Intel Serpent Canyon NUC 12 review: Fast mini PC with Intel Core i7-12700H and Intel Arc A770M
The Intel NUC 12 Enthusiast Kit is a compact and powerful desktop PC. The CPU, as well as the GPU, are manufactured by Intel. This development proves to be very exciting for end customers - competition is great for business, after all. The processor, an Intel Core i7-12700H, is a cutting-edge Alder Lake H model. Additionally, the PC features a dedicated graphics card with 16 GB VRAM, 32 GB RAM and an SSD with a storage space of 500 GB. According to its spec sheet, the Intel NUC 16 Enthusiast Kit comes as a barebone model or with 16 GB RAM and a 1-TB SSD. The barebone version comes in at around $1,591.99 and the version with RAM, SSD and an operating system costs slightly more at around $1,647.64.
In this review, we have used a variety of compact desktop PCs with dedicated graphics cards to provide a comparison. The Minisforum Neptune Series HX99G looks to be its biggest rival.
possible competitors compared
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Height | Best Price |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
88.4 % | 03/2023 | Intel NUC 12, NUC12SNKi72_Serpent Canyon i7-12700H, A770M | 2 kg | 60 mm | |
12/2021 | Intel Beast Canyon NUC i9-11900KB, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 | 189 mm | |||
06/2021 | Zotac Magnus One (ECM73070C) i7-10700, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 | ||||
05/2022 | Zotac ZBOX Magnus EN173070C i7-11800H, GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU | 1.8 kg | 62.2 mm | ||
04/2022 | Intel Dragon Canyon NUC - RTX 3060 i9-12900, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 | 189 mm | |||
82.6 % | 05/2022 | Lenovo Legion 5 15ACH6A-82NW0010GE R5 5600H, Radeon RX 6600M | 2.5 kg | 25.75 mm | |
09/2022 | Minisforum NUCX i7 i7-11800H, GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU | 2.4 kg | 393 mm | ||
89.9 % | 02/2023 | Minisforum Neptune Series HX99G R9 6900HX, Radeon RX 6600M | 1.6 kg | 69.3 mm |
The Intel NUC 12 Enthusiast Kit in detail
Case
From the outside, the NUC 12 Enthusiast Kit looks very well made and sits securely when positioned horizontally or upright. This is also thanks to the PC's weight, coming in at 1.97 kg. The optional foot, which can be attached when the PC is sat upright, adds another 443 grams to the scales - and the chunky 330-watt power adapter adds another 1.3 kg. In practical use, we prefer to sit the NUC 12 Enthusiast Kit upright, so that fresh air can be sucked in without hindrance. Color-wise, the PC looks sleek - only when in use can you see a lit-up logo on the top of the device (in upright positioning on the left of the device). The PC is also branded with a skull, which is a running stylistic feature of the NUC series. Alternatively, this can be swapped out for a snake head or other images.
Connectivity
Intel has equipped the NUC 12 Enthusiast Kit with a multitude of external ports. Even Thunderbolt has been included - twice, for that matter. Additionally, you can find six USB Type-A ports, which will very likely keep most users satisfied. There is an SD card reader on the front - a feature often left out by its competitors. The distribution of the ports is well thought out in our eyes - in horizontal and upright use, you should have no problem routing cables.
The built-in SD card reader offers USB-3 speed but is unable to take advantage of our AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60 test card. Both the Intel Dragon Canyon NUC and the Intel Beast Canyon NUC show what is possible with UHS-II support.
