CREATING WITH THE NUC 13

ALTHOUGH IT'S more console-sized than a regular PC, gaming isn't the only thing this Intel NUC 13 build can do.

Not only can this rig run your favorite triple-A titles at high frame rates but it also doubles up as one monster workhorse. That's due to the Intel Core i9-13900K processor with a whopping 24 cores and a maximum turbo frequency of 5.8GHz. With a similar architecture to the impressive previous-gen i912900K, this newer iteration takes all that was great about the last flagship CPU and cranks it up even more.

It features a hybrid architecture containing performance [foreground) and efficiency (background) cores. The i912900K had eight of each, but the i9-13900K has eight performance cores and 16 efficiency cores. So what does that mean? This is a great chip for 3D rendering, which allows for video and photo editing, graphic design work, and other creative possibilities. The productivity chops of this Intel NUC 13 are as equally impressive as its gaming prowess, so let's see how we can put all this power to good use.

SERIF AFFINITY V2 SUITE $170

Software subscriptions are a pain in the backside-what ever happened to paying a one-off price for something? But with developers raking in the bucks for their subscription-based applications, they simply don't care. Take Adobe, for example, long gone are the days when you could own its Photoshop, InDesign, or Illustrator programs outright.

That's where Serif's Affinity Suite comes in. A competent alternative to Adobe, you get Affinity Designer 2, Affinity Photo 2, and Affinity Publisher 2. All of these provide a similar experience to the Adobe industry standard and are more than powerful enough to produce professional work.

The V2 applications contain refreshed UI, performance upgrades, and a better user experience. For a one-off fee of $170, you can grab this bundle of Affinity programs, keep them and get free updates until the almost inevitable V3 release.

www.affinity.serif.com

FRESH PAINT $FREE