Intel Frost Canyon NUC with Comet Lake i5 SoC in Review

Tiny office PC!

Intel's latest NUC series is small but powerful. It packs brand-new more powerful hardware into a well-known case. Find out in our review what the consequences of this upgrade are and what else the new Comet Lake SoC have to offer.

Sebastian Bade, ✓ Andrea Grüblinger (translated by Finn D. Boerne), Published 02/12/2020 🇩🇪 🇫🇷 ...

Intel’s mini PC received a minor CPU performance upgrade, and all models are now based on the Comet Lake platform. Intel sent us two different barebones to review, a NUC kit based on the Intel Core i5-10210U, which is the main actor of this particular review, and one based on the faster and more powerful Intel Core i7-10710U, which we have reviewed separately.

Among other things Intel improved upon the microphones at the front in order to improve voice command comprehensibility. The new models feature a total of four microphones. From a design standpoint the new NUCs are identical to their predecessors. Our review unit was much smaller than the other model we also received since the latter featured an additional 2.5-inch drive bay. The smaller unit lacks this secondary storage slot. It is worth noting that both, the i5 and the i7 SKU, are available in both sizes.

Our review unit was further equipped with 8 GB of RAM and a 256 GB large SSD. Including a Windows license this bundle sells for slightly over $800. The included 65 W power supply looks and feels ginormous next to the tiny mini PC.

Intel NUC - Frost Canyon (NUC10i5FNK)

Processor

Intel Core i5-10210U 4 x 1.6 - 4.2 GHz, Comet Lake-U

Graphics adapter

Intel UHD Graphics 620, 26.20.100.7262 DCH

Memory

8 GB

, DDR4-2666, dual-cannel, 2 of 2 populated, max. 64 GB

Mainboard

Intel Comet Lake-U PCH-LP Premium

Storage

Kingston RBUSNS8154P3256GJ1, 256 GB

, 200 GB free

Soundcard

Realtek Audio

Connections

4 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 USB 3.1 Gen2, 1 Thunderbolt, 1 HDMI, 1 DisplayPort, 1 Kensington Lock, Audio Connections: 3.5-mm headphone jack, Card Reader: SD

Networking

Intel Ethernet Connection I219-V (10/100/1000MBit/s), Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200 (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/ax = Wi-Fi 6/), Bluetooth 5

Size

height x width x depth (in mm): 36 x 117 x 112 ( = 1.42 x 4.61 x 4.41 in)

Operating System

Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64 Bit

Additional features

36 Months Warranty

Weight

493 g ( = 17.39 oz / 1.09 pounds), Power Supply: 315 g ( = 11.11 oz / 0.69 pounds)

Price

749 EUR

Links

Intel homepage

Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

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Case & Connectivity

The case itself really has not changed much since the last generation. It is still made of plastic and metal, albeit the compact case left a very sturdy, robust, and high-quality impression. The black glossy top is probably only going to look nice and shiny immediately after purchasing and unpacking the device. After a while it will be covered in tiny scratches and finger prints, which are highly detrimental to its classy looks. The bottom plate is held in place by four screws which are easily removed, and once removed offers access to all internal components.

Most ports are located at the front and rear of the device save for the UHS-II SD card reader that can be found on the left-hand side. There are a total of four USB 3 ports, one of which is a USB Type-C port, an HDMI 2.0b port, a Thunderbolt 3 port, an Ethernet port, and a 3.5-mm headphone jack. Unfortunately, the secondary HDMI port had to be sacrificed in favor of the Thunderbolt 3 port, which with the right dongle can be used as secondary monitor port for a dual display setup.

Our review unit weighed no more than 493 g plus another 315 g for the power supply.

