Gaming at What Cost? Intel NUC 12 Enthusiast Serpent Canyon Review

In this video we check out Intel's NUC 12 Enthusiast Serpent Canyon featuring an i7-12700H and Intel ARC A770M graphics. This review covers gaming performance versus NUC 11 Enthusiast and noise, power draw and temperature tests. Intel ARC doesn't impress.
00:00 - Intro
00:28 - Specs
00:55 - In the Box
01:02 - Dimensions
01:18 - Aesthetics & Build
01:53 - Ports
02:33 - Putting it together
03:46 - Bios Features
04:10 - Ubuntu & Windows
05:03 - Benchmarks
06:15 - Game comparisons
08:23 - Video Editing Premiere
08:48 - Power, Temps & Noise
10:28 - Conclusion
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[@malavpatel77]

would be nice to see a re-test of this nuc, with newer driver

[@fujitsubo3323]

still sucks ass man. i ripped my arc a770 out of my machine and stuck a rtx 3060Ti back into it again becuase i was suck of the bugs and inconsistency

[@Withnail1969]

I have one now and its phenomenal. Amazing.

[@thomasreinhardt3626]

valuable information! Thanks!

[@FAT8893]

I think I'm still happy with my NUC 11 Enthusiast. Even with soldered RTX 2060 Max-P GPU, I'm still impressed with its overall performance. Plus, I have 32GB RAM on board, so it's still good for the next three to five years time.

[@hoven-lh8wq]

Can it run every game on 1080p well? how are temps? is it quieter than a gaming laptop?

[@FAT8893]

@@hoven-lh8wq I have zero problem running games in 1080p, even at preset High or Max settings. As for temps, I never get anything more than 70°C for the CPU and 90°C for the GPU. I did set the fan under the 'Cool' preset though. Speaking of fans, I don't hear much noise from it. Dare I say it, it sounds silent to my ears.

[@hoven-lh8wq]

@@FAT8893 thanks for the reply. I have already bought thus awesome machine few days back, i love it so far...huge performance for jts size, very good temps and it is very silent, way quieter than a gaming laptop.

[@FAT8893]

@@hoven-lh8wq It even fits well behind my VESA-compatible HP generic monitor.

[@Withnail1969]

The NUC 11 Enthusiast is the best computer i have ever owned until i bought this one. I'm not going to put it on ebay, i love it too much to sell.

[@mariozamora9684]

Excellent video. How does it work for content in comparison to a 30 series GPU? Better playback or better export time, etc

[@nosirrahx]

Looking at all of the reviews on the 4000 series GPUs, it looks like cutting down their power limit tremendously improves thermals while only slightly impacting performance. I have a feeling that 4000 series mobile GPUs will have legendary efficiency and would be perfect in something like a NUC. It really sucks that we likely won't ever get to see what could be the ultimate mini PC namely a 13th gen mobile CPU paired with a 4000 series mobile GPU.

[@jlistcom]

Very helpful video!!

[@Val2073]

This review didnt age well. I have about a dozen Mini PCs and the serpent canyon is literally the most powerful mini pc you can buy. I got mine barebone for 650$ and paired with 64mb ddr4 Mem and 1 tb nvme. All in for about 800$. I have the Phantom Canyon as well and the Serpent Canyon is twice as powerful.

[@g3arsgam3r]

I agree 💯. I own the NUC 12 Enthusiast (Serpent Canyon) and it plays every game I throw at it with ease on high/ultra settings. This is definitely not a fair review at all.

[@Withnail1969]

I would highly recommend it. The NUC 11 Enthusiast is awesome but this is in a league of its own. I managed to get it barebones for £680.

[@joelconolly5574]

Looks like we'll never get an Nvidia/Intel anymore with NUC, but I'm hopeful for the Arc graphics. Maybe in 5 years Arc will be competitive enough for the mainstream. Looks like Minisforum is still the best mini PC maker in the market. For now...

[@combatron117]

Very Nice Review.. Have you tried updating the bios?

[@Robtech]

Yep, no difference

[@hadouken2123]

Thanks for the video. Will you also the review the Minisforum HX90G ? Maybe a suitable alternative?

[@Robtech]

Yep, got it pre-ordered.