SD Card Reader | |
average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs) | |
Intel Beast Canyon NUC (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) | |
Intel Dragon Canyon NUC | |
Average of class Mini PC (16.9 - 181.8, n=18, last 2 years) | |
Intel NUC 12, NUC12SNKi72_Serpent Canyon (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) | |
Zotac ZBOX Magnus EN173070C (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) | |
maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB) | |
Intel Beast Canyon NUC (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) | |
Intel Dragon Canyon NUC | |
Average of class Mini PC (18.2 - 200, n=18, last 2 years) | |
Intel NUC 12, NUC12SNKi72_Serpent Canyon (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) | |
Zotac ZBOX Magnus EN173070C (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) |
Communication
The Intel NUC 12 Enthusiast Kit features a Killer AX1690i Wi-Fi 6E module from their own line of production. Using the Asus ROG Rapture GT-AXE11000 as a test router, we measured fast and consistent transmission rates using 5 GHz and 6 GHz connections. For faster data transmission, you can also make use of the LAN socket, which supports up to 2.5 Gbit/s.
Accessories
Next to the mini PC itself, Intel also include a foot, which can be attached to the PC when it is stood upright. Aside from this, there is also a 330-watt power adapter and additional stencils, which can be used to customize the lit-up logo on the top of the device.
Maintenance
It is only partially possible to carry out maintenance on the Intel NUC 12 Enthusiast Kit - at least when it comes to cleaning the fans. The top can be removed quite easily, as well as the additional covers used for heat dissipation of the built-in SSD. Unfortunately, the device has to be further taken apart if you want to clean the fans. In our test, we refrained from doing so. The built-in components such as RAM and SSD can be replaced or upgraded easily. In our case, the Intel NUC 12 Enthusiast Kit has space for two further SSDs with form factor M.2-2280.
Performance - Intel SoC meets dedicated Intel GPU
The Intel NUC 12 Enthusiast Kit is fitted with an Intel Core i7-12700H and an Intel Arc A770M - a dedicated graphics card also produced by Intel. They don't offer alternative fittings such as other SoCs or GPU options.
Testing conditions
We ran all performance tests using the energy profile "balanced". We didn't change the CPU's performance - instead, we left it in auto mode in accordance with the BIOS settings.
Processor
The Intel Core i7-12700H is an up-to-date processor with 14 cores and 20 threads. The 6 P-cores can run at up to 4.7 GHz under load. At maximum performance, its Alder Lake chip is supplied with up to 100 watts - however, due to high temperatures, this can only be sustained for a short period of time. Even so, the performance rating of the CPU benchmark scores slightly above average. the Intel NUC 12 Enthusiast Kit can decide for itself who wins in its battle against the Minisforum Neptune Series HX99G. Thanks to its higher number of cores, the Intel Core i7-12700H provides better CPU performance than the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX. However, the difference in performance is hardly noticeable.
You can find more processor benchmarks here.
* ... smaller is better
AIDA64: FP32 Ray-Trace | FPU Julia | CPU SHA3 | CPU Queen | FPU SinJulia | FPU Mandel | CPU AES | CPU ZLib | FP64 Ray-Trace | CPU PhotoWorxx
The Intel NUC 12 Enthusiast Kit in the Cinebench R15 Multi Loop
After its third run-through, the Intel Core i7-12700H delivered a very stable performance in the Cinebench R15 continuous loop. Its drop in performance of only 200 points compared to its first run-through is quite low. We saw a much bigger performance drop in the Intel Dragon Canyon NUC. The Intel NUC 12 Enthusiast Kit is firmly positioned in second place in comparison, having achieved 2.410 points.
System performance
In the synthetic system tests, the Intel NUC 12 Enthusiast Kit weakened slightly. Its good CPU performance just wasn't enough to achieve a good result in the PCMark 10 test. In the Crossmark and RAM tests, our test sample performed much better again.
* ... smaller is better
DPC latency
As soon as we opened multiple browser tabs using Edge, we could see higher latencies. When playing 4K YouTube videos, the Intel Arc A770M was used at roughly 30 per cent capacity.
