Intel NUC 9 Pro
PRICE From £1,550 | COMPANY Intel | WEBSITE www.intel.com
Is this mini PC a great choice for 3D work? We test it to find out
You might have seen Intel’s NUC ‘Next Unit of Computing’ range before. They’re tiny computers with X86 processors capable of running Windows or Linux, and very nifty for general desktop computing tasks: browsing, word processing, file sharing, entertainment, and torrents. They’re likewise useful for pro-grade tasks too: music production, web design, file, media and database servers, ESXI hosts and so on.
However, with integrated graphics being the only available option, 3D had been absent from this list. Until now that is, since the NUC 9 Pro, known as Quartz Canyon, now accommodates a more high-end range of processors and discrete desktop graphics cards. Coming with six or eight-core 9th-generation Intel Core i7 or Xeon processors, multiple internal M2 storage slots, dual Thunderbolt 3 ports, Wi-fi 6 and up to 64GB of RAM, you can make a mighty rig out of an NUC Pro that works well as a mini powerhouse for rendering.
The chassis isn’t quite as tiny as past Intel NUC designs, but with dimensions of 238 x 216 x 96mm, it’s still impressively small considering a dual-height desktop graphics card is squeezed into that space. But there are a few limitations. Only cards with a maximum length of eight inches will fit in and the power supply is also just 500W.
9th-generation Intel processors are no longer cutting-edge either, putting the NUC 9 at a considerable disadvantage compared with newer 10th-gen products and Amd-based systems.
But all the good stuff for 3D design is here, plenty of CPU cores, 3D performance, ample memory and lots of expansion and storage options. It sounds tantalising to anyone, ourselves included, that find the ubiquity of gigantic PC towers to be a somewhat oppressive element of this industry.
The NUC 9 product line is split in two. The Ghost Canyon (Extreme) models are aimed at gaming with Core i5, i7 or i9 processors, and the Quartz