Intel NUC (NUC10i5FNKPA) front (source: Intel) — Front (source: Intel)

Intel NUC (NUC10i5FNKPA) rear (source: Intel) — Rear (source: Intel)

Intel NUC (NUC10i5FNKPA) (source: Intel)

Performance – Fast Enough for Office Tasks

The Intel NUC NUC10i5FNK’s performance is fast enough for a simple office computer. The Intel Core i5-10210U is not only very efficient but also well suited for the most common office applications when paired with 8 GB of RAM. The 256 GB large NVMe SSD is decently fast and offers low access latencies. An Intel UHD Graphics 620 serves as GPU for this system. This particular GPU is very common in notebooks, and we are quite familiar with it.

Processor

The NUC’s processor is based on a mobile SoC that can be found primarily in laptops, and it includes Intel’s UHD Graphics 620 integrated graphics. Thanks to its design this particular SoC is very energy efficient, and it allows for very powerful small devices such as our review unit. The Core i5-10210U is based on Intel’s Comet Lake design and offers four cores and eight threads. It runs at a base clock speed of 1.6 GHz and can turbo boost up to 3.9 GHz in multi-core load or even up to 4.2 GHz in single-core load scenarios. Accordingly, it did very well in our benchmarks. For example, in Cinebench R15 we can see that the NUC’s Core i5-10210U performed significantly above average. The reason is that the SoC inside our mini PC was allowed to consume a full 30 W of energy at all times, which allows for a much higher turbo boost under load. For short periods of load, it can even go up to 64 W. This is possible thanks to a much more powerful cooler than can be found in compact and thin laptops.

It was, however, outperformed by the Intel NUC NUC10i7FNH. Its Intel Core i7-10710U features six cores and thus more oomph in multi-thread tasks.

Cinebench R15
CPU Single 64Bit
Intel NUC10i7FNH, Intel Core i7-10710U 1100 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	194 Points +15%
Intel NUC10i5FNK, Intel Core i5-10210U 1600 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	168 Points
Average Intel Core i5-10210U (134 - 174, n=35)	165.6 Points -1%
Lenovo ThinkBook 15 , Intel Core i5-10210U 1600 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	165 Points -2%
Intel NUC6i5SYH, Intel Core i5-6260U 1800 MHz, Intel Iris Graphics 540	117 Points -30%
Intel NUC5i5RYH, Intel Core i5-5250U 1600 MHz, Intel HD Graphics 6000	108 Points -36%
Intel NUC5i3RYK, Intel Core i3-5010U 2100 MHz, Intel HD Graphics 5500	84 Points -50%
CPU Multi 64Bit
Intel NUC10i7FNH, Intel Core i7-10710U 1100 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	1067 Points +35%
Intel NUC10i5FNK, Intel Core i5-10210U 1600 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	790 Points
Lenovo ThinkBook 15 , Intel Core i5-10210U 1600 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	687 Points -13%
Average Intel Core i5-10210U (320 - 790, n=35)	609 Points -23%
Intel NUC6i5SYH, Intel Core i5-6260U 1800 MHz, Intel Iris Graphics 540	298 Points -62%
Intel NUC5i5RYH, Intel Core i5-5250U 1600 MHz, Intel HD Graphics 6000	261 Points -67%
Intel NUC5i3RYK, Intel Core i3-5010U 2100 MHz, Intel HD Graphics 5500	220 Points -72%
Intel NUC5i3RYK, Intel Core i3-5010U 2100 MHz, Intel HD Graphics 5500	211 (209.9^min - 211.39^max) Points -73%

Cinebench R11.5
CPU Single 64Bit
Intel NUC10i7FNH, Intel Core i7-10710U 1100 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	2.19 Points +15%
Intel NUC10i5FNK, Intel Core i5-10210U 1600 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	1.91 Points
Lenovo ThinkBook 15 , Intel Core i5-10210U 1600 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	1.88 Points -2%
Average Intel Core i5-10210U (1.71 - 1.91, n=4)	1.85 Points -3%
Intel NUC6i5SYH, Intel Core i5-6260U 1800 MHz, Intel Iris Graphics 540	1.33 Points -30%
Intel NUC5i5RYH, Intel Core i5-5250U 1600 MHz, Intel HD Graphics 6000	1.28 Points -33%
CPU Multi 64Bit
Intel NUC10i7FNH, Intel Core i7-10710U 1100 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	10.89 Points +26%
Intel NUC10i5FNK, Intel Core i5-10210U 1600 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	8.66 Points
Lenovo ThinkBook 15 , Intel Core i5-10210U 1600 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	7.55 Points -13%
Average Intel Core i5-10210U (5.69 - 8.66, n=4)	7.34 Points -15%
Intel NUC6i5SYH, Intel Core i5-6260U 1800 MHz, Intel Iris Graphics 540	3.26 Points -62%
Intel NUC5i5RYH, Intel Core i5-5250U 1600 MHz, Intel HD Graphics 6000	2.86 Points -67%

Blender - v2.79 BMW27 CPU
Average Intel Core i5-10210U (585 - 1339, n=24)	859 Seconds * -47%
Lenovo ThinkBook 15 , Intel Core i5-10210U 1600 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	676 Seconds * -16%
Intel NUC10i5FNK, Intel Core i5-10210U 1600 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	585 Seconds *
Intel NUC10i7FNH, Intel Core i7-10710U 1100 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	468.3 Seconds * +20%

wPrime 2.10
1024m
Intel NUC5i3RYK, Intel Core i3-5010U 2100 MHz, Intel HD Graphics 5500	732 s * -236%
Intel NUC5i5RYH, Intel Core i5-5250U 1600 MHz, Intel HD Graphics 6000	620 s * -185%
Intel NUC6i5SYH, Intel Core i5-6260U 1800 MHz, Intel Iris Graphics 540	558 s * -156%
Average Intel Core i5-10210U ()	218 s * -0%
Intel NUC10i5FNK, Intel Core i5-10210U 1600 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	217.8 s *
Intel NUC10i7FNH, Intel Core i7-10710U 1100 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	177.4 s * +19%
32m
Intel NUC5i3RYK, Intel Core i3-5010U 2100 MHz, Intel HD Graphics 5500	23.1 s * -241%
Intel NUC5i5RYH, Intel Core i5-5250U 1600 MHz, Intel HD Graphics 6000	19.5 s * -188%
Intel NUC6i5SYH, Intel Core i5-6260U 1800 MHz, Intel Iris Graphics 540	18 s * -165%
Intel NUC10i5FNK, Intel Core i5-10210U 1600 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	6.78 s *
Average Intel Core i5-10210U ()	6.78 s * -0%
Intel NUC10i7FNH, Intel Core i7-10710U 1100 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	5.103 s * +25%

X264 HD Benchmark 4.0
Pass 2
Intel NUC10i7FNH, Intel Core i7-10710U 1100 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	60.5 (60.4^min - 73.5^max) fps +23%
Intel NUC10i5FNK, Intel Core i5-10210U 1600 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	49.35 (49.1^min - 51.6^max) fps
Average Intel Core i5-10210U (33.4 - 49.4, n=3)	42.2 fps -14%
Intel NUC6i5SYH, Intel Core i5-6260U 1800 MHz, Intel Iris Graphics 540	19.3 fps -61%
Intel NUC5i5RYH, Intel Core i5-5250U 1600 MHz, Intel HD Graphics 6000	16.46 fps -67%
Intel NUC5i3RYK, Intel Core i3-5010U 2100 MHz, Intel HD Graphics 5500	13.75 fps -72%
Pass 1
Intel NUC10i7FNH, Intel Core i7-10710U 1100 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	206 (204^min - 208^max) fps +12%
Intel NUC10i5FNK, Intel Core i5-10210U 1600 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	184.5 (184^min - 186^max) fps
Average Intel Core i5-10210U (149.1 - 184.5, n=3)	167.7 fps -9%
Intel NUC6i5SYH, Intel Core i5-6260U 1800 MHz, Intel Iris Graphics 540	105 fps -43%
Intel NUC5i5RYH, Intel Core i5-5250U 1600 MHz, Intel HD Graphics 6000	88.5 fps -52%
Intel NUC5i3RYK, Intel Core i3-5010U 2100 MHz, Intel HD Graphics 5500	74 fps -60%

