Intel Launches the NUC 12 Enthusiast, its Most Powerful Mini-PC

[btarunr]

Today, Intel announced the Intel NUC 12 Enthusiast Mini PC and Kit (code-named Serpent Canyon). Designed for gamers and content creators, the compact mini-PC is built to include Intel Arc graphics in the smallest form factor. The NUC 12 Enthusiast features the latest 12th Gen Intel Core processors and is the first Intel NUC to include Intel Arc A-series graphics in the form of the Intel Arc A770M graphics processing unit (GPU).

"The Intel NUC 12 Enthusiast Kit is one of the most exciting NUC's to launch because it's the first to pair an Intel processor with discrete Intel graphics. The system provides a strong combination of high performance in content creation and gaming usages, and wide array of I/O - typically found in larger systems - all in a small form-factor design. More importantly, this NUC features helpful technologies like Intel Thread Director and Intel Deep Link that make it perfect for anyone trying to create and game in the convenience of a truly compact design," said Brian McCarson, Intel vice president and general manager of the NUC Group.



Featuring an Intel Arc A770M GPU with 16 GB GDDR6 VRAM, Intel Arc graphics elevates gaming performance with a new microarchitecture optimized for gaming and the latest visual technologies, including AI-enhanced upscaling, real-time ray tracing and full support for DirectX 12 Ultimate.

By combining Intel Arc graphics with up to a 12th Gen Intel Core i7-12700H mobile processor with Intel's performance hybrid architecture, the Intel NUC 12 Enthusiast Kit delivers all the performance and innovative capabilities users need in an ultra-compact, 2.5L form factor.

The NUC 12 Enthusiast also brings Intel Deep Link to the desktop for the first time, enabling both the CPU and GPU to seamlessly work together to boost performance across a variety of workloads.

Additional features include:

• Support for up to 64 GB dual-channel DDR4 memory
• Three M.2 PCIe slots, including two Gen4 NVMe slots
• Two Thunderbolt 4 ports and six USB 3.2 Gen2 ports (Type-A)
• Fast connection with Intel i225-LM 2.5 Gbps Ethernet, Intel Killer Wi-Fi 6E AX1690i and Bluetooth 5.2
• HDMI 2.1 TMDS-compatible port (up to 4K60)
• Two DisplayPort 2.0 (1.4-certified) ports

The new Intel NUC 12 Enthusiast Mini PC and Kit are expected to be available starting in late September, with prices ranging from $1,180 to $1,350, depending on the configuration. These kits will allow users to customize memory, storage and operating system to suit their needs. Fully equipped desktop systems will also be available through retailers and system integrators at a later date.



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[SOAREVERSOR]

I've been waiting for this, will get.

 

[AdmiralThrawn]

I understand they want me to use an intel gpu, but I prefer the 11th gen design much more. Taking away the ability to add your own GPU will lose lots of customers.

 

[Daven]

Did they launch it or just announce it? As far as I have read, any Arc 5 and 7 GPU based products remain unavailable for both mobile and desktop. Launch location is also important.

 

[bonehead123]

Again ? Really ?

This was posted last night at 11:51pm....

 

[Valantar]

This is ... surprisingly thick. Like, at least 50% thicker than previous versions? Can't say that bodes well for the thermals of that Arc GPU.

I understand they want me to use an intel gpu, but I prefer the 11th gen design much more. Taking away the ability to add your own GPU will lose lots of customers.

That's not the same product series. This is the Nuc Enthusiast, the "yes, you could build an ITX PC in the same footprint, but this is more expensive and has worse cooling" series is the Nuc Extreme.

 

[ZetZet]

330W power supply for two laptop parts? Seems like a lot.

 

[Valantar]

330W power supply for two laptop parts? Seems like a lot.

Plenty of gaming laptops come with 330W power bricks. Not that uncommon.

@btarunr I know this is a press release, but the title says Nuc 12 Extreme, while everything else says Nuc 12 Enthusiast - and the Extreme series is the ITX-alike, compute-element equipped series AFAIK. I assume the title is wrong?

