Intel NUC 9 Pro (Quartz Canyon)

PRICE From £1,550 | COMPANY Intel | WEBSITE www.intel.com

- Orestis Bastounis

FEATURES

8-core Intel Xeon E-2286M processor

Nvidia RTX 2070 graphics card

Up to 64GB RAM

Dual M.2 storage

500W PSU

You might have seen Intel’s NUC ‘Next Unit of Computing’ range before. They’re tiny computers with X86 processors capable of running Windows or Linux, and very nifty for general desktop computing tasks: browsing, word processing, file sharing, entertainment, and torrents. They’re likewise useful for pro-grade tasks too: music production, web design, file, media and database servers, ESXi hosts and so on.

However, with integrated graphics being the only available option, 3D had been absent from this list. Until now that is, since the NUC 9 Pro, known as Quartz Canyon, now accommodates a more high-end range of processors and discrete desktop graphics cards. Coming with six or eight-core 9th-generation Intel Core i7 or Xeon processors, multiple internal M2 storage slots, dual Thunderbolt 3 ports, Wi-Fi 6 and up to 64GB of RAM, you can make a mighty rig out of an NUC Pro that works well as a mini powerhouse for rendering.