Storage devices
The Intel NUC 12 Enthusiast Kit is fitted with Kingston's extremely fast NVMe SSD. Although, the Kingston Fury Renegade only offers 500 GB storage, which is filled quickly if two or three larger games are installed. However, its performance is definitely impressive. None of its competitors can keep up by a mile when it comes to this. At roughly 100 MB/s, we can see great results in the 4K read values, which positively affect loading lots of small files. In addition to this, Intel have mastered cooling the SSD, which you can see looking at the continuous read values. Some critiques regarding storage can be forgiven since the Intel NUC 12 Enthusiast Kit can be fitted with up to three SSDs in M.2-2280 format.
Take a look at our comparison table to see more comparisons and benchmarks.
* ... smaller is better
Reading continuous performance: DiskSpd Read Loop, Queue Depth 8
Graphics card
The Intel NUC 12 Enthusiast Kit's 3D performance is provided by the Intel Arc A770M and the iGPU Intel Iris Xe, which lightens the load on the SoC when running in 2D. The dedicated Intel Arc A770M makes this a new model which we previously haven't seen very often in our test facilities. Although Intel have provided good graphics solutions for decades already, this is different when it comes to dedicated graphics cards. Our test sample performed well during the synthetic tests and was able to keep up with its competitors - with the competitors sometimes even losing out. At the same time, the Intel NUC 12 Enthusiast Kit had to admit defeat when it came to the professional render tests. Although, during the 3DMark test it outperformed the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 laptop. Plus, the Intel Arc A770M is able to make use of its own VRAM with 16 GB GDDR6 - its competitors often only have 8 GB.
the Intel NUC 12 Enthusiast Kit does an easy job of outperforming its main competitor - the Minisforum Neptune Series HX99G, which only has one AMD Radeon RX 6600M. Depending on the test, the Intel NUC 12 Enthusiast Kit delivered 15-30 per cent better performance.
For more details on the Intel Arc A770M, take a look at our GPU page.
You can find more comparisons and benchmarks in our GPU comparison table.
Intel NUC 12, NUC12SNKi72_Serpent Canyon, Intel Core i7-12700H, Intel Arc A770M | Intel Beast Canyon NUC, Intel Core i9-11900KB, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 | Zotac Magnus One (ECM73070C), Intel Core i7-10700, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 | Zotac ZBOX Magnus EN173070C, Intel Core i7-11800H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU | Intel Dragon Canyon NUC - RTX 3060, Intel Core i9-12900, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 | Lenovo Legion 5 15ACH6A-82NW0010GE, AMD Ryzen 5 5600H, AMD Radeon RX 6600M | Minisforum NUCX i7, Intel Core i7-11800H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU | Minisforum Neptune Series HX99G, AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, AMD Radeon RX 6600M | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SPECviewperf 12 | 112% | 174% | 170% | 132% | 312% | 156% | 1583% | |
1900x1060 Solidworks (sw-03) | 61.1 | 71.6 17% | 82.3 35% | 79.4 30% | 73.3 20% | 105 72% 105 72% | 68.6 12% | 180 195% |
1900x1060 Siemens NX (snx-02) | 1.33 | 8.75 558% | 12 802% | 11.7 780% | 9.83 639% | 36.2 2622% 36.2 2622% | 11.1 735% | 164 12231% |
1900x1060 Showcase (showcase-01) | 104 | 113 9% | 165 59% | 136 31% | 117 13% | 98.4 -5% 98.4 -5% | 138 33% | 129 24% |
1900x1060 Medical (medical-01) | 40.4 | 40.9 1% | 49 21% | 57.2 42% | 49.2 22% | 44.1 9% 44.1 9% | 55.7 38% | 96.1 138% |
