Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit - Vivid Canyon review: The last Intel NUC has a new case and a Core i7-1360P
The Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit is the direct successor to the Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit. Technically seen, both models are pretty similar, as the Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit which we are testing also features an Intel Core i7-1360P with 32 GB DDR4 RAM and a 512-GB SSD. Visually, lots has changed as Intel has now given its final NUC release a complete makeover. As already announced, Intel will not further market its NUC devices after this release.
This means we have in our hands what is presumably Intel's last mini PC from this range. For years now, these tiny computing geniuses have been known for delivering excellent performance while keeping emissions low. The boom of mini PCs within the past year has, of course, led to an influx of manufacturers bringing similar devices onto the market. We have previously tested quite a few of these. Its rivals (mostly being shipped in to us from the Far East) were oftentimes able to compete and at the same time, they sometimes turned out to be better value for money as well. In this review, the Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit will again have to compete with the devices from Minisforum, Geekom and Morefine. You can find a list of all of these devices in the following overview.
Possible competitors compared
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Height | Best Price |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
83.1 % | 08/2023 | Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit i7-1360P, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | 558 g | 37 mm | |
85.1 % | 01/2023 | Minisforum Neptune Series NAD9 i9-12900H, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | 1.2 kg | 66 mm | |
85.5 % | 03/2023 | Morefine M600, 6900HX R9 6900HX, Radeon 680M | 779 g | 40.6 mm | |
82.8 % | 07/2023 | Geekom AS 6, R9 6900HX R9 6900HX, Radeon 680M | 753 g | 58 mm | |
82.3 % | 05/2023 | Geekom Mini IT12 i7-1260P, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | 572 g | 45.6 mm | |
80.8 % | 04/2023 | Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK i7-1360P, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | 538 g | 37 mm | |
78.9 % | 11/2022 | Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSKi7 i7-1260P, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | 511 g | 37 mm | |
78.8 % | 08/2023 | Khadas Mind i7-1360P, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | 438 g | 20 mm |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit - Vivid Canyon in detail
Case - Metal instead of plastic
Finally, Intel has dared to take the step of installing the hardware into a metal case. The old plastic one can now be left in the past. The new design feels modern, fresh and on every level it impresses - right down to how high-quality the device feels to touch. At the same time, nothing has changed about the PC's dimensions. With a size of 11.7 x 11.2 centimetres, the Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit still counts as one of the most compact mini PCs which can still offer extremely good performance levels.
Color-wise, Intel has been a little braver with the NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit - it is now a combination of silver and white. The white part is on the front, which is also still made from a plastic covering. Even so, the total concept feels great and Intel has continued to deliver the perfect build quality which we are used to. Unfortunately, the Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit doesn't have a VESA mount.
Connectivity
Intel has stayed true to its connectivity options, giving the NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit the same external ports as the Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit. These connections are spread out along the front and back of the device. In total, it features six USB ports of which two support Thunderbolt 4 - this can widen the PC's range of uses massively with the help of suitable accessories. Monitors can be directly connected via HMDI or Thunderbolt - plus, it also has a 2.5G network connection.
Communication
The Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit - Vivid Canyon is fitted with an in-house Wi-Fi 6E AX211 module. This also supports the 6-GHz frequency band. All devices delivered fast transmission rates in our WLAN test without any real errors. The same can be said for our test sample, although it fell a little behind during the 6 GHz frequency band measurements. We used our ASUS ROG Rapture GT-AXE11000 as a test router for this test.
Accessories
The scope of delivery is kept to just the bare minimum. Aside from the device itself, Intel has only included a 120-watt power supply.
Maintenance
Despite its new case design, the Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit continues to be super easy to open up. Just four screws hold on the bottom plate. After removing these, you can easily access the RAM and SSD. This is important, as the Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit is sold as a barebone system. Our test system is almost fully equipped, as you can see really well. Only one further storage device can be installed. You do have to pay attention to the connection, as aside from the already installed NVMe M.2 SSD, the second M.2 slot only supports M.2 SSDs with SATA speeds and up to a length of 42 millimetres.
Performance - A modern SoC with 12 cores and 16 threads
Testing conditions
We performed all performance tests using the energy profile "Balanced". Alternative energy profiles were not available on our system. We did not change the SoC's performance and instead left it in auto mode according to the BIOS settings.