 

[ZetZet]

Plenty of gaming laptops come with 330W power bricks. Not that uncommon.

But they have 3080ti and displays when they do. That's why it seems like a lot. My ROG Zephyrus G15 with 6800HS and RTX3060 has a 200W brick.

 

[usiname]

330W power supply for two laptop parts? Seems like a lot.

12700h is 120w and a770m is 150W, there are 270w only for cpu+gpu. Add few extra watts for the rest components and peaks and little more just to be sure and 330w is quite reasonable especially if the gpu is unlocked for OC, then 330w could not be enought

 

[ZetZet]

12700h is 120w and a770m is 150W, there are 270w only for cpu+gpu. Add few extra watts for the rest components and peaks and little more just to be sure and 330w is quite reasonable especially if the gpu is unlocked for OC, then 330w could not be enought

Okay, that makes sense if it has those power limits. A770M is pretty powerful then, right?

 

[Tek-Check]

I've been waiting for this, will get.

Be careful with ARC GPUs, as drivers are extremely volatile at the moment.

Plus, it's not acceptable to launch at the end of 2022 top end GPU with old HDMI 2.0 port (18 Gbps only) and old DisplayPort 1.4 (32 Gbps).
"Enthusiast" device must feature HDMI 2.1 at 40-48 Gbps and DisplayPort 2.0 with minimum 40 Gbps video connection.

 

[Solaris17]

I understand they want me to use an intel gpu, but I prefer the 11th gen design much more. Taking away the ability to add your own GPU will lose lots of customers.

This isn’t true. I’m literally running a 12th gen extreme right now. This news post is for a different product line. The title is incorrect @btarunr

 

[usiname]

Okay, that makes sense if it has those power limits. A770M is pretty powerful then, right?

A770M compared to Nvidia and AMD's solution won't be powerful, especially with the lack of native support for dx11 and below APIs. Its not good idea to preorder before the 3rd party reviews.

Btw, A770M is listed on the Intel's site as "Launched" since Q2 2022, which is 30 Jun. When was the paper launch of Arc mobile?

 

[Valantar]

Plus, it's not acceptable to launch at the end of 2022 top end GPU with old HDMI 2.0 port (18 Gbps only) and old DisplayPort 1.4 (32 Gbps).
"Enthusiast" device must feature HDMI 2.1 at 40-48 Gbps and DisplayPort 2.0 with minimum 40 Gbps video connection.

Did you look at the specs for this NUC at all? It has HDMI 2.1 + DP 2.0 (though it's technically only certified for 1.4 - AFAIK 2.0 certifications aren't ready yet). There literally isn't a single consumer DP 2.0 GPU in existence, so I really don't know what you're saying here.

 

[SOAREVERSOR]

I understand they want me to use an intel gpu, but I prefer the 11th gen design much more. Taking away the ability to add your own GPU will lose lots of customers.

Not the same product at all. The super high end NUCs come in a few flavors. This is the enthusiast which is all built in. The Xeon and Extreme versions let you add in a GPU. There are three product lines here.

 

[lexluthermiester]

@W1zzard
If the review staff have the time, you should ask Intel for one of these and review it. Nothing super extensive, just a good go with the main selection of games and apps being benchmarked to see what A770M can do. Could be interesting.

 

[Operandi]

I'm guessing the TDP would be too high for this particular NUC but I'm looking forward to seeing some Akasa passive chassis for these upcoming NUCs with some decent GPU power in them for HTPC use.

 

[Tek-Check]

Did you look at the specs for this NUC at all? It has HDMI 2.1 + DP 2.0 (though it's technically only certified for 1.4 - AFAIK 2.0 certifications aren't ready yet). There literally isn't a single consumer DP 2.0 GPU in existence, so I really don't know what you're saying here.