1900x1060 Maya (maya-04) | 136 | 191 40% | 200 47% | 212 56% | 196 44% | 90.1 -34% 90.1 -34% | 199 46% | 159 17% |
1900x1060 Energy (energy-01) | 2.13 | 10 369% | 13.1 515% | 12.8 501% | 10.6 398% | 2.13 0% 2.13 0% | 12.1 468% | 31.4 1374% |
1900x1060 Creo (creo-01) | 37.7 | 49.4 31% | 61.5 63% | 59 56% | 56.9 51% | 86 128% 86 128% | 55.4 47% | 107 184% |
1900x1060 Catia (catia-04) | 144 | 77 -47% | 117 -19% | 115 -20% | 77.5 -46% | 141 -2% 141 -2% | 108 -25% | 207 44% |
1900x1060 3ds Max (3dsmax-05) | 150 | 201 34% | 213 42% | 233 55% | 214 43% | 172 15% 172 15% | 230 53% | 204 36% |
SPECviewperf 13 | 73% | 139% | 126% | 87% | 291% | 117% | 1416% | |
Solidworks (sw-04) | 66.2 | 104 57% | 114 72% | 111 68% | 107 62% | 127 92% | 104 57% | 169 155% |
Siemens NX (snx-03) | 2.44 | 15.8 548% | 21.9 798% | 20.9 757% | 17.7 625% | 64.2 2531% | 20 720% | 299 12154% |
Showcase (showcase-02) | 105 | 113 8% | 165 57% | 135 29% | 117 11% | 98.5 -6% | 138 31% | 129 23% |
Medical (medical-02) | 70.4 | 54.4 -23% | 78.3 11% | 69.5 -1% | 55.7 -21% | 63 -11% | 67.2 -5% | 80.3 14% |
Maya (maya-05) | 281 | 262 -7% | 367 31% | 337 20% | 281 0% | 187 -33% | 333 19% | 280 0% |
Energy (energy-02) | 19.2 | 13.7 -29% | 28.2 47% | 25.5 33% | 13.7 -29% | 2.05 -89% | 24.5 28% | 43.5 127% |
Creo (creo-02) | 77.6 | 172 122% | 241 211% | 225 190% | 191 146% | 166 114% | 215 177% | 221 185% |
Catia (catia-05) | 211 | 104 -51% | 171 -19% | 163 -23% | 107 -49% | 211 0% | 155 -27% | 314 49% |
3ds Max (3dsmax-06) | 149 | 202 36% | 213 43% | 235 58% | 207 39% | 174 17% | 233 56% | 202 36% |
Photoshop PugetBench | 149% | 122% | ||||||
Filter Score | 116.2 | 89.4 -23% | 97.6 -16% | |||||
General Score | 88.1 | 68.4 -22% | 77 -13% | |||||
GPU Score | 10.8 | 82.3 662% | 68 530% | |||||
Overall Score | 1022 | 789 -23% | 873 -15% | |||||
Premiere Pro PugetBench | -31% | 7% | -14% | |||||
GPU 0.9 | 47.2 | 30.2 -36% | 52.3 11% | 33.9 -28% | ||||
Live Playback 0.9 | 52.6 | 37 -30% | 59.2 13% | 43.6 -17% | ||||
Export 0.9 | 47.6 | 34.3 -28% | 46.8 -2% | 47.6 0% | ||||
Overall Score 0.9 | 501 | 357 -29% | 530 6% | 456 -9% | ||||
Total Average (Program / Settings) | 93% /
93% | 157% /
156% | 148% /
148% | 110% /
109% | 180% /
248% | 93% /
113% | 777% /
1055% |
3DMark 05 Standard | 55811 points | |
3DMark 06 Standard Score | 48471 points | |
3DMark Vantage P Result | 77403 points | |
3DMark 11 Performance | 29170 points | |
3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score | 236619 points | |
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score | 53345 points | |
3DMark Fire Strike Score | 23797 points | |
3DMark Fire Strike Extreme Score | 12430 points | |
3DMark Time Spy Score | 10997 points | |
Help |
Gaming performance
One problem which the Intel Arc A770M has becomes clear when looking at its gaming performance: Many games were unable to reach the performance levels expected from a graphics card like this. Its results were poor compared with the synthetic test results, where its GPU proved to be faster than an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 laptop. We suspect the main problem not to be a lack of optimal game support. The driver is also a main point of criticism here, which Intel need to address to improve their graphics card's performance. After the launch of its desktop counterpart last year, there was also a lot of disillusionment - but bit by bit, Intel put a lot of work in to get these problems under control. We hope that future driver optimizations will provide better results for new games. The difference in performance between the individual games is quite high at times. In F1 2021 and Metro Exodus we saw good frame rate results, whereas the Intel Arc A770M struggled with The Witcher 3 and GTA V.
