That's a wrap on another project.

Ok, now it's all over, a quick rundown of the specifications of the NUC and a brief explanation of certain terms.

• CPU: Intel Celeron J3455 CPU, quad-core, 1.5 GHz (2.3 GHz burst), 10W TDP
• GPU: Intel HD Graphics 500, 12 EUs, 250 MHz base frequency, up to 750 MHz
• Memory: 2 slots, up to 8 gigabytes of DDR3L-1600/1866, 1.35 V, dual-channel
• USB: 2 front USB 3.0 ports (one with fast charging), 2 rear USB 3.0 ports, 2 USB 2.0 headers on mainboard
• 2.5″ SATA slot: Single slot for a 2.5″ SATA SSD or HDD drive, max. height 9.5 mm
• Display connectivity: Full-size HDMI 2.0 port, VGA port
• Audio connectivity: 7.1 channel digital audio over HDMI, 3.5 mm headphone jack in front panel, 3.5 mm speaker/TOSLink connector in the rear panel
• Networking: Gigabit Ethernet (Realtek), 802.11ac m.2 2230-size WiFi card preinstalled, Bluetooth 4.2
• HDMI CEC: CEC header on the mainboard, TV on/off functionality supported without a separate CEC adapter
• Infrared: Infrared receiver in the front panel

The NUC I've been playing with is the NUC6CAYS which arrived preinstalled with Windows 10 Home on a 32 GB eMMC drive, and installed memory, out of the box was a single stick of DDR3L, 2GB at 1600 MHz.

TDP at 10W means that during normal use the CPU will give off a below average amount of heat, and there is a small, almost silent fan built in to exhaust it. This is one of the key things that make the lower powered NUCs excellent for a modest HTPC unit and of course, HDMI out and CEC will be compatible with most modern flat panel TVs.

Although I run with CEC disabled, I don't want my NUC turning off my TV when I switch devices.

I would say that this unit has the horsepower to run a 1080P signal without too much effort, and as I am an old tech geezer, 1080P is a wonderous thing, there's no need for anything higher in this household which is a good thing as I do not think the NUC6CAYS will be comfortable at 4K.

I won't discuss the 7.1 digital audio output, mainly as our use will always be HDMI audio to the TV with a pass through to the amplifier. 

It's been a happy week. I have installed some software, my music library and given this NUC a good test drive, It will now temporarily take the place of our DNS shielded NUC as I do some maintenance and a small upgrade. After that I will have to decide what NUC goes where which might be complicated by the fact I could not resist buying another in the last few days.