Intel NUC Kit NUC6i7KYK

Reaching for the stars from the tiniest of platforms

- Alan Dexter

The NUC (Next Unit of Computing) felt like it was on the cusp of greatness when it was first introduced in 2013. Three and a bit years on, and that feeling still prevails, even though this version looks like a completely different beast from what has come before. For some, this is going to be the perfect tiny PC. Unfortunately, that niche is very tightly defined, and it’s still not the mass-market machine many of us were hoping for.

So let’s get that spoiler out of the way— this isn’t a Kick Ass device. It almost could be, but there’s a couple of things holding it back. But before we get to what they are exactly, it’s worth covering what you’ll find inside Intel’s latest barebones system, how Intel is pitching it, and who exactly should be excited by this little box of tricks.

This is a very different-looking device to the NUCs that we’ve seen before. Instead of the boxy look we have come to expect from the NUC brand, we instead get a much thinner, wider chassis. It’s a tad more shapely, too, with chamfered corners and a pleasing hexagon texture here and there. In case you hadn’t noticed, there’s also a skull on the top—something that alludes to its gaming aspirations. There is an alternative plate in the box that lacks this teenage iconography, if it’s a real turn-off. You’ll find a VESA mounting plate to hide the device out of sight, too.