At 1,080p, most of the games we tested can be played smoothly by the Intel Arc A770M.
Performance Rating - Percent | |
Minisforum NUCX i7 | |
Minisforum Neptune Series HX99G | |
Intel NUC 12, NUC12SNKi72_Serpent Canyon |
GTA V - 1920x1080 Highest Settings possible AA:4xMSAA + FX AF:16x | |
Minisforum NUCX i7 | |
Minisforum Neptune Series HX99G | |
Intel NUC 12, NUC12SNKi72_Serpent Canyon |
The Witcher 3 - 1920x1080 Ultra Graphics & Postprocessing (HBAO+) | |
Minisforum NUCX i7 | |
Minisforum Neptune Series HX99G | |
Intel NUC 12, NUC12SNKi72_Serpent Canyon |
Far Cry 5 - 1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:T | |
Minisforum NUCX i7 | |
Minisforum Neptune Series HX99G | |
Intel NUC 12, NUC12SNKi72_Serpent Canyon |
Far Cry New Dawn - 1920x1080 Ultra Preset | |
Minisforum NUCX i7 | |
Minisforum Neptune Series HX99G | |
Intel NUC 12, NUC12SNKi72_Serpent Canyon |
F1 2020 - 1920x1080 Ultra High Preset AA:T AF:16x | |
Minisforum NUCX i7 | |
Minisforum Neptune Series HX99G | |
Intel NUC 12, NUC12SNKi72_Serpent Canyon |
Strange Brigade - 1920x1080 ultra AA:ultra AF:16 | |
Minisforum NUCX i7 | |
Intel NUC 12, NUC12SNKi72_Serpent Canyon | |
Minisforum Neptune Series HX99G |
Borderlands 3 - 1920x1080 Badass Overall Quality (DX11) | |
Minisforum NUCX i7 | |
Intel NUC 12, NUC12SNKi72_Serpent Canyon | |
Minisforum Neptune Series HX99G |
Metro Exodus - 1920x1080 Ultra Quality AF:16x | |
Minisforum NUCX i7 | |
Intel NUC 12, NUC12SNKi72_Serpent Canyon | |
Minisforum Neptune Series HX99G |
F1 2021 - 1920x1080 Ultra High Preset + Raytracing AA:T AF:16x | |
Minisforum NUCX i7 | |
Intel NUC 12, NUC12SNKi72_Serpent Canyon | |
Minisforum Neptune Series HX99G |
F1 22 - 1920x1080 Ultra High Preset AA:T AF:16x | |
Minisforum NUCX i7 | |
Intel NUC 12, NUC12SNKi72_Serpent Canyon | |
Minisforum Neptune Series HX99G |
Tiny Tina's Wonderlands - 1920x1080 Badass Preset (DX12) | |
Minisforum NUCX i7 | |
Intel NUC 12, NUC12SNKi72_Serpent Canyon | |
Minisforum Neptune Series HX99G |
God of War - 1920x1080 Ultra Preset | |
Minisforum NUCX i7 | |
Minisforum Neptune Series HX99G | |
Intel NUC 12, NUC12SNKi72_Serpent Canyon |
Shadow of the Tomb Raider - 1920x1080 Highest Preset AA:T | |
Minisforum NUCX i7 | |
Minisforum Neptune Series HX99G | |
Intel NUC 12, NUC12SNKi72_Serpent Canyon |
GTA V - 1920x1080 Highest Settings possible AA:4xMSAA + FX AF:16x | |
Minisforum NUCX i7 | |
Zotac ZBOX Magnus EN173070C | |
Intel Beast Canyon NUC | |
Intel Dragon Canyon NUC - RTX 3060 | |
Zotac Magnus One (ECM73070C) | |
Minisforum Neptune Series HX99G | |
Lenovo Legion 5 15ACH6A-82NW0010GE | |
Intel NUC 12, NUC12SNKi72_Serpent Canyon |
The Witcher 3 - 1920x1080 Ultra Graphics & Postprocessing (HBAO+) | |
