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Intel NUC 12 Dragon Canyon review with Intel Core i9-12900

Gaming PC or workhorse? The current Intel NUC 12 Extreme Kit includes the Compute Element we already know. Yet there are still some essential changes, since with a socketed CPU based on the LGA1700, the Compute Element can even house various processors. With the preinstalled Intel Core i9-12900, you currently get a really fast and compact system.

The Intel NUC Extreme Kit has already been known for some time. With its compact build and good equipment, it stands out from the masses, and the design of the compact desktop computer can be easily recognized, without a doubt

We recently took a detailed look at the Intel NUC 11 Extreme Kit alias Beast Canyon and were already surprised by its powerful capabilities at that time. With the Intel NUC 12 Extreme Kit alias Dragon Canyon, Intel now introduces the successor, showing that there is even more power now with the new CPU. But this could also be expected due to the progress in the chip development, since Alder Lake has a significant advantage to the older Tiger Lake platform. It still uses the Compute Element we already know, which combines all the important components of a PC. For the first time, Intel takes the direction of using a socketed CPU as we know it from the standard desktop segment. Here, the Intel Core i9-12900 from the current Alder Lake S series is used. Just like the Intel Core i9-12900K, the processor offers the P and E cores we already know, which are able to operate on up to 24 threads simultaneously. However, with a slightly lower TDP, we also expect a slightly lower performance. Find out more details on this in the performance segment further below.

When purchasing the Intel NUC 12 Extreme Kit, you have to consider that this is a barebone system. The SSD, RAM, and a dedicated graphics card are not included. For those, we looked at our own supplies and equipped the system with a 512 GB NVME SSD and 32 GB of DDR4 RAM. In terms of the dedicated graphics card, we purposefully decided for the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060, in order to allow for a fair comparison with the Intel NUC 11 Extreme Kit.

For a dedicated graphics card, you can use models with a maximum length of 30.5 cm (~12 in). The 650-Watt SFX power supply offers sufficient power to also run the current high-end models. However, the cooling of these pixel accelerators should not take up more than two slots. You can currently get the Intel NUC 12 Extreme Kit for 1450 Euros (~$1589).

Intel Dragon Canyon NUC - RTX 3060
Processor
Intel Core i9-12900 16 x 2.4 - 5.1 GHz, 202 W PL2 / Short Burst, 65 W PL1 / Sustained, Alder Lake
Graphics adapter
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 - 12 GB VRAM, Core: 1777 MHz, Memory: 15000 MHz, GDDR6, Nvidia 511.79
Memory
32 GB 
, DDR4-3200
Mainboard
Intel Z690 (Alder Lake-S PCH)
Storage
Transcend M.2 SSD 2200S TS512GMTE220S, 512 GB 
Connections
1 USB 2.0, 10 USB 3.1 Gen2, 2 Thunderbolt, 1 HDMI, 1 DisplayPort, Card Reader: SDXC with UHS-II support
Networking
Aquantia AQtion 10Gbit Network Adapter (10/100/1000/2500/5000/10000MBit/s), Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211 (a/b/g/h/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/ax = Wi-Fi 6/ Wi-Fi 6E 6 GHz), Bluetooth 5.2
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 189 x 120 x 357 ( = 7.44 x 4.72 x 14.06 in)
Additional features
36 Months Warranty
Price
0 Euro
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Intel NUC 12 Extreme Kit Dragon Canyon
Intel NUC 12 Extreme Kit Dragon Canyon
Intel NUC 12 Extreme Kit Dragon Canyon
Intel NUC 12 Extreme Kit Dragon Canyon
Intel NUC 12 Extreme Kit Dragon Canyon
Intel NUC 12 Extreme Kit Dragon Canyon
Intel NUC 12 Extreme Kit Dragon Canyon
Intel NUC 12 Extreme Kit Dragon Canyon
Intel NUC 12 Extreme Kit Dragon Canyon
SO-DIMM 32-GB DDR4-3200
Transcend 512 GB NVME-SSD

Intel NUC 12 Extreme Compute Element in detail

With the Intel Core i9-12900, the Intel NUC 12 Extreme offers a 16-core SoC with 24 threads based on the Alder Lake S series. As we already mentioned, the Core i9-12900 uses a mix of P and E cores. In contrast to the Intel NUC 11 Extreme Kit before, now a full-size desktop processor is used. All the external connections continue to be placed on the Compute Element, which is housed in the system in the known form of a PCI Express card. In the back are six USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-A and two USB-C connections that support Thunderbolt 4. With HDMI or Thunderbolt, you can run up to three displays at the same time. There are 10G and 2.5G connections for wired networking. In addition, the Intel WiFi 6E AX211 communicates using the newest standard. The Compute Element itself offers space for two SO-DIMM RAM modules of up to 64 GB each, and there is also space for two M.2 SSDs.

WLAN performance

In the WLAN test, the Intel WiFi 6E AX211 is able to achieve very good transfer rates in the 6 GHz range in combination with our ASUS GT-AXE11000 test router. In our test, we measure a good 1850 Mbit/s on average when sending or receiving data. 

Networking
iperf3 transmit AXE11000 6GHz
Intel Dragon Canyon NUC - RTX 3060
Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211
1851 (1799min - 1897max) MBit/s
Average of class
  (229 - 1961, n=374)
1396 MBit/s -25%
Average Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211
  (632 - 1851, n=165)
1383 MBit/s -25%
Minisforum EliteMini TH50
MediaTek MT7921
866 (502min - 950max) MBit/s -53%
iperf3 receive AXE11000 6GHz
Intel Dragon Canyon NUC - RTX 3060
Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211
1848 (1731min - 1888max) MBit/s
Average Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211
  (883 - 1857, n=164)
1493 MBit/s -19%
Average of class
  (390 - 1858, n=375)
1436 MBit/s -22%
Minisforum EliteMini TH50
MediaTek MT7921
776 (482min - 881max) MBit/s -58%
iperf3 receive AX12
MSI Vector GP66 12UGS
Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211
1462 (1366min - 1531max) MBit/s
Average Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211
  (1178 - 1623, n=4)
1409 MBit/s
Alienware x14 i7 RTX 3060
Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211
1371 (1221min - 1483max) MBit/s
Average of class
  (5 - 2374, n=2624)
621 MBit/s
iperf3 transmit AX12
MSI Vector GP66 12UGS
Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211
1501 (755min - 1562max) MBit/s
Alienware x14 i7 RTX 3060
Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211
1410 (1239min - 1603max) MBit/s
Average Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211
  (1003 - 1501, n=4)
1320 MBit/s
Average of class
  (5.59 - 2371, n=2621)
587 MBit/s

Processor benchmarks

The Intel Core i9-12900 is a desktop model from the current Alder Lake S series. The PL1 power consumption is 65 watts, which can be increased up to the PL2 value of 202 watts.

The Intel Core i9-12900 does justice to its class in the test, surpassing the performance of the Intel Core i9-11900KB by 15%, if we look at the results across all the benchmarks (performance rating). When being compared to standard desktop systems, the Intel Core i9-12900 in the Intel NUC 12 Extreme Kit is also able to keep up with an AMD Ryzen 7 5800X or Intel Core i9-11900K. On the other hand, the Intel Core i7-12700K is able to beat our Dragon Canyon NUC, and we see a first sign of a slightly throttled performance due to the very small cooling system. However, the disadvantage remains within limits, and the Intel Core i7-12700K was barely 10% faster in the test.

You can find additional comparisons and benchmarks in our CPU comparison chart.

CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
XTU
XTU - benchmark
Performance Rating - Percent
Intel Core i9-12900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-12900K, 3200 MHz
63.4 pt
Intel Core i7-12700K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i7-12700K, 2700 MHz
59.4 pt
Intel Core i9-12900, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-12900, 2400 MHz
54.3 pt
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 5800X, 3800 MHz
54.2 pt
Intel Core i9-11900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-11900K, 3500 MHz
52.4 pt
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
51.4 pt
Intel Core i9-10900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-10900K, 3700 MHz
50.9 pt
Intel Core i9-11900KB, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-11900KB, 3300 MHz
48.1 pt
Intel Core i5-11600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-11600K, 3900 MHz
47.7 pt
AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 3800XT, 3900 MHz
46.9 pt
Intel Core i9-9980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop)
i9-9980HK, 2400 MHz
43.7 pt
Intel Core i5-10600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-10600K, 4100 MHz
42.2 pt
Cinebench R15
CPU Single 64Bit
Intel Core i9-12900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-12900K, 3200 MHz
286 Points +9%
Intel Core i7-12700K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i7-12700K, 2700 MHz
272 Points +4%
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 5800X, 3800 MHz
266 Points +2%
Intel Core i9-11900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-11900K, 3500 MHz
262 Points 0%
Intel Core i9-12900, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-12900, 2400 MHz
262 Points
Intel Core i9-11900KB, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-11900KB, 3300 MHz
247 Points -6%
Intel Core i5-11600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-11600K, 3900 MHz
242 Points -8%
Intel Core i9-10900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-10900K, 3700 MHz
224 Points -15%
AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 3800XT, 3900 MHz
219 Points -16%
Intel Core i9-9980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop)
i9-9980HK, 2400 MHz
215 Points -18%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
209 Points -20%
Intel Core i5-10600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-10600K, 4100 MHz
205 Points -22%
CPU Multi 64Bit
Intel Core i9-12900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-12900K, 3200 MHz
4057 Points +23%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
4002 Points +21%
Intel Core i7-12700K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i7-12700K, 2700 MHz
3325 Points +1%
Intel Core i9-12900, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-12900, 2400 MHz
3299 Points
Intel Core i9-10900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-10900K, 3700 MHz
2620 Points -21%
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 5800X, 3800 MHz
2616 Points -21%
Intel Core i9-11900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-11900K, 3500 MHz
2436 Points -26%
AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 3800XT, 3900 MHz
2230 Points -32%
Intel Core i9-11900KB, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-11900KB, 3300 MHz
2027 Points -39%
Intel Core i5-11600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-11600K, 3900 MHz
1738 Points -47%
Intel Core i9-9980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop)
i9-9980HK, 2400 MHz
1607 Points -51%
Intel Core i5-10600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-10600K, 4100 MHz
1452 Points -56%
Cinebench R20
CPU (Single Core)
Intel Core i9-12900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-12900K, 3200 MHz
766 Points +9%
Intel Core i7-12700K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i7-12700K, 2700 MHz
731 Points +4%
Intel Core i9-12900, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-12900, 2400 MHz
703 Points
Intel Core i9-11900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-11900K, 3500 MHz
647 Points -8%
Intel Core i9-11900KB, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-11900KB, 3300 MHz
629 Points -11%
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 5800X, 3800 MHz
625 Points -11%
Intel Core i5-11600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-11600K, 3900 MHz
595 Points -15%
AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 3800XT, 3900 MHz
544 Points -23%
Intel Core i9-10900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-10900K, 3700 MHz
532 Points -24%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
520 Points -26%
Intel Core i9-9980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop)
i9-9980HK, 2400 MHz
504 Points -28%
Intel Core i5-10600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-10600K, 4100 MHz
464 Points -34%
CPU (Multi Core)
Intel Core i9-12900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-12900K, 3200 MHz
10240 Points +43%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
9075 Points +26%
Intel Core i7-12700K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i7-12700K, 2700 MHz
8648 Points +20%
Intel Core i9-12900, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-12900, 2400 MHz
7179 Points
Intel Core i9-10900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-10900K, 3700 MHz
6381 Points -11%
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 5800X, 3800 MHz
6068 Points -15%
Intel Core i9-11900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-11900K, 3500 MHz
5997 Points -16%
AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 3800XT, 3900 MHz
5120 Points -29%
Intel Core i9-11900KB, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-11900KB, 3300 MHz
4644 Points -35%
Intel Core i5-11600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-11600K, 3900 MHz
4349 Points -39%
Intel Core i5-10600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-10600K, 4100 MHz
3443 Points -52%
Intel Core i9-9980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop)
i9-9980HK, 2400 MHz
3357 Points -53%
Cinebench R11.5
CPU Single 64Bit
Intel Core i9-12900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-12900K, 3200 MHz
3.49 Points +10%
Intel Core i7-12700K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i7-12700K, 2700 MHz
3.29 Points +4%
Intel Core i9-12900, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-12900, 2400 MHz
3.16 Points
Intel Core i9-11900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-11900K, 3500 MHz
3.1 Points -2%
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 5800X, 3800 MHz
3.09 Points -2%
Intel Core i5-11600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-11600K, 3900 MHz
2.87 Points -9%
Intel Core i9-11900KB, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-11900KB, 3300 MHz
2.84 Points -10%
Intel Core i9-10900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-10900K, 3700 MHz
2.56 Points -19%
Intel Core i9-9980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop)
i9-9980HK, 2400 MHz
2.4 Points -24%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
2.37 Points -25%
AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 3800XT, 3900 MHz
2.36 Points -25%
Intel Core i5-10600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-10600K, 4100 MHz
2.19 Points -31%
CPU Multi 64Bit
Intel Core i9-12900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-12900K, 3200 MHz
47.06 Points +21%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
43.68 Points +12%
Intel Core i9-12900, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-12900, 2400 MHz
38.96 Points
Intel Core i7-12700K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i7-12700K, 2700 MHz
38.38 Points -1%
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 5800X, 3800 MHz
29.31 Points -25%
Intel Core i9-10900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-10900K, 3700 MHz
29.03 Points -25%
Intel Core i9-11900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-11900K, 3500 MHz
26.76 Points -31%
AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 3800XT, 3900 MHz
24.18 Points -38%
Intel Core i9-11900KB, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-11900KB, 3300 MHz
22.07 Points -43%
Intel Core i5-11600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-11600K, 3900 MHz
19.32 Points -50%
Intel Core i9-9980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop)
i9-9980HK, 2400 MHz
18.04 Points -54%
Intel Core i5-10600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-10600K, 4100 MHz
15.76 Points -60%
Cinebench R10
Rendering Single CPUs 64Bit
Intel Core i9-12900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-12900K, 3200 MHz
16144 Points +10%
Intel Core i7-12700K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i7-12700K, 2700 MHz
15179 Points +4%
Intel Core i9-12900, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-12900, 2400 MHz
14610 Points
Intel Core i9-11900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-11900K, 3500 MHz
14149 Points -3%
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 5800X, 3800 MHz
13039 Points -11%
Intel Core i5-11600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-11600K, 3900 MHz
12957 Points -11%
Intel Core i9-11900KB, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-11900KB, 3300 MHz
12508 Points -14%
Intel Core i9-10900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-10900K, 3700 MHz
10625 Points -27%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
10580 Points -28%
AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 3800XT, 3900 MHz
10497 Points -28%
Intel Core i9-9980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop)
i9-9980HK, 2400 MHz
10359 Points -29%
Intel Core i5-10600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-10600K, 4100 MHz
9594 Points -34%
Rendering Multiple CPUs 64Bit
Intel Core i9-12900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-12900K, 3200 MHz
112749 Points +5%
Intel Core i9-12900, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-12900, 2400 MHz
107565 Points
Intel Core i7-12700K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i7-12700K, 2700 MHz
102539 Points -5%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
86232 Points -20%
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 5800X, 3800 MHz
83426 Points -22%
Intel Core i9-11900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-11900K, 3500 MHz
80613 Points -25%
Intel Core i9-10900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-10900K, 3700 MHz
80495 Points -25%
AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 3800XT, 3900 MHz
68388 Points -36%
Intel Core i9-11900KB, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-11900KB, 3300 MHz
67183 Points -38%
Intel Core i5-11600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-11600K, 3900 MHz
64663 Points -40%
Intel Core i9-9980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop)
i9-9980HK, 2400 MHz
55742 Points -48%
Intel Core i5-10600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-10600K, 4100 MHz
51816 Points -52%
Blender - v2.79 BMW27 CPU
Intel Core i9-9980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop)
i9-9980HK, 2400 MHz
317.4 Seconds * -21%
Intel Core i5-10600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-10600K, 4100 MHz
302.4 Seconds * -15%
Intel Core i5-11600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-11600K, 3900 MHz
264.5 Seconds * -1%
Intel Core i9-11900KB, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-11900KB, 3300 MHz
262.7 Seconds * -0%
Intel Core i9-12900, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-12900, 2400 MHz
262.7 Seconds *
AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 3800XT, 3900 MHz
222.7 Seconds * +15%
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 5800X, 3800 MHz
196.8 Seconds * +25%
Intel Core i9-11900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-11900K, 3500 MHz
190.3 Seconds * +28%
Intel Core i9-10900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-10900K, 3700 MHz
167.3 Seconds * +36%
Intel Core i7-12700K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i7-12700K, 2700 MHz
152.3 Seconds * +42%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
125.8 Seconds * +52%
Intel Core i9-12900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-12900K, 3200 MHz
121.1 Seconds * +54%
wPrime 2.10
32m
Intel Core i9-12900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-12900K, 3200 MHz
4.924 s * -84%
Intel Core i5-11600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-11600K, 3900 MHz
4.919 s * -84%
Intel Core i5-10600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-10600K, 4100 MHz
4.648 s * -74%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
4.112 s * -54%
Intel Core i9-11900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-11900K, 3500 MHz
3.982 s * -49%
Intel Core i9-9980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop)
i9-9980HK, 2400 MHz
3.788 s * -42%
AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 3800XT, 3900 MHz
3.74 s * -40%
Intel Core i9-10900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-10900K, 3700 MHz
3.582 s * -34%
Intel Core i9-11900KB, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-11900KB, 3300 MHz
3.416 s * -28%
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 5800X, 3800 MHz
3.037 s * -14%
Intel Core i9-12900, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-12900, 2400 MHz
2.67 s *
Intel Core i7-12700K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i7-12700K, 2700 MHz
2.659 s * -0%
1024m
Intel Core i9-12900, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-12900, 2400 MHz
211.8 s *
Intel Core i9-12900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-12900K, 3200 MHz
190.6 s * +10%
Intel Core i7-12700K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i7-12700K, 2700 MHz
171.2 s * +19%
Intel Core i9-9980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop)
i9-9980HK, 2400 MHz
120.2 s * +43%
Intel Core i5-10600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-10600K, 4100 MHz
113.2 s * +47%
Intel Core i5-11600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-11600K, 3900 MHz
107.6 s * +49%
Intel Core i9-11900KB, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-11900KB, 3300 MHz
102.2 s * +52%
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 5800X, 3800 MHz
86.1 s * +59%
AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 3800XT, 3900 MHz
81.4 s * +62%
Intel Core i9-11900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-11900K, 3500 MHz
77.9 s * +63%
Intel Core i9-10900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-10900K, 3700 MHz
66.3 s * +69%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
44.86 s * +79%
X264 HD Benchmark 4.0
Pass 1
Intel Core i9-12900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-12900K, 3200 MHz
368.5 (366min - 369max) fps +19%
Intel Core i7-12700K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i7-12700K, 2700 MHz
349.5 (349min - 352max) fps +13%
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 5800X, 3800 MHz
339 (338min - 341max) fps +9%
Intel Core i9-12900, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-12900, 2400 MHz
310 (303min - 324max) fps
Intel Core i9-11900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-11900K, 3500 MHz
309.5 (308min - 311max) fps 0%
Intel Core i5-11600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-11600K, 3900 MHz
299 (294min - 299max) fps -4%
Intel Core i9-10900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-10900K, 3700 MHz
289.5 (289min - 291max) fps -7%
Intel Core i9-11900KB, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-11900KB, 3300 MHz
272.5 (271min - 279max) fps -12%
AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 3800XT, 3900 MHz
271 (270min - 273max) fps -13%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
265 (265min - 266max) fps -15%
Intel Core i5-10600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-10600K, 4100 MHz
251.5 (250min - 253max) fps -19%
Intel Core i9-9980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop)
i9-9980HK, 2400 MHz
237.5 (236min - 239max) fps -23%
Pass 2
Intel Core i9-12900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-12900K, 3200 MHz
206 (206min - 206max) fps +40%
Intel Core i7-12700K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i7-12700K, 2700 MHz
179 (179min - 179max) fps +21%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
168 (168min - 169max) fps +14%
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 5800X, 3800 MHz
152 (151min - 152max) fps +3%
Intel Core i9-10900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-10900K, 3700 MHz
149 (149min - 149max) fps +1%
Intel Core i9-12900, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-12900, 2400 MHz
147.5 (134min - 173max) fps
Intel Core i9-11900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-11900K, 3500 MHz
137 (137min - 137max) fps -7%
AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 3800XT, 3900 MHz
119 (118min - 119max) fps -19%
Intel Core i9-11900KB, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-11900KB, 3300 MHz
106 (101min - 108max) fps -28%
Intel Core i5-11600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-11600K, 3900 MHz
101 (101min - 101max) fps -32%
Intel Core i9-9980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop)
i9-9980HK, 2400 MHz
92.8 (89.1min - 100max) fps -37%
Intel Core i5-10600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-10600K, 4100 MHz
88.2 (88min - 88.2max) fps -40%
WinRAR - Result
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 5800X, 3800 MHz
15604 KB/s +45%
Intel Core i9-12900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-12900K, 3200 MHz
10792 KB/s 0%
Intel Core i9-12900, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-12900, 2400 MHz
10739 KB/s
Intel Core i7-12700K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i7-12700K, 2700 MHz
10389 KB/s -3%
Intel Core i9-10900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-10900K, 3700 MHz
9739 KB/s -9%
Intel Core i9-11900KB, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-11900KB, 3300 MHz
9584 KB/s -11%
Intel Core i9-11900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-11900K, 3500 MHz
9030 KB/s -16%
Intel Core i5-11600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-11600K, 3900 MHz
7850 KB/s -27%
AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 3800XT, 3900 MHz
7467 KB/s -30%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
7409 KB/s -31%
Intel Core i9-9980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop)
i9-9980HK, 2400 MHz
7266 KB/s -32%
Intel Core i5-10600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-10600K, 4100 MHz
6536 KB/s -39%
TrueCrypt
AES Mean 100MB
Intel Core i9-12900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-12900K, 3200 MHz
18.5 GB/s +8%
Intel Core i9-12900, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-12900, 2400 MHz
17.2 GB/s
Intel Core i7-12700K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i7-12700K, 2700 MHz
15.7 GB/s -9%
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 5800X, 3800 MHz
15 GB/s -13%
Intel Core i9-10900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-10900K, 3700 MHz
14.6 GB/s -15%
Intel Core i9-11900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-11900K, 3500 MHz
13 GB/s -24%
Intel Core i9-11900KB, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-11900KB, 3300 MHz
11.6 GB/s -33%
AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 3800XT, 3900 MHz
11.4 GB/s -34%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
10.8 GB/s -37%
Intel Core i9-9980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop)
i9-9980HK, 2400 MHz
10.1 GB/s -41%
Intel Core i5-11600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-11600K, 3900 MHz
9.7 GB/s -44%
Intel Core i5-10600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-10600K, 4100 MHz
8 GB/s -53%
Twofish Mean 100MB
Intel Core i9-12900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-12900K, 3200 MHz
3.7 GB/s +9%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
3.6 GB/s +6%
Intel Core i9-12900, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-12900, 2400 MHz
3.4 GB/s
Intel Core i7-12700K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i7-12700K, 2700 MHz
2.8 GB/s -18%
Intel Core i9-10900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-10900K, 3700 MHz
2.6 GB/s -24%
AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 3800XT, 3900 MHz
2 GB/s -41%
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 5800X, 3800 MHz
2 GB/s -41%
Intel Core i9-11900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-11900K, 3500 MHz
1.9 GB/s -44%
Intel Core i9-9980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop)
i9-9980HK, 2400 MHz
1.7 GB/s -50%
Intel Core i9-11900KB, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-11900KB, 3300 MHz
1.7 GB/s -50%
Intel Core i5-11600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-11600K, 3900 MHz
1.5 GB/s -56%
Intel Core i5-10600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-10600K, 4100 MHz
1.4 GB/s -59%
Serpent Mean 100MB
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
2.3 GB/s +21%
Intel Core i9-12900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-12900K, 3200 MHz
1.9 GB/s 0%
Intel Core i9-12900, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-12900, 2400 MHz
1.9 GB/s
Intel Core i7-12700K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i7-12700K, 2700 MHz
1.6 GB/s -16%
Intel Core i9-10900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-10900K, 3700 MHz
1.5 GB/s -21%
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 5800X, 3800 MHz
1.3 GB/s -32%
AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 3800XT, 3900 MHz
1.2 GB/s -37%
Intel Core i9-11900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-11900K, 3500 MHz
1.2 GB/s -37%
Intel Core i9-11900KB, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-11900KB, 3300 MHz
1.1 GB/s -42%
Intel Core i9-9980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop)
i9-9980HK, 2400 MHz
1 GB/s -47%
Intel Core i5-11600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-11600K, 3900 MHz
0.9 GB/s -53%
Intel Core i5-10600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-10600K, 4100 MHz
0.82 GB/s -57%
Geekbench 5.5
Multi-Core
Intel Core i9-12900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-12900K, 3200 MHz
17854 Points +100%
Intel Core i7-12700K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i7-12700K, 2700 MHz
15557 Points +74%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
12363 Points +39%
Intel Core i9-10900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-10900K, 3700 MHz
11414 Points +28%
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 5800X, 3800 MHz
11354 Points +27%
Intel Core i9-11900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-11900K, 3500 MHz
11035 Points +24%
AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 3800XT, 3900 MHz
8948 Points 0%
Intel Core i9-11900KB, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-11900KB, 3300 MHz
8924 Points 0%
Intel Core i9-12900, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-12900, 2400 MHz
8924 Points
Intel Core i5-11600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-11600K, 3900 MHz
8523 Points -4%
Intel Core i9-9980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop)
i9-9980HK, 2400 MHz
7568 Points -15%
Intel Core i5-10600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-10600K, 4100 MHz
7248 Points -19%
Single-Core
Intel Core i9-12900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-12900K, 3200 MHz
2042 Points +23%
Intel Core i7-12700K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i7-12700K, 2700 MHz
1890 Points +14%
Intel Core i9-11900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-11900K, 3500 MHz
1885 Points +14%
Intel Core i5-11600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-11600K, 3900 MHz
1752 Points +6%
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 5800X, 3800 MHz
1665 Points +1%
Intel Core i9-11900KB, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-11900KB, 3300 MHz
1656 Points 0%
Intel Core i9-12900, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-12900, 2400 MHz
1656 Points
Intel Core i9-10900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-10900K, 3700 MHz
1449 Points -12%
Intel Core i9-9980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop)
i9-9980HK, 2400 MHz
1378 Points -17%
AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 3800XT, 3900 MHz
1353 Points -18%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
1306 Points -21%
Intel Core i5-10600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-10600K, 4100 MHz
1286 Points -22%
Geekbench 5.0
5.0 Multi-Core
Intel Core i9-12900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-12900K, 3200 MHz
17959 Points +103%
Intel Core i7-12700K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i7-12700K, 2700 MHz
15440 Points +75%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
12976 Points +47%
Intel Core i9-10900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-10900K, 3700 MHz
11407 Points +29%
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 5800X, 3800 MHz
11246 Points +27%
Intel Core i9-11900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-11900K, 3500 MHz
11008 Points +24%
AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 3800XT, 3900 MHz
9163 Points +4%
Intel Core i9-11900KB, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-11900KB, 3300 MHz
8845 Points 0%
Intel Core i9-12900, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-12900, 2400 MHz
8845 Points
Intel Core i5-11600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-11600K, 3900 MHz
8542 Points -3%
Intel Core i9-9980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop)
i9-9980HK, 2400 MHz
7540 Points -15%
Intel Core i5-10600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-10600K, 4100 MHz
7237 Points -18%
5.0 Single-Core
Intel Core i9-12900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-12900K, 3200 MHz
1968 Points +20%
Intel Core i9-11900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-11900K, 3500 MHz
1863 Points +14%
Intel Core i7-12700K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i7-12700K, 2700 MHz
1835 Points +12%
Intel Core i5-11600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-11600K, 3900 MHz
1731 Points +6%
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 5800X, 3800 MHz
1673 Points +2%
Intel Core i9-11900KB, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-11900KB, 3300 MHz
1638 Points 0%
Intel Core i9-12900, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-12900, 2400 MHz
1638 Points
Intel Core i9-10900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-10900K, 3700 MHz
1440 Points -12%
AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 3800XT, 3900 MHz
1360 Points -17%
Intel Core i9-9980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop)
i9-9980HK, 2400 MHz
1355 Points -17%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
1315 Points -20%
Intel Core i5-10600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-10600K, 4100 MHz
1281 Points -22%
Geekbench 4.4
64 Bit Single-Core Score
Intel Core i9-12900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-12900K, 3200 MHz
8665 Points +24%
Intel Core i7-12700K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i7-12700K, 2700 MHz
8133 Points +16%
Intel Core i9-11900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-11900K, 3500 MHz
7976 Points +14%
Intel Core i5-11600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-11600K, 3900 MHz
7438 Points +6%
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 5800X, 3800 MHz
7333 Points +5%
Intel Core i9-11900KB, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-11900KB, 3300 MHz
6991 Points 0%
Intel Core i9-12900, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-12900, 2400 MHz
6991 Points
Intel Core i9-10900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-10900K, 3700 MHz
6348 Points -9%
Intel Core i9-9980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop)
i9-9980HK, 2400 MHz
5969 Points -15%
AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 3800XT, 3900 MHz
5830 Points -17%
Intel Core i5-10600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-10600K, 4100 MHz
5821 Points -17%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
5749 Points -18%
64 Bit Multi-Core Score
Intel Core i9-12900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-12900K, 3200 MHz
63583 Points +75%
Intel Core i7-12700K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i7-12700K, 2700 MHz
55786 Points +54%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
48962 Points +35%
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 5800X, 3800 MHz
