speckled Posted February 4, 2016 Posted February 4, 2016 Anyone using Intel NUC as workstations? how are you finding them? would you chose them again over a SFF PC? 1
sidewinder Posted February 4, 2016 Posted February 4, 2016 Got a suite of 23 of them and they've been great so far, though it is only for Junior ICT so not exactly taxing. Only real problem I've had with them are the PSUs are absolute crap - supplied with adapters for worldwide use but breathing is enough to disconnect the brick and plug - I've started gluing them together now 1
Sagima Posted February 4, 2016 Posted February 4, 2016 We have about 70 of them. 2 suites and the SMT offices We have had 0 problems with them, they are loved by all here. We did have to buy a couple of usb hubs and usb dvd drivers for the smt offices but nothing extra in the suites. We got Dell's 3020m cheaper last year so we got those that time but we'd get them again if the price was right. 1
Sylv3r Posted February 5, 2016 Posted February 5, 2016 We've got 40. We too had issues with lack of USB ports, but the hubs worked OK. Spec was, they have been more than useful to power teacher PC's for basic powerpoint, IWB use and SIMS. Don't think I would trust them in a Media rich area such as Graphics, Media or Art. Biggest issue we had when we first put them in and mounted them to the rear of the monitors, we got several tickets to helpdesk from various members of staff saying they either had no PC in their room or it had been nicked ! 1
daveyboy Posted February 5, 2016 Posted February 5, 2016 We've got over 100 here. All hooked on the back of 23" glass fronted Neovo monitors. Art, D&T, Sen & Sport Science. We love 'em. We do buy different power supplies - but we keep the old for spares later on in their life cycle. On the expensive side to buy, but they are low power which again over the TCO is a win. We also but 0.3mtr USB extensions so the students are not plugging directly into the NUC. If you would like a photo of what they look like on the desk - shout. They look very neat and give max space on the desk. 1
speckytecky Posted March 21, 2016 Posted March 21, 2016 Photo would be very handy please. We've got over 100 here. All hooked on the back of 23" glass fronted Neovo monitors. Art, D&T, Sen & Sport Science. We love 'em. We do buy different power supplies - but we keep the old for spares later on in their life cycle. On the expensive side to buy, but they are low power which again over the TCO is a win. We also but 0.3mtr USB extensions so the students are not plugging directly into the NUC. If you would like a photo of what they look like on the desk - shout. They look very neat and give max space on the desk. - - - Updated - - - The very question I was just about to ask. Thanks. Anyone using Intel NUC as workstations? how are you finding them? would you chose them again over a SFF PC?
skell Posted March 21, 2016 Posted March 21, 2016 We have 150 of them, supplied by @VeryPC. No complaints at all, only had to send one back due to a bad bios, promptly fixed and returned. 2
daveyboy Posted March 21, 2016 Posted March 21, 2016 I'll try that again..... We also use the 17'' Glass Neovo where space is a little tight. 1
PotNoodleTech Posted March 21, 2016 Posted March 21, 2016 Personally I steer clear. 1. They're not cheap enough given the poor spec. 2. I despise external power bricks, all they add is a bit of extra unreliability and increase tech support requirement (and untidiness). That being said they are a good option for the "bolted to the monitor" look as above.
skell Posted March 21, 2016 Posted March 21, 2016 @AButters what would you recommend instead? From my experience they're fantastic - couldn't recommend them enough. Small, fast, reliable. 1
Norphy Posted March 21, 2016 Posted March 21, 2016 If an all-in-one solution is needed, an alternative would be something based on a Thin-ITX platform such as this: https://www.stonegroup.co.uk/hardware/desktops/all-in-one/ (Other vendors are available) Still upgradable and customisable, but one less power brick and less cable clutter.
skell Posted March 21, 2016 Posted March 21, 2016 Personally not keep on AIO. You lose the whole thing if one component goes.
Norphy Posted March 21, 2016 Posted March 21, 2016 Not with a Thin-ITX system, the whole point of those is that all of the components are swappable. Intel's Thin Mini-ITX platform: nine months later - The Tech Report - Page 1
localzuk Posted March 21, 2016 Posted March 21, 2016 (edited) How much does an NUC setup cost? ie. NUC, screen, and bracket? Personally not keep on AIO. You lose the whole thing if one component goes. Depends which AIO you go for. Most I look at now are Mini-ITX, so they're basically a case with a screen built in. You can therefore upgrade/replace the innards pretty easily. Edited March 21, 2016 by localzuk
localzuk Posted March 21, 2016 Posted March 21, 2016 Around £400. You can get an AIO for that, so I can't really see an advantage in the NUC setup.