Zotac Magnus One (ECM73070C) | |
Zotac ZBOX Magnus EN173070C | |
Minisforum NUCX i7 | |
Intel Dragon Canyon NUC - RTX 3060 | |
Minisforum Neptune Series HX99G | |
Lenovo Legion 5 15ACH6A-82NW0010GE | |
Intel NUC 12, NUC12SNKi72_Serpent Canyon |
F1 2021 - 1920x1080 Ultra High Preset + Raytracing AA:T AF:16x | |
Minisforum NUCX i7 | |
Zotac ZBOX Magnus EN173070C | |
Intel NUC 12, NUC12SNKi72_Serpent Canyon | |
Intel Beast Canyon NUC | |
Intel Dragon Canyon NUC - RTX 3060 | |
Lenovo Legion 5 15ACH6A-82NW0010GE | |
Minisforum Neptune Series HX99G |
low | med. | high | ultra | QHD | 4K | |
GTA V (2015) | 174.5 | 165.6 | 119.4 | 53.3 | 45.2 | |
The Witcher 3 (2015) | 274.7 | 172.7 | 50.7 | 61.5 | ||
Final Fantasy XV Benchmark (2018) | 132.4 | 91.3 | 50.7 | 41.6 | 28.6 | |
X-Plane 11.11 (2018) | 67.5 | 59.4 | 55.5 | 38.5 | ||
Far Cry 5 (2018) | 127 | 106 | 99 | 95 | 81 | 45 |
Strange Brigade (2018) | 439 | 256 | 211 | 178.7 | 74.3 | |
Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018) | 100.9 | 74.2 | 73 | 68.5 | 57.6 | 38.6 |
Far Cry New Dawn (2019) | 115 | 100 | 95 | 85 | 50 | |
Metro Exodus (2019) | 155.1 | 123.8 | 85.1 | 69.6 | 56.5 | 37 |
Borderlands 3 (2019) | 99.4 | 87 | 78.9 | 69.2 | 53.5 | 29.1 |
F1 2020 (2020) | 249 | 175.9 | 149.9 | 104.5 | 81.6 | 53.1 |
Death Stranding (2020) | 140.6 | 123.7 | 116.6 | 113.7 | 85.7 | 49.4 |
F1 2021 (2021) | 355 | 285 | 227 | 106.4 | 75.9 | 43.6 |
New World (2021) | 101.9 | 84.2 | 77.6 | 74.8 | 35.2 | |
Far Cry 6 (2021) | 143.2 | 119.9 | 103.3 | 88 | 67.7 | 40.2 |
Guardians of the Galaxy (2021) | 124 | 112 | 110 | 105 | 79 | 45 |
God of War (2022) | 62.1 | 62.3 | 59.3 | 47.3 | 26.8 | |
GRID Legends (2022) | 143.1 | 117.9 | 95.9 | 81.2 | 74.5 | 71.9 |
Cyberpunk 2077 1.6 (2022) | 112.5 | 95.3 | 77 | 66.5 | 44 | 21.6 |
Tiny Tina's Wonderlands (2022) | 192.2 | 138.5 | 95.1 | 76.8 | 52.4 | 27.4 |
F1 22 (2022) | 181.5 | 166 | 131 | 42 | 27.8 | 14.6 |
The Quarry (2022) | 108 | 84.9 | 69.3 | 52.9 | 35.9 | 18.8 |
A Plague Tale Requiem (2022) | 79.3 | 71.5 | 55 | 42.1 | 31.9 | 18.6 |
Uncharted Legacy of Thieves Collection (2022) | 43.4 | 40.8 | 44.2 | 43.4 | 41.1 | |
Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 2022 (2022) | 95 | 86 | 71 | 68 | 51 | 32 |
Spider-Man Miles Morales (2022) | 102.8 | 100 | 90 | 86.4 | 67.7 | 38.3 |
The Callisto Protocol (2022) | 122.5 | 90.6 | 64.1 | 64 | 47.5 | 28.1 |
High On Life (2023) | 178.5 | 126.5 | 99.7 | 80.9 | 52.9 | 24.9 |
The Witcher 3 v4.00 (2023) | 143.7 | 125.1 | 111.3 | 99.2 | 44.1 | |
Dead Space Remake (2023) | 42.2 | 49.2 | 46.2 | 54.1 | 24.4 | 15.8 |
Hogwarts Legacy (2023) | 51.9 | 52.5 | 55.1 | 51.9 | 39.1 | 22.2 |
