Intel is going after home theater PC (HTPC) and personal cloud builders with the launch of its new third-generation Next Unit of Computing (NUC) PC kit.
Based on Intel's Bay Trail-M architecture, this hand-sized device packs a dual-core Intel Celeron N2820 chip clocked at 2.4 GHz. This chip also has a TDP (thermal design power) of 7.5 watts, meaning less energy burned and possibly more money in your pocket.
"HDMI video, an infrared sensor port, and internal 2.5-inch drive support will allow you to drive your home entertainment experience from the 4x4 form factor, so you can create a digital media center or personal cloud for your media files that fits in the palm of your hand," reads the product description.
According to the specs, this mini-PC provides one DDR3 SODIMM slot for up to 8 GB of memory, internal SATA 3 support for a 2.5-inch SSD or HDD, Gigabit Ethernet and Wireless N networking, Bluetooth 4.0, and support for Intel's Wireless Display technology.
As for the I/O, this mini-PC provides one USB 3.0 port and the IR sensor on the front. On the back are two USB 2.0 ports, HDMI output, and the headphone/microphone combo jack. The box is capable of up to 7.1 surround audio through the HDMI interface.
All of this is served up in a silver aluminum box with a diamond cut around the black top.
"This Intel NUC introduces the foundation for a new boot management capability that lets you choose the operating systems that work best for you via a user-friendly interface," reads the product description.
This latest NUC follows Intel's third-generation "Haswell" based mini-PCs, the second-generation "Ivy Bridge" models and the first-generation "Sandy Bridge" model.
For more information about the new "Bay Trail-M" NUC, head here. Pricing starts at a mere $128.
Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that this Bay Trail M-based mini PC unit is fanless when in fact it does have an active heatsink. This error has been corrected.
