With this new device, Intel wants customers to take its integrated graphics seriously. Every generation that Intel has launched, comes with the promise that it will be fast enough to handle PC gaming.
But, unfortunately, the company often fails and gamers are wondering how old the games Intel is referring to actually run without any problems.
The new Intel NUC Skull Canyon also carries the company’s same promises. This new device comes with a Core i7-677HQ processor, accompanied by Intel HD 580 graphics.
We must mention that this device is a barebones system, which means that users will have to add RAM and an M.2 solid state drive. After adding this hardware, the system is ready to play game. As for the price, the new Intel NUC Skull Canyon is available at 650 dollars.
We think that it is a little bit expensive, considering the fact that it comes without two crucial components. So, this price puts even greater expectations on Intel’s HD 580 graphics.
So, here are some interesting questions.
Is the new Intel HD 580 graphics so good? Or does this system prove Intel has what it takes to run high end games, or it will be again outpaced by decent graphics from Nvidia and AMD?
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The NUC line was around the market for a few years now. But, until now, the systems have never branded themselves as gaming solutions.
The new system comes with a blend of matte and glossy black, and a skull logo that gamers will recognize from the gaming branch of the company’s family tree.
So, it seems that we have a little bit of design changes around here, because the previous model came in a silver façade, and now it is black. The size is also different, because the new NUC is taller compared with the previous version.
Another great thing about the new Intel NUC Skull Canyon is that it comes with plenty of plugs. This system is packed with a high number of ports on the sides of the new chassis.
So, we have a 3.5mm headphone jack, two USB 3.0 ports, and an SD card slot.
But, it gets better when we reach the back of the systems, because there is a full-sized HDMI port, Mini DisplayPort, a Thrunderbolt 3, Ethernet, two USB 3.0, another 3.5mm combo port, and DC power. This is a great set of connections for any desktop on the market.
We must also add that the new Intel NUC Skull Canyon comes with 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Let’s talk about the processor a little bit. As we mentioned, the new Intel NUC Skull Canyon comes with the Intel Corei7-6770HQ.
This processor is considered to be the top end of the company’s current offering. But, there is a problem here. As we see, this is a mobile chip, not a desktop hardware.
This means that this processor has a much lower 45-watt thermal design power. More specifically, it consumes approximately half the juice of a desktop quad.