Processor
The PC's Intel Core i7-1360P is a very modern and frugal SoC from Intel's current Raptor Lake P series. The manufacturer hasn't limited the device's possible power consumption, meaning it has access to up to 64 watts for a short burst of time. This value was reached, although under continuous load, it only had access to 40 watts. In our test, we saw that this value was also kept to over a longer period of time.
The Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit mastered our test course with flying colors and it even managed to come slightly ahead of the Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit. Subjectively, there is no noticeable difference between how well both individual systems perform.
For further comparisons and benchmarks, take a look at our CPU comparison table.
* ... 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
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit - Arena Canyon vs. Cinebench R15 Multi Loop
The Cinebench R15 continuous loop gives us a first glance at how well the installed cooling unit works. The device's CPU performance already dropped by about 10 per cent after the first run. After the second run, the SoC showed relatively stable performance which achieved an average of 1,753 points after 50 runs. This is slightly less than we documented on the Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit.
System performance
During the synthetic benchmarks, the Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit's system performance couldn't quite keep up with its CPU performance results. Our test sample ended up only achieving average results and during PCMark10, it was about on the same level as the Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit and the Geekom Mini IT12. Crossmark didn't yield any better results. During the RAM tests, our test sample also had to admit defeat on many occasions. In order to properly shine, the NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit should really have been fitted with faster DDR5 RAM. The manufacturer should also have done this so the PC could properly differentiate itself from the Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit. The Khadas Mind shows us what can be achieved with faster RAM.
* ... smaller is better
DPC latency
We didn't note increased latencies when simply browsing the internet. These only became apparent after we started playing the 4K test video. These latencies didn't increase any further after Prime95 was started.
DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95 | |
Geekom AS 6, R9 6900HX | |
Morefine M600, 6900HX | |
Minisforum Neptune Series NAD9 | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
Geekom Mini IT12 | |
Khadas Mind | |
Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSKi7 |
* ... smaller is better
Storage devices
Our test sample of the Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit is fitted with a 512-GB NVMe SSD from Samsung. An identical model could already be seen in the Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit. Due to the same storage device being used, we noted almost identical benchmark results when it came to performance. We only noted a difference when it came to read rates under continuous load. Here, the Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit generally delivered better performance, although the Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit never had any issues while keeping performance levels stable. The Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit can be fitted with two storage devices in total. It has to be noted that the second slot can only be fitted with an M.2 SSD 2242. In addition, this connection only supports SATA speeds, which you also have to keep in mind.
For further comparisons and benchmarks, take a look at our comparison table.
* ... smaller is better
Reading continuous performance: DiskSpd Read Loop, Queue Depth 8
Graphics card
An Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 with 96 EUs acts as the device's integrated graphics card. It is installed as part of the Intel Core i7-1360P within the SoC. Compared to the Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit, both iGPUs showed identical power delivery levels. Eveyn so, the Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit managed to come ever so slightly ahead. Intel unfortunately still can't keep up with AMD's current iGPUs. Depending on the scenario, the AMD Radeon 680M offers around 30 - 60 per cent more performance.
Further comparisons and benchmarks can be found in our GPU comparison table.
Performance Rating - Percent | |
Geekom AS 6, R9 6900HX | |
Morefine M600, 6900HX | |
Khadas Mind | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK | |
Minisforum Neptune Series NAD9 | |
Geekom Mini IT12 |
Unigine Valley 1.0 | |
1920x1080 Extreme HD DirectX AA:x8 | |
Morefine M600, 6900HX | |
Geekom AS 6, R9 6900HX | |
Khadas Mind | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
Minisforum Neptune Series NAD9 | |
Geekom Mini IT12 | |
1920x1080 Extreme HD Preset OpenGL AA:x8 | |
Geekom AS 6, R9 6900HX | |
Morefine M600, 6900HX | |
Khadas Mind | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK | |
Geekom Mini IT12 | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
Minisforum Neptune Series NAD9 |
3DMark 06 Standard Score | 34030 points | |
3DMark Vantage P Result | 28462 points | |
3DMark 11 Performance | 7957 points | |
3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score | 133288 points | |
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score | 27068 points | |
3DMark Fire Strike Score | 5172 points | |
3DMark Fire Strike Extreme Score | 2407 points | |
3DMark Time Spy Score | 1903 points | |
Help |
Gaming performance
The PC's iGPU is not meant to be used as a gaming solution. The measured performance of the Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit is slightly better than the Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit, but considerably worse than the Morefine M600. If you are looking for something that masters gaming, then you'd be better off taking a look at mini PCs which feature dedicated graphics cards. An example could be the Minisforum HX99G. Intel's NUC 12 Serpent Canyon, with its Intel Arc A770M, also offers good gaming performance.
