This mini PC Gamer is the result of collaboration between Intel and AMD. Who thought two long-time competitors could work together? The NUC8i7HVK features an Intel Core i7-8809 G Kaby Lake-G and an AMD Radeon RX Vega M . This Mini PC Gamer can be sold separately. That is to say without memory or storage disk. We will equip our NUC8i7HVK with 32 GB DDR4 and a 1 TB 970 EVO Plus NVMe M.2 SSD
Design and connections
The NUC measures 221 x 142 x 39 mm and weighs 1.4 kg . It is a fairly compact mini PC and will easily find its place on your desks, on your TV table or in your games room. It can be easily transported from one place to another. It is immediately recognized by its design with a skull that lights up. Other more sober models are also available on the market for those who are not fans.
The power of the power supply is around 245 Watts . In terms of connections, we can control a VR headset on the front sockets. We have 1 HDMI output, 3 USB sockets including 2 USB-A 3.0 and 1 USB-C, a 3.5 mm audio jack as well as an SD card reader. Behind we have miniDP outputs, 1 HDMI output, 2 Thunderbolt 3 connectors, 4 USB-A 3.0 and an S/PIDF optical audio kit jack. For networking we have 2 Ethernet cards, a Bluetooth 4.2 and a WiFi module.
Add memory and disk components
As it is a barbone mini PC, a mounting kit comes with it. The latter contains, among other things, an allen key and the necessary screws. So we start by opening the top fasteners. Then, remove the metal plate. You must be careful not to remove the small cables and cables. 32 GB DDR4 memories and the 970 EVO Plus NVMe M.2 1 TB SSD . subsequent windows operating system
Component characteristics
The processor is an 8th generation Core i7-8809 G Kaby Lake-G It has 4 cores and 8 threads running at 3.1 GHz. In boost clock, it can reach 4.2 GHz . 14 nanometer engraving process and consumes a TDP power of 100 Watts. It is equipped with an 8 MB memory cache and transmits data at 8 Giga Transfer per second on its bus.
Radeon RX Vega M GH Graphics graphics solution equipped with 24 CGN Computing Units with HBM2 memory The transistors integrated into the GPU switch at 1.06 GHz to reach peak frequencies at 1.19 GHz . 4K resolution and supports DirectX 12 functionality. It is also compatible with Vulkan technology.
The performance of the NUC8i7HVK
All of the components form a gaming PC which records quite astonishing performance. Indeed, this mini-PC provides images at 200 FPS in Full HD for example on Dirt 3 or on DirectX 9 games. It also manages to provide 40 FPS in Full HD for more recent games using DirectX 11 and 3D such such as Rise of The Tomb Raider, Assassin's Creed: Origins, Far Cry 5 . But by making a few more adjustments, we are able to have images at 80 FPS on Tomb Raider: without TAA / FXAA. This Mini-PC is indeed dedicated to providing breathtaking gaming experiences in video output or VR. The audio system is not left out because the 7.1 digital audio allows you to enjoy an almost realistic sound experience.
The small downside is only the temperature of the components which rises quite quickly forcing the fans to hum a little more. This in no way detracts from the merits of this powerful mini PC Gamer.
The latest news is that Intel will ship the latest NUC8i7HNK and NUC8i7HVK on January 29, 2021 for orders placed before November 27, 2020 . So, there is still time for those who want to take advantage of this little toy to order. It is also available on Amazon for the price of €941.21 excluding delivery. Delivery costs 30 euros in mainland France. The 32 GB memory card costs €119.99 and you will have the Samsung 1 TB SSD drive at €179.99.
