Intel NUC Portable Computers: What All Can You Do with It?

As computers become smaller and faster with each passing year, the need for compact computers is arguably higher than full-fledged desktop computers. Desktop computers are big and bulky, not to mention non-portable, but they have something that laptops cannot have: raw power and better performance at a lower cost. Laptops have been out for so long, and yet, they have not yet been able to completely phase out desktops because of those very reasons.


But what if there was a computer out there that offered the performance of a desktop computer but in the form factor of a laptop? Keeping this in mind, Intel introduced its revolutionary NUC models of computers with customizable external enclosure and internal hardware that users can tinker freely. NUC stands for Next Unit of Computing, which is what they aim to be when they have launched for the first time nearly a decade ago.

So, what is NUC? Intel NUC is a portable desktop computer minus input and output devices. Input devices such as mouse and keyboard, and output devices such as the monitor. Unlike a laptop, you cannot use NUC just as it is; it needs to be connected to a computer monitor or display and input devices such as keyboard and mouse to be able to function. What makes it different than a laptop is that almost all of its internals (barring the processor and motherboard) are upgradeable, along with its external enclosures.

What exactly you can do with these NUCs depends on what model you are buying. Intel generally releases a new set of models every year that is in line with its new processors for that year, typically the i3, i5, and i7 range, with i9 variants too available since i9 was first launched. A typical NUC device contains the processor, along with basic features such as an operating system (typically Windows 10 Home or Windows 10 Pro for modern NUCs), a RAM stick and a fully customizable motherboard with all possible connectors and pins available for the user to attach hardware on.

Basic NUCs in the range of i3 and Intel Atom processors are generally for low-intensity tasks such as video streaming or media consumption. They can be equipped with a basic of 4-6 GB RAM and HDMI cables to output devices and used as a media control device for watching on TVs on computer monitors. Mid-range NUCs in the range of i5 are typically used for professional work and home use and can be used as a regular computer. Uses involve word processing, light image editing, media streaming, etc. They can be reasonably equipped with up to 12 GB of RAM for better performance.
The high-end NUCs in the range of i7 and i9 are typically good for high-intensity tasks such as high-end gaming, video editing, image editing, cloud computing, as server and workstations and research. All NUCs, from i3 to i9 boxes, are configurable and hardware modules such as SSDs, RAM sticks, Wi-Fi cards, HDMI cables, and adapters and many more can be added. Intel NUCs are truly the desktop in a laptop form factor.

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