The Witcher 3 | |
1024x768 Low Graphics & Postprocessing | |
Morefine M600, 6900HX | |
Geekom AS 6, R9 6900HX | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK | |
Minisforum Neptune Series NAD9 | |
Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSKi7 | |
Geekom Mini IT12 | |
Khadas Mind | |
1920x1080 High Graphics & Postprocessing (Nvidia HairWorks Off) | |
Morefine M600, 6900HX | |
Geekom AS 6, R9 6900HX | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
Khadas Mind | |
Minisforum Neptune Series NAD9 | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK | |
Geekom Mini IT12 | |
Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSKi7 |
GTA V | |
1024x768 Lowest Settings possible | |
Morefine M600, 6900HX | |
Minisforum Neptune Series NAD9 | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK | |
Geekom AS 6, R9 6900HX | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
Geekom Mini IT12 | |
Khadas Mind | |
Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSKi7 | |
1920x1080 High/On (Advanced Graphics Off) AA:2xMSAA + FX AF:8x | |
Morefine M600, 6900HX | |
Geekom AS 6, R9 6900HX | |
Khadas Mind | |
Minisforum Neptune Series NAD9 | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK | |
Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSKi7 | |
Geekom Mini IT12 |
low | med. | high | ultra | |
GTA V (2015) | 124.5 | 101.9 | 20.9 | 8.8 |
The Witcher 3 (2015) | 102 | 33.5 | 16.9 | |
Dota 2 Reborn (2015) | 113.8 | 86.4 | 67.6 | 60.5 |
Final Fantasy XV Benchmark (2018) | 45.6 | 24.3 | 17.4 | |
X-Plane 11.11 (2018) | 54.6 | 41 | 35.4 | |
Far Cry 5 (2018) | 45 | 29 | 27 | 26 |
Strange Brigade (2018) | 99 | 39.4 | 32 | 26.1 |
Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018) | 45.5 | 24.8 | 23.4 | 20 |
Far Cry New Dawn (2019) | 52 | 30 | 28 | 26 |
Metro Exodus (2019) | 45.5 | 32.2 | 21.9 | 15.5 |
Borderlands 3 (2019) | 54.5 | 25.2 | 16.1 | 12.3 |
God of War (2022) | 21.4 | 18.2 | 14.7 | 10.6 |
Tiny Tina's Wonderlands (2022) | 32.3 | 25.4 | 15.9 | 13.5 |
F1 22 (2022) | 47.6 | 43.4 | 31.7 | 24 |
F1 23 (2023) | 44 | 39.7 | 27.5 | 20.5 |
3D performance boost via an eGPU dock with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
As the Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit is fitted with Thunderbolt ports, we can now take a look at its 3D performance with the help of our Razer Core X and the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti. In practical use, this combination works well together. Although, the competition never did terribly in this test. Even so, you can tell during the gaming tests that this combination seems to yield better results when it comes to Intel SoCs. The Minisforum UM790 Pro, Minisforum UM690 and the Morefine M600 all had to make do with coming in behind.
Please note:
Due to the bandwidth limitation of the Thunderbolt interface, you cannot expect to see the full performance of an external graphics card. In a conventional PC where the graphics card can communicate via all 16 PCIe lanes, performance levels are even better. Nevertheless, this test shows us that you can quickly and easily increase the 3D performance noticeably with the help of this accessory.
