Next Unit of Computing (NUC), Intel announces NUC 12 Enthusiast mini PC
Credit: intel

Intel has announced a newly refreshed version of its Next Unit Of Computing(NUC) and its named mini PC. Codenamed Serpent Canyon is designed for gamers and content creators, the need high processing speed in compact packages.

Recently, news from the intel newsroom “Intel® NUC 12 Enthusiast Mini PC and Kit (code-named Serpent Canyon). Designed for gamers and content creators, the compact mini-PC is built to include Intel Arc™ graphics in the smallest form factor. The NUC 12 Enthusiast features the latest 12th Gen Intel® Core™ processors and is the first Intel NUC to include Intel® Arc™ A-series graphics in the form of the Intel® Arc™ A770M graphics processing unit (GPU)”

“The Intel NUC 12 Enthusiast Kit is one of the most exciting NUCs to launch because it’s the first to pair an Intel processor with discrete Intel graphics. The system provides a strong combination of high performance in content creation and gaming usages, and wide array of I/O – typically found in larger systems – all in a small form-factor design. More importantly, this NUC features helpful technologies like Intel® Thread Director and Intel® Deep Link that make it perfect for anyone trying to create and game in the convenience of a truly compact design.”

– Brian McCarson, Intel vice president and general manager of the NUC Group

New features added in the Next Unit of Computing (NUC)

 Next Unit of Computing (NUC)
credit: intel

The next NUC 12 Enthusiast is the first NUC to pair an Intel processor with an Intel discrete GPU – in this case, up to a 12th Gen Intel Core i7-12700H CPU and an Intel Arc A770M GPU. Intel’s 12700H mobile processor features 14 cores / 20 threads with a max turbo frequency of 4.7GHz alongside 24MB of Intel Smart Cache.

The kit can support up to 64GB of dual-channel DDR4 memory and affords three M.2 PCIe slots (including two Gen4 NVMe slots), two Thunderbolt 4 ports, six USB 3.2 Gen2 ports (Type-A), two DisplayPort 2.0 (1.4-certified) ports, an HDMI 2.1 TMDS-compatible port, optical audio, a Kensington lock slot and Wi-Fi connectivity courtesy of Killer Gaming (which is now a subsidiary of Intel).

Additional features include:

  • Support for up to 64GB dual-channel DDR4 memory
  • Three M.2 PCIe slots, including two Gen4 NVMe slots
  • Two Thunderbolt™ 4 ports and six USB 3.2 Gen2 ports (Type-A)
  • Fast connection with Intel i225-LM 2.5Gbps Ethernet, Intel® Killer™ Wi-Fi 6E AX1690i and Bluetooth®5.2
  • HDMI 2.1 TMDS-compatible port (up to 4K60)
  • Two DisplayPort 2.0 (1.4-certified) ports