The NUC8I5BEH3 Mini PCs with true quad-core 8th Gen Intel Core processors deliver a big jump in performance compared to previous generations. Whether creating content, looking at photos with 4K UHD graphics, or playing games, these tiny, complete Mini PCs have great visual immersion with Iris Plus graphics 655 and the unprecedented performance of Intel Core processors. Mini PCs come with dual channel DDR4-RAM preinstalled: 8 GB on the NUC8I5BEH3. Discover details in Intel NUC 8 Home mini PC with Windows 10 Intel Core i5-8259u review.
Specifications – Intel NUC 8 Home mini PC with Windows 10 Intel Core i5-8259u
Essentials
- Product Collection: Intel® NUC Mini PC with 8th Generation Intel® Core™ Processors
- Code Name: Products formerly BEAN CANYON
- Status: Launched
- Launch Date : Q1’19
- Supported Operating Systems: Windows 10, 64-bit*
- Board Number: NUC8BEB
- Board Form Factor: UCFF (4″ x 4″)
- Socket: Soldered-down BGA
- Internal Drive Form Factor: M.2 and 2.5″ Drive
- # of Internal Drives Supported: 2
- Lithography: 14 nm
- TDP: 28 W
- DC Input Voltage Supported: 12-19 VDC
- Pre-Installed Operating System: Windows 10, 64-bit*
- Processor Included: Intel® Core™ i5-8259U Processor (6M Cache, up to 3.80 GHz)
- Intel vPro® Platform Eligibility: No
- # of Cores: 4
- # of Threads: 8
- Processor Base Frequency: 2.30 GHz
- Max Turbo Frequency: 3.80 GHz
- Warranty Period: 3 yrs
- Recommended Customer Price : $858.13 – $861.35
Supplemental Information
- Embedded Options Available: No
- Description Other features: 16GB Intel® Optane™ Memory M.2 module pre-installed, 1TB HDD, Windows® 10 x64 Home, includes Thunderbolt 3 (40Gbps) USB 3.1 Gen 2 (10Gbps) and DP 1.2 via USB-C; also includes microSDXC card slot, dual microphones
Memory & Storage
- Included Storage: 16GB Intel® Optane™ Memory, 1TB HDD
- Included Memory: 16GB Intel® Optane™ Memory + 1x 4GB DDR4-2400
- Max Memory Size (dependent on memory type): 32 GB
- Memory Types: DDR4-2400 1.2V SO-DIMM
- Max # of Memory Channels: 2
- Max Memory Bandwidth: 38.4 GB/s
- Max # of DIMMs: 2
- ECC Memory Supported: No
Processor Graphics
- Processor Graphics: Intel® Iris® Plus Graphics 655
- Integrated Graphics : Yes
- Graphics Output: HDMI 2.0a; USB-C (DP1.2)
- # of Displays Supported: 3
Expansion Options
- PCI Express RevisionGen: 3
- PCI Express Configurations: M.2 slot with PCIe X4 lanes
- Removable Memory Card Slot: microSDXC with UHS-I support
- M.2 Card Slot (storage): 22×42/80
I/O Specifications
- # of USB Ports: 6
- USB Configuration: 2x front and 3x rear USB 3.1 Gen2; 2x USB 2.0 via internal headers
- USB Revision: 2.0, 3.1 Gen2
- USB 2.0 Configuration (External + Internal): 0 + 2
- USB 3.0 Configuration (External + Internal): 2B 2F + 0
- Total # of SATA Ports: 2
- Max # of SATA 6.0 Gb/s Ports: 2
- Audio (back channel + front channel): 7.1 digital (HDMI mDP); L+R mic (F)
- Integrated LAN: Intel® Ethernet Connection I219-V
- Integrated Wireless: Intel® Wireless-AC 9560 + Bluetooth 5.0
- Integrated Bluetooth: Yes
- Consumer Infrared Rx Sensor: Yes
- Additional Headers: CEC, 2x USB2.0, FRONT_PANEL
- # of Thunderbolt™ 3 Ports: 1
Package Specifications
- Chassis Dimensions117 x 112 x 51mm
Advanced Technologies
- Intel® Optane™ Memory Supported : Yes
- Intel® Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d) : Yes
- Intel vPro® Platform Eligibility : No
- TPM: No
- Intel® HD Audio Technology: Yes
- Intel® Rapid Storage Technology: Yes