Performance Rating - Percent | |
Minisforum Venus Series NPB5 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Morefine M600 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM690 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) |
3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance GPU | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series NPB5 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Morefine M600 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM690 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
3DMark | |
2560x1440 Time Spy Graphics | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series NPB5 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Morefine M600 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM690 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Morefine M600 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series NPB5 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM690 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
3840x2160 Fire Strike Ultra Graphics | |
Morefine M600 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM690 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series NPB5 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Unigine Superposition | |
1280x720 720p Low | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series NPB5 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM690 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Morefine M600 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
1920x1080 1080p High | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series NPB5 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Morefine M600 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM690 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
1920x1080 1080p Extreme | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series NPB5 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Morefine M600 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM690 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
3840x2160 4k Optimized | |
Minisforum Venus Series NPB5 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Morefine M600 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM690 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
7680x4320 8k Optimized | |
Minisforum Venus Series NPB5 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Morefine M600 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM690 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) |
Unigine Valley 1.0 | |
1920x1080 Extreme HD DirectX AA:x8 | |
Minisforum Venus Series NPB5 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM690 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Morefine M600 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
1920x1080 Extreme HD Preset OpenGL AA:x8 | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series NPB5 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM690 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Morefine M600 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Unigine Heaven 4.0 | |
Extreme Preset OpenGL | |
Minisforum Venus Series NPB5 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM690 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Morefine M600 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Extreme Preset DX11 | |
Minisforum Venus Series NPB5 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM690 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Morefine M600 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
ComputeMark v2.1 | |
1024x600 Normal, Score | |
Minisforum Venus Series NPB5 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Morefine M600 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM690 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
1024x600 Normal, Fluid 3DTex | |
Minisforum Venus Series NPB5 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Morefine M600 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM690 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
1024x600 Normal, Fluid 2DTexArr | |
Minisforum Venus Series NPB5 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Morefine M600 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM690 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
1024x600 Normal, Mandel Vector | |
Minisforum Venus Series NPB5 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Morefine M600 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM690 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
1024x600 Normal, Mandel Scalar | |
Minisforum Venus Series NPB5 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Morefine M600 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM690 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
1024x600 Normal, QJuliaRayTrace | |
Minisforum Venus Series NPB5 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Morefine M600 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM690 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Performance Rating - Percent | |
Minisforum Venus Series NPB5 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM690 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Morefine M600 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) |
GTA V - 1920x1080 Highest Settings possible AA:4xMSAA + FX AF:16x | |
Minisforum Venus Series NPB5 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM690 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Morefine M600 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
The Witcher 3 - 1920x1080 Ultra Graphics & Postprocessing (HBAO+) | |
Minisforum Venus Series NPB5 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM690 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Morefine M600 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Dota 2 Reborn - 1920x1080 ultra (3/3) best looking | |