[@J0k3r399]

Can you please quickly retest if the idle power usage has improved with newer drivers/firmware? You could also try if it's lower when only using the iGPU-connected Thunderbolt ports.

[@Robtech]

I don't have it anymore

[@markdawson25]

As of Sep 1st 2023, these can be had for about $700 barebones - looking for an updated review because I suspect a lot of the issues have been worked out and I've read so much good press about the driver improvements with the ARC platform.

[@Robtech]

I would if I still had it. But sold it soon after to fund the next review unit.

[@SamirDipalee]

Where is it available for 700. I am thinking of getting one despite the shortcomings.

[@UFAIL]

I also would have liked a re-review. In my area i.e. they can be had for 660€, which seems like a very good price for a mini PC with a GPU that has 16GB of VRAM. Currently I'm a little conflicted if I should buy one of these as an alternative to a Student-Laptop, because the "cheapest" with 16GB of VRAM costs about 1600€ (RTX 3080 Ti Mobile). Or if we go with 8GB(RTX 4060 Mobile/RX 6600M), then it would be around 1000€, which is still around 400€ more expensive. Of course I would also have to buy a portable monitor, RAM, SSD and a portable generator/specialized power bank, which could make it more expensive and very cluttery...

[@Withnail1969]

Buy one, buy one, buy one, that's all I can say. I did last week.

[@andreasandersson3007]

Love your thorough reviews. Is it possible to set the Max Wattage on the GPU like you can on desktop version of Arc GPUs? Might be a solution to keep the fan noise down by tweaking the power levels to a "good enough" setting. Still trying to decide for a Phantom at a good discount or the Serpent, although upgrading a current ITX build seems the like the wise move, atleast when comparing with the Serpent.

[@Robtech]

At the time I reviewed it, only CPU wattage could be tweaked IIRC. It might have changed over the months in the ARC control panel though. Either way, poorly priced and too noisy, hot and power hungry for my liking.

[@Withnail1969]

all you do is switch it to use Intel Xe graphics when not gaming. Rob is wrong about the power draw. It uses less than my Nuc 11 Enthusiast when not gaming.

[@Withnail1969]

@@Robtech you're so wrong.

[@Dire444]

Great review! Can you check if you can set the iGP to be used on instead of the discrete arc GPU and see if that helps the idle power (similar to how laptops work)? Also there is an arstechnica article with an intel webpage that has an alleged fix for the high idle power of arc GPUs, unsure if that helps here, you need to set specific things in the BIOS for that. Kinda a bummer if there is no fix for the idle power, would have loved to pick this up as a server / media PC box sitting under my TV otherwise

[@Robtech]

I disabled the A770M in device manager and iGPU gives display. Idle power dropped to 37W. Still not great, but better. The PCIE Express "Maximum Power Savings" settings in Windows power options? Yep, it's on by default in my install. The latest BIOS hasn't fixed it either.

[@Dire444]

@@Robtech Thanks for the feedback! Basically its pegged really high, that's a big shame for sure. Whatever is going here, I'm leaning on skipping it.

[@TheCeleryGod]

Great review. I am also looking for a Phantom Canyon upgrade, but this isn't it. Intel is trying to sell ARC as a value proposition, and it clearly isn't in this case.

[@kevinhadap6463]

Likewise over here. You may just have to be a little patient. Intel's site (on the US side) earmarked the MSRP on the barebones kit for ~$1300, vs the ~$1700 we're seeing on the prebuilts. Problem is, have fun trying to find the barebones kit... That all being said, if you can get the kit for $1300 USD, value prop is still definitely there. At a 40% uptick over prior gen though? Yeah, agreed, no go.

[@Withnail1969]

Oh believe me it is. It's awesome.

[@NathanMartin11]

For a mini gaming pc, have you considered the HX90G from Minisforum? While I am quite happy with my TH50 that I only use for playing Skyrim SE (and as a daily driver for the rest of my needs), if I was going for a higher end gaming mini pc, I'd definitely do an HX90G over a NUC.

[@Robtech]

Yep, already pre-ordered along with the NUCXi7

[@NathanMartin11]

@@Robtech Exciting! I look forward to your reviews of each of them.

