Simply NUC has announced Sequoia, the company's latest line of rugged ultra-compact form-factor (UCFF) PCs. The two new PCs are the vendor's first to use APUs from the AMD Ryzen V1000 series. There have been other AMD-powered small form factor (SFF) systems before, but this is the closest one to a NUC that we've seen yet.
The Sequoia is aimed at edge data analytics, digital signage and other industrial applications. The device measures 4.5 x 4.6 x 1.8 inches (116.4 x 46.5 x 119.2mm) and weighs 1.5 pounds (0.7kg) when fully assembled. The Sequoia might look puny, but it's built to withstand harsh temperatures up to 60 degrees Celsius (140 degrees Fahrenheit) and up to 95% of relative humidity at 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).
Simply NUC currently offers two different base configurations for the Sequoia system, which you can spec to your needs. The Sequoia v8 utilizes the Ryzen Embedded V1807B APU, which features integrated AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 graphics. Meanwhile, the Sequoia v6 uses the Ryzen Embedded V1605B with Radeon Vega 8 graphics. In the chart below, you can see how the chips stack up against other AMD Ryzen Embedded APUs.
| Model | Cores / Threads | Base / Boost (GHz) | L3 Cache | GPU | GPU Cores | GPU Clock (MHz) | TDP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AMD Ryzen Embedded V1807B | 4 / 8 | 3.35 / 3.80 | 4MB | AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 | 11 | 1,300 | 35-54W |
| AMD Ryzen Embedded V1756B | 4 / 8 | 3.25 / 3.60 | 4MB | AMD Radeon Vega 8 | 8 | 1,100 | 35-54W |
| AMD Ryzen Embedded V1605B | 4 / 8 | 2.06 / 3.60 | 4MB | AMD Radeon Vega 8 | 8 | 1,100 | 12-25W |
| AMD Ryzen Embedded V1202B | 2 / 4 | 2.00 / 3.60 | 4MB | AMD Radeon Vega 3 | 3 | 1,100 | 12-25W |
The Ryzen Embedded V1807B-equipped Sequoia v8 is also specced with 8GB of DDR4 memory and a 128GB SATA SSD. Simply NUC sells the Sequoia v8 for £560 (~$723).
The Sequoia v6, with a Ryzen Embedded V1605B, has the same amount of memory and SSD space as the Sequoia v8 and carries a £445 (~$575) price tag.
Both models share the same connectivity options. The PCs each come with three USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A ports, two Mini DisplayPort outputs, one Serial RS-232 port, one Serial RS-485 port with RS-232 capability and two Gigabit Ethernet ports, which are based on the Intel i210-LM controller. There's even a SIM card reader onboard. You can purchase optional modules from Simply NUC to add Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5 and 4G/LTE capabilities to the Sequoia.
Simply NUC said it's committed to providing the Sequoia for up to seven years of supply starting from November 2019. The manufacturer also offers warranty options for the Sequoia that go up to five years.
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Zhiye Liu is a news editor, memory reviewer, and SSD tester at Tom’s Hardware. Although he loves everything that’s hardware, he has a soft spot for CPUs, GPUs, and RAM.
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BulkZerker Digital signage appliances are not NUCs. You got my hopes up for an inexpensive mini PC that requires minimal assembly (that's what a NUC is). Instead I see a story about an industrial PC.Reply