New generations of powerful but cool-running CPUs are largely responsible for this sudden onset of wee-ness, so it makes sense that AMD and Intel would both conjure tiny PCs to demonstrate what's possible within the confines of an ultra-small size. Intel has christened its concept the Next Unit of Computing (NUC), while AMD's primary manufacturing partner, Sapphire Technology, has dubbed its effort the Edge VS8.
Alas, neither the NUC nor the Edge VS8 Is cheap.
Intel's Next Unit of Computing
What the heck is a Next Unit of Computing? It's Intel's vision of a miniature-size computer. It measures four inches square by two inches high, and it's available in three kits: The$323 DC3217BY features a Core i3 3217-U processor, an HDMI audio-video port, and a Thunderbolt port (supporting DisplayPort 1.1a); the DC3217IYE ($293) has the same CPU and dual HDMI ports; and the $172 DCCP847DYE is outfitted with a Celeron 847 processor and dual HDMI ports. (Video resolution through HDMI maxes out at 1920 by 1200 pixels for all three models).
Before you get too excited about Intel's prices, know that they don't include memory or the solid-state drive required for storage, so add another $100 to $200 for an mSATA SSD and DDR3 SODIMMs. Add another $5 more for an AC power cord. Intel leaves one out so it can ship the same SKUs all over the world, expecting consumers to buy whatever type of power cord they need. While that makes things easy for Intel, it will be incredibly annoying for the customer who excitedly opens the box only to discover that his or her shiny new PC is as functional as a brick.
Intel does include a VESA-standard mounting plate, so you can attach the NUC to the back of a display.
Features common to all three NUC models include full- and half-size mini-PCIe slots, two USB 2.0 ports, a gigabit ethernet port, and a Kensington lock socket. There's no support for USB 3.0 or eSATA, although the QS77 Express chipset on all three motherboards does support these features. The DC3217BY model's Thunderbolt support provides a fast external storage option if you're ready to move up to that premium-priced technology.
The NUC's performance--at least in the DC3217IYE model we tested after adding one 4GB SODIMM and an Intel m525 240GB mSSD--was quite good. The box scored above 60 on our WorldBench 8 tests, and gaming frame rates are playable at lower resolutions. The NUC is also quiet, because it has no cooling fans: The entire case functions as a heat sink and becomes warm to the touch under heavy load.
Overall, the NUC is a neat, if not particularly versatile, little unit. The price might seem high, but when you cost out similar components for a mini-ATX unit, you're not paying as much for the form factor as you might think. But you are losing the ability to expand storage internally and to upgrade its graphics. We're also puzzled by the absence of any USB 3.0 ports, since the chipset supports it.
Sapphire Edge VS8
The jet-black Sapphire Edge VS8 is easily mistaken for a Wi-Fi router, given its dimensions: 7.8 inches high by 7.2 inches deep by 1.25 inch thick. Unlike Intel, Sapphire ships a fully functional PC with everything you need: 4GB of memory, a 500GB hard drive, and a VESA mount. You also get a power cord (nice!), as well as HDMI and optical S/PDIF cables and an HDMI-to-DVI adapter.
Sapphire expects to fetch $429 for the package. You can easily configure either of Intel's Core i3 NUCs with 4GB of memory and a small-but-fast SSD for the same amount.
The Radeon HD 7600G GPU integrated into the Edge VS8's accelerated processing unit (APU) performs considerably better than the NUC's HD 4000 graphics. Truly playable frame rates, however, are available only at resolutions of 1024 by 768 pixels or lower. But the somewhat slow 500GB, 5400-rpm hard drive (yes, they squeeze a hard drive into that tiny package) made the Edge VS8 feel less than sprightly. The unit scored a mere 34 on our WorldBench 8 test (that's in the neighborhood of a low-end notebook). It would be great if Sapphire offered an SSD option.
Sapphire's machine clearly beats the NUC in terms of ports, though: The Edge VS8 has a gigabit ethernet port, two USB 3.0 ports, four USB 2.0 ports, an SD card reader, analog audio in/out, S/PDIF audio out, HDMI (with a maximum resolution of 1920 by 1200 pixels),and a DisplayPort (2560 by 1600 resolution, max).
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