[@daltonyoung7146]

Definitely the best HTPC/gaming mini pc you can currently get. Much better than the Intel NUCs that are just too expensive and not fast enough. You should check out TechTablets video on it

[@vanweefrancis]

@@Robtech May I ask you if the issue with the previous NUC is related to the sound in any way ? Thx for your help.

[@hangyin7064]

I got my hx90g, the main board is dead. Be careful about the quality of a small company

[@tripzero0]

What version of ubuntu did you try (22.10?) I don't think 22.04 has out of the box support for Alchemist yet.

[@Robtech]

22.10

[@djashjones]

I think computers are going back in time. They seem to be getting bigger and more power hungry.

[@AnTran147]

They really needed to price this better considering they were making noise about how Alchemist would be oh so cheap.

[@Robtech]

Ideally it would have been the same price, but the changes all add to the price.

[@sumnemo4371]

Another great review. Just have to stick with the Hades Canyon and await the next one. Yet again.

[@Robtech]

I wouldn't be surprised if the next one is similar with a 13700H and Intel ARC B770M GPU.

[@SamirDipalee]

Sadly RIP NUC @@Robtech

[@thephoenixchant]

Is the phantom canyon Nuc 11 good enough for 1080p intense video editing and AAA gaming at full specs? Or do I need this serpent one for music/video production instead? I need it portable for use as a music production/gaming/video editing rig, and without liquid metal, so I guess it has to be one of these. Or Dragon. But dragon's less portable and might be overkill

[@Robtech]

I did video edit on Phantom Canyon for a while when I had it. It was pretty good for my projects. How it holds up with the latest games I'm not sure as I don't have it anymore, but DLSS would definitely help keep the framerate up. I guess you can search for your favourite game + RTX 2060 mobile and see if you get some benchmarks.

[@thephoenixchant]

@@Robtech If Phantom Canyon can run everything in Middle/High settings at 1080p, and videoe dit fluently at 1080p, then I think I will try to get a Phantom Canyon. As you said, the serpent is more expensive, noisier,bigger and heavier

[@oldcoder3625]

I have enjoyed my NUC Kit NUC6i7KYK for over 6 years... I would like to replace it but every time I review NUCs I have not been compelled enough to buy another one. Like you, I wonder how Intel drags the nuc product line out and rarely hits the mark. I was impressed with Hades NUC but it was too early for me to upgrade. And the Phantom NUC 11 looks good but it's technology is on the downside now. I like fast and quiet, so I will be passing on the Serpent in hopes the next NUC in the Canyon profile works for me

[@foodaupair]

Spot on same here!

[@abbath8149]

You say that phantom's hardware is on the downside right now when you have for 6 years a system that was not capable for gaming even when released. You can keep it for another six years. You'll not miss something you haven't already.

[@Benieg83]

So is the phantom canyon (nuc 11 enthusiast) still your pick for favourite nuc of all time?

[@Robtech]

Yeah, but it's a bit outdated now and the price hasn't dropped (here at least)

[@mariozamora9684]

Did you apply Intel’s fix for the high idle power usage?

[@Robtech]

The PCIE Express "Maximum Power Savings" settings in Windows power options? Yep, it's on by default in my install.

[@SvenKelemen]

Hi, you mentioned you had to return your NUC 11 Enthusiast, what was the issue? On my NUC 11 Enthusiast Optane memory module burned-out. Intel offered a refund for the whole NUC. I wanted to keep it as it's so fast-quiet-pretty NUC (I have a few), so I replaced burned Optane with Samsung SSD 980 PRO 2TB.

[@Robtech]

Faulty motherboard

[@vqa33]

Thanks you've saved my life.

[@martinflyvbjerg8296]

Dear Robtech, does it makes sense to revisit this product? With the new drivers and such. Will you makes a video? Have the issues been fixed? Btw love your channel and reviews 😁

[@Robtech]

The majority of gains have been in older DX9 titles from what I've seen, which I didn't test. Some of the titles in this video may perform a little better now, and if I had the unit, I'd retest it. However, that doesn't change my conclusion. It's hot, loud, expensive and draws too much power for its gaming performance.