Minisforum Venus Series NPB5 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM690 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Morefine M600 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Final Fantasy XV Benchmark - 1920x1080 High Quality | |
Minisforum Venus Series NPB5 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Morefine M600 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM690 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Strange Brigade - 1920x1080 ultra AA:ultra AF:16 | |
Minisforum Venus Series NPB5 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Morefine M600 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM690 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Far Cry 5 - 1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:T | |
Minisforum Venus Series NPB5 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM690 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Morefine M600 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Far Cry New Dawn - 1920x1080 Ultra Preset | |
Minisforum Venus Series NPB5 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM690 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Morefine M600 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Borderlands 3 - 1920x1080 Badass Overall Quality (DX11) | |
Minisforum Venus Series NPB5 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM790 Pro (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Minisforum Venus Series UM690 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
Morefine M600 (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti FE TB3) | |
low | med. | high | ultra | QHD | 4K DLSS | 4K | |
GTA V (2015) | 177 | 170.3 | 159.4 | 96.2 | 89.1 | 102.1 | |
The Witcher 3 (2015) | 296.7 | 207.4 | 153.6 | 74.6 | 62.8 | 71.9 | |
Dota 2 Reborn (2015) | 153.3 | 139.8 | 133.3 | 121.7 | 104.4 | ||
Final Fantasy XV Benchmark (2018) | 167.6 | 136.7 | 96.9 | 76.4 | 47.6 | ||
X-Plane 11.11 (2018) | 120.7 | 108.4 | 86.4 | 76.4 | |||
Far Cry 5 (2018) | 154 | 133 | 126 | 119 | 99 | 58 | |
Strange Brigade (2018) | 199.7 | 155.8 | 153.4 | 149.1 | 128.9 | 84.7 | |
Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018) | 137.3 | 95.5 | 93.6 | 85.9 | 72.1 | 49.1 | |
Far Cry New Dawn (2019) | 134 | 116 | 110 | 100 | 92 | 60 | |
Metro Exodus (2019) | 142.7 | 91.7 | 70.1 | 53.1 | 46.4 | 34 | |
Borderlands 3 (2019) | 116.7 | 100.8 | 90.5 | 77.8 | 62.7 | 38 | |
Far Cry 6 (2021) | 75.3 | 63.3 | 52 | 45.3 | 44.5 | ||
God of War (2022) | 108.1 | 95.2 | 79.7 | 60.4 | 53.1 | 39.3 | |
GRID Legends (2022) | 107.6 | 95.2 | 80.3 | 69.3 | 62.9 | 50.3 | |
Tiny Tina's Wonderlands (2022) | 169.1 | 136.2 | 98.4 | 80.1 | 61.2 | 36 | |
F1 22 (2022) | 60.4 | 55.2 | 42.8 | 27.6 | 26.7 | 20.5 | |
F1 23 (2023) | 66.3 | 64.4 | 53.6 | 33.8 | 31.2 | 32.8 | 15 |
Emissions - Good performance and still frugal
Noise emissions
During our noise emission tests, the Intel NUC 13 Desk Edition Kit proved to be quite quiet in idle mode. It isn't possible to run the device completely silently. Under load, the fans have to spin quite a bit in order to move enough air. Under average load, we noted almost the highest value, namely 42 dB(A). At 42.1 dB(A), our test device was barely any louder during the stress test.
Noise Level
Idle |
| 28.1 / 28.2 / 28.3 dB(A) |
Load |
| 42 / 42.1 dB(A) |
| ||
30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud |
||
min: , med: , max: Earthworks M23R, Arta (15 cm distance) environment noise: 25.2 dB(A) |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit i7-1360P, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | Minisforum Neptune Series NAD9 i9-12900H, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | Morefine M600, 6900HX R9 6900HX, Radeon 680M | Geekom AS 6, R9 6900HX R9 6900HX, Radeon 680M | Geekom Mini IT12 i7-1260P, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK i7-1360P, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSKi7 i7-1260P, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | Khadas Mind i7-1360P, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Noise | 2% | -4% | -10% | 2% | -7% | -11% | -15% | |
off / environment * | 25.2 | 30.2 -20% | 30.4 -21% | 30 -19% | 29.8 -18% | 29.8 -18% | 30.4 -21% | 25.2 -0% |
Idle Minimum * | 28.1 | 30.5 -9% | 30.9 -10% | 33.2 -18% | 29.9 -6% | 30.2 -7% | 33.1 -18% | 34.4 -22% |
Idle Average * | 28.2 | 30.5 -8% | 31.5 -12% | 33.6 -19% | 30.1 -7% | 31.1 -10% | 33.1 -17% | 34.4 -22% |
Idle Maximum * | 28.3 | 30.5 -8% | 31.5 -11% | 33.6 -19% | 30.2 -7% | 31.9 -13% | 33.1 -17% | 34.5 -22% |
Load Average * | 42 | 30.5 27% | 37.5 11% | 36.8 12% | 32.1 24% | 40 5% | 38.1 9% | 44.7 -6% |
Load Maximum * | 42.1 | 30.5 28% | 34.1 19% | 39.8 5% | 32.5 23% | 40.5 4% | 43.6 -4% | 50.4 -20% |
Witcher 3 ultra * | 49 |
* ... smaller is better
Temperature
In idle mode, the Intel NUC 13 Desk Edition Kit's case only heats up slightly. The installed cooler sucks in air via the sides and guides it out the back of the device, during which the components such as the RAM and SSD are cooled.
During the stress test with Prime95, we also took a look at the Intel Core i7-1360P's temperatures. Here, the SoC hit 100 °C right after the test was begun, meaning its performance isn't additionally throttled. During the further course of the stress test, CPU temperatures evened out at around 83 °C on average.
Power consumption
In general, lots of mini PCs are quite frugal when it comes to their energy intake. The Intel NUC 13 Desk Edition Kit isn't really any different. In idle mode, we documented only 7 - 11.8 watts, which is considerably lower than its competitors from Minisforum or Morefine. We noted a maximum of only 97.2 watts, which is considerably more frugal than the Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit. The supplied power adapter is compact and delivers up to 120 watts. At no point did we note the power supply being overloaded.