44131 Points +22%
Intel Core i9-10900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-10900K, 3700 MHz
43058 Points +19%
Intel Core i9-11900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-11900K, 3500 MHz
42329 Points +17%
Intel Core i9-11900KB, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-11900KB, 3300 MHz
36310 Points 0%
Intel Core i9-12900, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-12900, 2400 MHz
36310 Points
AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 3800XT, 3900 MHz
35526 Points -2%
Intel Core i5-11600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-11600K, 3900 MHz
33266 Points -8%
Intel Core i9-9980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop)
i9-9980HK, 2400 MHz
29385 Points -19%
Intel Core i5-10600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-10600K, 4100 MHz
28391 Points -22%
3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance Physics
Intel Core i9-12900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-12900K, 3200 MHz
28211 Points +16%
Intel Core i7-12700K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i7-12700K, 2700 MHz
26765 Points +10%
Intel Core i9-12900, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-12900, 2400 MHz
24314 Points
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 5800X, 3800 MHz
23381 Points -4%
Intel Core i9-10900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-10900K, 3700 MHz
22140 Points -9%
Intel Core i9-11900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-11900K, 3500 MHz
21175 Points -13%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
21016 Points -14%
AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 3800XT, 3900 MHz
18905 Points -22%
Intel Core i9-11900KB, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-11900KB, 3300 MHz
17803 Points -27%
Intel Core i5-11600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-11600K, 3900 MHz
17381 Points -29%
Intel Core i9-9980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop)
i9-9980HK, 2400 MHz
16422 Points -32%
Intel Core i5-10600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-10600K, 4100 MHz
15961 Points -34%
7-Zip 18.03
7z b 4
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
99467 MIPS +98%
Intel Core i9-12900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-12900K, 3200 MHz
97671 MIPS +95%
Intel Core i7-12700K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i7-12700K, 2700 MHz
81369 MIPS +62%
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 5800X, 3800 MHz
74306 MIPS +48%
Intel Core i9-10900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-10900K, 3700 MHz
70968 MIPS +42%
Intel Core i9-11900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-11900K, 3500 MHz
62746 MIPS +25%
AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 3800XT, 3900 MHz
59247 MIPS +18%
Intel Core i9-11900KB, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-11900KB, 3300 MHz
50152 MIPS 0%
Intel Core i9-12900, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-12900, 2400 MHz
50152 MIPS
Intel Core i5-11600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-11600K, 3900 MHz
45322 MIPS -10%
Intel Core i9-9980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop)
i9-9980HK, 2400 MHz
44081 MIPS -12%
Intel Core i5-10600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-10600K, 4100 MHz
40379 MIPS -19%
7z b 4 -mmt1
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 5800X, 3800 MHz
6970 MIPS +17%
Intel Core i9-11900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-11900K, 3500 MHz
6652 MIPS +11%
Intel Core i9-12900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-12900K, 3200 MHz
6571 MIPS +10%
Intel Core i5-11600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-11600K, 3900 MHz
6136 MIPS +3%
Intel Core i7-12700K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i7-12700K, 2700 MHz
6117 MIPS +2%
Intel Core i9-11900KB, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-11900KB, 3300 MHz
5979 MIPS 0%
Intel Core i9-12900, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-12900, 2400 MHz
5979 MIPS
Intel Core i9-10900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-10900K, 3700 MHz
5954 MIPS 0%
Intel Core i9-9980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop)
i9-9980HK, 2400 MHz
5642 MIPS -6%
AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 3800XT, 3900 MHz
5516 MIPS -8%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
5340 MIPS -11%
Intel Core i5-10600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-10600K, 4100 MHz
5289 MIPS -12%
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2 - 4k Preset
Intel Core i9-12900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-12900K, 3200 MHz
30 fps +108%
Intel Core i7-12700K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i7-12700K, 2700 MHz
26.1 fps +81%
Intel Core i9-10900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-10900K, 3700 MHz
21 fps +46%
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 5800X, 3800 MHz
20.8 fps +44%
Intel Core i9-11900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-11900K, 3500 MHz
19.8 fps +38%
AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 3800XT, 3900 MHz
16.1 fps +12%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
15.8 fps +10%
Intel Core i5-11600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-11600K, 3900 MHz
14.7 fps +2%
Intel Core i9-11900KB, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-11900KB, 3300 MHz
14.4 fps 0%
Intel Core i9-12900, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-12900, 2400 MHz
14.4 fps
Intel Core i5-10600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-10600K, 4100 MHz
12.2 fps -15%
Intel Core i9-9980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop)
i9-9980HK, 2400 MHz
11.4 fps -21%
R Benchmark 2.5 - Overall mean
Intel Core i5-10600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-10600K, 4100 MHz
0.593 sec * -11%
Intel Core i9-9980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop)
i9-9980HK, 2400 MHz
0.541 sec * -1%
Intel Core i9-11900KB, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-11900KB, 3300 MHz
0.535 sec * -0%
Intel Core i9-12900, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-12900, 2400 MHz
0.535 sec *
Intel Core i9-10900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-10900K, 3700 MHz
0.528 sec * +1%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
0.524 sec * +2%
AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 3800XT, 3900 MHz
0.512 sec * +4%
Intel Core i5-11600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-11600K, 3900 MHz
0.506 sec * +5%
Intel Core i9-11900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-11900K, 3500 MHz
0.4733 sec * +12%
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 5800X, 3800 MHz
0.4509 sec * +16%
Intel Core i7-12700K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i7-12700K, 2700 MHz
0.423 sec * +21%
Intel Core i9-12900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-12900K, 3200 MHz
0.4216 sec * +21%
LibreOffice - 20 Documents To PDF
Intel Core i9-10900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-10900K, 3700 MHz
76 s * -69%
Intel Core i9-11900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-11900K, 3500 MHz
72.5 s * -61%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
53.6 s * -19%
Intel Core i5-10600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-10600K, 4100 MHz
46.06 s * -3%
Intel Core i9-9980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop)
i9-9980HK, 2400 MHz
45.23 s * -1%
Intel Core i9-11900KB, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-11900KB, 3300 MHz
44.9 s * -0%
Intel Core i9-12900, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-12900, 2400 MHz
44.9 s *
AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 3800XT, 3900 MHz
44.78 s * -0%
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 5800X, 3800 MHz
43.31 s * +4%
Intel Core i9-12900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-12900K, 3200 MHz
40.6 s * +10%
Intel Core i7-12700K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i7-12700K, 2700 MHz
39.8 s * +11%
Intel Core i5-11600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-11600K, 3900 MHz
39.7 s * +12%
WebXPRT 3 - Overall
Intel Core i9-12900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-12900K, 3200 MHz
320 Points +19%
Intel Core i7-12700K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i7-12700K, 2700 MHz
306 Points +14%
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 5800X, 3800 MHz
296 Points +10%
Intel Core i5-11600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-11600K, 3900 MHz
280 Points +4%
Intel Core i9-11900KB, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-11900KB, 3300 MHz
269 Points 0%
Intel Core i9-12900, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-12900, 2400 MHz
269 Points
Intel Core i9-10900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-10900K, 3700 MHz
255 Points -5%
AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 3800XT, 3900 MHz
249 Points -7%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
239 Points -11%
Intel Core i5-10600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-10600K, 4100 MHz
239 Points -11%
Intel Core i9-9980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop)
i9-9980HK, 2400 MHz
233 Points -13%
Intel Core i9-11900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-11900K, 3500 MHz
217 Points -19%
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total
Intel Core i5-10600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-10600K, 4100 MHz
760 ms * -26%
Intel Core i9-9980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop)
i9-9980HK, 2400 MHz
754 ms * -25%
Intel Core i9-10900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-10900K, 3700 MHz
709 ms * -18%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
706 ms * -17%
AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 3800XT, 3900 MHz
683 ms * -13%
Intel Core i9-11900KB, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-11900KB, 3300 MHz
602 ms * -0%
Intel Core i9-12900, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-12900, 2400 MHz
602 ms *
Intel Core i5-11600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-11600K, 3900 MHz
587 ms * +2%
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 5800X, 3800 MHz
558 ms * +7%
Intel Core i9-11900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-11900K, 3500 MHz
544 ms * +10%
Intel Core i7-12700K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i7-12700K, 2700 MHz
496 ms * +18%
Intel Core i9-12900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-12900K, 3200 MHz
481 ms * +20%
3DMark
3840x2160 Fire Strike Ultra Physics
Intel Core i9-12900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-12900K, 3200 MHz
39462 Points +4%
Intel Core i9-12900, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-12900, 2400 MHz
37967 Points
Intel Core i7-12700K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i7-12700K, 2700 MHz
37324 Points -2%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
31881 Points -16%
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 5800X, 3800 MHz
31095 Points -18%
Intel Core i9-10900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-10900K, 3700 MHz
29374 Points -23%
Intel Core i9-11900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-11900K, 3500 MHz
27685 Points -27%
AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 3800XT, 3900 MHz
25286 Points -33%
Intel Core i9-11900KB, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-11900KB, 3300 MHz
23921 Points -37%
Intel Core i5-11600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-11600K, 3900 MHz
23190 Points -39%
Intel Core i9-9980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop)
i9-9980HK, 2400 MHz
21864 Points -42%
Intel Core i5-10600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-10600K, 4100 MHz
19942 Points -47%
1920x1080 Fire Strike Physics
Intel Core i9-12900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-12900K, 3200 MHz
39112 Points +11%
Intel Core i7-12700K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i7-12700K, 2700 MHz
37079 Points +5%
Intel Core i9-12900, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-12900, 2400 MHz
35153 Points
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
32004 Points -9%
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 5800X, 3800 MHz
30938 Points -12%
Intel Core i9-10900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-10900K, 3700 MHz
29805 Points -15%
Intel Core i9-11900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-11900K, 3500 MHz
28927 Points -18%
AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 3800XT, 3900 MHz
25132 Points -29%
Intel Core i9-11900KB, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-11900KB, 3300 MHz
24327 Points -31%
Intel Core i5-11600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-11600K, 3900 MHz
22631 Points -36%
Intel Core i9-9980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop)
i9-9980HK, 2400 MHz
21706 Points -38%
Intel Core i5-10600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-10600K, 4100 MHz
20040 Points -43%
2560x1440 Time Spy CPU
Intel Core i9-12900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-12900K, 3200 MHz
18431 Points +22%
Intel Core i7-12700K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i7-12700K, 2700 MHz
17185 Points +14%
Intel Core i9-12900, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-12900, 2400 MHz
15095 Points
Intel Core i9-10900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-10900K, 3700 MHz
14326 Points -5%
Intel Core i9-11900K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i9-11900K, 3500 MHz
13433 Points -11%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
12404 Points -18%
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 5800X, 3800 MHz
11599 Points -23%
AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT, NVIDIA Titan RTX
R7 3800XT, 3900 MHz
10302 Points -32%
Intel Core i9-11900KB, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
i9-11900KB, 3300 MHz
10035 Points -34%
Intel Core i5-11600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-11600K, 3900 MHz
9482 Points -37%
Intel Core i9-9980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop)
i9-9980HK, 2400 MHz
9417 Points -38%
Intel Core i5-10600K, NVIDIA Titan RTX
i5-10600K, 4100 MHz
8290 Points -45%

