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WonkeyDonkey's Haswell NUC Build: Intel Haswell NUC D54250WYK - 16Gb Ram - HD5000 Graphics
Intel Haswell NUC Core i5 (D54250WYK)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F3F38O2
16 Gb (2 x 8 Gb) Crucial 1.35v SODIMM (CT2KIT102464BF160B)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007B5S52C
Intel 525 Series 240 Gb mSata SSD (SSDMCEAC240B301)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B7GQQHC
Already Owned
Apple Cinema Display 27" Displayport Version (MC007LL/A)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0043GCBU4
Logitech K750 (Mac Edition) Wireless Solar Keyboard (920-003492)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005L38VRU
Logitech MX 518 Optical Gaming Mouse (M-BS81A)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0007Z1M50
Dell DW1510 Half Height Wireless N Card (DW1510)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009VX418E
Comments
Well I decided to have a go at this build as I love the whole concept of the NUC (New Unit of Computing) and how Intel is shaping it. It is small, quiet, cute, reasonably powerful and looks just as good as any Apple system you can put on your desk I reckon ! It also has some rave reviews. I avoided the original Ivy Bridge models as there were too many mistakes with them, but with this generation, Intel have got it mostly right. Below you can see my considerations of the various hardware aspects of this system.
Form Factor
Not a lot to say really - I love it! This NUC is just 4 inches square and about an inch and a half tall. Its amazing what Intel have crammed into such a small box.
Graphics
I have previously used my Cinema Display on HD4600 graphics from the new Haswell processors and performance was ok but not great. I think the most common display size these days is 1080p (1920 x 1080) or thereabouts; this cinema display runs at 2560 x 1440. The HD5000 is thankfully faster and there is no noticeable lag when opening windows and moving stuff about. Of course its nowhere near the performance of a discrete graphics card, but that's not really the point with these NUC units. One bonus in terms of graphics is that the NUC has a native mini-DisplayPort connector so I can plug my cinema display straight into it without having to use an adaptor cable of any kind. All good stuff!
Memory
The memory is not on the Intel tested list, but I read on one of the many reviews that it worked just fine. Its quite generic in terms of specification, but if you buy a different brand/model, PLEASE remember it must be the low power variant - 1.35 volts. If you buy 1.5 volt ones they will not work at all.
Noise Levels
Something I'm passionate about. I refuse to buy components that are anything above whisper quiet. Thankfully, this NUC is very quiet indeed; the many reviews confirmed that. There is a fan control setting in the bios thats easy to use and works well.
SSD Drive
The SSD drive is validated by Intel and is on the approved list for the NUC; I bought the 240Gb size as I have a lot of music and videos I like to keep accessible but you can buy varying sizes in this range and they will all work.
Wireless
I bought the wireless card a couple of years back and rebranded it using the prasys method, so it reports as a native Airport Extreme card at wireless N speeds and is very fast and stable. It does not include Bluetooth as I have no interest in that. The wireless cards that Intel recommend for the NUC are all Intel products naturally; but as far as I know they are not compatible with OS X. This DW1510 on the other hand is a Broadcom chip and as such, has very good support in OS X.
Summary
With all of the above considerations I decided to buy it and I'm really pleased. It has met every expectation so far and is an absolute joy to use !
MultiBeast
The Multibeast settings for this build are minimal and very straight forward; here is a summary of what I used :
A detailed install guide can be found here :
http://www.tonymacx86.com/mavericks...uide-intel-haswell-nuc-core-i5-d54250wyk.html
Screenshots & Geekbench
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