Emissions - energy-hungry and not to be overheard
System noise
The Intel NUC 12 Enthusiast Kit is cooled by a combination of heat pipes and two fans, which lead heat away from the case effectively. In practical use, it works quite well - although it must be noted that its competitors do slightly better on average. At no load, the system almost always ran quietly and was almost silent at a mere 32 dB(A). Under load during our stress test, its noise emissions rose to 44.5 dB(A) - which was a much more noticeable volume.
Noise Level
Idle |
| 31.8 / 31.9 / 32 dB(A) |
Load |
| 44.4 / 44.5 dB(A) |
| ||
30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud |
||
min: , med: , max: Earthworks M23R, Arta (15 cm distance) environment noise: 30.3 dB(A) |
Intel NUC 12, NUC12SNKi72_Serpent Canyon i7-12700H, A770M | Minisforum Neptune Series HX99G R9 6900HX, Radeon RX 6600M | Minisforum NUCX i7 i7-11800H, GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU | Zotac Magnus One (ECM73070C) i7-10700, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 | Zotac ZBOX Magnus EN173070C i7-11800H, GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU | Intel Dragon Canyon NUC - RTX 3060 i9-12900, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 | Lenovo Legion 5 15ACH6A-82NW0010GE R5 5600H, Radeon RX 6600M | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Noise | 8% | 10% | -4% | -1% | 3% | 4% | |
off / environment * | 30.3 | 30.5 -1% | 29.5 3% | 30 1% | 30.7 -1% | 30.2 -0% | 25 17% |
Idle Minimum * | 31.8 | 31.7 -0% | 29.5 7% | 33.58 -6% | 32.7 -3% | 30.2 5% | 25 21% |
Idle Average * | 31.9 | 31.7 1% | 29.5 8% | 32.8 -3% | 30.4 5% | 25 22% | |
Idle Maximum * | 32 | 31.7 1% | 29.5 8% | 32.8 -3% | 30.8 4% | 34.5 -8% | |
Load Average * | 44.4 | 32 28% | 32.8 26% | 44.25 -0% | 41.7 6% | 51.1 -15% | |
Load Maximum * | 44.5 | 36.2 19% | 40.8 8% | 48.72 -9% | 45.4 -2% | 45.1 -1% | 51.3 -15% |
* ... smaller is better
Temperature
The Intel NUC 12 Enthusiast Kit's case temperatures were unremarkable, which means that heat is quickly and effectively led away from the case and there is no heat build-up. However, under load, the temperatures reached up to 97 °C. In comparison, the Intel Arc A770M's temperatures peaked at 76 °C. The GPU was able to run at full performance the whole time.
Power consumption
In all things power consumption, the Intel NUC 12 Enthusiast Kit simply can't keep up with its competitors. Especially at no load, we saw a considerably higher consumption. We measured a peak of 271 watts, which we didn't see with any of the other mini PCs. Even so, the large 330-watt power adapter always provides an adequate power supply to the device.
