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Intel's NUC Kit 2018 Mini PC Integrates Thunderbolt 3 and DisplayPort in a Compact Form Factor

With a compact design, the Intel NUC (Next Unit of Computing) mini PC series is an easy way to carry a powerful desktop computer anywhere. The NUC PC's are enabled with Thunderbolt 3 over USB Type-C such as the 2016's Intel NUC6i7KYK NUC Kit which supports Thunderbolt 3 (40 Gb/s), USB 3.1 Gen 2 (10 Gb/s) and USB Power Delivery 2.0 fast charging technology. The newer 2018's NUC lineup continues to support Thunderbolt 3 but also comes with DisplayPort 1.2 video output to connect with 4K@60hz displays over the Type-C port. 

The Intel NUC Kit 2018 series, also known as Bean Canyon, uses the newer and faster 8th generation Intel Core processors along with the more superior Intel Iris Plus 655 graphics and a higher 32GB of DDR4/2400 MHz memory.   

We purchased the NUC8i5BEH model from the Intel NUC Kit 2018 series to see how it looks like below. Note that from our own testing, the Thunderbolt controller was found to have stability problems and was required to disable and enable the driver after a Thunderbolt device was removed.

The Intel NUC Kit 2018 mini PC is bundled with a VESA mount and screws as well as a 28W power brick, power cord and quick-start documentation.

The Intel NUC Kit 2018 model is smaller compared to the previous Intel NUC6i7KYK NUC Kit which has a longer body although they come with almost similar interfaces. The front of the Intel NUC Kit 2018 has a 3.5mm headphone jack, two USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A ports – one with faster device charging and power button.

The back of the Intel NUC Kit 2018 provides a full-sized HDMI 2.0 port, two USB 3.1 Gen 2 ports, Ethernet port, Thunderbolt 3 enabled USB Type-C connector and DC power inlet.

The Intel NUC Kit 2018 requires that you install specific DDR memory and storage before you can use it. Here we installed the SSD using the Corsair Force Series MP510 Solid State Drive - NVMe PCIe Gen 3 M.2 SSD by removing the screws from the bottom of the NUC.