The Intel NUC

The Intel NUC is a tremendous device, we already have two of them and they are used for streaming Canadian and worldwide content to our TV via HDMI. They are the core of our media setup and they have been extremely dependable and reliable.

The worldwide unit is a red, "Ivy Bridge" DC3217BY and is our oldest NUC from around 2014. It is still running a 32 bit Windows 8.1 (but can be upgraded to 64 bit Windows 10 free) and is shielded from geoblocking by a DNS rerouter service (C$50 a year) - this is the unit that we use to watch British TV "on demand" programs from the BBC and Channel 4. The processor is an Intel core i3-3217U at 1.8 GHz and it has integrated HD 4000 graphics. I added 4GB of ram, a wifi card and a 32GB solid state drive.

The dimensions of the NUC are 4.6" x 4.4" x 1.6", this isa tiny PC. It weighs a little over a pound.

At the time, I think the whole unit, including the RAM, WIFI and SSD cost me in the region of C$350 and it was an education to set up and even in those pioneering days of streaming, an amazing little machine.

The second unit is a black, "Ivy Bridge" DC3217IYE and was bought less than a year later. It is running 64 bit Windows 10 home. This is the unit that we use to watch Canadian TV "on demand" programs from the likes of Youtube, Netflix, Crave, Amazon, Reuters etc. The processor is an Intel core i3-3217U at 1.8 GHz and it has integrated HD 4000 graphics. I added 4GB of ram, a wifi card and a 64GB solid state drive. It was about a hundred dollars less than our original NUC and this model has a second HDMI output and a Gigabit Ethernet port. It does not however have the internal Thunderbolt connector of the original unit, although that is not a feature that we use.

I have no plans to improve either unit as they are still working very well at 1080p and what do they say? - if it ain't broke, don't fix it. So instead of doing superfluous work on these two, I have purchased a later model, which is to be the basis of project NUC, 2020

Stay tuned.