[@martinflyvbjerg8296]

@@Robtechthank you very much for the reply

[@OLDUSAFMedic]

I have this and really like it. It gives better numbers from Benchmark programs and was $650 barebones. The thing is, I'm not a gamer and my NUC6i7KYK seems just as fast for just playing simple games like World Of Warships and surfing the web. that are only $175 barebones. I got the NUC 12 because the CPU is not soldered but I will never upgrade it. It was all a whim.

[@c7261]

I love your reviews and all the work that goes into shooting, graphics and script. The only thing I’d say is that when you go through the specs it gets confusing because the graphic is often highlighting a very specific aspect you’re not mentioning until much later. Your voice isn’t letting up between each detail of the spec. I’d advise pausing and using the graphic to indicate what spec you’re talking about. Tedious, I know, but it’s the only criticism I have about your reviews. Otherwise great mate 👍

[@Robtech]

Good to hear. Always wanting to make improvements. You're referring to 0:30 to 0:54 right? I should start highlighting each line as I talk about it.

[@pandaDotDragon]

Skull Canyon here. I was waiting the Serpent Canyon so bad to make an upgrade. But that price... it's just not possible. And all of that for paying a GPU that I don't really need. With a huge power consomption (not a good time for the European market). From now on the nucs based on the AMD 6900HX look much more interesting. And abordables.

[@yourikhan4425]

I love my Phantom Canyon but it's almost time to replace it. I've found your channel a few days ago and I must say it's my favourite of all the the mini-PC ones. Now I'm having some difficulty choosing between the two best candidates (HX90G & NUCXi7), mostly about the noise (although, on a strictly engineering point of view, the HX90G is the clear winner to me)

[@PantheraTK]

Did you decide?

[@topelite666]

you should do another review on this product now that the drivers are more mature

[@Withnail1969]

its one of my best purchase decisions ever.

[@Benieg83]

At what size do their pcs stop becoming a nuc? This thing is getting closer to mini itx footprints.

[@Robtech]

It's just a brand name now for Intel made PCs. They get much bigger kzbin.infoUgkxT7zFrITEoU6qAoEShbwmifxVN_du3F65

[@mepm]

I just don't get why they made it so big, if I wanted something that size I would just get the nuc 9 extreme with a real gpu slot

[@jimisangster]

As a gaming machine, I probably wouldn't spend my money on it, but we've been using these for security where a real video card is needed for all the cameras. Much less expensive and much smaller than full desktops. CDW has these in USA for $1250 barebones.

[@Robtech]

That's a lot cheaper than here. Works out to around $1900AUD

[@Simon-um7eq]

Are you able to push PL1/PL2 to e.g. 90/115W in bios or is there an upper limit? Can you also push TAU to higher than 48 sec? Not for gaming of course but cpu-only workloads..

[@Robtech]

I will check and get back to you.

[@Simon-um7eq]

I believe the cooling should be fine when dGPU is not used, or?

[@Simon-um7eq]

@@Robtech any news?

[@Robtech]

Okay, I set PL1/2 to 90/115W and Tau to the maximum 128 seconds. It reported correctly in HWinfo, but the cooling couldn't handle it. Package power stayed in around the 80W range, max was 99W and thermal throttling kicked in faster with Cinebench R23. Max temp hit 100c. Score went up to 16200.

[@Simon-um7eq]

@@Robtech thank you very much for this. Still, its pretty sad, i saw some scaling graphs for 12700H and with 115W it was around 19k in R23.. hopes it will be able to push it.. but nope

[@Jacksn-zn6wz]

Yo my computer is having a problem with audio it says it is a 100% but I hear nonthing and I have watched multiple videos and they do not help

[@nosirrahx]

It really sucks that the NUC8i7HVK (which is technically a 7th gen NUC) supports XMP but this 12th gen NUC does not.

[@Withnail1969]

it does.

[@michaelchoy177]

I wish intel could have provided a better cooling on this one.. Mine while browsing the temp is 50c. Handbrake cpu encoding goes 100c.. They should have remove the skull led and use that space for a much larger fan

[@Withnail1969]

Well I bought one. It was just driver issues I understand. Rob is wrong about the power draw. If you make sure to switch it to using Intel Xe graphics rather than the A770 when not gaming, it uses less than the Nuc 11 Enthusiast which i also own. Gaming performance is phenomenal, very happy with this purchase.

