Intel Gives Kona’s Korner The Goods On Great Gadgets At PAX Prime
You may recall I had the chance to sit down with the folks from Intel back in April at PAX East. At the time, their new Ivy Bridge chipsets were getting ready for launch and the Intel Visual BIOS was preparing for its debut. In addition, a new piece of hardware was being shown off, one that would be standing on the doorstep of radical change when referring to both size and speed of the typical PC. At this weekend’s PAX Prime event, the team came back to give us a taste of what they have been working on since earlier this year and I was front and center to get all the details.
NUC (Next Unit of Computing)
Arguable the coolest piece of tech at their booth was the NUC or ‘Next Unit of Computing’. Curious how to pronounce it? Just think “nuclear”, as in … this little thing is going to blow you away! Don’t let its size fool you, this is one serious machine. The NUC, standing at 4.5” x 4.4” x 1.5”, is packed with a powerful 3rd Generation Intel Core i3 Processor and QS77 Express Chipset that delivers everything you’d expect from a PC and more. With its compact design, power consumption is a fraction of what you’d see out of your standard tower and is versatile enough for nearly any application.
Although a specific date was not announced, Intel plans to launch the NUC sometime in Q4 of 2012. We will see four SKU’s out of the gate with room for more down the road. The initial units will be equipped with the i3 processor but we did learn that i5 and i7’s models will eventually follow. When I asked what the price point was on these bad boys, they said consumers should expect to see the NUC sell for $399 – $499 depending on your chosen configuration. Let’s take a look at the NUC features by Model:
DC32171YE featuring Intel Desktop Board D33217GKE
- Three USB 2.0 Ports
- Dual HDMI outputs
- Two SO-DIMM connectors for up to 16 GB of memory
- TWO PCIe mini-card connectors
- BIOS Vault Technology
- Fast Boot
- Intel Visual BIOS
- Intel 10/100/1000 Network Connection
DC3217BY featuring Intel Desktop Board D33217CK
- Three USB 2.0 ports
- HDMI output
- Thunderbolt Technology
- Two SO-DIMM connectors for up to 16 GB of memory
- TWO PCIe mini-card connectors
- BIOS Vault Technology
- Fast Boot
- Intel Visual BIOS
Intel Visual BIOS
Next up, we got a look and the new and improved Intel Visual BIOS. It allows the user to gain full control over their system without any loss in stability or even worse, taking out your CPU. With easy to use sliders, you can maximize your PC’s performance and adjust settings for processors, graphics, memory, and even fan speeds. Whether you’re new to BIOS or an expert who wants to see your settings in action, Intel Visual BIOS has it all. It will feature:
Embedded Overclocking Assistant – Configure all required settings for maximum performance.
Intelligent Search – Allows quick enable / disable of any options within the search box
Real Time Performance Monitoring – Check temps, fans speeds, and voltages as they happen
Drag & Drop Boot Order – Set the boot order of your devices with ease, right on your screen
Embedded Cooling Assistant – Quickly adjust fan speeds to cool or quite via sliders
Touch Enabled – Use your plasma or LCD flat panel display
Profiles – Supports up to 32 profiles (that can even be shared)
All-In-One
When you look at the above image, you tend to think that this is your typical PC setup. It might surprise you to know that it’s really just a façade. What you are looking at is their “all-in-one” system. The monitor itself is a full touch screen display and can be moved to lay completely flat for a variety of applications. At about a half inch thick, this powerful PC is packed with everything and includes all the necessary ports for peripherals. While we have seen all-in-one’s in the past, they tended to carry with them a looming stigma making them practical for a very small number of users. With this design (and power to back it up), it could easily be a game changer. We anticipate more details on these PC’s in the near future.
No Guts … No Glory
On the last day of the event, Kona himself was able to break away from broadcasting and come down to meet the team. He had a chance to speak with the guys about this latest and greatest tech and the driving force behind it. Fascinated by the NUC (as was I) you could see the wheels turning and this inevitably sparked a discussion of “what if’s and possibilities”. Of all the pictures I took this weekend, I wish I had that on film. There is potential here for some awesome ideas to be put in play.
On behalf of Kona’s Korner, I want to personally (and publicly) thank Marc, Bruce, Alan, Chris, and John from Intel for their amazing hospitality at their booth this year. Every time we stopped by, it felt like we were visiting old friends. Specs and details are the same no matter what, but these gentlemen added a personal touch that went above and beyond. It’s people like this that make this industry so amazing!
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