* ... smaller is better

Intel NUC 12 Extreme Kit in the Cinebench R15 Multi loop

In the load test with the Cinebench R15 Mult loop, we see a significant performance drop after the initial run, before it continues to level out at 2,592 points. However, compared to the two predecessors there is still a clear performance advantage even under full load.

017034051068085010201190136015301700187020402210238025502720289030603230Tooltip
Intel Dragon Canyon NUC - RTX 3060 Intel Core i9-12900, Intel Core i9-12900: Ø2592 (2433.39-3346.44)
Intel Ghost Canyon NUC (RTX 2070) Intel Core i9-9980HK, Intel Core i9-9980HK: Ø1463 (1410.79-1593.44)
Intel Beast Canyon NUC Intel Core i9-11900KB, Intel Core i9-11900KB: Ø1800 (1776.75-1859.25)

Application performance

In the application benchmarks, the pure performance advantage compared to the predecessor model turns out significantly lower than expected. However, looking at this subjectively, both the Beast Canyon NUC at that time and also the Dragon Canyon NUC now have a very high operational speed and leave a very good impression in everyday operation. If you install a fast SSD, the system is ready for use already after a few seconds. We did not encounter any long wait times in our test configuration. But when comparing it to current high-end systems, they will still surpass the Intel NUC 12 Extreme Kit. The GPU that is used has a large impact here. At the same time, our test unit is still 14% faster than a system based on an AMD Ryzen 9 5900X with the identical GPU.

We equipped the barebone system with a 512-GB NVMe SSD. In our test, the model from Transcend delivered a solid performance. You can insert a total of two M.2-2280 SSDs in the Compute Element.

AS SSD
AS SSD
CDM 3
CDM 3
CDM 5
CDM 5
CDM 6
CDM 6
Performance Rating - Percent
Intel Core i7-12700K, Intel Core i7-12700K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
98.4 pt
Intel Core i9-12900K, Intel Core i9-12900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
98.2 pt
Intel Core i9-11900K, Intel Core i9-11900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
93.1 pt
Intel Core i5-11600K, Intel Core i5-11600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
91.5 pt
Intel Core i9-10900K, Intel Core i9-10900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
89.9 pt
Intel Core i5-10600K, Intel Core i5-10600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
87.5 pt
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X, AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
86.2 pt
Corsair One i160, Intel Core i9-9900K
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti (Desktop)
62 pt
Intel Dragon Canyon NUC - RTX 3060, Intel Core i9-12900
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
47 pt
Intel Beast Canyon NUC, Intel Core i9-11900KB
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
44.4 pt
Intel Ghost Canyon NUC (RTX 2070), Intel Core i9-9980HK
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop)
44.1 pt
Inno3D GeForce RTX 3060 Twin X2, AMD Ryzen 9 5900X -1!
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
41.3 pt
PCMark 10 - Score
Intel Core i9-12900K, Intel Core i9-12900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
8604 Points +6%
Intel Core i7-12700K, Intel Core i7-12700K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
8430 Points +4%
Intel Dragon Canyon NUC - RTX 3060, Intel Core i9-12900
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
8083 Points
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X, AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
7869 Points -3%
Intel Core i9-11900K, Intel Core i9-11900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
7745 Points -4%
Intel Core i5-11600K, Intel Core i5-11600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
7740 Points -4%
Intel Core i9-10900K, Intel Core i9-10900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
7641 Points -5%
Corsair One i160, Intel Core i9-9900K
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti (Desktop)
7329 Points -9%
Intel Beast Canyon NUC, Intel Core i9-11900KB
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
7281 Points -10%
Intel Core i5-10600K, Intel Core i5-10600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
7279 Points -10%
Intel Ghost Canyon NUC (RTX 2070), Intel Core i9-9980HK
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop)
6939 Points -14%
SPECviewperf 12
1900x1060 Solidworks (sw-03)
Intel Core i9-11900K, Intel Core i9-11900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
182 fps +148%
Intel Core i9-12900K, Intel Core i9-12900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
174 fps +137%
Intel Core i9-10900K, Intel Core i9-10900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
172.2 fps +135%
Intel Core i5-11600K, Intel Core i5-11600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
171 fps +133%
Intel Core i7-12700K, Intel Core i7-12700K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
167 fps +128%
Intel Core i5-10600K, Intel Core i5-10600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
158.2 fps +116%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X, AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
157.6 fps +115%
Corsair One i160, Intel Core i9-9900K
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti (Desktop)
83.7 fps +14%
Intel Dragon Canyon NUC - RTX 3060, Intel Core i9-12900
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
73.3 fps
Intel Beast Canyon NUC, Intel Core i9-11900KB
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
71.6 fps -2%
Intel Ghost Canyon NUC (RTX 2070), Intel Core i9-9980HK
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop)
59.2 fps -19%
Inno3D GeForce RTX 3060 Twin X2, AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
56.1 fps -23%
1900x1060 Siemens NX (snx-02)
Intel Core i7-12700K, Intel Core i7-12700K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
289 fps +2840%
Intel Core i9-12900K, Intel Core i9-12900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
287 fps +2820%
Intel Core i9-10900K, Intel Core i9-10900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
263.3 fps +2579%
Intel Core i5-10600K, Intel Core i5-10600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
259.1 fps +2536%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X, AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
254.8 fps +2492%
Intel Core i5-11600K, Intel Core i5-11600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
251 fps +2453%
Intel Core i9-11900K, Intel Core i9-11900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
245 fps +2392%
Corsair One i160, Intel Core i9-9900K
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti (Desktop)
12.72 fps +29%
Intel Dragon Canyon NUC - RTX 3060, Intel Core i9-12900
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
9.83 fps
Intel Ghost Canyon NUC (RTX 2070), Intel Core i9-9980HK
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop)
9.08 fps -8%
Inno3D GeForce RTX 3060 Twin X2, AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
8.98 fps -9%
Intel Beast Canyon NUC, Intel Core i9-11900KB
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
8.75 fps -11%
1900x1060 Showcase (showcase-01)
Intel Core i9-11900K, Intel Core i9-11900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
203 fps +74%
Intel Core i5-11600K, Intel Core i5-11600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
202 fps +73%
Intel Core i9-12900K, Intel Core i9-12900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
200 fps +71%
Intel Core i7-12700K, Intel Core i7-12700K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
200 fps +71%
Intel Core i5-10600K, Intel Core i5-10600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
196.1 fps +68%
Intel Core i9-10900K, Intel Core i9-10900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
192.4 fps +64%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X, AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
188.3 fps +61%
Corsair One i160, Intel Core i9-9900K
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti (Desktop)
182.3 fps +56%
Intel Ghost Canyon NUC (RTX 2070), Intel Core i9-9980HK
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop)
118.5 fps +1%
Intel Dragon Canyon NUC - RTX 3060, Intel Core i9-12900
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
117 fps
Inno3D GeForce RTX 3060 Twin X2, AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
114 fps -3%
Intel Beast Canyon NUC, Intel Core i9-11900KB
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
113 fps -3%
1900x1060 Medical (medical-01)
Intel Core i9-12900K, Intel Core i9-12900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
108 fps +120%
Intel Core i7-12700K, Intel Core i7-12700K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
106 fps +115%
Intel Core i5-10600K, Intel Core i5-10600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
94.6 fps +92%
Intel Core i9-10900K, Intel Core i9-10900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
94.5 fps +92%
Intel Core i5-11600K, Intel Core i5-11600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
88.7 fps +80%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X, AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
88.1 fps +79%
Intel Core i9-11900K, Intel Core i9-11900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
87.8 fps +78%
Corsair One i160, Intel Core i9-9900K
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti (Desktop)
56.6 fps +15%
Intel Dragon Canyon NUC - RTX 3060, Intel Core i9-12900
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
49.2 fps
Intel Beast Canyon NUC, Intel Core i9-11900KB
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
40.9 fps -17%
Intel Ghost Canyon NUC (RTX 2070), Intel Core i9-9980HK
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop)
40.14 fps -18%
Inno3D GeForce RTX 3060 Twin X2, AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
36.5 fps -26%
1900x1060 Maya (maya-04)
Intel Core i9-12900K, Intel Core i9-12900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
211 fps +8%
Intel Core i7-12700K, Intel Core i7-12700K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
204 fps +4%
Intel Core i9-11900K, Intel Core i9-11900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
199 fps +2%
Intel Dragon Canyon NUC - RTX 3060, Intel Core i9-12900
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
196 fps
Intel Beast Canyon NUC, Intel Core i9-11900KB
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
191 fps -3%
Corsair One i160, Intel Core i9-9900K
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti (Desktop)
190.9 fps -3%
Intel Core i9-10900K, Intel Core i9-10900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
188.7 fps -4%
Intel Core i5-11600K, Intel Core i5-11600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
186 fps -5%
Inno3D GeForce RTX 3060 Twin X2, AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
173 fps -12%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X, AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
172.2 fps -12%
Intel Ghost Canyon NUC (RTX 2070), Intel Core i9-9980HK
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop)
171 fps -13%
Intel Core i5-10600K, Intel Core i5-10600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
169.4 fps -14%
1900x1060 Energy (energy-01)
Intel Core i9-12900K, Intel Core i9-12900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
30.1 fps +184%
Intel Core i7-12700K, Intel Core i7-12700K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
29.9 fps +182%
Intel Core i5-10600K, Intel Core i5-10600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
28.77 fps +171%
Intel Core i9-10900K, Intel Core i9-10900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
28.72 fps +171%
Intel Core i5-11600K, Intel Core i5-11600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
28.3 fps +167%
Intel Core i9-11900K, Intel Core i9-11900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
28.2 fps +166%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X, AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
28.18 fps +166%
Corsair One i160, Intel Core i9-9900K
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti (Desktop)
16.72 fps +58%
Intel Ghost Canyon NUC (RTX 2070), Intel Core i9-9980HK
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop)
11.49 fps +8%
Intel Dragon Canyon NUC - RTX 3060, Intel Core i9-12900
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
10.6 fps
Intel Beast Canyon NUC, Intel Core i9-11900KB
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
10 fps -6%
Inno3D GeForce RTX 3060 Twin X2, AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
9.89 fps -7%
1900x1060 Creo (creo-01)
Intel Core i9-12900K, Intel Core i9-12900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
187 fps +229%
Intel Core i7-12700K, Intel Core i7-12700K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
182 fps +220%
Intel Core i9-11900K, Intel Core i9-11900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
173 fps +204%
Intel Core i5-11600K, Intel Core i5-11600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
164 fps +188%
Intel Core i9-10900K, Intel Core i9-10900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
157.2 fps +176%
Intel Core i5-10600K, Intel Core i5-10600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
142.7 fps +151%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X, AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
134.8 fps +137%
Corsair One i160, Intel Core i9-9900K
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti (Desktop)
72.2 fps +27%
Intel Dragon Canyon NUC - RTX 3060, Intel Core i9-12900
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
56.9 fps
Inno3D GeForce RTX 3060 Twin X2, AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
52.4 fps -8%
Intel Ghost Canyon NUC (RTX 2070), Intel Core i9-9980HK
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop)
52.2 fps -8%
Intel Beast Canyon NUC, Intel Core i9-11900KB
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
49.4 fps -13%
1900x1060 Catia (catia-04)
Intel Core i9-12900K, Intel Core i9-12900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
290 fps +274%
Intel Core i7-12700K, Intel Core i7-12700K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
285 fps +268%
Intel Core i9-11900K, Intel Core i9-11900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
269 fps +247%
Intel Core i5-11600K, Intel Core i5-11600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
251 fps +224%
Intel Core i9-10900K, Intel Core i9-10900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
225.2 fps +191%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X, AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
218.4 fps +182%
Intel Core i5-10600K, Intel Core i5-10600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
215.5 fps +178%
Corsair One i160, Intel Core i9-9900K
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti (Desktop)
120.8 fps +56%
Intel Ghost Canyon NUC (RTX 2070), Intel Core i9-9980HK
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop)
78.3 fps +1%
Intel Dragon Canyon NUC - RTX 3060, Intel Core i9-12900
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
77.5 fps
Intel Beast Canyon NUC, Intel Core i9-11900KB
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
77 fps -1%
Inno3D GeForce RTX 3060 Twin X2, AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
73.9 fps -5%
1900x1060 3ds Max (3dsmax-05)
Intel Core i7-12700K, Intel Core i7-12700K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
302 fps +41%
Intel Core i9-10900K, Intel Core i9-10900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
297.4 fps +39%
Intel Core i5-10600K, Intel Core i5-10600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
296.9 fps +39%
Intel Core i9-11900K, Intel Core i9-11900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
289 fps +35%
Intel Core i5-11600K, Intel Core i5-11600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
288 fps +35%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X, AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
274.5 fps +28%
Corsair One i160, Intel Core i9-9900K
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti (Desktop)
271.8 fps +27%
Intel Core i9-12900K, Intel Core i9-12900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
262 fps +22%
Inno3D GeForce RTX 3060 Twin X2, AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
217 fps +1%
Intel Dragon Canyon NUC - RTX 3060, Intel Core i9-12900
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
214 fps
Intel Beast Canyon NUC, Intel Core i9-11900KB
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
201 fps -6%
Intel Ghost Canyon NUC (RTX 2070), Intel Core i9-9980HK
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop)
180.8 fps -16%
SPECviewperf 13
Solidworks (sw-04)
Intel Core i9-12900K, Intel Core i9-12900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
199 fps +86%
Intel Core i9-11900K, Intel Core i9-11900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
198 fps +85%
Intel Core i7-12700K, Intel Core i7-12700K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
193 fps +80%
Intel Core i5-11600K, Intel Core i5-11600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
185 fps +73%
Intel Core i9-10900K, Intel Core i9-10900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
166.2 fps +55%
Intel Core i5-10600K, Intel Core i5-10600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
153.9 fps +44%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X, AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
153.2 fps +43%
Corsair One i160, Intel Core i9-9900K
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti (Desktop)
116.3 fps +9%
Intel Dragon Canyon NUC - RTX 3060, Intel Core i9-12900
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
107 fps
Intel Beast Canyon NUC, Intel Core i9-11900KB
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
104 fps -3%
Intel Ghost Canyon NUC (RTX 2070), Intel Core i9-9980HK
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop)
85.4 fps -20%
Inno3D GeForce RTX 3060 Twin X2, AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
84.9 fps -21%
Siemens NX (snx-03)
Intel Core i9-12900K, Intel Core i9-12900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
516 fps +2815%
Intel Core i7-12700K, Intel Core i7-12700K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
513 fps +2798%
Intel Core i9-10900K, Intel Core i9-10900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
472.9 fps +2572%
Intel Core i5-10600K, Intel Core i5-10600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
469.1 fps +2550%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X, AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
460 fps +2499%
Intel Core i5-11600K, Intel Core i5-11600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
453 fps +2459%
Intel Core i9-11900K, Intel Core i9-11900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
450 fps +2442%
Corsair One i160, Intel Core i9-9900K
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti (Desktop)
23.03 fps +30%
Intel Dragon Canyon NUC - RTX 3060, Intel Core i9-12900
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
17.7 fps
Intel Ghost Canyon NUC (RTX 2070), Intel Core i9-9980HK
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop)
16.33 fps -8%
Inno3D GeForce RTX 3060 Twin X2, AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
16.2 fps -8%
Intel Beast Canyon NUC, Intel Core i9-11900KB
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
15.8 fps -11%
Showcase (showcase-02)
Intel Core i9-12900K, Intel Core i9-12900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
199 fps +70%
Intel Core i7-12700K, Intel Core i7-12700K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
199 fps +70%
Intel Core i5-10600K, Intel Core i5-10600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
195.1 fps +67%
Intel Core i9-10900K, Intel Core i9-10900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
194.1 fps +66%
Intel Core i9-11900K, Intel Core i9-11900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
194 fps +66%
Intel Core i5-11600K, Intel Core i5-11600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
193 fps +65%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X, AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
186.8 fps +60%
Corsair One i160, Intel Core i9-9900K
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti (Desktop)
182.6 fps +56%
Intel Ghost Canyon NUC (RTX 2070), Intel Core i9-9980HK
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop)
118.5 fps +1%
Intel Dragon Canyon NUC - RTX 3060, Intel Core i9-12900
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
117 fps
Inno3D GeForce RTX 3060 Twin X2, AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
115 fps -2%
Intel Beast Canyon NUC, Intel Core i9-11900KB
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
113 fps -3%
Medical (medical-02)
Intel Core i7-12700K, Intel Core i7-12700K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
93.7 fps +68%
Intel Core i9-12900K, Intel Core i9-12900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
93.6 fps +68%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X, AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
90.3 fps +62%
Intel Core i9-11900K, Intel Core i9-11900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
90 fps +62%
Intel Core i5-11600K, Intel Core i5-11600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
90 fps +62%
Intel Core i5-10600K, Intel Core i5-10600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
89.7 fps +61%
Intel Core i9-10900K, Intel Core i9-10900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
88.7 fps +59%
Corsair One i160, Intel Core i9-9900K
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti (Desktop)
85 fps +53%
Intel Ghost Canyon NUC (RTX 2070), Intel Core i9-9980HK
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop)
56.4 fps +1%
Intel Dragon Canyon NUC - RTX 3060, Intel Core i9-12900
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
55.7 fps
Inno3D GeForce RTX 3060 Twin X2, AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
55 fps -1%
Intel Beast Canyon NUC, Intel Core i9-11900KB
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
54.4 fps -2%
Maya (maya-05)
Intel Core i9-12900K, Intel Core i9-12900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
505 fps +80%
Intel Core i7-12700K, Intel Core i7-12700K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
500 fps +78%
Intel Core i9-11900K, Intel Core i9-11900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
454 fps +62%
Intel Core i5-11600K, Intel Core i5-11600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
449 fps +60%
Intel Core i9-10900K, Intel Core i9-10900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
405.9 fps +44%
Corsair One i160, Intel Core i9-9900K
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti (Desktop)
402 fps +43%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X, AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
394.9 fps +41%
Intel Core i5-10600K, Intel Core i5-10600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
387.5 fps +38%
Intel Ghost Canyon NUC (RTX 2070), Intel Core i9-9980HK
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop)
281 fps 0%
Intel Dragon Canyon NUC - RTX 3060, Intel Core i9-12900
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
281 fps
Intel Beast Canyon NUC, Intel Core i9-11900KB
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
262 fps -7%
Inno3D GeForce RTX 3060 Twin X2, AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
261 fps -7%
Energy (energy-02)
Intel Core i5-11600K, Intel Core i5-11600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
53.9 fps +293%
Intel Core i9-11900K, Intel Core i9-11900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
53.7 fps +292%
Intel Core i5-10600K, Intel Core i5-10600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
53.3 fps +289%
Intel Core i9-10900K, Intel Core i9-10900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
53.2 fps +288%
Intel Core i9-12900K, Intel Core i9-12900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
52.7 fps +285%
Intel Core i7-12700K, Intel Core i7-12700K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
52.6 fps +284%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X, AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
52.4 fps +282%
Corsair One i160, Intel Core i9-9900K
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti (Desktop)
31.93 fps +133%
Intel Ghost Canyon NUC (RTX 2070), Intel Core i9-9980HK
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop)
21.83 fps +59%
Intel Beast Canyon NUC, Intel Core i9-11900KB
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
13.7 fps 0%
Intel Dragon Canyon NUC - RTX 3060, Intel Core i9-12900
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
13.7 fps
Inno3D GeForce RTX 3060 Twin X2, AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
13.6 fps -1%
Creo (creo-02)
Intel Core i9-12900K, Intel Core i9-12900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
389 fps +104%
Intel Core i7-12700K, Intel Core i7-12700K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
388 fps +103%
Intel Core i9-11900K, Intel Core i9-11900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
355 fps +86%
Intel Core i5-11600K, Intel Core i5-11600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
354 fps +85%
Intel Core i9-10900K, Intel Core i9-10900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
336.3 fps +76%
Intel Core i5-10600K, Intel Core i5-10600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
331.7 fps +74%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X, AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
328.8 fps +72%
Corsair One i160, Intel Core i9-9900K
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti (Desktop)
286.1 fps +50%
Intel Dragon Canyon NUC - RTX 3060, Intel Core i9-12900
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
191 fps
Intel Ghost Canyon NUC (RTX 2070), Intel Core i9-9980HK
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop)
183.8 fps -4%
Inno3D GeForce RTX 3060 Twin X2, AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
181 fps -5%
Intel Beast Canyon NUC, Intel Core i9-11900KB
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
172 fps -10%
Catia (catia-05)
Intel Core i9-12900K, Intel Core i9-12900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
467 fps +336%
Intel Core i7-12700K, Intel Core i7-12700K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
459 fps +329%
Intel Core i9-11900K, Intel Core i9-11900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
415 fps +288%
Intel Core i5-11600K, Intel Core i5-11600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
397 fps +271%
Intel Core i9-10900K, Intel Core i9-10900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
362.1 fps +238%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X, AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
355.2 fps +232%
Intel Core i5-10600K, Intel Core i5-10600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
341.7 fps +219%
Corsair One i160, Intel Core i9-9900K
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti (Desktop)
177.3 fps +66%
Intel Ghost Canyon NUC (RTX 2070), Intel Core i9-9980HK
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop)
113.7 fps +6%
Inno3D GeForce RTX 3060 Twin X2, AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
109 fps +2%
Intel Dragon Canyon NUC - RTX 3060, Intel Core i9-12900
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
107 fps
Intel Beast Canyon NUC, Intel Core i9-11900KB
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
104 fps -3%
3ds Max (3dsmax-06)
Intel Core i7-12700K, Intel Core i7-12700K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
303 fps +46%
Intel Core i5-10600K, Intel Core i5-10600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
294.4 fps +42%
Intel Core i9-10900K, Intel Core i9-10900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
292.5 fps +41%
Intel Core i5-11600K, Intel Core i5-11600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
288 fps +39%
Intel Core i9-11900K, Intel Core i9-11900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
287 fps +39%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X, AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
274.5 fps +33%
Corsair One i160, Intel Core i9-9900K
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti (Desktop)
265.9 fps +28%
Intel Core i9-12900K, Intel Core i9-12900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
265 fps +28%
Inno3D GeForce RTX 3060 Twin X2, AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
215 fps +4%
Intel Dragon Canyon NUC - RTX 3060, Intel Core i9-12900
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
207 fps
Intel Beast Canyon NUC, Intel Core i9-11900KB
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
202 fps -2%
Intel Ghost Canyon NUC (RTX 2070), Intel Core i9-9980HK
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop)
178.6 fps -14%