[@StevePTFOx49]

I figured the wattage issue was an easy fix

[@LouisDuran]

What price do you think would make the NUC 12 Enthusiast more reasonable? In AUD or USD.

[@Robtech]

I'd like to say the same, but I can see the changes have upped the manufacturing costs quite a bit and the H chip is up above the U series. But for me at least, Serpent's price is one of a few issues that combine as a deal breaker.

[@LouisDuran]

@@Robtech heh. I ask because I can buy this PC at a significant discount. But maybe it's not worth it even at $850 US?

[@Robtech]

That's pretty good actually. $1000AUD cheaper than I paid 😞

[@flaviohiguti5430]

I own a Skull Canyon since it was launched and i’ve waiting for the Phantom upgrade….. But it seems that its not worth it. I dont play games.. i only use PC for work and photo editing as a hobby. Do you think Phanton is a better solution? Price is going down for Phanton

[@Robtech]

Gaming & video editing is the focus of this one so definitely overkill for your needs. Phantom would fit the bill or you could get something smaller, quiet and cheap like the Beelink SER 5, which should still outperform the Skull by a good margin. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rmXEZIR6j7GVrK8. You could compare Cinebench and 3DMark scores to get an approximate performance difference.

[@flaviohiguti5430]

@@Robtech Altough i only use PC for work and edit photos (LR) im begining to learn to edit videos, as i just got a drone. But also, i push my Nuc Skull to its limit, as the fan is always high, with CPU around 80%. Mine unit have 32GB, 4TB NVME. Im now with 6 instances of Excel, and around 40 tabs on my internet browser.

[@putongputong6086]

but im love it and will got one soon 🙂

[@Emperor-Caligula]

Intel's talented NUC engineers were handcuffed by being forced to include an Arc GPU. Vertical integration can work for small computers, the Mac mini is a great value, fast and quiet, for those who use macOS. However, Intel would have been better served by waiting until Arc is fully matured, assuming that ever happens. This is a case of business decisions overruling common sense technical realities. Thank you for covering thermals and noise, which are the most important to me. I respect your opinion, Rob, and appreciate your hard work. You always provide a solid, honest opinion. Based upon your review, I'll be skipping Serpent Canyon. Hopefully, Intel will learn from its mistakes and take measures to bring thermals and noise under control, while improving performance. This is, at best, minor incremental speed improvements with major negative tradeoffs. So, I'll still be waiting for my next mini gaming PC to be released, in whatever form that takes. I'll certainly be watching your channel for future releases. I've said for years that you're the gold standard in mini PC reviews, and you continue that tradition here.

[@Robtech]

Yeah, I don't blame the NUC team. Corporate interests always win out in the end. ARC needs to get better and quickly.

[@Cergorach]

Maybe, but at the time this was designed the was a significant lack of comparable and well priced GPUs from AMD and Nvidia... If they included a 3060M the price might have been even worse.,,,

[@iamthelaw69]

The unproven Arc A770 is what breaks the deal for me...until it does better on performance and support, the old 11 Enthusiast still punches above its weight and the integrated RTX2060 will be good for HTPC duty for a long time to come.

[@branford6663]

I can get the Serpent Canyon one for only $70 AUD ($45 USD) more than Phantom Canyon, at that price difference which is better? I'm not that fussed on the noise

[@Robtech]

Go for Serpent. Drivers/Performance has improved a lot.

[@branford6663]

Good to hear thanks@@Robtech

[@TR-707]

still on my NUC6i7KYK - super fast and small, totally bummed that they ditched the tiny formfactor. NUC13 is a straight up overpriced mini atx looking thing. KYK is like 300-400 bucks btw which is insane if you need a fast small pc for some ninja stuff.

[@costel24]

Intel Nuc Phantom Canyon at 614$ and Serpent at 837. Which one to buy for 1080p gaming?

[@SamirDipalee]

Where is it avaialble for 837 ?

[@g3arsgam3r]

Serpent 💯. I love mine! You won’t be disappointed.

