A couple of days ago my old desktop computer became very troublesome. It would not always turn on and, when it finally started, a message would come up showing that “ We can’t sign into your account”. I’ll write a separate post about this but considering I built it in 2008, I thought it was about time for a new one.
I have been looking at those very small computers from Intel called a NUC.
I did not want to spend a lot of money so I looked for models that have been (or will soon be) replaced by newer versions.
I decided on the NUC7i5BNH which was at about a 30% discount at Umart. It is a “barebones” kit meaning that I have to buy and install the HDD and RAM.
I won’t go into the full specs but the CPU is a 7th generation Core i5 and it has USB C Thunderbolt 3, WiFi, Bluetooth, HDMI with 4K video output , SD card slot and plenty of USB3 ports. The “H” in the model number means that it has space for a second 2.5 inch SATA SSD.
The main thing about these “little” computers is the small size yet they have the functionality of a full size computer.
And when I say “little” I mean small – 11cm X 11cm X 5cm. (OR for us oldies who still think in feet and inches – about 4½ inches X 4½ inches X 2 inches)
I set it up with:
Main Hard Drive – 1 TB M.2 SSD
Second Hard Drive 2 TB 2.5 inch SATA SSD
RAM 2 X 16 GB SODIMs = 32 GB
Windows 10 Pro
Also, I ended up buying a USB DVD drive so I could buy a DVD OEM copy of Win 10 Pro. The cost of the DVD Drive PLUS the DVD OEM of Win 10 Pro was about the same as a retail USB version of Win 10 Home – and about 60% of the cost of the retail USB version of Win 10 Pro from Microsoft.
It was easy to insert the drives and RAM and my NUC is up and running using existing monitor, keyboard and mouse . It has only been a couple of days but so far so good. Umart had all of the items that I used on special so I paid about 30% less than standard retail.
To give an idea of size:
Next to the DVD drive with one of those small WD “My Passport Portable” USB external drives on top.
