • Should be more than fine if they aren't doing anything super strenuous.

      • +14

        doing anything super strenuous.

        That’s how they became parents.

  • Probably overkill for your laser machines but decent deal….
    I might hold out for one of the low power N/J models

    • +2

      A little overkill but will help if I need to fix some vectors up without going back and forth on PC's.

  • +4

    8GB or 16GB?

    • +1

      Both, but 8GB of RAM and 16GB of Optane Memory. Intel Optane is a storage tech that acts as cache memory.
      Is it better than 24GB (8+16) RAM? No.
      Is it better than 8GB RAM? Yes.

      • Hey mate, the Optane memory is caching the harddrive. So it will not be better than 8GB RAM.

  • What do people do with these mini PCs?

    • +6

      I have this exact NUC model. The small (and simple) form factor is important to some businesses with small amount of space, such as at the counter of a shop. A lot of people use it as an entertainment hub for their TV. I use it for the small form factor also, but it also uses essentially laptop hardware so it tends to use less power than a desktop. Mine is run via a 12 volt battery connected to solar power, but I doubt many people do this. Unlike some laptops many parts are replaceable such as hard drive, RAM, Bluetooth/WIFI card. It's definitely a niche product. Another thing is that it produces a lot less heat than a traditional desktop tower. In summer my study area would get really hot from having the old school desktop tower running for an hour or more, it was like having a heater on when it was 40c.

      • +1

        I have this exact NUC model.

        With the same mechanical HDD? How well does the Optane disk caching work, do you find yourself waiting for disk reads?

        • +1

          Clarification, sorry when I say exact I meant the eaxact same CPU i5-8265U and the same BXNUC8I5INHX kit which I bought as a barebone kit same as this one from Centrecom so I had to add all the HDD, SSD, RAM and O.S in my case a 1TB Samsung 860 2280 SSD and a Samsung 2TB slim internal HDD. So I can't answer your question, except to say in my case the SSD was doing all the program and O.S work while the HDD just stored my Documents, Pictures Videos etc, so I had no issues waiting for disk reads.

    • +1

      If you use Plex, you can share your TV/music/movie collection out to friends and family. Plex will also transcode video and audio on the fly using the onboard video care, meaning it'll crunch down your massive legally acquired x265 blu ray rips into something that'll fit through your internet connection, and also play on whatever hardware they have at their end.

    • Controlling lasers https://youtu.be/OmoldX1wKYQ

    • Thanks for all the information guys! I just haven’t seen this product before.

  • What laser machines are you running ?

    • I've got a couple co2 and a fiber laser arriving Tuesday

  • +2

    Cheers OP, I've been after a deal on one of these!

  • +1

    alright price given it comes with ram + drive, but i'd swap the hdd out for a ssd and use the hdd somewhere else.

  • Reckon this or an Xbox Series S for an emulation box on a secondary TV? Series S has the obvious advantage of playing the latest games, but I already have an X anyways so it means nothing to me.

    • +1

      If you have X, why need additional for emulater? You don’t play both dev and normal modes at the same time anyway.

      NUC gets you a full pc if you need additional pc.

      • I use the retail mode option, so I don't need dev mode at all.

        I don't even have a PC, I have my lovely lil Chromebook from 5 or 6 years ago, this would literally just be used as an emulation box, something I'd likely mess around with and then pass onto a friend or something when I get bored. I'm just thinking in terms of what they could handle, the S I know can do GameCube and Wii pretty well, zero issues with GCN myself but haven't any real interest in Wii, but this little guy, if it could run Citra and Cemu well, I'd be impressed, but I don't really know what to expect out of a lil NUC like this tbh, if the Chromebook didn't give it away, I'm far from a computer person.

        • Ah. That makes sense. I’m thinking buying a S because it’s backwards compatibility rather than the emulation. I’m a PS person so not a PC guy either. If I need to use PC, the work laptop would serve me just right.

  • +1

    I have a NUC and think its great. Did have to clean it out once as they do tend to suck in a bit if dust, but no different to any PC. I leave mine running constantly and have had a so for a few years now.

  • +1

    I've got two old Ivy bridge nucs - one has been running since 2014 24h while the other stopped working in 2019 (interestingly enough, the one that stopped working, did so only while inside its case - when I extracted its mb and connected it then turned it on while outside it's case, it worked, so one is naked while the other is still inside its case).

    My maintenance has been blowing then with compressed air once a year.

  • +2

    Careful, the RAM is soldered to the motherboard. No upgradability!

  • whats the voltage on this ?

    looking to bulid a router

  • Thanks for posting this OP.

    I bought one for mum and dad's new PC instead of getting an AIO solution. Coupled with a 24" Samsung monitor, a kb/mouse combo and logitech entry level speakers, it all came in under $700… a lot less than an AIO and with 3yr warranty vs the AIO's 1yr warranty. The savings went towards an nvidia shield which they really need in order to watch movie files with sub title file support (well, in an easy to use set up at least).

    Just finished doing my initial setup to install Office, update Windows etc. Also installed Torchlight 2 to test out how well it does for casual gaming and it's not too shabby there. Once lockdowns end, I'll be taking it down to their place and setting it all up for them.

    My fiancee now wants a NUC to replace her macbook when it dies… she only uses the MacBook to cast to the TV. With a NUC, she'll be playing Youtube/movies/etc directly on the TV instead.

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