[@pedro.nasaES]

Genial from SPAIN GRACIAS

[@nixxblikka]

Excellent review - and I really love your humor! Headphones joke got me... I had high hopes for this NUC but yeah, I think I have to pass

[@singhakumar48]

I don't understand why god of war got very bad performance at 1080p. It was hitting 70+ Fps on 1440p at high when ETA Prime reviewed it a month ago. Driver problems?

[@Robtech]

FSR 2.0 used?

[@singhakumar48]

Intel arc supports fsr?

[@Robtech]

Yep, works with iGPUs and Nvidia GPUs as well. I retested it with latest driver (1080P high, no FSR2.0 which is by default set to On Ultra Performance). First few minutes 68fps average. Nothing's changed. My numbers are correct. If FSR is used, needs to be stated. That is unrealistic actual performance.

[@singhakumar48]

@@Robtech Thank you for the information!! Subscribed!!

[@cssplayer91]

My dude really bashing on the intel nuc enthusiast when this is literally the fastest mini gaming PC out there in the world right now...

[@Robtech]

Fastest = Good 🤦‍♂️

[@ShaneMcGrath.]

They are all just getting so expensive now, Almost to the point I'm better off building my own mini pc. I'm still on an old Skull Canyon NUC that I use as a HTPC in the lounge room, Have been wanting an upgrade but man those prices here in Australia are a real turn off.

[@dinosaurd7295]

We really just need a newer version of the Phantom with at least 6 core cpu and 3060

[@AnTran147]

Well, there's Minisforum's NUCX15 & NUCX17. They're not built by Intel, but they DO use Intel's King County laptop NUC boards, so they kinda half-count? They're ginormous though and don't have much in the way of ports, since they're basically just laptops inside of a custom case without the screen.

[@Robtech]

That's the one I'm waiting for. It has a severe lack of ports, but the price is right.

[@dinosaurd7295]

@@Robtech the minisforum ones are too big. I want something Phantom sized

[@Robtech]

Sure, but no other option at the moment. Maybe the HX90G, but I need something with Thunderbolt for a project I'm working on.

[@OxygenDiffusion]

Iam keeping my Hades Canyon then XD Still Emulates about everything and streams 4k

[@Sheorath]

Phantom Canyon is such a good piece of hardware and works really well, I even won the silicon lottery with this one :)

[@Denver1976Man]

I would not pay this much. Could build 1 hell of a unit just a little bigger but way more powerful.

[@finnam]

Just get a nuc 12 Enthusiast with only 665 EUR (barebone). Huge discount after less than a year release.

[@Robtech]

Yep, sold poorly. Now it's cheaper than NUC 11 E launch price here.

[@tamalbanerjee6366]

@@Robtech Would you recommend it at this price? seems hard to find any device with this performance at this price.

[@costel24]

How it is performing after updates?

[@planetyliscie]

Mother of the Gods, the noise is terrible :o something like a 737 start...

[@AgentZeroNine1]

Everything about this screams dumb brute force design. Fingers crossed for Lunar Lake promises to come true. That being said, I can't wait to see you review future mini PCs that feature the recently leaked i3-n300 and i3-n305, especially the future iterations that'll feature 16 - 32 cores. Would be great for my media consumption and my type of productivity (web development, UI design, Microsoft office stuff). The world knows that Windows and Linux PCs don't need more super hot and loud laptops and mini PCs for the vast majority of its users like me who would rather game on a PS5 and/or a moderately powered PC handheld.

[@Robtech]

Here's hoping for small quiet and powerful mini PCs in the future even if they aren't from Intel 👍

[@Kruse1]

I was waiting for this. Instead I kept my Hades Canyon and bought a PS5.

[@kito323]

11:26 "... so every NUC going forward will always feature Intel Graphics" - that didn't age well 😢

[@anasevi9456]

Arc 770 is most certainly a significantly more powerful chip than the modest 3060; but yeah prob should have stuck to nvidia/amd for this generation till all the driver issues were worked out. When an A770 is firing on all cylinders, 1440p ultra with raytracing; it can beat a 3070ti, sometimes significantly as in Microsoft Flight Sim. But part of the appeal of a NUC is it is a semi prebuilt; people buy them for simple ease much as size.

