A question that comes up quite often is which NUC I would recommend to buy. The following article shows buying options based on Price/Performance value, performance, and special needs like Dual-NIC or vPro.
Why Intel NUC?
Intel NUCs are very widespread and reliable. They are the most common SFF systems and have great support from Intel. I'm running NUCs in my Homelab since 2013, where I bought my first NUC, the DC53427HYE. My NUCs are running 24/7 and I only had one hardware failure. The fan of a NUC6i7KYK (Skull Canyon) died after 7 months of usage. Intel replaced it within 3 days, without any issues. That was 3 years ago and the NUC6i7KYK still runs 24/7.
Intel NUC Price to Performance Diagram
The following diagram is a price to performance scatter chart. The main goal is to choose a NUC that is powerful, but also inexpensive. The CPU Performance is taken from PassMark. Prices are the average from common vendors.
As you can see, the 9th Gen NUCs are outstanding in price and performance. It's the first, and as of today only, modular approach. The 10th Generation i7 NUC has the best price/value rating, but they are very similar to the 8th Generation. If you want to buy a Generation 5, 6, or 7 I would recommend taking a look after used ones.
Top 10 Intel NUC by Price/Performance Value
The following table compares the TOP 10 NUC by Price-Performance Ratio. The base price is taken from common vendors. For 32GB I've added 2x Crucial 16GB modules ($112), for 64GB 2x M471A4G43MB1 modules ($250).
| Model | CPU | Base Price | Price (32 GB) | Price (64GB) | Value for money |
| NUC8i5BEK | i5-8259U (4x2.30 GHz) | $ 452 | $ 564 | $ 702 | 18,54 |
| NUC10i7FNK | i7-10710U (6x1.10 GHz) | $ 620 | $ 732 | $ 870 | 16,06 |
| NUC10i7FNH | i7-10710U (6x1.10 GHz) | $ 628 | $ 740 | $ 878 | 15,86 |
| NUC8i7BEH | i7-8559U (4x2.70 GHz) | $ 563 | $ 675 | $ 813 | 15,70 |
| NUC8i5BEH | i5-8259U (4x2.30 GHz) | $ 548 | $ 660 | $ 798 | 15,29 |
| NUC10i5FNH | i5-10210U (4x1.60 GHz) | $ 443 | $ 555 | $ 693 | 14,56 |
| NUC10i5FNK | i5-10210U (4x1.60 GHz) | $ 448 | $ 560 | $ 698 | 14,42 |
| NUC8i3BEH | i3-8109U (2x3.00 GHz) | $ 332 | $ 444 | $ 582 | 13,21 |
| NUC8i3BEK | i3-8109U (2x3.00 GHz) | $ 338 | $ 450 | $ 588 | 12,96 |
| NUC10i3FNH | i3-10110U (2x2.10 GHz) | $ 342 | $ 454 | $ 592 | 12,27 |
Top 10 Intel NUC by Price/Performance Value
The following table compares the TOP 10 NUC by performance. The base price is taken from common vendors. For 32GB I've added 2x Crucial 16GB modules ($112), for 64GB 2x Samsung M471A4G43MB1 modules ($250). The performance is based on PassMark Scores.
| Model | CPU | Base Price | Price (32 GB) | Price (64GB) | PassMark |
| NUC9VXQNX | E-2286M (8x2.40 GHz) | $ 1725 | $ 1837 | $ 1975 | 15685 |
| NUC9i9QNX | i9-9980HK (8x2.40 GHz) | $ 1639 | $ 1751 | $ 1889 | 15634 |
| NUC9V7QNX | i7-9850H (6x2.60 GHz) | $ 1399 | $ 1511 | $ 1649 | 11483 |
| NUC9i7QNX | i7-9750H (6x2.60 GHz) | $ 1272 | $ 1384 | $ 1522 | 11415 |
| NUC10i7FNH | i7-10710U (6x1.10 GHz) | $ 628 | $ 740 | $ 878 | 9956 |
| NUC8i7BEH | i7-8559U (4x2.70 GHz) | $ 563 | $ 675 | $ 813 | 8846 |
| NUC8i7HVK | i7-8809G (4x3.10 GHz) | $ 1108 | $ 1220 | $ 1358 | 8779 |
| NUC8i5BEH | i5-8259U (4x2.30 GHz) | $ 548 | $ 660 | $ 798 | 8382 |
| NUC9i5QNX | i5-9300H (4x2.40 GHz) | $ 999 | $ 1111 | $ 1249 | 8052 |
| NUC8i7HNK | i7-8705G (4x3.10 GHz) | $ 892 | $ 1004 | $ 1142 | 7876 |
Intel NUCs with 2 Gigabit Network Adapter
There are few NUCs available that have 2 Gigabit network adapters available. The Skull Canyon was the first model to have 2 Gigabit network adapters and it's successor, the Hades Canyon, also has 2 NICs. All 9th Gen Models are also equipped with 2 NICs, and they also have PCIe Slots.
