Intel NUC Kit D54250WYK review

We were also interested to see how the NUC would perform as a media centre PC. We installed Linux Mint on it, which went fine once we’d switched the boot options in the BIOS from UEFI to Legacy, and set the XBMC media centre application to launch on boot. We could then control the media center entirely from a tablet using the XBMC app, stream audio to it from a phone via Bluetooth and out through our TV, and even shut the PC down from the app – useful if you don’t want to have a keyboard and mouse attached.

We wish Intel would supply a Mini HDMI or Mini DisplayPort adaptor with the NUC to make it easier to attach to your monitor

This left one problem, which was that we didn’t want to reach round the back of the TV to find the NUC’s power button to switch it back on again. To solve this, we went into the BIOS and enabled the Wake System from S4/S5 and Deep S4/S5 options in the Power section of the BIOS interface. The Deep S4/S5 option stopped the NUC from turning on of its own accord, as well as reducing power consumption when “turned off” from 1.5W to 0.7W. We could then use a Wake on LAN tablet app to turn the NUC on without going anywhere near the power button.

We’re impressed with the Intel NUC. It’s tiny, silent, uses less than 8W when idle and 24W under load, and makes a great media centre or unobtrusive general-purpose PC. It’s not cheap, at over £500 once you’ve added the necessary bits, but it’s a powerful bit of kit which is simple to hide out of sight. It’s an impressive feat of engineering and a Best Buy.