3D and gaming performance

Since the Intel Core i9-12900 only offers a simple iGPU with the Intel UHD Graphics 770, the 3D performance for demanding video games is simply not there. However, you can install a dedicated graphics card in the case, which will turn the NUC into a very compact gaming PC. Because we already tested the Beast Canyon NUC with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 at that time, we decided to also use a model of the RTX 3060 for the Dragon Canyon NUC. In combination with the Alder Lake processor, the performance increases by about 4% in gaming operation. This result doesn't justify an upgrade, so it should only be relevant for a new purchase. 

The cooperation with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 from INNO 3D works very well. All the current games can be enjoyed at sufficient frame rates in 1440 resolution without any problems. At times, you can even play many games in 2160p. However, since increasing resolution and higher detail levels concern more the GPU limits, the performance of the CPU is only secondary, which explains the low performance increase compared to the Beast Canyon NUC.  

You can find additional comparisons and benchmarks in our GPU comparison chart.

Those who want to equip their Dragon Canyon NUC with a dedicated graphics card should find out beforehand about the exact dimensions of the GPU. The graphics card cannot have a cooling design that takes up more than two slots, and you should also note the maximum length of 30.5 cm (12 in).

Performance Rating - Percent
Zotac Magnus One (ECM73070C)
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070, i7-10700, Phison 512GB PA6620060U
88.8 pt
Inno3D GeForce RTX 3060 Twin X2
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, R9 5900X, Corsair MP600
88.1 pt
Intel Dragon Canyon NUC - RTX 3060
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, i9-12900, Transcend M.2 SSD 2200S TS512GMTE220S
87.7 pt
Intel Beast Canyon NUC
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, i9-11900KB, Sabrent Rocket 4.0 500GB
84.4 pt
Intel Ghost Canyon NUC (RTX 2070)
GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop), i9-9980HK, Kingston KC2500 1 TB SKC2500M81000G
75.9 pt
Borderlands 3
1280x720 Very Low Overall Quality (DX11)
Intel Dragon Canyon NUC - RTX 3060
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, i9-12900, Transcend M.2 SSD 2200S TS512GMTE220S
185 fps
Inno3D GeForce RTX 3060 Twin X2
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, R9 5900X, Corsair MP600
172 fps -7%
Intel Beast Canyon NUC
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, i9-11900KB, Sabrent Rocket 4.0 500GB
156 fps -16%
Intel Ghost Canyon NUC (RTX 2070)
GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop), i9-9980HK, Kingston KC2500 1 TB SKC2500M81000G
152 fps -18%
Zotac Magnus One (ECM73070C)
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070, i7-10700, Phison 512GB PA6620060U
149 fps -19%
1920x1080 Badass Overall Quality (DX11)
Intel Beast Canyon NUC
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, i9-11900KB, Sabrent Rocket 4.0 500GB
100 fps +18%
Zotac Magnus One (ECM73070C)
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070, i7-10700, Phison 512GB PA6620060U
98.8 fps +17%
Intel Dragon Canyon NUC - RTX 3060
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, i9-12900, Transcend M.2 SSD 2200S TS512GMTE220S
84.7 fps
Inno3D GeForce RTX 3060 Twin X2
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, R9 5900X, Corsair MP600
78.5 fps -7%
Intel Ghost Canyon NUC (RTX 2070)
GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop), i9-9980HK, Kingston KC2500 1 TB SKC2500M81000G
70.9 fps -16%
Metro Exodus
1280x720 Low Quality AF:4x
Intel Dragon Canyon NUC - RTX 3060
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, i9-12900, Transcend M.2 SSD 2200S TS512GMTE220S
207 (93.55min - 336.7max) fps
Inno3D GeForce RTX 3060 Twin X2
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, R9 5900X, Corsair MP600
202 (94.16min - 331.35max) fps -2%
Intel Beast Canyon NUC
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, i9-11900KB, Sabrent Rocket 4.0 500GB
198 (96.07min - 323.73max) fps -4%
Intel Ghost Canyon NUC (RTX 2070)
GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop), i9-9980HK, Kingston KC2500 1 TB SKC2500M81000G
181 (100.48min - 268.67max) fps -13%
Zotac Magnus One (ECM73070C)
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070, i7-10700, Phison 512GB PA6620060U
166 (92.98min - 251.64max) fps -20%
1920x1080 Ultra Quality AF:16x
Zotac Magnus One (ECM73070C)
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070, i7-10700, Phison 512GB PA6620060U
93.1 (45.73min - 151.06max) fps +43%
Intel Dragon Canyon NUC - RTX 3060
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, i9-12900, Transcend M.2 SSD 2200S TS512GMTE220S
65.3 (34.71min - 117.86max) fps
Intel Ghost Canyon NUC (RTX 2070)
GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop), i9-9980HK, Kingston KC2500 1 TB SKC2500M81000G
60.9 (33.61min - 92.62max) fps -7%
Intel Beast Canyon NUC
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, i9-11900KB, Sabrent Rocket 4.0 500GB
59.8 (30.99min - 119.9max) fps -8%
Inno3D GeForce RTX 3060 Twin X2
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, R9 5900X, Corsair MP600
55.1 (32.45min - 87.42max) fps -16%
Far Cry New Dawn
1280x720 Low Preset
Inno3D GeForce RTX 3060 Twin X2
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, R9 5900X, Corsair MP600
163 (117min - 259max) fps +1%
Intel Dragon Canyon NUC - RTX 3060
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, i9-12900, Transcend M.2 SSD 2200S TS512GMTE220S
161 (119min - 232max) fps
Intel Beast Canyon NUC
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, i9-11900KB, Sabrent Rocket 4.0 500GB
144 (82min - 218max) fps -11%
Intel Ghost Canyon NUC (RTX 2070)
GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop), i9-9980HK, Kingston KC2500 1 TB SKC2500M81000G
128 (92min - 190max) fps -20%
Zotac Magnus One (ECM73070C)
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070, i7-10700, Phison 512GB PA6620060U
126 (96min - 186max) fps -22%
1920x1080 Ultra Preset
Intel Dragon Canyon NUC - RTX 3060
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, i9-12900, Transcend M.2 SSD 2200S TS512GMTE220S
113 (86min - 148max) fps
Inno3D GeForce RTX 3060 Twin X2
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, R9 5900X, Corsair MP600
112 (83min - 146max) fps -1%
Intel Beast Canyon NUC
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, i9-11900KB, Sabrent Rocket 4.0 500GB
102 (72min - 145max) fps -10%
Zotac Magnus One (ECM73070C)
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070, i7-10700, Phison 512GB PA6620060U
95 (66min - 149max) fps -16%
Intel Ghost Canyon NUC (RTX 2070)
GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop), i9-9980HK, Kingston KC2500 1 TB SKC2500M81000G
79 (61min - 99max) fps -30%
Far Cry 5
1280x720 Low Preset AA:T
Inno3D GeForce RTX 3060 Twin X2
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, R9 5900X, Corsair MP600
196 (146min - 267max) fps +2%
Intel Dragon Canyon NUC - RTX 3060
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, i9-12900, Transcend M.2 SSD 2200S TS512GMTE220S
193 (135min - 251max) fps
Intel Beast Canyon NUC
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, i9-11900KB, Sabrent Rocket 4.0 500GB
170 (105min - 231max) fps -12%
Zotac Magnus One (ECM73070C)
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070, i7-10700, Phison 512GB PA6620060U
150 (118min - 203max) fps -22%
Intel Ghost Canyon NUC (RTX 2070)
GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop), i9-9980HK, Kingston KC2500 1 TB SKC2500M81000G
147 (119min - 193max) fps -24%
1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:T
Inno3D GeForce RTX 3060 Twin X2
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, R9 5900X, Corsair MP600
132 (109min - 150max) fps 0%
Intel Dragon Canyon NUC - RTX 3060
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, i9-12900, Transcend M.2 SSD 2200S TS512GMTE220S
132 (114min - 150max) fps
Intel Beast Canyon NUC
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, i9-11900KB, Sabrent Rocket 4.0 500GB
122 (93min - 151max) fps -8%
Zotac Magnus One (ECM73070C)
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070, i7-10700, Phison 512GB PA6620060U
117 (89min - 155max) fps -11%
Intel Ghost Canyon NUC (RTX 2070)
GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop), i9-9980HK, Kingston KC2500 1 TB SKC2500M81000G
86 (68min - 111max) fps -35%
X-Plane 11.11
1280x720 low (fps_test=1)
Inno3D GeForce RTX 3060 Twin X2
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, R9 5900X, Corsair MP600
160 fps +6%
Intel Beast Canyon NUC
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, i9-11900KB, Sabrent Rocket 4.0 500GB
151 fps 0%
Intel Dragon Canyon NUC - RTX 3060
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, i9-12900, Transcend M.2 SSD 2200S TS512GMTE220S
151 fps
Intel Ghost Canyon NUC (RTX 2070)
GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop), i9-9980HK, Kingston KC2500 1 TB SKC2500M81000G
127 fps -16%
Zotac Magnus One (ECM73070C)
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070, i7-10700, Phison 512GB PA6620060U
124 fps -18%
1920x1080 high (fps_test=3)
Inno3D GeForce RTX 3060 Twin X2
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, R9 5900X, Corsair MP600
112 fps +7%
Intel Beast Canyon NUC
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, i9-11900KB, Sabrent Rocket 4.0 500GB
105 fps 0%
Intel Dragon Canyon NUC - RTX 3060
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, i9-12900, Transcend M.2 SSD 2200S TS512GMTE220S
105 fps
Intel Ghost Canyon NUC (RTX 2070)
GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop), i9-9980HK, Kingston KC2500 1 TB SKC2500M81000G
92.7 fps -12%
Zotac Magnus One (ECM73070C)
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070, i7-10700, Phison 512GB PA6620060U
91 fps -13%
Final Fantasy XV Benchmark
1280x720 Lite Quality
Inno3D GeForce RTX 3060 Twin X2
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, R9 5900X, Corsair MP600
210 fps +7%
Intel Beast Canyon NUC
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, i9-11900KB, Sabrent Rocket 4.0 500GB
196 fps 0%
Intel Dragon Canyon NUC - RTX 3060
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, i9-12900, Transcend M.2 SSD 2200S TS512GMTE220S
196 fps
Intel Ghost Canyon NUC (RTX 2070)
GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop), i9-9980HK, Kingston KC2500 1 TB SKC2500M81000G
193 (94min - 237max) fps -2%
Zotac Magnus One (ECM73070C)
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070, i7-10700, Phison 512GB PA6620060U
167 fps -15%
1920x1080 High Quality
Zotac Magnus One (ECM73070C)
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070, i7-10700, Phison 512GB PA6620060U
112 fps +26%
Intel Ghost Canyon NUC (RTX 2070)
GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop), i9-9980HK, Kingston KC2500 1 TB SKC2500M81000G
90.6 (56min - 138max) fps +2%
Inno3D GeForce RTX 3060 Twin X2
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, R9 5900X, Corsair MP600
88.6 fps 0%
Intel Beast Canyon NUC
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, i9-11900KB, Sabrent Rocket 4.0 500GB
88.6 fps 0%
Intel Dragon Canyon NUC - RTX 3060
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, i9-12900, Transcend M.2 SSD 2200S TS512GMTE220S
88.6 fps
Dota 2 Reborn
1280x720 min (0/3) fastest
Inno3D GeForce RTX 3060 Twin X2
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, R9 5900X, Corsair MP600
202.1 (165min) fps +13%
Intel Beast Canyon NUC
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, i9-11900KB, Sabrent Rocket 4.0 500GB
178.3 (153.2min) fps 0%
Intel Dragon Canyon NUC - RTX 3060
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, i9-12900, Transcend M.2 SSD 2200S TS512GMTE220S
178.3 (153.2min) fps
Zotac Magnus One (ECM73070C)
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070, i7-10700, Phison 512GB PA6620060U
164.2 (143.5min) fps -8%
Intel Ghost Canyon NUC (RTX 2070)
GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop), i9-9980HK, Kingston KC2500 1 TB SKC2500M81000G
155.6 (135.2min) fps -13%
1920x1080 ultra (3/3) best looking
Inno3D GeForce RTX 3060 Twin X2
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, R9 5900X, Corsair MP600
159.7 (126.4min) fps +9%
Intel Beast Canyon NUC
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, i9-11900KB, Sabrent Rocket 4.0 500GB
147.1 (126min) fps 0%
Intel Dragon Canyon NUC - RTX 3060
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, i9-12900, Transcend M.2 SSD 2200S TS512GMTE220S
147.1 (126min) fps
Intel Ghost Canyon NUC (RTX 2070)
GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop), i9-9980HK, Kingston KC2500 1 TB SKC2500M81000G
130.3 (114.9min) fps -11%
Zotac Magnus One (ECM73070C)
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070, i7-10700, Phison 512GB PA6620060U
129.7 (113.4min) fps -12%
3DMark
Fire Strike Extreme Graphics
Zotac Magnus One (ECM73070C)
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070, i7-10700, Phison 512GB PA6620060U
15597 Points +52%
Inno3D GeForce RTX 3060 Twin X2
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, R9 5900X, Corsair MP600
10330 Points +1%
Intel Dragon Canyon NUC - RTX 3060
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, i9-12900, Transcend M.2 SSD 2200S TS512GMTE220S
10244 Points
Intel Beast Canyon NUC
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, i9-11900KB, Sabrent Rocket 4.0 500GB
10181 Points -1%
Intel Ghost Canyon NUC (RTX 2070)
GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop), i9-9980HK, Kingston KC2500 1 TB SKC2500M81000G
9979 Points -3%
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics
Zotac Magnus One (ECM73070C)
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070, i7-10700, Phison 512GB PA6620060U
30090 Points +37%
Intel Dragon Canyon NUC - RTX 3060
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, i9-12900, Transcend M.2 SSD 2200S TS512GMTE220S
21984 Points
Inno3D GeForce RTX 3060 Twin X2
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, R9 5900X, Corsair MP600
21847 Points -1%
Intel Beast Canyon NUC
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, i9-11900KB, Sabrent Rocket 4.0 500GB
21379 Points -3%
Intel Ghost Canyon NUC (RTX 2070)
GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop), i9-9980HK, Kingston KC2500 1 TB SKC2500M81000G
20775 Points -5%
2560x1440 Time Spy Graphics
Zotac Magnus One (ECM73070C)
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070, i7-10700, Phison 512GB PA6620060U
12668 Points +48%
Intel Ghost Canyon NUC (RTX 2070)
GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop), i9-9980HK, Kingston KC2500 1 TB SKC2500M81000G
8631 Points +1%
Intel Dragon Canyon NUC - RTX 3060
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, i9-12900, Transcend M.2 SSD 2200S TS512GMTE220S
8578 Points
Inno3D GeForce RTX 3060 Twin X2
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, R9 5900X, Corsair MP600
8559 Points 0%
Intel Beast Canyon NUC
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, i9-11900KB, Sabrent Rocket 4.0 500GB
8525 Points -1%
3DMark 11
1280x720 Performance GPU
Zotac Magnus One (ECM73070C)
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070, i7-10700, Phison 512GB PA6620060U
40950 Points +40%
Intel Dragon Canyon NUC - RTX 3060
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, i9-12900, Transcend M.2 SSD 2200S TS512GMTE220S
29172 Points
Intel Beast Canyon NUC
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, i9-11900KB, Sabrent Rocket 4.0 500GB
28939 Points -1%
Intel Ghost Canyon NUC (RTX 2070)
GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop), i9-9980HK, Kingston KC2500 1 TB SKC2500M81000G
28828 Points -1%
Inno3D GeForce RTX 3060 Twin X2
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, R9 5900X, Corsair MP600
28072 Points -4%
1280x720 Performance
Zotac Magnus One (ECM73070C)
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070, i7-10700, Phison 512GB PA6620060U
29057 Points +5%
Intel Dragon Canyon NUC - RTX 3060
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, i9-12900, Transcend M.2 SSD 2200S TS512GMTE220S
27726 Points
Inno3D GeForce RTX 3060 Twin X2
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, R9 5900X, Corsair MP600
26986 Points -3%
Intel Beast Canyon NUC
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, i9-11900KB, Sabrent Rocket 4.0 500GB
25149 Points -9%
Intel Ghost Canyon NUC (RTX 2070)
GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop), i9-9980HK, Kingston KC2500 1 TB SKC2500M81000G
24131 Points -13%