Off / Standby | 0.3 / 0.8 Watt |
Idle | 28.8 / 39.3 / 57.1 Watt |
Load |
158.7 / 270.9 Watt |
Intel NUC 12, NUC12SNKi72_Serpent Canyon i7-12700H, A770M | Minisforum Neptune Series HX99G R9 6900HX, Radeon RX 6600M | Minisforum NUCX i7 i7-11800H, GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU | Zotac ZBOX Magnus EN173070C i7-11800H, GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU | Lenovo Legion 5 15ACH6A-82NW0010GE R5 5600H, Radeon RX 6600M | Average Intel Arc A770M | Average of class Mini PC | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Power Consumption | 43% | 26% | 2% | 45% | 0% | 69% | |
Idle Minimum * | 28.8 | 16.8 42% | 28.2 2% | 31.3 -9% | 10 65% | 28.8 ? -0% | 9.81 ? 66% |
Idle Average * | 39.3 | 19.4 51% | 29.9 24% | 35.1 11% | 13.2 66% | 39.3 ? -0% | 11.7 ? 70% |
Idle Maximum * | 57.1 | 23.1 60% | 36.2 37% | 41.6 27% | 15.6 73% | 57.1 ? -0% | 14.8 ? 74% |
Load Average * | 158.7 | 81.5 49% | 83.2 48% | 214 -35% | 178 -12% | 158.7 ? -0% | 52.6 ? 67% |
Load Maximum * | 270.9 | 237 13% | 215.7 20% | 231 15% | 180 34% | 271 ? -0% | 86.8 ? 68% |
Witcher 3 ultra * | 167 | 193.5 | 181 |
* ... smaller is better
Power consumption with external monitor
Pros
Cons
Verdict - fast CPU, average GPU
The Intel NUC 12 Enthusiast Kit is an interesting device with a fast Intel Core i7-12700H, which showed great performance in our tests. When it comes to its Intel Arc A770M, we are still torn. At first glance, the dedicated graphics card's performance is quite good and can even be compared to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 laptop - but even so, more and more problems became clear during our game tests. In the past, Intel have put lots of effort into developing their drivers and have definitely taken a step in the right direction. The graphics card's performance, alongside that of the driver from 28th February 2023, just isn't quite there yet. Oftentimes it even falls quite far behind.
The look of the Intel NUC 12 Enthusiast Kit is a matter of personal opinion - not everyone likes a lit-up skull. However, this can be remedied by the fact that you can customize the logo yourself. As expected from Intel, the overall build quality of the device is great.
The Intel NUC 12 Enthusiast Kit is a stylish mini PC with a fast Intel Core i7-12700H. The Intel Arc A770M offers a solid base performance and lots of VRAM. Nevertheless, it doesn't quite live up to our expectations.
We expected a bit more from its built-in cooling system, which had great potential to cool the device's components. Nonetheless, we weren't enamored by its noise emissions at high load. Here, the Minisforum Neptune Series HX99G provides a much quieter experience. Additionally, Intel need to work on their drivers' GPU performance. Here, AMD and Nvidia still take the lead.
A positive feature which deserves recognition is the 16-GB VRAM, which isn't seen often with any of its competitors. Furthermore, the Intel NUC 12 Enthusiast Kit features a multitude of external ports, including Thunderbolt. This makes the mini PC future proof and provides lots of opportunity for expansion.
Price and availability
The barebone version of the Intel NUC 12 Enthusiast Kit can be purchased on Amazon for $1,591.99. The version with 16 GB DDR4 RAM and 1 TB SSD retails for $1,647.64.
Transparency
The present review sample was made available to the author as a loan by the manufacturer or a shop for the purposes of review. The lender had no influence on this review, nor did the manufacturer receive a copy of this review before publication. There was no obligation to publish this review.
Intel NUC 12, NUC12SNKi72_Serpent Canyon
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03/09/2023 v7
Sebastian Bade