TrueCrypt
Serpent Mean 100MB
Intel NUC10i7FNH, Intel Core i7-10710U 1100 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	0.57 GB/s +19%
Average Intel Core i5-10210U (0.48 - 0.491, n=2)	0.4855 GB/s +1%
Intel NUC10i5FNK, Intel Core i5-10210U 1600 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	0.48 GB/s
Intel NUC6i5SYH, Intel Core i5-6260U 1800 MHz, Intel Iris Graphics 540	0.166 GB/s -65%
Intel NUC5i5RYH, Intel Core i5-5250U 1600 MHz, Intel HD Graphics 6000	0.142 GB/s -70%
Intel NUC5i3RYK, Intel Core i3-5010U 2100 MHz, Intel HD Graphics 5500	0.133 GB/s -72%
Twofish Mean 100MB
Intel NUC10i7FNH, Intel Core i7-10710U 1100 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	1 GB/s +27%
Average Intel Core i5-10210U (0.79 - 0.802, n=2)	0.796 GB/s +1%
Intel NUC10i5FNK, Intel Core i5-10210U 1600 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	0.79 GB/s
Intel NUC6i5SYH, Intel Core i5-6260U 1800 MHz, Intel Iris Graphics 540	0.283 GB/s -64%
Intel NUC5i5RYH, Intel Core i5-5250U 1600 MHz, Intel HD Graphics 6000	0.245 GB/s -69%
Intel NUC5i3RYK, Intel Core i3-5010U 2100 MHz, Intel HD Graphics 5500	0.199 GB/s -75%
AES Mean 100MB
Intel NUC10i5FNK, Intel Core i5-10210U 1600 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	4.7 GB/s
Average Intel Core i5-10210U (4.6 - 4.7, n=2)	4.65 GB/s -1%
Intel NUC10i7FNH, Intel Core i7-10710U 1100 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	4.6 GB/s -2%
Intel NUC6i5SYH, Intel Core i5-6260U 1800 MHz, Intel Iris Graphics 540	1.7 GB/s -64%
Intel NUC5i5RYH, Intel Core i5-5250U 1600 MHz, Intel HD Graphics 6000	1.5 GB/s -68%
Intel NUC5i3RYK, Intel Core i3-5010U 2100 MHz, Intel HD Graphics 5500	1.3 GB/s -72%

Geekbench 4.4
64 Bit Multi-Core Score
Intel NUC10i7FNH, Intel Core i7-10710U 1100 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	22969 Points +65%
Lenovo ThinkBook 15 , Intel Core i5-10210U 1600 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	16172 Points +16%
Average Intel Core i5-10210U (12471 - 16818, n=10)	14619 Points +5%
Intel NUC10i5FNK, Intel Core i5-10210U 1600 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	13949 Points
Intel NUC5i3RYK, Intel Core i3-5010U 2100 MHz, Intel HD Graphics 5500	5066 Points -64%
64 Bit Single-Core Score
Intel NUC10i7FNH, Intel Core i7-10710U 1100 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	5271 Points +43%
Lenovo ThinkBook 15 , Intel Core i5-10210U 1600 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	4871 Points +32%
Average Intel Core i5-10210U (3680 - 5077, n=10)	4615 Points +25%
Intel NUC10i5FNK, Intel Core i5-10210U 1600 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	3680 Points
Intel NUC5i3RYK, Intel Core i3-5010U 2100 MHz, Intel HD Graphics 5500	2613 Points -29%

