I got this for a small but usable desktop alternative for running Linux. So far I am extremely pleased. It has worked flawlessly for several days now. I was looking for a way to get away from Windows, as I do not like what MS has been doing with Windows 8 and 10. I got this box, two 4gb memory sticks, and an internal 250db SSD drive. You will need both of these to put together a running system. Next I needed an OS. I didn't want to run Windows so I decided to give Linux Mint a try. Yeah, that was a good choice. Mint with the Cinnamon desktop is very user friendly and a perfect option for this little powerhouse of a computer. And it feels very much like Windows in a lot of ways. Better in some ways. It boots very fast and operates crisply. I've had absolutely no problems playing videos, streaming vids, playing games. Had half life 2 on Steam so I installed it to see how it would run on this fan-less computer. Runs very well; no stuttering, slowdowns of any kind. So many apps in the Linux Mint app repository that I've had little problems finding the same or alternative apps for my Windows tools With this speedy little computer I am quickly moving away from Windows. This computer is 2.3 ghtz and is very peppy. Boots Mint to a logon screen in 8 to 10 seconds (depending on startup apps). Monitoring the CPU temperatures (it is fanless, so I was curious), the CPUs don't get very hot. Normally runs general operation tasks at around 36C. Heavy activity sometimes pushes it to nearly 40C. Not very hot at all. I'm really impressed with that. I admit I have been very pleasantly surprised with this little box. Takes up so little space and comes with a bracket to attach it to the back of a TV or any other desk-wall, etc. Does not come with monitor, mouse, speakers, or keyboard. You have to find those yourself.
[Update:6/1/17] - Seems like the built in wireless is problematic. Using it my connection would drop a lot. I plugged in a USB wireless nic and the problem seemed to go away. Don't know if that is a driver problem or a hardware problem. But for what it is worth. I still think it is a great little box. Though I noticed the price has gone up quite a bit since I purchased it. So the value is a little more in question.
[Update:2/2018]
After a time I noticed a slight glitch that Intel apparently knows about. Something with the video causes the display to go off for a second at random times. Sometimes it rarely happens and sometimes it is almost chronic. Have a second nuc of different model and it does it too. Running Linusx on both, so I don't know if windows will have a problem. Comes back on a second later. Tried two monitors, and problem occurs on both. Not big enough of a problem to get rid of it, but can get annoying at times. Mobitor acts as if the signal disappears. Can go long periods and but occur. Known problem at Intel. But Intel doesn't seem to be in a hurry to fix it. Knowing Intel it may be a bug in hardware, so it would be fixed 'down the road'.
| Screen Resolution | 3840 x 2160 |
|---|---|
| Max Screen Resolution | 3840 x 2160 pixels |
| Processor | 2.3 GHz celeron |
| Hard Drive | SSD |
| Graphics Coprocessor | Intel HD Graphics 520 |
| Chipset Brand | Intel |
| Card Description | Dedicated |
| Wireless Type | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac |
