Intel NUC Kit NUC5i5RYK Review

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If you need a computer with an itty-bitty footprint, you'll definitely want to read this review of the Intel NUC Kit NUC5i5RYK at Legit Reviews.

Today, we'll be looking at an early production sample of the Intel NUC NUC5i5RYK. This model is currently the flagship model as it comes with the mainstream Intel Core i5 5250U Dual-Core processor with Hyper-Threading. The Intel Core i5-5250U is a 15W TDP processor based on the Broadwell microarchitecture, which means it is made using the 14nm process node. It comes with a base clock of 1.6GHz and thanks to Intel Turbo Boost Technology it can get up to 2.7GHz when needed.
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Something confusing about the articles I've seen about these before.

Some articles say the m.2 slot only supports PCIe SSDs, and the system supports DDR3-1866.

Intel claims the m.2 slot supports both PCIe and SATA SSDs, but the memory tops out at DDR3-1600:

http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/nuc/nuc-kit-nuc5i5ryk-brief.html

But the ark data on the i5-5250u says it supports up to DDR3L-1600 or LPDDR3-1866.

http://ark.intel.com/products/84984/Intel-Core-i5-5250U-Processor-3M-Cache-up-to-2_70-GHz

Not sure why the difference in supported speeds there, but the 1866 memory will probably be a small increase in GPU performance over the 1600. So keep that in mind if you want to run at 1866 speed - you'll need to make sure you have LPDDR3, and not just DDR3L.

Also, being able to use a SATA mode m.2 SSD might save a little cash, and if you're going for a small system like this I don't know that the extra speed from a PCIe SSD would really provide an advantage.
 
I think this would make a great HTPC/Steam Extension, if you're willing to fork over the cash for it. I almost picked up a Haswell version last year, but I heard some stories about the fan that made me wait a bit for the Broadwell version.
 
I'm looking forward to these 5th gen Core i-series NUC's, they'll help boost M.2 (up to 2280 supported !) and the even lower power requirements are impressive. Excellent HTPC, excellent office PC, excellent testlab application server. I love these buggers.
 
Are these actually available for purchase yet? Also out of curiosity, how much more powerful would the i7 be vs the i5 in light gaming applications?
 
Bieberfever said:
Are these actually available for purchase yet? Also out of curiosity, how much more powerful would the i7 be vs the i5 in light gaming applications?
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I'm wondering the same. I think they'll become available starting next month, and as far as the gaming performance goes, it kinda depends on if the i7 NUC has a different iGPU in it.
 
A few shops in the Netherlands have the i3 version (Intel NUC5i3RYK) in stock. I don't see the i5 models though.
 
DarkAngel_ZERO said:
I think this would make a great HTPC/Steam Extension, if you're willing to fork over the cash for it. I almost picked up a Haswell version last year, but I heard some stories about the fan that made me wait a bit for the Broadwell version.
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SPCR reviewed the haswell unit as practically silent.
 
Neat little systems.

Wish I had known about these when building my HTPC...

I would have preferred desktop ram slots, as it would make the build cheaper for me (I have so much desktop ram laying around, but no laptop ram) and I could have done without the wifi to make it cheaper, as I'll never use Wifi on a stationary machine anyway, but other than that, these seem awesome.
 
DarkAngel_ZERO said:
I'm wondering the same. I think they'll become available starting next month, and as far as the gaming performance goes, it kinda depends on if the i7 NUC has a different iGPU in it.
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intel ARK compare link, i5-5250u to i7-5557u

The processor speeds are much higher, i7 base speed is nearly double the i5 and the turbo speed is about 25% higher on the i7.

Same GPU though - same number of EUs or SPs or whatever, but the i7's has a max frequency 150MHz higher, around 15% up from the i5. They're the same otherwise - this isn't Iris Pro with embedded DRAM, it's just running at a higher frequency.

Guess as you will, but based on that, I'd expect to see the i7 NUC to be around 20% faster than the i5.
 
DarkAngel_ZERO said:
I'm wondering the same. I think they'll become available starting next month, and as far as the gaming performance goes, it kinda depends on if the i7 NUC has a different iGPU in it.
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Eww...


You want to play games on an integrated GPU?


I see these as excellent HTPC's and low power web/email machines, but that's about it.
 
Zarathustra[H];1041425290 said:
Eww...


You want to play games on an integrated GPU?


I see these as excellent HTPC's and low power web/email machines, but that's about it.
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You don't need to the integrated GPU to really do anything with Steam streaming though, you're backend gaming PC does all the GPU work.
 
Zarathustra[H];1041425329 said:
That is true, but desn't this add a ton of latency?
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I wouldn't say a ton and it depends on your setup. I play a lot of Civ 5 this way on my rMBP. PC wired directly to the router, 802.11ac to the mac. Haven't messed around with FPS though.
 
ND40oz said:
I wouldn't say a ton and it depends on your setup. I play a lot of Civ 5 this way on my rMBP. PC wired directly to the router, 802.11ac to the mac. Haven't messed around with FPS though.
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Ahh. Yeah, Civ 5 would likely work (though I'd be reticent about using Wifi, it always adds a lot of latency). Probably not something you'd want to do with the likes of Counter-Strike or something like that though.
 
when is the i7 version due out? im using the orginal nuc. and wana upgrade
 
Zarathustra[H];1041425042 said:
I would have preferred desktop ram slots, as it would make the build cheaper for me (I have so much desktop ram laying around, but no laptop ram) and I could have done without the wifi to make it cheaper, as I'll never use Wifi on a stationary machine anyway, but other than that, these seem awesome.
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I don't think normal DIMM's would fit, even diagonally. Look up some size comparisons, you'd be amazed how small these are.
 
I got an older Zotac 1320 with a celery stick and that thing is plenty fast for me. m2 PCIe drives are not exactly plentiful right now...
 
Zarathustra[H];1041425290 said:
Eww...


You want to play games on an integrated GPU?


I see these as excellent HTPC's and low power web/email machines, but that's about it.
Click to expand...

I've played a bunch of games on HD 4600 at middling settings and 1280x720. Done on an i3-4370, i5-4670k and i7-4790k. It's surprisingly capable, even the i3.

Given that both of these NUC models have an iGPU with more than double the number of EUs (48 vs 20 in the HD4600), I actually think these would make a pretty decent lower-end gaming setup.

1080p at low settings should be easy for them. Maybe even medium settings, but, as with all things iGPU, you're going to be significantly constrained by available memory bandwidth. That's why the embedded DRAM was such a big boost for Iris Pro.

I expect iGPU performance to benefit greatly from higher system bandwidth brought about by DDR4, but that's another topic - it won't help these guys, but I expect they'll appreciate what extra little oomph they'd get from DDR3-1866 over DDR3-1600.
 
Zarathustra[H];1041425684 said:
Ahh. Yeah, Civ 5 would likely work (though I'd be reticent about using Wifi, it always adds a lot of latency). Probably not something you'd want to do with the likes of Counter-Strike or something like that though.
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The new Nuc's would tear through Couter-Strike without any issues if that's what you're looking at them for (or any Nuc for that matter). It's only the very newest games that they may struggle with without turning the settings down..
 
ND40oz said:
The new Nuc's would tear through Couter-Strike without any issues if that's what you're looking at them for (or any Nuc for that matter). It's only the very newest games that they may struggle with without turning the settings down..
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True,

CS has surprisingly low GPU requirements for a 2 year old title.

I was just thinking about the implications of using the streaming function of Steam for any fast twitchy game, but that won't be an issue if running it natively.

CS GO was a huge disappointment in that regard, but I understand why they didn't push it. They wanted to be more inclusive by making sure it can run on pretty much any hardware.
 
If if we're to buy the NUC5I5RYH (taller one) could I just swap in my Samsung 840 and some DDR3L and start installing my OS?

I would love to go with the K version and a M.2 PCIe SSD but they are still at a premium and the 840 is plenty fast for me.
 
SRTie4k said:
I believe all the taller NUC boxes support 1 2.5" drive.
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Perfect. Thanks for the reply.

Seems to be a cheaper option to go with the more readily available, larger size 2.5" SSD like the Samsung 850. Would like to go with the smaller NUC but also want to have one large drive only so the 2.5" option looks like the way to go.

I realize that the M.2 PCIE SSD would be faster but I can't see justifying the premium cost for a home pc. Just looking to replace a tower with something small.
 
I know the CPUs are pretty strong in these, but for my purposes they don't need to be.

I'd pick up the lowest end i3 model, but only at $200 or below, if I could find cheap RAM for it.
 
Last edited:
Well, I caved.

Picked up the NUC5i3RYH from eBay as they sent me a 5x eBay bucks promo that only was good for 2 days. So $294.83 - $29.48 in eBay bucks back = $265.35 shipped.

Bought a Crucial BX100 500GB SSD from Tiger Direct for $159.99 after a $10 off deal they were running plus the $10 off $100 coupon for signing up with your email.

Then top it off with 8GB (2x4GB) G.Skill DDR3 1600 1.35v SODIMM from NewEgg for $59.99

Total of $485.33.

Everything should arrive next week, so I hope to get it together next weekend and see how it compares to the rig it would replace.

Silverstone TJ08B-E
Seasonic X-560
ASRock H87M (mITX)
i5-4670K
Noctua NH-L9i
Corsair Vengeance 8GB DDR3 1600
Samsung 840 EVO 120GB
Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB

The current system is my secondary system and is overkill for what it is used for. Surfing the web, Office tasks, kids homework, watching TV/WMC, iTunes, etc.

I was considering the i5 NUC but after looking at how the system is used, it made no sense to pay the extra $100 as no one games on it. If they play games they use the Wii or PS3.

I went with the "H" version as it takes a 2.5" SSD which are considerably cheaper for larger storage sizes compared to the M.2 versions. I was looking at the Samsung XP941 M.2 PCIe SSD, but they are expensive and as more vendors start to get into that market I can always upgrade to one and then move the BX100 to storage duty in the "H" model. I guess I could have gone with an M.2 SATA III but they are still at a premium of $100+ over the 2.5", so I passed on those as well.

As I get older and my kids do as well, I have been "downgrading" my machines to match our use. Used to be best video card was the cornerstone of the build. Now integrated graphics work just fine, so I have high hopes for the NUC as it should fit our use very well and the miniature size should be a bonus.
 
I'm interested in these. Is there any reason to go for the RYH* version to get the option to use SATA SSD? Or are there decent M.2 choices by now? I know that SATA SSDs come in 500GB capacities now - MX100 (?) for about $200. I don't think there's any equivalent deals with M.2 and I think they are only PCIe 2.0 x4 M.2 SSD or?

It's not compatible with 3GB/s M.2 SSD (also called Gen. 3?). I'd probably go with just 250/256GB, however, anyway.

I like the size of the RYK but wonder whether to go with the version with more options. Prices will be similar?

I'm comparing this to building an itx system w/ i5-4670T (or S) w/ SFX PSU (probably) and in a Silverstone ML07 or ML05 (to name two examples).

Any thoughts?
 
The M.2 on these units appears to be B-Key which is only x2 PCIe which means transfer rates up to 10 Gbps (Sata is 6 Gbps I believe). I'd love to see one with an M-Key which would then allow x4 or 20Gbps transfer rates Personally I'd go for the bigger unit as after market cases are cheap if you want something smaller, but you'd always have the option of a SATA drive.
 
The consumer version of the Broadwell NUC uses a single M-keyed M.2 slot that supports cards up to 80mm in length—you can move the little metal standoff around on the board if you wants to use 42mm or 60mm drives instead, though. The commercial versions of the NUC will include a second M.2 connector usable either for Wi-Fi cards or other peripherals, but in the consumer version the Intel 7265 Wi-Fi card is soldered to the motherboard.

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015...pc-is-a-next-generation-ultrabook-in-a-box/2/
 
In the last year I built 5x of the Haswell NUC's for my office. They are absolutely awesome. I'm going to pickup a Broadwell for home use.
 
melk said:
In the last year I built 5x of the Haswell NUC's for my office. They are absolutely awesome. I'm going to pickup a Broadwell for home use.
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Any tips for a first time build? I picked up the 5i3ryh, 8 GB DDR3L and a 500gb Crucial BX100.

Sounds like you just install the memory and SSD and start installing Windows. I have a copy of Windows 7 that I was going to use to get me by until Windows 10 hits.

My only real question is about installing in Legacy mode or UEFI. I have read that users have installed in one or the other.
 
4 screws on bottom. Pop in RAM, pop in SSD. Replace 4 screws. ~5 minutes. Install Windows from USB drive. I used Win7 Pro. No idea what Legacy mode is. The UEFI is quite nice though.
 
What is amazing to me is that if you get the version that supports a 2.5" drive, in this small form factor you could use a small m2 SSD to boot off of, and pick up a 2TB laptop drive for storage.

Not what I need anymore, but quite amazing actually.

While expansion/upgradeability isn't' fantastic or anything, it still kills a Mac Mini in this regard :p
 
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