Cinebench R20
CPU (Single Core)
Intel NUC10i7FNH, Intel Core i7-10710U 1100 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	480 Points +12%
Intel NUC10i5FNK, Intel Core i5-10210U 1600 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	428 Points
Lenovo ThinkBook 15 , Intel Core i5-10210U 1600 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	418 Points -2%
Average Intel Core i5-10210U (322 - 428, n=30)	407 Points -5%
Intel NUC5i3RYK, Intel Core i3-5010U 2100 MHz, Intel HD Graphics 5500	200 Points -53%
CPU (Multi Core)
Intel NUC10i7FNH, Intel Core i7-10710U 1100 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	2303 Points +27%
Intel NUC10i5FNK, Intel Core i5-10210U 1600 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	1820 Points
Lenovo ThinkBook 15 , Intel Core i5-10210U 1600 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	1581 Points -13%
Average Intel Core i5-10210U (722 - 1820, n=30)	1279 Points -30%
Intel NUC5i3RYK, Intel Core i3-5010U 2100 MHz, Intel HD Graphics 5500	491 Points -73%

HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2 - 4k Preset
Intel NUC10i7FNH, Intel Core i7-10710U 1100 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	7.95 fps +27%
Intel NUC10i5FNK, Intel Core i5-10210U 1600 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	6.28 fps
Lenovo ThinkBook 15 , Intel Core i5-10210U 1600 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	5.16 fps -18%
Average Intel Core i5-10210U (2.36 - 6.28, n=24)	4.31 fps -31%
Intel NUC5i3RYK, Intel Core i3-5010U 2100 MHz, Intel HD Graphics 5500	0 fps -100%

* ... smaller is better

Cinebench R15 Multi-Thread Loop

Our Cinebench R15 multi-thread load test shows that the NUC’s cooler works very well, and that the processor does not have to thermal throttle at all. During the first run, the CPU was allowed to consume up to 64 W for up to 28 seconds. Afterwards, the TDP was reduced to normal levels and performance decreased correspondingly.

Intel NUC10i5FNK Intel Core i5-10210U, Intel Core i5-10210U: Ø755 (749.68-790.62)

Intel NUC10i7FNH Intel Core i7-10710U, Intel Core i7-10710U: Ø946 (834.01-1067.02)

System Performance

The hardware installed in the system plays a major role in overall system performance. Our mini PC can only be equipped with a M.2 SSD, and it performed accordingly. The RAM supported dual-channel mode, which further improved performance.

In our benchmarks, our review unit trailed the faster NUC by a small margin. Overall, we would consider the NUC10i5FNK’s performance more than adequate for simple office tasks. Even parallel computing was not a big issue. However, if you intend to have many browser tabs open simultaneously you may want to consider upgrading the RAM to 16 GB.

PCMark 10 | PCMark 8

PCMark 10
Score
Intel NUC10i7FNH, Intel Core i7-10710U 1100 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	4418 Points +10%
Lenovo ThinkBook 15 , Intel Core i5-10210U 1600 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	4248 Points +6%
Average Intel Core i5-10210U (3448 - 4742, n=33)	4046 Points +1%
Intel NUC10i5FNK, Intel Core i5-10210U 1600 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	4019 Points
Average Intel Core i5-8265U (2247 - 4192, n=36)	3744 Points -7%
Intel NUC5i3RYK, Intel Core i3-5010U 2100 MHz, Intel HD Graphics 5500	2391 Points -41%
Productivity
Intel NUC10i7FNH, Intel Core i7-10710U 1100 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	6876 Points +6%
Lenovo ThinkBook 15 , Intel Core i5-10210U 1600 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	6874 Points +6%
Average Intel Core i5-10210U (5980 - 7332, n=33)	6717 Points +3%
Intel NUC10i5FNK, Intel Core i5-10210U 1600 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	6494 Points
Average Intel Core i5-8265U (2941 - 6755, n=36)	6114 Points -6%
Intel NUC5i3RYK, Intel Core i3-5010U 2100 MHz, Intel HD Graphics 5500	4084 Points -37%

