{"id":349061,"date":"2020-04-24T15:00:26","date_gmt":"2020-04-24T13:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/?p=349061"},"modified":"2020-04-24T15:01:00","modified_gmt":"2020-04-24T13:01:00","slug":"intel-nuc-9-extreme-tiny-and-powerful-gaming-pc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/hardware\/349061-intel-nuc-9-extreme-tiny-and-powerful-gaming-pc.html","title":{"rendered":"Intel NUC 9 Extreme – Tiny and powerful gaming PC"},"content":{"rendered":"

Intel revealed its new NUC 9 Extreme mini gaming PC at CES 2020, showcasing the advancements it has made in miniature PC design.<\/p>\n

As the new mini desktop PC begins to roll out globally, Intel has provided many international publications with the NUC 9 Extreme to review.<\/p>\n

This first look at Intel’s mini gaming PC shows that it lives up to the promise of its “Extreme” branding.<\/p>\n

Despite having only a 5-litre chassis, the Intel NUC Extreme can pack enough hardware to serve as a 4K gaming rig.<\/p>\n

Powerful hardware in a tiny package<\/h3>\n

While being slightly larger than the previous-generation NUC devices, the Intel NUC 9 Extreme is a big step up.<\/p>\n

This is largely thanks to its support for a discrete desktop graphics card, which delivers far greater performance than the CPU’s integrated graphics and turns the device into a fully-fledged gaming machine.<\/p>\n

International publications which received the NUC 9 Extreme with Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 graphics cards installed said the device is more than capable of running modern games well.<\/p>\n

According to Intel’s specifications<\/strong><\/a> for the NUC 9 Extreme, the mini PC can technically support any graphics card shorter than 8 inches that is compatible with its 500W power supply.<\/p>\n

It also includes support for three M.2 SSDs and up to 64GB of RAM, depending on what configuration you select.<\/p>\n

The NUC 9 Extreme can be configured like any normal gaming PC, with the exception of the CPU, which is a discrete Compute Unit board installed alongside the graphics card in the chassis.<\/p>\n

The base specifications of the Intel NUC 9 Extreme are shown below.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Intel NUC 9 Extreme (NUC9i9QNX)<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Operating System<\/strong><\/td>\nWindows 10<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
CPU<\/strong><\/td>\nIntel Core i9-9980HK Processor<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
RAM<\/strong><\/td>\nUp to 64GB DRR4 2,666MHz<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Storage<\/strong><\/td>\n3x M.2 SSD<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Graphics<\/strong><\/td>\nDiscrete desktop GPU<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
I\/O<\/strong><\/td>\n6x USB 3.1, 2x Thunderbolt 3, 3x USB 2.0 internal, Ethernet, 3.5mm audio<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Connectivity<\/strong><\/td>\nBluetooth, Wi-Fi 6<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Power Supply<\/strong><\/td>\n500W<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Dimensions<\/strong><\/td>\n238 x 216 x 96 mm<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Performance and impressions<\/h3>\n

Engadget<\/strong><\/a> labelled the Intel NUC 9 Extreme “the king of tiny gaming PCs”, highlighting the exceptional performance of the kit despite its diminutive size.<\/p>\n

“Yes, it’s larger than any previous NUC, which seems like a step backwards. But at five litres, the NUC 9 Extreme is still significantly leaner than any desktop with a dedicated GPU.”<\/p>\n

AnandTech also lauded the customizability of the hardware and the ability to replace GPUs without buying a whole new mini PC.<\/p>\n

“A love letter of sorts to enthusiasts who want it all in a mini PC, it’s improved on Intel’s earlier designs in a number of ways, making it perhaps the best high-performance NUC yet,” AnandTech<\/strong><\/a> said.<\/p>\n

Benchmarks conducted by HotHardware<\/strong><\/a> against other desktop PCs and gaming laptops saw it performing well, consistently ranking among the top runners in a number of games and synthetic benchmarks.<\/p>\n

Price<\/h3>\n

The Intel NUC 9 Extreme may be a dream PC for gamers, but it does come at a price.<\/p>\n

Depending on the configuration you choose, the NUC is an expensive purchase compared to a similarly-specced full-size desktop PC.<\/p>\n

Intel’s listing for the device shows a recommended retail price of around $1,530 (R28,900), and that is without a discrete graphics card.<\/p>\n

The price of the system provided to Engadget to review – which included an RTX 2070 graphics card – was $3,100 (R58,000).<\/p>\n