Yes, I did look into it and paid attention to details. It has HDMI TMDS protocol only, so older spec 2.0b with up to 18 Gbps. It does not have real HDMI 2.1 FRL port up to 48 Gbps. Also, there is nothing stopping Intel to certify DP 2.0 ports.

AMD's RDNA3 GPUs will feature DP 2.0 ports with 80 Gbps. Wait for it in November.

 

[thewan]

old DisplayPort 1.4 (32 Gbps).
"Enthusiast" device must feature DisplayPort 2.0 with minimum 40 Gbps video connection.

Yes, I did look into it and paid attention to details. Also, there is nothing stopping Intel to certify DP 2.0 ports.

I removed the HDMI bits because I wasn't commenting on that. Shame on the HDMI TMDS only though.

Apparently you didn't pay enough attention then. You can just lookup the spec sheet Intel's website to figure out the DP2.0 in their Arc A770M

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/products/sku/228341/intel-arc-a770m-graphics/specifications.html

DP 2.0 up to UHBR 10**

**Designed for DP2.0, certification pending VESA CTS Release.

UHBR10 is 40Gbps

If the cert is pending, they probably can't say too much in announcements and press releases maybe? legal issues from both the consumer and VESA itself? I wouldn't know.

 

[RandallFlagg]

@W1zzard
If the review staff have the time, you should ask Intel for one of these and review it. Nothing super extensive, just a good go with the main selection of games and apps being benchmarked to see what A770M can do. Could be interesting.

@W1zzard Seconded, was about to post the same thing.

This will be sure to garner plenty of clicks too with a peek at the 770M. Much can be inferred about their desktop cards with a review of that mobile GPU.

 

[Tek-Check]

I removed the HDMI bits because I wasn't commenting on that. Shame on the HDMI TMDS only though.

Apparently you didn't pay enough attention then. You can just lookup the spec sheet Intel's website to figure out the DP2.0 in their Arc A770M

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/products/sku/228341/intel-arc-a770m-graphics/specifications.html

UHBR10 is 40Gbps

If the cert is pending, they probably can't say too much in announcements and press releases maybe? legal issues from both the consumer and VESA itself? I wouldn't know.

Please do not patronise my attention. I am familiar with those spec sheets. It is known since last year that DG2 (Alchemist) graphics should support at least 40 Gbps signal from DP 2.0 ports, courtesy of Igor's lab leak (you can google his early diagram of DG2). A380 allegedly features three of those ports, but there are no comercial monitors to test the link speed. We have not been shown even reference monitors which this new interface was tested with, or any demo for that matter. By the same token, mobile ARC cards should support UHBR10 at 40 Gbps, but those ports face the same testing problem. It's all in merky waters at the moment.

I would love to finally see this new interface in action, as I plan to buy devices with it. It should not be a big deal for Intel or any other company to demo this interface for the public, in the same way as they demo other features. Phoronix revelead DP 2.0 patches for Display 13 engine in Intel graphics more than a year ago, so we know it's been in preparation, including patches for panel replay feature.

Scandal that happened with HDMI transition from 2.0 to 2.1 should give everyone a healthy dose of scepticism regarding DP 2.0 until any vendor shows that those new ports indeed work properly and reliably. When HDMI organisation cancelled 2.0 spec, all HDMI ports on motherboards, NUCs, laptops, etc. were miraculously allowed to be marketed as "HDMI 2.1", even though almost none of those supported FRL protocol for ultra-high speeds. As you probably know, FRL protocol is the most important and defining feature of the 2.1 spec. Due to consumer backlash linked to HDMI in 2020 and 2021, Intel has to market DP 2.0 with two stars "**" and be really careful about it.

As a matter of consumer caution, I am saying "no" to any DP 2.0 spec claims until publicly demoed, tested by reviewers and certified. I hope this clarifies my position.

 

[Minus Infinity]

So maybe $2-2.5K in Australia. That's a big get stuffed.

 

[Jimmy_]

thb this looks pretty interesting if u go by the numbers! Hoping the performance will as good as expected