PCMark 8
Work Score Accelerated v2
Lenovo ThinkBook 15 , Intel Core i5-10210U 1600 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	5102 Points +19%
Average Intel Core i5-10210U (4286 - 5114, n=24)	4878 Points +14%
Average Intel Core i5-8265U (3132 - 5223, n=29)	4723 Points +10%
Intel NUC10i7FNH, Intel Core i7-10710U 1100 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	4631 Points +8%
Intel NUC6i5SYH, Intel Core i5-6260U 1800 MHz, Intel Iris Graphics 540	4588 Points +7%
Intel NUC10i5FNK, Intel Core i5-10210U 1600 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	4286 Points
Intel NUC5i5RYH, Intel Core i5-5250U 1600 MHz, Intel HD Graphics 6000	4046 Points -6%
Intel NUC5i3RYK, Intel Core i3-5010U 2100 MHz, Intel HD Graphics 5500	3732 Points -13%
Home Score Accelerated v2
Lenovo ThinkBook 15 , Intel Core i5-10210U 1600 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	4227 Points +20%
Intel NUC10i7FNH, Intel Core i7-10710U 1100 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	3938 Points +12%
Intel NUC6i5SYH, Intel Core i5-6260U 1800 MHz, Intel Iris Graphics 540	3667 Points +4%
Average Intel Core i5-10210U (3182 - 4284, n=24)	3601 Points +2%
Intel NUC10i5FNK, Intel Core i5-10210U 1600 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	3526 Points
Average Intel Core i5-8265U (2747 - 4244, n=30)	3505 Points -1%
Intel NUC5i5RYH, Intel Core i5-5250U 1600 MHz, Intel HD Graphics 6000	3062 Points -13%
Intel NUC5i3RYK, Intel Core i3-5010U 2100 MHz, Intel HD Graphics 5500	2901 Points -18%
Creative Score Accelerated v2
Lenovo ThinkBook 15 , Intel Core i5-10210U 1600 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	5312 Points +6%
Intel NUC10i5FNK, Intel Core i5-10210U 1600 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	5005 Points
Intel NUC10i7FNH, Intel Core i7-10710U 1100 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	4853 Points -3%
Average Intel Core i5-10210U (3454 - 5440, n=11)	4497 Points -10%
Intel NUC6i5SYH, Intel Core i5-6260U 1800 MHz, Intel Iris Graphics 540	4395 Points -12%
Average Intel Core i5-8265U (3473 - 5959, n=12)	4373 Points -13%
Intel NUC5i5RYH, Intel Core i5-5250U 1600 MHz, Intel HD Graphics 6000	3594 Points -28%
Storage Score v2
Lenovo ThinkBook 15 , Intel Core i5-10210U 1600 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	5088 Points +20%
Average Intel Core i5-8265U (4832 - 4999, n=4)	4923 Points +16%
Average Intel Core i5-10210U (4233 - 5088, n=5)	4865 Points +15%
Intel NUC10i7FNH, Intel Core i7-10710U 1100 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	4729 Points +12%
Intel NUC10i5FNK, Intel Core i5-10210U 1600 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	4233 Points

Storage Devices

Our NUC came preconfigured with a 256 GB M.2 Kingston SSD with support for PCIe x4. In our benchmarks, it performed decently well but failed to fully utilize the capabilities of its PCIe connection. Nevertheless, it was far from slow and most users will be more than satisfied with its performance. If you opt for the barebone system you get to install the storage device of your liking.

CrystalDiskMark 3.0

CrystalDiskMark 5.2 / 6

AS SSD

DiskSpd

Kingston RBUSNS8154P3256GJ1

Sequential Read: 706 MB/s

Sequential Write: 774 MB/s

512K Read: 382.5 MB/s

512K Write: 672 MB/s

4K Read: 30.25 MB/s

4K Write: 58.2 MB/s

4K QD32 Read: 380.1 MB/s

4K QD32 Write: 447.4 MB/s

GPU Performance

The new Comet Lake SoC are still coupled with Intel’s well-known Intel UHD Graphics 620, and the NUCs lack a dedicated GPU. The integrated GPU supports decoding hi-res H.265/HEVC Main10 (10-bit colors) and Google’s VP9 coded in hardware. However, its usability for gaming is limited to older or less demanding games. Modern 3D games cannot be played at all with Intel’s UHD Graphics 620.