- Intel® Virtualization Technology (VT-x) : Yes
- Intel® Platform Trust Technology (Intel® PTT): Yes
Compare Intel NUC 8 Home mini PC vs Intel NUC Barebone Mini PC Kit vs CHUWI Herobox Mini PC Computer
| Intel BOXNUC8I5BEH3 NUC Mini PC Intel Core i5 8259U | Intel NUC Barebone Mini PC Kit (i3-8109U | CHUWI Herobox Mini PC Computer, Intel Gemini-Lake N4100 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Memory Size | 0 GB | 0 GB | 8 GB |
| Processor (CPU) Model | Core i5 | Core i3 | core_m |
| Processor (CPU) Manufacturer | Intel | Intel | Intel |
| Processor (CPU) Speed | 3.8 GHz | 3.6 GHz | 2.4 GHz |
| Graphics Description | Integrated | Integrated | — |
| Hard Disk Size | 0 GB | 0 GB | 180 GB |
| Operating System | Windows 10 | Windows 10 | Windows 10 Home |
| Processor Count | 4 | 2 | — |
| Memory (RAM) Size | 0 GB | 0 GB | 8 GB |
| System RAM Type | SODIMM | SODIMM | GDDR4 |
Intel NUC 8 Home mini PC with Windows 10 Intel Core i5-8259u review
Build
You can easily hide the NUC8I5BEH3 in a cabinet or behind a display, its svelte and sexy design makes it a great showpiece for your office or living room. The NUC’s chassis consists primarily of matte-silver aluminum, with a shiny, black, plastic lid and a matte, black, plastic bottom. The sides and the back are dotted with small vents that make the device look like a model spaceship, while a silver power button adds a touch of class to the top.
Design
NUC8I5BEH3 is about the size and shape of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. It has a dimension of 4.5 x 4.4 x 1.3 inches and just 1 pound (with storage and RAM installed). The NUC is tiny enough to slip into the smallest entertainment center, sit next to the keyboard on your desk or strap to the back of a monitor, using the bundled VESA mounting bracket. The NUC8I5BEH3 and some of the other NUC models are 0.6 inches taller, so they can incorporate a 2.5-inch drive bay in addition to the M.2 slot (for SSDs) on the motherboard.
Even the NUC’s AC adapter is rather small and unobtrusive, as it measures just 1.75 x 3.25 x 0.9 inches and weighs a modest 6.5 ounces. The Gigabyte Brix GB-BXi7H-5500 is nearly identical in size and shape to the NUC8I5BEH3, at 4.2 x 4.5 x 1.3 inches. However, most mini-PC competitors are significantly larger, including the Apple Mac mini (7.7 x 7.7 x 1.4 inches, 2.6 pounds), the Lenovo ThinkCentre M83 Tiny PC (7 x 7.2 x 1.35 inches, 2.9 pounds) and the HP Stream 200-010 Mini (5.73 x 5.7 x 2.1 inches, 1.4 pounds).
Ports and Connectivity
For a computer this small, the NUC packs in a lot of ports. The front surface has a 3.5-mm headphone jack, an infrared receiver and two USB 3.0 ports, one of which remains on for charging devices while the system is asleep. The back has the power jack, a gigabit Ethernet port, both mini HDMI and mini DisplayPort connectors, and two more USB 3.0 ports, for a total of four of those ports. A Kensington lock slot sits on the right side.
If you want to watch ultra-HD content, the NUC can output to a monitor at full HD. Using a combination of its video ports, Intel’s mini PC can also support up to three displays at once. The DisplayPort supports DisplayPort 1.2 protocol and is capable of driving three different 1,920 x 1,200 screens through a splitter or by daisy chaining. However, the easiest way to use multiple monitors is to attach one monitor to each port, provided you have both mini HDMI and mini DisplayPort cables.