Having two NICs is great, even for home labs, but they are only available in special and expensive NUCs. The problem I have with those is that they are not only more expensive but also have a higher power-consumption due to their graphics card.
| Model | CPU | Base Price | Price (32 GB) | Price (64GB) |
| NUC9i9QNX | i9-9980HK (8x2.40 GHz) | $ 1639 | $ 1751 | $ 1889 |
| NUC9i7QNX | i7-9750H (6x2.60 GHz) | $ 1272 | $ 1384 | $ 1522 |
| NUC9i5QNX | i5-9300H (4x2.40 GHz) | $ 999 | $ 1111 | $ 1249 |
| NUC9V7QNX | i7-9850H (6x2.60 GHz) | $ 1399 | $ 1511 | $ 1649 |
| NUC9VXQNX | E-2286M (8x2.40 GHz) | $ 1725 | $ 1837 | $ 1975 |
| NUC8i7HNK | i7-8705G (4x3.10 GHz) | $ 892 | $ 1004 | $ 1142 |
| NUC8i7HVK | i7-8809G (4x3.10 GHz) | $ 1108 | $ 1220 | $ 1358 |
| NUC6i7KYK | i7-6770HQ (4x2.60 GHz) | $ 780 | $ 892 | $ 1030 |
Intel NUC with vPro Technology
If you want to build a remote controllable System, you have to buy a NUC with vPro Technology. NUCs with vPro are available in Generation 5, 7, 8, and 9. How to get the AMT Remote Management up and running is explained here.
| Model | CPU | Base Price | Price (32 GB) | Price (64GB) |
| NUC9V7QNX | i7-9850H (6x2.60 GHz) | $ 1399 | $ 1511 | $ 1649 |
| NUC9VXQNX | E-2286M (8x2.40 GHz) | $ 1725 | $ 1837 | $ 1975 |
| NUC8v7PNH | i7-8665U (4x1.90 GHz) | $ 711 | $ 823 | $ 961 |
| NUC8v7PNK | i7-8665U (4x1.90 GHz) | $ 711 | $ 823 | $ 961 |
| NUC8v5PNH | i5-8365U (4x1.60 GHz) | $ 548 | $ 660 | $ 798 |
| NUC8v5PNK | i5-8365U (4x1.60 GHz) | $ 528 | $ 640 | $ 778 |
| NUC7i7DNHE | i7-8650U (4x1.90 GHz) | $ 760 | $ 872 | $ 1010 |
| NUC7i7DNKE | i7-8650U (4x1.90 GHz) | $ 672 | $ 784 | $ 922 |
| NUC7i5DNHE | i5-7300U (2x2.60 GHz) | $ 691 | $ 803 | $ 941 |
| NUC7i5DNKE | i5-7300U (2x2.60 GHz) | $ 502 | $ 614 | $ 752 |
| NUC5i5MYHE | i5-5300U (2x2.30 GHz) | $ 496 | $ 608 | N/A |
Thanks for the nice post.
I really appreciate the performance/dollar scatter chart. Of course the entire post is great.
Wow, that comparison is just awesome and will help a lot of homelab folks! Thanks!
Great Summary
What I miss is a Power consumption chart
I'm currently working on charts for the NUCs that I own. I'm testing Idle, Average Load, Stress-Test, and Standby. I'm also trying to compare "CPU Power to Power Consumption Ratio".
Unfortunately, I will never have data for all NUCs. I could use specs like TDP or Watt of Power Supply, but that would be very inaccurate.
Hi, Bro.
I'm fan of the virten.net. Great information and knowledge for my home lab.
I have two of Kingston 16GB 2G x 64-Bit DDR4-2133 CL13 260-Pin SODIMM ,DDR4-2133 CL13-13-13 @1.2V
If I buy Mini PC Intel NUC_i5-10210U (BXNUC10I5FNH1). Is it will works with my existing memory above?
thank you very much
According to the specification, that should work. If you want to have a guarantee, you should stick with the "official tested" memory: https://compatibleproducts.intel.com/ProductDetails?EPMID=189239&Lang=en-US
I just got an Intel NUC 7i5BNK off ebay. I am having an issue that I cannot figure out. This should have 2 cores and 4 threads. ESXi shows Logical Processors = 4. Sockets = 1, Cores per socket =2. Its missing 2 cores. As such the total CPU available is 4.4GHz when it should be 8.8. I have no idea what's going on here or why its doing this. Any idea at all? Hyperthreading is enabled and BIOS is up to date. Thanks for any help!
You are mistaking Threads and Cores. With 2 Cores and hyperthreading active, you have "4 Threads" or "4 Logical Processors". A thread will never become a core.
The 7i5BNK has 2 Cores with a Base Frequency of 2.2GHz, so 4.4 is corect. Hyperthreading does not increase the overall GHz.
Hi, would be interesting to update this great content with the newest Intel NUC11. Need to decide between NUC11TNKi7 and NUC10i7FNK
Great for Noob(like myself) to kickstart a esxi home lab !
Hi,
Thank you, for all the help you have been given, to all of us.
I want to buy a NUC and I also want, to avoid network cards without VMware drivers.
I look into "Intel NUC 12 Extreme Kit - NUC12DCMi9"
https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/products/sku/121640/intel-nuc-12-pro-kit-nuc12wshi7/specifications.html
Which has Intel® Ethernet Controller i225-V
When I search in
https://www.vmware.com/resources/compatibility/search.php?deviceCategory=io&details=1&partner=46&deviceTypes=6&page=1&display_interval=500&sortColumn=Partner&sortOrder=Asc
I see that ESXi v8 has a driver for i225-V.
This means I can install ESXi v8 without any customization?
I'm sorry to ask silly questions, but I'm new to VMware world.
Thank you in advance,
MBrito