Additional benchmarks for Intel’s UHD Graphics 620 can be found here.

3DMark 11 | 3DMark

3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance GPU
Intel NUC6i5SYH, Intel Core i5-6260U 1800 MHz, Intel Iris Graphics 540	2322 Points +25%
Intel NUC10i7FNH, Intel Core i7-10710U 1100 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	1983 Points +7%
Lenovo ThinkBook 15 , Intel Core i5-10210U 1600 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	1914 Points +3%
Intel NUC10i5FNK, Intel Core i5-10210U 1600 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	1853 Points
Average Intel UHD Graphics 620 (1144 - 3432, n=244)	1749 Points -6%
Intel NUC5i5RYH, Intel Core i5-5250U 1600 MHz, Intel HD Graphics 6000	1458 Points -21%
Intel NUC5i3RYK, Intel Core i3-5010U 2100 MHz, Intel HD Graphics 5500	1175 Points -37%

3DMark
1280x720 Ice Storm Standard Graphics
Intel NUC10i7FNH, Intel Core i7-10710U 1100 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	79747 Points +37%
Lenovo ThinkBook 15 , Intel Core i5-10210U 1600 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	76488 Points +31%
Average Intel UHD Graphics 620 (13790 - 102010, n=66)	67871 Points +17%
Intel NUC5i5RYH, Intel Core i5-5250U 1600 MHz, Intel HD Graphics 6000	61979 Points +6%
Intel NUC10i5FNK, Intel Core i5-10210U 1600 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	58199 Points
1920x1080 Ice Storm Extreme Graphics
Intel NUC10i7FNH, Intel Core i7-10710U 1100 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	48446 Points +20%
Lenovo ThinkBook 15 , Intel Core i5-10210U 1600 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	47803 Points +18%
Average Intel UHD Graphics 620 (26409 - 59483, n=71)	42924 Points +6%
Intel NUC5i3RYK, Intel Core i3-5010U 2100 MHz, Intel HD Graphics 5500	40670 Points 0%
Intel NUC10i5FNK, Intel Core i5-10210U 1600 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	40532 Points
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics
Intel NUC6i5SYH, Intel Core i5-6260U 1800 MHz, Intel Iris Graphics 540	1479 Points +23%
Intel NUC10i7FNH, Intel Core i7-10710U 1100 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	1418 Points +18%
Lenovo ThinkBook 15 , Intel Core i5-10210U 1600 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	1309 Points +9%
Intel NUC10i5FNK, Intel Core i5-10210U 1600 MHz, Intel UHD Graphics 620	1202 Points
Average Intel UHD Graphics 620 (557 - 2608, n=213)	1161 Points -3%
Intel NUC5i5RYH, Intel Core i5-5250U 1600 MHz, Intel HD Graphics 6000	1033 Points -14%
Intel NUC5i3RYK, Intel Core i3-5010U 2100 MHz, Intel HD Graphics 5500	770 Points -36%

3DMark 11 Performance		2064 points
3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score		56938 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score		8987 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score		1113 points
3DMark Fire Strike Extreme Score		526 points
3DMark Time Spy Score		456 points
Help

... in comparison

	low	med.	high	ultra	4K
Dota 2 Reborn (2015)	78.8	48.9	20.4	18.1	6.6
X-Plane 11.11 (2018)	10.7	8.95	8.77		6.03
Ghost Recon Breakpoint (2019)	11	5
Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order (2019)		6.55

Emissions and Energy

Temperature

3DMark 11 immediately following the stress test

The NUC10i5FNK’s temperatures remained far from critical at all times, and the case only warmed up slightly. While running Prime95 it peaked at around 35 °C. The active cooler manages to cool the Intel Core i5-10210U well enough to prevent thermal throttling, which is thus a non-issue on this particular SKU. The CPU itself peaked at 86 °C during our stress test running Prime95 and FurMark simultaneously. Running only FurMark resulted in a much lower thermal load. Even under sustained load the Core i5-10210U managed to achieve clock speeds significantly higher than its 1.6 GHz base frequency. We found no detrimental effects of sustained load on 3D performance either.

