Intel NUC

googol

Has anyone built system(s) with this NUC?

Intel

I have been keeping an eye on this development and the latest generation has good improvements for storage and cooling.

Thinking about building one for my dad as he just web browses and uses iTunes, some lightweight stuff these days and has iPad for other stuff.

ZBOX is another I have kept an eye on as well.

When I get my new TV, thinking about getting something like this as a HTPC.

Any thoughts or experiences?

Kinet1c

Check out tekhead.org | Virtualisation technobabble from Alex Galbraith..., he's a big fan of them. I'll likely be picking up a couple of them to do the VCP soon.

googol

I thought about them for a VMware lab as well, just to keep my skills and host some things internally as a lab environment and services.

I will check out his blog, always looking for great sites to read. Thanks.

WafflesAndRootbeer

They are incredibly over-priced but fine for what they are. The only persistent issue with NUCs seems to be heat and occasional electrical problems with the small footprint forcing so much hardware together in a tiny space. A few companies have come out with similar but alternative designs that kick the crap out of the stock NUC boxes. I would recommend the Gigabyte Pro BRIX systems if you want something a bit better as they have both dual and quad-core builds using better CPUs than what is in the NUCs. There are also AMD equivalents to the NUC as well as AMD equivalents of the Gigabyte Pro systems from other companies.

googol

Thanks for letting me know, I have started to look at some alternatives and looks like some are a little bigger using the same board, but allows for better flow and passive cooling, making it even quieter. I will check out the BRIX.

WafflesAndRootbeer

I'd also like to add that if any of you are wanting to learn Linux, the Gigabyte BRIX Pro machines make wonderful Linux desktops. The regular Intel NUCs are good too but not very snappy compared to the BRIX Pro boxes.