Intel equips NUC desktops with Thunderbolt 3 and Optane support

Intel has announced new compact NUC desktop computers. The systems get Kaby Lake processors and Thunderbolt 3 interfaces. In addition, they are ‘Optane-ready’ and can therefore be equipped with 3D XPoint memory in the future.

As with previous generations, there will be small models and higher variants that can hold a 2.5″ storage drive. Two versions include a Core i3-7100U with HD Graphics 620, the NUC7i3BNK and NUC7i3BNH and two a Core i5-7260U with Iris Plus Graphics 640, the NUC7i5BNK and NUC7i5BNH, there will also be a Core i7-7567U model NUC7i7BNH that will only be available in a higher case and has an Iris Plus 650 GPU.

The NUCs come in a dark aluminum housing and the power button has gone from the top to the front. The button contains an LED whose color the user can determine. There are also two USB 3.0 ports on the front and two more on the back. They also have an IR receiver, HDMI 2.0, a gigabit Ethernet port, two microphones and a card reader.

The Core i5 and Core i7 versions of the NUC also have support for Thunderbolt 3 via USB-C on the back. Intel calls these PCs “Octane-ready.” In the future, they can therefore be equipped with Intel Optane cache memory, or the 3D Xpoint memory developed by Intel and Micron that can be used for system acceleration, in addition to an SSD.

The prices and final availability of the new NUC generation are not yet known.