[@Stance1988]

Nah. Overall the Arc 770 is a massive fail. It gulps way too much power and having 1 or 2 strong games doesn't make it a good gpu. Intel's first line of gpu's is definitely a huge flop. On avg The Arc 770 is slower than a 3060, eats more power, and lets not mention AMD since AMD in the mid field completely destroys both in terms of performance and power draw. On the next one Intel. Points for trying

[@BriefNerdOriginal]

When a major Linux distro doesn't boot on your machine, you know you failed in designing your machine.

[@AnTran147]

I know Skull Canyon wasn't labeled "Enthusiast" (and in fact, the first "Enthusiast"-labeled was a regular looking NUC7), but it's still the actual first gen NUC of this line.

[@Robtech]

I thought I could get away with saying first in the enthusiast line, maybe not 😅 . I pretend Skull Canyon doesn't exist. It wasn't a good mini PC.

[@AnTran147]

@@Robtech Yeah it wasn't a good first try, what with the awful cooling and lack of ports. I still love mine though, but I'm definitely looking to replace it soon.

[@iikatinggangsengii2471]

12700h arc770 wut

[@born2biscuit]

ill wait for raptor with ddr5

[@Robtech]

NUC 13 Enthusiast - Velociraptor Canyon

[@Robtech]

Could be. But there's no BIOS update or info on the mobile chip. The fix here doesn't exist in the BIOS www.tomshardware.com/news/intel-potential-fix-high-idle-power-arc-gpus

[@Robtech]

No worries. Biggest problem with high power usage is extra heat. But yeah, now with prices going up that's another big downside.

[@Robtech]

The PCIE Express "Maximum Power Savings" settings in Windows power options? Yep, it's on by default in my install. The latest BIOS hasn't fixed it either.

[@MarcoZolezzi]

Test it with eGPU

[@Robtech]

I've got an eGPU on the way, so might happen

[@hghtrfnko8634]

Very impartial review. Haha

[@NobleStoneUK]

Intel and AMD seem to have stopped innovating on the CPU side. All they got is more cores and more power draw.

[@SuperStareGry]

So overpriced! Last gen nuc stupid expensive this even more so!

[@USAF_Medic]

I can't stop laughing at this video. It is the most biased and negative thing I have ever watched. "Lift the metal frame while watching out for the LED cables or else your LED skull will go dim forever" HAHAHAHA. FOREVER, FOREVER, FOREVER.

[@Robtech]

Ah yes, the art of sarcasm. Only for the intelligent.

[@USAF_Medic]

@@Robtech you made this video from my enjoyment right? Well, you succeeded

[@pbrigham]

Let me guess, and I didn't even watch the video, another noisy power hungry jet engine ?

[@Robtech]

Pretty close yeah

[@PinkMoonisGonnaGetYou]

The Serpent Canyon isn't THAT much bigger. God damn this guy is a hater. His Phantom Canyon "developed a fault" and died, but it is still somehow more prefered over the Serpent Canyon? Maybe the Phantom Canyon's CPU lacked proper cooling or needed more space in the case (something corrected for in the new Serpent Canyon). The Serpent Canyon scores showed much better performace than the Phantom Canyon, but he burned the test results because he didn't like the benchmark software that he himself chose to use. Makes no sense. The cost of Serpent Canyon is only a few hundred more than Phantom Canyon, but it outperforms it nearly on every marker by at least 20% (and over 50% on some other tests). Also, it does support DDR 5, not only 4 as he mentions in this video. Maybe if he used the faster RAM, he would have had even better results from the Serpent Canyon. The fan noise is not an issue for me, because I've always liked white noise. Besides, how many gaming PC's are quiet? About the only thing that I will admit was disappointing to see was the power draw. But I guess when you have so much performance, there is likely to be a power cost. Ignore what he is saying. He is a hater. Intel did a great job. It is worth every cent.

[@Robtech]

😂😂😂

[@lensref]

As far as I can tell this NUC only supports DDR4; I'm not sure where you are seeing DDR5, all the published documentation including from Intel themselves only mentions DDR4. The processor does have a memory controller that can address DDR5, but that would require it to be wired up to sockets in the motherboard, and here we only have sockets wired up for DDR4.

[@JovanJocacs]

who is buying this crap?

[@g3arsgam3r]

I did!