Off / Standby | 1.1 / 2.1 Watt |
Idle | 7 / 9.2 / 11.8 Watt |
Load |
45 / 97.2 Watt |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit i7-1360P, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | Minisforum Neptune Series NAD9 i9-12900H, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | Morefine M600, 6900HX R9 6900HX, Radeon 680M | Geekom AS 6, R9 6900HX R9 6900HX, Radeon 680M | Geekom Mini IT12 i7-1260P, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit NUC13ANK i7-1360P, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSKi7 i7-1260P, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | Khadas Mind i7-1360P, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | Average Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs | Average of class Mini PC | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Power Consumption | -48% | -25% | -3% | 13% | 3% | -31% | 1% | 14% | -20% | |
Idle Minimum * | 7 | 12.1 -73% | 9.9 -41% | 6.8 3% | 5 29% | 5.1 27% | 12.1 -73% | 7.8 -11% | 5.34 ? 24% | 9.83 ? -40% |
Idle Average * | 9.2 | 13 -41% | 11 -20% | 9.4 -2% | 7 24% | 5.8 37% | 12.2 -33% | 10.9 -18% | 8.53 ? 7% | 11.7 ? -27% |
Idle Maximum * | 11.8 | 18.2 -54% | 11.2 5% | 13.7 -16% | 10.7 9% | 10.2 14% | 12.3 -4% | 11.8 -0% | 10.8 ? 8% | 14.8 ? -25% |
Load Average * | 45 | 70.6 -57% | 74.2 -65% | 45.3 -1% | 50.3 -12% | 68.1 -51% | 64 -42% | 39.2 13% | 45.2 ? -0% | 52.6 ? -17% |
Load Maximum * | 97.2 | 113 -16% | 103.2 -6% | 94.8 2% | 82 16% | 108.3 -11% | 98.8 -2% | 76.4 21% | 67.3 ? 31% | 86.6 ? 11% |
* ... smaller is better
Power consumption with external monitor
Pros
Cons
Verdict - Nicer outside while performance levels remain almost the same
Then Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit is no complete reinvention, but even so, it is a considerably more attractive model in the NUC series from Intel. These devices have been calling for a metal case for a while now, but up until the Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit, Intel has stayed true to its old concept of a plastic case. Although, technically seen, there has been no advancement. Intel Raptor Lake-P continues to work under the bonnet and its DDR4 RAM is also one of the slower models which we already saw in the Intel NUC 13 Pro Kit. Intel really should've taken the step to install DDR5 RAM in order to deliver the best total package alongside the Intel Core i7-1360P.
The Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit is a visually spruced up Intel NUC, which unfortunately stagnates due to its performance. Its wide variety of positive features such as its great connectivity options remains the same.
During our test, the Intel NUC 13 Desk Edition Kit delivered outstanding performance. The SoC worked without any sort of TDP limitations, which isn't the case with every mini PC. Its biggest weakness is its iGPU when it comes to 3D performance. In turn, this is a general problem which all current Intel SoCs seem to have. Here, AMD with its current Ryzen SoCs has a big advantage. As the Intel NUC 13 Desk Edition Kit is a mini PC meant for office use, its gaming performance isn't a top priority. Even so, you can achieve this with the help of an external graphics card. Its good connectivity options make this possible.
Visually, the Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit has changed a lot. We embrace this decision and in total, its design looks modern and it feels nice thanks to its metal surfaces. In terms of dimensions, the Intel PC has stayed true to the series, although it doesn't feature a VESA mount option. Its competitors' argument of scoring with a high-quality metal case now fails. This means it now has to be a combination of visuals and performance that justify purchasing this device. Its name proves to be a reason to buy into the brand too, as in the past, "Intel NUC" has always been synonymous with good mini PCs. In addition, many buyers still have their reservations when it comes to purchasing because many competitors are only available to buy in China. The PCs are only slowly finding arriving in overseas warehouses and will often only find their way to customers via sites like Amazon. This is different for Intel's NUC devices, because many well-known online stores have the devices for sale.
Price and availability
The Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit can be purchased as a barebone model from Amazon for US$719.
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 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit
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04/25/2024 v7
Sebastian Bade