Intel's Raspberry Pi

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kilobits

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Intel could take on Raspberry Pi and compact set-top boxes with a new, budget PC, the NUC or “Next Unit of Computing,” set to launch in the second half of 2012. Dressed in a 10 x 10 cm demo box, the NUC is a full Core i3/i5 Sandy Bridge computer complete with Thunderbolt, HDMI and USB connectivity, Sweclockers reports, while inside there’s a pair of laptop memory slots and a pair of mini PCIe headers.

nuc.jpg
nuc20.jpg


Thanks to a standard CPU slot and regular heatsink and fan, any Core i3 or Core i5 chip can be dropped in, meaning that as well as outclassing the Raspberry Pi in terms of raw speed – the “$25 computer” runs at 700MHz – it can run any regular x86 software. Intel is apparently positioning it as a digital signage device or the basis of a standalone kiosk, but even with HD 3000 graphics it could still be enough to do HTPC duty.

Pricing hasn’t been confirmed, at least not publicly. Intel told Just Press Start that the NUC will “not be in the hundreds and thousands range” and is considering “different kinds of SKUs”; whether any of those will be targeted at the home market remains to be seen.

Similarly unclear is whether Intel is expecting to slot an Ivy Bridge upgrade into the NUC, though with low-power versions not expected for a little while yet, it’ll probably be at least a few months before that happens. One thing’s for sure, there’s a whole lot of flexibility in this palm-sized box.

Linky
 
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Intel completely missing the point as per usual.

The Intel chip roadmap is designed to milk the customer for years and years. It aint about advancement to Intel folks.
 
roomtemp said:
Intel completely missing the point as per usual.

The Intel chip roadmap is designed to milk the customer for years and years. It aint about advancement to Intel folks.
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True... but with Core i3 or Core i5... it has my attention in that tiny form factor.
 
I don't want to see what heat the i-series chips in that little box will produce :/
 
kilobits said:
True... but with Core i3 or Core i5... it has my attention in that tiny form factor.
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Is it really an improvement on a miniITX board? Aren't those 175x175mm? I like the Pi (Mmmmmm, pie) because of it's low TDP and power usage, and it's low, low price. This won't have any of that. Min: 35W TDP (chip only), min: 80W PSU, min: R 1 000 price, naked (because it'll be more powerful than an Atom, and Intel won't eat into those sales).

Don't get me wrong, I lourve my full featured, virtually silent i3 2100T HTPC, in it's tiny case, but it's no Raspberry Pi. I agree with roomtemp - Intel (or maybe just the journalist) has missed the point.
 
Drunkard #1 said:
Is it really an improvement on a miniITX board? Aren't those 175x175mm? I like the Pi (Mmmmmm, pie) because of it's low TDP and power usage, and it's low, low price. This won't have any of that. Min: 35W TDP (chip only), min: 80W PSU, min: R 1 000 price, naked (because it'll be more powerful than an Atom, and Intel won't eat into those sales).

Don't get me wrong, I lourve my full featured, virtually silent i3 2100T HTPC, in it's tiny case, but it's no Raspberry Pi. I agree with roomtemp - Intel (or maybe just the journalist) has missed the point.
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I think it was the journalist who quipped about the pie... Intel seems to be referring to it as a smaller than itx solution. Creative license methinks, erroneous indeed - the two ecosystems are no-where near comparison perhaps... bananas and watermelons.

BUT...

I cannot help be curious about a smaller than itx i5 !!

/quivers
/with antici







/pation
 
It's at best going to compete with the mac-mini or whatever it's called if we are being realistic.

Noone would ever buy a normal size pc if intel started selling mini i5's for half the price.
 
Here... another more meat & potato view... no mention of pi (pie, mmmmmm)...

Intel demos 4-inch Next Unit of Computing form factor
by Geoff Gasior — 11:07 AM on April 30, 2012


We love ultra-small-form-factor PCs like Zotac's tiniest Zbox systems. Now, it looks like Intel is working on a new form factor that's about the same size. Dubbed the Next Unit of Computing, or NUC, the 4" x 4" (100 x 100 mm) board was shown off at an Intel event in London last week—and it packs a much bigger punch than one might expect from those diminutive dimensions.

ExtremeTech has the goods on the NUC, which currently uses Sandy Bridge-based mobile Core i3 and i5 CPUs. The mobile theme continues with pairs of SO-DIMM and Mini PCI Express slots. HDMI, USB 3.0, and Thunderbolt ports are included, as well. Alas, there doesn't appear to be room for a discrete GPU.

Intel reportedly expects NUC-based PCs to be available in the second half of the year. By then, they'll surely be sporting CPUs based on Ivy Bridge, whose more capable GPU will be a nice addition to the platform. Ivy's low power consumption at stock speeds is a good fit for small-form-factor systems, and the USB 3.0 support integrated into 7-series chipsets means one fewer chip for what will undoubtedly be a crowded circuit board.

My only real concern with systems this small is their reliance on blower-style fans, which can be relatively noisy compared to the larger spinners one finds in full-sized PCs. I'd love to see an NUC design incorporate a low-speed fan in the 100-mm range.
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Linky
 
Dear Intel

What happened to IBM when client-server took off?

Locking customers in to a specific hardware requirement will not work anymore in the long run.

kthanxbai
 
Would still use the PI over this. Sure the Intel has more grunt, but the higher power consumption and size makes it unappealing. The only thing the PI needs now is a mini PCI /Express slot.
 
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