I run ESXI virtual servers (as a homelab sort of thing) 24/7.  My 4770 with 32GB RAM has been running non-stop for the last err .... 6-years maybe?  It's done well. But in my little workspace at home I suffer from heat, and large electricity bills from all the kit I have running.  With a 64GB RAM, 1TB 970 Pro NVMe, 4TB QVO SSD, and the 6-core, 12-thread mobile I7 that would suit VM work particularly, using a vesa mount adapter behind a monitor, and with less than 10W idle power, I use other-wise dead-space for the unit instead of a large desktop footprint, reduce heat, reduce electricity, double my number of VMs based on available RAM and on effectively faster disks sharing the 970 Pro though to be fair that will be slower than multiple good SATA SSD's when there's contention for smaller files / IOPs in different VMs but most of the time I expect to see a performance gain, reduce UPS capacity need, air-con need a tad ... I can actually turn off 3-computers I normally have on 24/7 when I use this new one.  (Ordering now so that's the plan anyway).  If intel graphics pass-through works, won't need to turn on my laptop so much either for every-day stuff and even some Dev work.  Hopefully it'll last me 5-years+ without issue. Touch wood.  I might not even have to see it for 5-years+ let alone feel it getting in the way.  Why is it not logical?

Did you try to adjust the fan curve in Bios to lower fan noise?

Quote from: Chrisx44 on February 14, 2020, 17:07:11
To all of you questioning the use of them. I have almost exclusively seen them in offices. They are small and easy to get in mass numbers and don't require anyone to install the parts and stuff. So for small time corporations in Greece they are the best hassle free small form factor PCs you can get for your office. Nothing more, nothing less.

You can easily get small machines (although bigger than NUC, still VESA mountable) from companies like Dell. For similar money, if not cheaper. Easy to get volume discounts. Proper support (i.e. on-site). And in my experience, you can get desktops or laptops for next to nothing if you're buying servers as well.

Quote from: Chrisx44 on February 14, 2020, 17:07:11
To all of you questioning the use of them. I have almost exclusively seen them in offices. They are small and easy to get in mass numbers and don't require anyone to install the parts and stuff. So for small time corporations in Greece they are the best hassle free small form factor PCs you can get for your office. Nothing more, nothing less.

nobody questioning the usefulness. pc standard is an outdated dogshit, to be honest. you know, 1 kg motherboard, 2 kg graphics, 10 litre case..small things are better. but why the heck these nucs are so expensive?

To all of you questioning the use of them. I have almost exclusively seen them in offices. They are small and easy to get in mass numbers and don't require anyone to install the parts and stuff. So for small time corporations in Greece they are the best hassle free small form factor PCs you can get for your office. Nothing more, nothing less.

Quote from: ymcst on February 14, 2020, 08:15:48
I really dont get the logic behind these items. You are basicly getting a tuned down laptop without a screen keyboard or touchpad, that has same total volume of a laptop, often with worse cooling, for the same price of a laptop?

I wouldn't call it tuned down. Looking into the database, only the Prestige 15 beats it in sustained Cinebench. And by quite a margin. If the NUC isn't thermal throttling, then it must be running with higher power limits. Maybe something to play with. And that guy is double the price (also has a dedicated GPU). Other laptops with this CPU are doing worse, not better. Of course, there is the 9750H. I have no clue how cheap you can go there as I don't do cheap.

I don't care for the price either. A NUC kit makes sense to me under, say, €400. And I would appreciate better graphics chip than 620. But it is a pretty powerful CPU. You're getting into the X1 Extreme/ XPS 15 range for CPU performance (although the current generation was a bit of a downgrade compared to the previous one). If the complete box is around €1k, it's not an easy sell. It makes you question whether you really need something that small.

The point is, obviously, size. And usually, smaller package is more expensive. What annoys me, is the noise. I would accept it larger if it was quieter. Shame is that Ryzen APUs are lagging behind standalone desktop Ryzens. I'm looking forward to Zen 2 in a small package.

i have an idea for every nuc reviewer.
-build a pc. itx+smallest case. around the same memory,cpu and storage. add some wifi or bluetooth if needed.
-now, compare these two devices and make some conclusions.

I really dont get the logic behind these items. You are basicly getting a tuned down laptop without a screen keyboard or touchpad, that has same total volume of a laptop, often with worse cooling, for the same price of a laptop?

Why not just buy a laptop?

If these NUCs were half the price, they would make sence. But currently they are just...waste of money?