If you’re not using wired Ethernet to get online, you can connect using the NUC’s Intel 7265 card, which provides 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0. The card can also beam video to your set-top box using Intel’s WiDi standard.
DIY – build your own PC
Intel sells the NUC only as a bare-bones PC, which means that it comes without RAM, a storage drive or an operating system. So, prepare to spend at least $250 and a few minutes of your time to get the system going.
The system has two DIMM slots, which accept 1.35-volt, DDR3L SODIMMS. You can fill either one or both with a total of up to 16GB. It costs around $55 for 8GB of this type of RAM, though cost-conscious consumers can economize with a less-than-optimal 4GB stick for just $28.
Though more expensive, PCIe x4 drives are capable of speeds more than twice as fast as those of SATA. For our tests, we used a 256GB Samsung XP941, which uses PCIe x4 and costs around $250 but offers read speeds of more than 1,000 MBps and write speeds of more than 800 MBps.
The NUC’s M.2 slot requires 22 x 42, 22 x 60 or 22 x 80 M.2 SSDs with a type M or B+M keyed connector. The motherboard supports M.2 SSDs that use the SATA bus or the PCIe x1, x2 or x4. Translation: The NUC will work with almost any M.2 SSD on the market. Most of those SSDs are SATA, which has an upper limit of about 540 MBps. You can purchase a 250GB drive for around $120, with 120GB alternatives available for well less than $100.
If you wish to install Windows, an original equipment manufacturer (nonupgrade) version costs about $99. Various versions of Linux, such as Ubuntu, are available for free.
Installation and Setup
Adding the RAM and SSD takes less than 5 minutes. To get to the inside of the system, you just turn the NUC over and unscrew the bottom panel, which is attached by four standard-size Philips-head screws. After that, it takes only a few moments to pop in the RAM, slide the SSD into the M.2 slot and tighten the screw that holds the drive in place.
Installing Windows takes 10 to 20 minutes. Just make sure you have the installer on a bootable USB key and have downloaded the latest device drivers from Intel’s site.
Intel NUC 8 Home mini PC with Windows 10 Intel Core i5-8259u customer review
Hardest part was choosing CPUs, i5-8259U vs i7-8559U!
i5-8259U was what we went with, no regrets, hardware as supplied is turnkey solution, other i5 reviews note a little less thermal throttling // fan noise versus the i7 -yet- a big graphics gain over i3 that the i7 does not match over the i5. The only time we heard the fan was during serious O/S updates, recovery and Win10 ISO file handling — a faint whine certainly not irritating or obtrusive, even attractive wind-chime like. HD & memory speed adequate, doing true kit could’ve gotten higher spec components but then Win10 license would’ve eliminated any bargain aspect.
Win10 Activation seriously easy yet it is still Win10 with all its privacy and clutter issues, spent large time recreating my 80-something-year-old Dads previous laptop setup (that went dark) and had zero problems with usual Quicken/TurboTax/Office etc. setups. Unit has QUICK boot and sharp graphics from HDMI output yet maybe not as sharp as his old DisplayPort output setup.
Only hitch — after update to newest Intel BIOS with my prior ‘user set 2048mb GPU cache size’ causing a memory conflict occurred that thoroughly corrupted boot display. Fix was pressing box ON button continuously for 5 seconds until it flashes different color and release that forced boot into safe bios recovery mode to tweak graphics cache down to 1024 to recover from the error. Intel knows about it and will address that problem; all prior BIOS releases have no issues with cache sizes.
Cable management – stout cables should not weigh more than the computer itself so they don’t push the computer around the desk, and care should be taken so a USB drive in the front panel won’t get grubbed into the desktop when trying to insert devices in the back, too easy to get leverage on the socket and perhaps loosen it up. The included VESA mount likely will solve both those problems…