Shall I Replace My i5-4790 Desktop with a NUC (Celeron J3455)

tooblue on 10/12/2023 - 14:56
Last edited 10/12/2023 - 15:00

I am using an HP 800G1 desktop (i5-4590 / Intel HD4600 / 12 GB / SATA SSD), am looking to replace it with an Intel NUC6CAY (J3455 / Inten HD500 / 8GB / SATA SSD). On paper the i5-4690 beats J3455 on almost every aspect except the TDP. But being the new architecture does the Celeron has new specific instruction set to improve the performance?

I am using the computer for general web browsing, Excel work and some light video editing (converting formats, cut and trim, not time critical, can leave it run overnight). NO GAMING. The reasons I am looking to replace the desktop are mainly power consumption, noise and size. I am happy if the NUC has equivalent performance as the desktop or even slightly behind.

Computing Computer Desktop Computer

Comments

  • barge-in hunter on 10/12/2023 - 15:15

    The celeron j series are very low powered cpus, often used in “always on” devices like NAS. First released in 2016.

    If you’re used to a 4th gen quad core i5, using one will feel pretty painful - especially for something like video editing.

    Your best bet is a ryzen 5 series mini pc - plenty of deals from beelink etc posted here often.

    Even one of their mini pcs based on the celeron n5105 cpus will wipe the floor with a j series (but still be significantly slower than your old i5, depending on the task).

    • tooblue on 10/12/2023 - 15:34

      Thanks for the answer. So for the lower power CPUs, xxxxU > Nxxxx > Jxxxx?

      • elusive on 10/12/2023 - 16:04

        The generation and therefore architecture matters far more. Any Atom-class uArch prior to Gracemont is pointless, and even Gracemont is billed as Skylake-like performance (which is one major gen ahead of your Haswell).

        The processor branding and model number structure cannot be compared across generations, as their meanings have changed.

  • scrimshaw on 10/12/2023 - 15:16
    +3

    You're replacing a 2014 era desktop processor with a ultra-low-voltage / budget processor (that is basically Atom) from 2016. It's not really an upgrade, more like… side-grade?

    general web browsing, Excel work and some light video editing (converting formats, cut and trim, not time critical, can leave it run overnight)

    Assuming you are using a video editor that supports Intel QuickSync (that makes h264 / h265 video encodes / exports much faster) then you'll want to stick with a Intel chip. But you'll also want higher core count. The Alder lake N95 / N100 are quad cores, while the N300 / N305 are 8 cores

    You can get 6 to 8-core Mini PC's at a very small budget nowadays. And for around $200~$220 you can get a refurbished Coffee Lake based office desktop like Dell Optiplex 7060. the SFF desktops feature a PCIE slot for a dedicated GPU (if you want feature like Nvidia Nvenc)

  • bobokingdom on 10/12/2023 - 15:21

    Get a NUC with N200, N305 and it will be an upgrade :)

  • Nutrino on 10/12/2023 - 16:18
    +1

    I have the j3455 nuc. Stay away.

  • Ponsonby on 10/12/2023 - 16:27

    N100 NUC 16gb DDR4 500gb SSD wifi bluetooth gigabit. $289 after coupon. https://www.amazon.com.au/Alder-Lake-N100-TRIGKEY-G4-Compute… LAN

  • bargaino on 11/12/2023 - 02:17

    Better to get an ex-lease USFF. Something like https://www.ozbargain.com.au/product/dell-optiplex-7060

  • shaybisc on 11/12/2023 - 11:36

    Get one of these instead.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EvsGAM1n4s

    For some reason the N97 is better than the N100

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join