Jan 06, 2017 12:38 PM EST By Darren Domirez, UniversityHerald Reporter

Intel has made a huge announcement on CES 2017 stage unveiling 5 new Next Unit of Computing (NUC). Intel's announcement defied rumors that the chip giant is actually abandoning the NUC project but instead launched its refined platform for the second decade of 21st century.

According to PCWorld, a wave of cool technology is coming to Intel's NUC platform. The CPU of this powerful mini desktop is now equipped with the latest Kaby Lake Chips housed in a dark gray body. But there will be varied inclusion in each five NUCs. Firstly, the three bigger units will have either Core i3, i5, or i7 processors while the two smaller units will have either a Core i3 or i5 CPU.

Meanwhile, according to HotHardware, Intel's new NUCs will not stand a match with Steam Machines and other gaming computers due to their smaller sizes. However, they rely on integrated graphic cards. For example, of the Core i5 and Core i7 versions of integrated graphics of the Iris Plus variety which gives about 65 percent faster 3D performance.

Moreover, the Thunderbolt 3 port can provide an external graphics solution by allowing users to connect a Razer Core or an Alienware Graphics Amplifier to improve the gaming experience. One remarkable feature in the faster versions is its advantage to support Intel's upcoming Optane storage technology. Intel claims that this new storage technology is many times faster than current SSDs.

As per the storage, all five NUCs has an M.2 slot for storage. However, the taller models include room for a 2.5-inch drive for added storage. There will also be four USB 3.0 ports, built-in 802.11ac Wi-Fi, a pair of DDR4 memory slots, and an HDMI 2.0 port.

Intel has not announced the price for the five NUC Mini-Desktops but analysts expect that the tall Core i3 NUCs could be valued at around US$300 and the Core i5 units be priced at $400. The tall Core i7 unit could be available at around $500. They are expected to ship in Q1 of 2017.

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