System Noise

The NUC10i5FNK was neither particularly quiet nor particularly loud. The fan ramped up during our stress test and we found its high-pitched whine somewhat annoying in the long run. It was clearly audible. Unfortunately, the fan is never completely off even under idle load, which means the mini PC is never completely silent. Under normal office load the device remained audible albeit the fan noise was not as dominant anymore.

Power Consumption

Power consumption is one of the mini PC’s biggest selling points. Mainly thanks to its internal hardware from the realm of notebook computing the NUC10i5FNK is very energy efficient when compared to a full-fledged desktop PC. When idle our power meter read just 16 W, which peaked at 59 W under load. We also found short-term peaks of up to 74 W at the beginning of high-load tests while the SoC was still allowed to utilize its full turbo boost potential. The power supply is rated at 65 W, which is sufficient given that these significantly higher peaks never last very long.

Power consumption during stress test (Prime95)

Power Consumption

Off / Standby	0.69 / Watt
Idle	/ 15.7 / Watt
Load	/ 58.6 Watt


Key: min: , med: , max: Metrahit Energy

Pros

+ robust case

+ space-saving design

+ low power consumption

+ decent system performance

+ Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5

+ USB Type-C with Thunderbolt 3

+ 36 month warranty

+ SD card reader

Cons

- annoying fan noise

- comparatively expensive as configured for this review

- only one mass storage slot available

Verdict

Intel NUC NUC10i5FNK. Review unit courtesy of Intel Germany

Intels Comet Lake-based NUC is a very small and more importantly very energy efficient mini PC with plenty of oomph. Our NUC10i5FNK review unit currently sells for slightly over $800 and features an Intel Core i5-10210U, 8 GB of RAM, a 256 GB large SSD, and a full Windows 10 license. With this you are basically ready to go, and the tiny office PC will be up and running in no time. If, however, you prefer to install your own internals you can order the NUC without SSD, RAM, and Windows license. As such, the NUC will set you back around $500.

If you are in the market for a small mini PC you cannot go wrong with Intel’s NUC NUC10i5FNK. Up-to-date internals and plenty of oomph make for a very attractive device, even in the long run.

Regarding performance the compact PC is equipped with up-to-date internals such as the latest Wi-Fi technology and Intel’s Comet Lake SoC (Intel Core i5-10210U). A total of four microphones and an infrared receiver make this unit particularly interesting as a streaming box. External ports are aplenty despite the lack of a secondary HDMI port that had to be sacrificed to make room for the Thunderbolt 3 port. The latter is more modern and much more versatile. An SD card reader is still available, and it even supports UHS-II.

Look and feel as well as build quality are top notch. That said we would have preferred a matte surface at the top. No doubt, the glossy black cover looks great but it will most likely not stay that way for very long. Another gripe we had was with the cooling system. On the one hand it worked very well under load and kept the SoC cool at all times. On the other noise emissions are not its best selling point given that the fan is active even in low load situations. Fortunately, it only gets annoying under full load.

Intel Frost Canyon NUC with Comet Lake i5 SoC in Review

Tiny office PC!

Case & Connectivity

Performance – Fast Enough for Office Tasks

Processor

Cinebench R15 Multi-Thread Loop

System Performance

Storage Devices

GPU Performance

Emissions and Energy

Temperature

System Noise

Power Consumption

Pros

Cons

Verdict

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