Intel Dawson Canyon NUC Review – A compact, robust solution you haven’t considered

I’m going to come right out of the gate here by saying that this product isn’t for everyone, it’s targeted toward a relatively small portion of the market. But having said that, it’s an absolute weapon. For those that haven’t heard of a ‘NUC’ (Next Unit of Computing) before, it’s in essence a mini PC – they’re Intel’s version of the Mac Mini. The model in this review is the 7i5DNHE.

The good

• Big power for the price tag.
• Incredibly affordable.
• Relatively attractive for a box of parts.

The bad

• Requires a bit of knowledge to order in.

The verdict

The Intel Dawson Canyon NUC (715DNHE) is a product that’ll be used by few, but will completely satisfy their needs. It’s an affordable, incredibly easy plug-and-play device that will handle all of your needs if optioned properly.

So who does this product suit? Well the vast majority of customers are going to be corporate looking for a smaller form factor computer they can tuck away underneath a desk. Else to take a different angle on it, the other user will be the punter who needs to upgrade from that old Windows XP tower they bought in 2006 but don’t want to spend a fortune and already have the keyboard, mouse and monitor!

Now if you were to buy the barebones version of the 7i5DNHE, you’d be hit with;

• i5-7300U CPU (up to 3.50 GHz)
• 2x HDMI Outputs
• 2x front and 2x rear USB 3.0
• 1x Ethernet port

The model I had my hands on came included with a hard drive and ram – but these don’t come in the barebones kit, which means you’ll need to option them in yourself.

It’s a tiny little thing but does what it promises to do. It’s not here to do your video processing or play the latest games, but it will comfortably handle all of the basics. The cheapest you can build it for is around $645 AUD and can be customized within an inch of it’s life for some big power should you have the need for it.

Remembering that Intel simply sell the NUC, it’s on you to have the keyboard, mouse and monitor which is what makes it perfect for an upgrade as opposed to a brand new solution.

The best way to get your hands on one of these is from websites like SimplyNUC as they allow for incredibly easy customization.