Intel's new NUC from the Skull Canyon lineup is a very powerful machine for such a small form factor. About the size of a pint. http://nucblog.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/nuc6i7kyk.png Honestly, I'd say this makes an excellent candidate for a Linux-powered machine. I'd happily run a fully fledged OS on this (Despite its simplicity, LM(Xfce) is somewhat my favorite, yet I'd love to go with Korora). What do you guys think? With the IR sensor especially, I think this could also be somewhat of a console killer with SteamOS and Bluetooth compatibility. Microsoft's new XB1 controller has Bluetooth compatibility, making this quite the little box of potential. Opinions?
It's a pretty cool machine, I agree but marketed to the wrong audience in my opinion (I mean as is, without any thunderbolt external GPU). Why put Linux on? I really don't get it why use it on this machine if it's aimed towards gaming. If you like using Linux that's another story, but aside personal preference I think it should run Windows. Can't be a console kille because the GPU inside is way too low power to run games at "PC Master Race" level. Using it for in home streaming is a sin because it could be doing a lot more.
In my opinion that little thing would be perfect in an office environment where every client might need to run a couple on VMs on it, on top of the host OS to do "stuff".
Making it short: too powerful for a media player, too weak for gaming.
P.S. Why everyone tries to come up with this kind of PCs and nobody has ever thought before that removing batteries, display, touchpad and keyboard from a powerful notebook will result in a little PC that can surely destroy a console and that won't be that much bigger than that NUC? I really don't get it...
Hmm, I see. I think if used as a day-to-day computer, any OS is really fine. But for gaming, it makes a step at least. I do agree, not too much of a console killer without the external GPU, but it may just push other manufacturers to make similar, more graphically inclined machines in similar form factors? I'd like to see a release of this with maybe a GTX1070M (though the size would be a bit larger, it'd be a relatively powerful machine).
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my basic problem is newegg is listing it for $649 which is for the bare bones system, so it is priced such that I would have to put a small footprint as a priority for me to build one and even then the I5 cub style nuc's are plenty powerful enough for desktop word processing and basic Excel work at about half the bare bones price.
This nuc is neat but it sort of fills a niche that I do not quite understand.
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These specs almost make me think of the Vaio Z Canvas, which I though about getting as a suitable upgrade from the Surface Pro 2 since the prices have dropped a lot, except this is better in a way cause it also has Thunderbolt 3, which can make use of an external GPU if needed. At the rate those tablet PCs are going, I may go back to laptops as a main portable machine.