Blue_Cookeh Posted March 21, 2016 Posted March 21, 2016 (edited) Personally I steer clear. 1. They're not cheap enough given the poor spec. 2. I despise external power bricks, all they add is a bit of extra unreliability and increase tech support requirement (and untidiness). That being said they are a good option for the "bolted to the monitor" look as above. Don't you think you're just moving the existing point of failure outside the case? So long as that external brick is of a good quality I don't see any reason why it shouldn't last as long as any internal PSU would. VeryPC seem to do very fair pricing on fairly decent spec NUCs, something we'll be moving to in th new FY hopefully. When you price up the NUC, accessories, and a monitor from Iiyama or some other decent company, you end up at the same price as an AIO with arguably easier servicing if something goes wrong. Edited March 21, 2016 by Blue_Cookeh
skell Posted March 21, 2016 Posted March 21, 2016 Yeah, rather than shipping the whole unit back, you just ship the screen or the PC. Horses for courses really.
localzuk Posted March 21, 2016 Posted March 21, 2016 Don't you think you're just moving the existing point of failure outside the case? So long as that external brick is of a good quality I don't see any reason why it shouldn't last as long as any internal PSU would. Any external PSU is a weaker point of failure than an internal PSU. They're usually smaller and therefore subject to more heat related issues. There's also the extra lead, which is usually thinner than the normal power lead for a PC, and therefore more prone to wear in my experience. That said, if you mount the brick too, all this can be minimised. The AIOs we have all have external power bricks too, and we don't have many issues with them (except people unplugging them). VeryPC seem to do very fair pricing on fairly decent spec NUCs, something we'll be moving to in th new FY hopefully. When you price up the NUC, accessories, and a monitor from Iiyama or some other decent company, you end up at the same price as an AIO with arguably easier servicing if something goes wrong. I'd've said servicing is about the same for both.
PotNoodleTech Posted March 21, 2016 Posted March 21, 2016 @AButters what would you recommend instead? From my experience they're fantastic - couldn't recommend them enough. Small, fast, reliable. Just a normal SFF PC from [insert manufacturer here] (in my case dell usually) they tend to be cheaper, faster and often have better warranty. Or...even better... refurbished! The price ICT direct are doing Core i5 OptiPlex 790 SFF PCs for I wouldn't even look elsewhere!
PotNoodleTech Posted March 21, 2016 Posted March 21, 2016 (edited) Don't you think you're just moving the existing point of failure outside the case? So long as that external brick is of a good quality I don't see any reason why it shouldn't last as long as any internal PSU would. No that's the whole point, the ones inside reputable manufacturer cases are not a point of failure - I can't remember the last time I had a PSU fail. I'd have to cast my memory way back when to the times before I discovered Tier1 manufacturers! The external PSU bricks are certainly a point of failure - they often have much worse quality control too, google "unsafe PSU brick" to see some of the unsafe tat that comes from the far east that shouldn't be allowed in Europe. Granted this is not so much of a problem with PC PSU as they're often higher power and a bit better built, but it's still a risk. But yes, the brick getting unplugged/moved/broked is the main issue. Edited March 21, 2016 by PotNoodleTech
VeryPC_Colin_M Posted March 21, 2016 Posted March 21, 2016 Having the same conversation with many clients at the moment; i.e. Features, benefits, price comparison between NUC and VESA mount UCFF with thin Mini-ITX mobo and integrated cable tidy. I'm a big fan of the NUC but do think better performance per pound can be had.
skell Posted March 21, 2016 Posted March 21, 2016 @VeryPC_Colin_M Are they getting a 5th or 6th gen CPU upgrade soon? 1
VeryPC_Colin_M Posted March 21, 2016 Posted March 21, 2016 @VeryPC_Colin_M Are they getting a 5th or 6th gen CPU upgrade soon? Hey @skell, thanks for asking. Both Broadwell 5th Gen and Skylake 6th Gen are available, but customers are tending toward the 5th Gen as it's about 7% cheaper and they won't be needing the bells and whistles of the 6th Gen.
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