Last month, Intel revealed plans for its next generation of NUC, the tiny desktop computer that can sit on the back of your monitor. This time, Intel is putting more of a focus on performance and replacing the usual 15W processors with a much more powerful 28W 8th Gen chip including Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655. That's great news, and there's more good news this week as Intel's pricing isn't extortionate.
As FanlessTech reports, Intel's 8th Gen NUC page has been updated to include pricing for the Core i5 and Core i7 models. The Core i5-8259U model will cost $399, where as the Core i7-8559U costs $499. Keep in mind these micro desktops require you add memory, storage, and an operating system. But it does mean you can have a very capable system for well under $1,000 that takes up next to no space on your desk (or none at all if you hang it off a monitor).
SimplyNUC, which specializes in these tiny systems, is already taking pre-orders for the Bean Canyon NUCs which are expected to ship in October. There's two form factors for each, with the slightly taller NUCs allowing you to fit both an M.2 drive and a 2.5-inch drive. The shorter versions are limited to just an M.2 drive. Intel's Optane memory is also an option. Pre-configured systems range in price from $529 (Core i3) through to $720 (Core i7).
The fans in these things are typically very quiet so opting for an SSD should mean a near silent experience unless you try and push them as a gaming system. With the 28W processor and Iris Plus 655 GPU they should fair quite well in that regard.