With the latest 11th Generation Intel Core processors, support for full-size dedicated graphics cards and extended connectivity to its I / O ports, the Intel NUC 11 Extreme Kit delivers an unmatched high-performance gaming experience and visuals fluids. .
A powerful and modular mini PC, that’s the Intel NUC 11 Extreme
Intel’s NUC 11 Extreme comes in a compact design in a small Capacity 8 liters. Intel prides itself on being a highly modular mini PC, but it has a double meaning: it is modular because as we have seen in previous posts, and now we are going to explain it to you in detail, the processor, the storage and memory come in the form of an interchangeable PCIe expansion card; However, this modularity of the mini PC is also partly due to the fact that the possibility of installing a dedic ated graphics card makes it practically a bare bone
It is the highest performing Intel NUC ever and, according to Intel, it offers a size-optimized high-end PC suite to create innovative desktop PCs tailored to the unique high-performance needs of gamers. With the latest hardware components packed into a box of just 8 liters, the Intel NUC 11 Extreme Kit is packed with features normally associated with a full-size desktop PC and a mini PC of that small size.
Maximum performance in the smallest space
The image you can see just above these lines is the heart of the NUC 11 Extreme; As a dual-socket graphics card and with a PCI-Express connection. Inside it incorporates, as you can see, excellent connectivity, a processor Intel Core i9-11900 KB
These kits are also offered with other processor options, including the 11th generation Core i7 models; their common characteristics include:
- Two ports Tunderbolt 4 (in USB-C format), Intel Wi-Fi 6E wireless connectivity, 2.5GbE Ethernet port and 650W SFX internal power supply and 80 Plus Gold efficiency certification manufactured by FSP.
- Space for a full-size dual-slot graphics card.
- Supports up to 64 GB of RAM dual channel.
- Large storage options thanks to its four M.2 sockets PCIe NVMe.
- Three 92 mm fans that guarantee cool and quiet operation despite the compactness of the equipment.
- RGB lighting internal with interchangeable front logo (provide a pattern to 3D print the front).
One of the great features of this Intel barebone is the ability to quickly and easily change what they have defined as Calculation element that we showed you above, and which will of course be sold separately.
This way, once you have bought the base, if you want to update or change, you only have to buy the compute element and not the whole system, which is a big advantage in terms of device life, which can give new life with a complete renovation changing only this component (Expect it to be quite expensive, though, as you’re packing the processor, RAM, and storage on top of the connectivity into a single device.)
The refrigeration In such a powerful and small team, it’s a very interesting subject to deal with; The computing element itself has a blower-type fan that sucks hot air upwards, where three fans signed by Master 92mm cooler They will take care of expelling it out of the box; cool air from outside enters the power supply from one side, expelling hot air from behind, so this shouldn’t be a problem a priori.
In addition to this, it should be mentioned that an accessory is included to make the Compute Element blower fan to get cool air from the back of the device, as you can see in the picture that we have placed above these lines.
Options, prices and availability
The new Intel NUC 11 Extreme kits will be available from this third quarter of 2021, which means they will be available for purchase before the end of September. Initially there are only two kits available for purchase, one with a processor Intel Core i9-11900KB priced at $ 1,350 / dollars and another with a CPU Intel Core i7-11700K unlocked for 1150 dollarsAlthough Intel has said there will be more models available before the end of this year, potentially with versions that include Intel Core i3 and i5 processors.
Keep in mind that these computers are barebones, so they do not include storage or RAM and must be installed separately. In this regard, all kits support up to 64 GB of 3200 MHz DDR4 RAM in two SO-DIMMs of 32 GB each, while for storage we find a total of 4 M.2 sockets (of which two PCIe 3.0 x4 and two other PCIe 4.0 x4).
Finally, it should be noted that although the Intel NUC 11 Extreme Kit supports the installation of a full-size (up to 12 inches, 30.48 cm) and dual-socket graphics card, they have integrated graphics that support the connection of up to 3 4K monitors (you can use both the HDMI 2.0 port and the two Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports for this).