Intel NUC 12 Dragon Canyon + Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060

low med. high ultraQHD4K
GTA V (2015) 186 181 177 104 81.4 82.3
The Witcher 3 (2015) 462 305 178 91.3 62.5
Dota 2 Reborn (2015) 178.3 161.7 155.6 147.1 116.1
Final Fantasy XV Benchmark (2018) 196 123 88.6 64.8 38
X-Plane 11.11 (2018) 151 133 105 88.5
Far Cry 5 (2018) 193 153 139 132 94 48
Strange Brigade (2018) 491 230 180 154 116 66.8
Far Cry New Dawn (2019) 161 132 126 113 92 51
Metro Exodus (2019) 207 113 83.7 65.3 51.7 32.2
Borderlands 3 (2019) 185 148 104 84.7 60.3 33.3
F1 2020 (2020) 355 259 208 142 106 60.2
F1 2021 (2021) 419 261 206 96.9 72 40.9
Far Cry 6 (2021) 167 129 110 96 70.5 39.3

Power consumption, heat development, and noise of the Intel NUC 12 Dragon Canyon

Intel NUC 12 Dragon Canyon during the stress test
Intel NUC 12 Dragon Canyon during the stress test
Intel NUC 12 Dragon Canyon during the stress test

In the Intel NUC 12 Extreme Kit, the Intel Core i9-12900 brings a significantly higher power consumption compared to the Intel NUC 11 Extreme Kit. Due to the higher TDP of the Intel Core i9-12900 compared to the Intel Core i9-11900KB, this was already expected. In comparison with the two other Alder Lake systems that we also listed here, the power consumption of the Intel Dragon Canyon NUC turns out significantly lower, though. The reason for this can be found easily, since the relatively small cooling unit quickly reaches its limits with the Intel Core i9-12900 under load, so that the processor performance has to be throttled. Under load, the temperature limit of 100 °C (212 °F) is almost always reached quickly. In the stress test with Prime95, the temperature limit is already reached after a few seconds. However, the Intel Core i9-12900 still runs at almost 2.6 GHz on average, which is still slightly more than the basic clock speed (2.4 GHz). We should also mention that the temperature limit is only reached very briefly. Across the whole test, the average temperature lies at 78 °C (172 °F), which is a reasonable value overall. We also see a similar picture during simultaneous load of the CPU and GPU. 

The compact build brings one large disadvantage. The Intel Beast Canyon NUC could already be heard clearly under load. Intel does a slightly better job with the Dragon Canyon NUC, although that is also still clearly audible at 45.1 dB(A) under full load. But during idle operation or under low load, the system remains silent for the most part. We only hear the revving of the fans from time to time, but due to its low frequency the fan noise is relatively comfortable.

Noise Level

Idle
30.2 / 30.4 / 30.8 dB(A)
Load
/ 45.1 dB(A)
  red to green bar
 
 
30 dB
silent
40 dB(A)
audible
50 dB(A)
loud
 
min: dark, med: mid, max: light   Earthworks M23R, Arta (15 cm distance)   environment noise: 30.2 dB(A)
Power Consumption
1920x1080 The Witcher 3 ultra (external Monitor)
Intel Core i9-12900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i9-12900K, Intel Optane 905P 480GB 2.5 (Idle: 70.5 W)
463 (439min - 490max) Watt * -68%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX, R9 3950X, Intel Optane 905P 480GB 2.5 (Idle: 95 W)
423.6 (400min - 442max) Watt * -54%
Intel Core i7-12700K
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i7-12700K, Intel Optane 905P 480GB 2.5 (Idle: 81 W)
419.7 (402min - 454max) Watt * -53%
Intel Core i9-10900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i9-10900K, WDC PC SN720 SDAQNTW-512G (Idle: 52.3 W)
396.2 (380min - 475max) Watt * -44%
Intel Core i5-10600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i5-10600K (Idle: 52.2 W)
386.9 (380min - 404max) Watt * -41%
Corsair One i160
GeForce RTX 2080 Ti (Desktop), i9-9900K, Samsung PM961 NVMe MZVLW512HMJP (Idle: 51.5 W)
359 (348min - 374max) Watt * -31%
Intel Dragon Canyon NUC - RTX 3060
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, i9-12900, Transcend M.2 SSD 2200S TS512GMTE220S
275 (270min, 270P1 - 306max) Watt *
Intel Ghost Canyon NUC (RTX 2070)
GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop), i9-9980HK, Kingston KC2500 1 TB SKC2500M81000G (Idle: 33.1 W)
237.1 (227min - 263max) Watt * +14%
Intel Beast Canyon NUC
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, i9-11900KB, Sabrent Rocket 4.0 500GB (Idle: 32 W)
229.9 (219min - 254max) Watt * +16%
Prime95 V2810 Stress (external Monitor)
Intel Core i7-12700K
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i7-12700K, Intel Optane 905P 480GB 2.5 (Idle: 81 W)
281 (250min - 366max) Watt * -86%
Intel Core i9-12900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i9-12900K, Intel Optane 905P 480GB 2.5 (Idle: 70.5 W)
279.6 (261min - 357max) Watt * -85%
Intel Core i9-10900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i9-10900K, WDC PC SN720 SDAQNTW-512G (Idle: 52.3 W)
275.7 (254min - 385max) Watt * -83%
Intel Core i5-10600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i5-10600K (Idle: 52.2 W)
204.4 (191min - 261max) Watt * -35%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX, R9 3950X, Intel Optane 905P 480GB 2.5 (Idle: 95 W)
198.8 (185min - 240max) Watt * -32%
Intel Dragon Canyon NUC - RTX 3060
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, i9-12900, Transcend M.2 SSD 2200S TS512GMTE220S
151 (143min, 144P1 - 326max) Watt *
Intel Beast Canyon NUC
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, i9-11900KB, Sabrent Rocket 4.0 500GB (Idle: 34 W)
112.9 (108min - 135max) Watt * +25%
Intel Ghost Canyon NUC (RTX 2070)
GeForce RTX 2070 (Desktop), i9-9980HK, Kingston KC2500 1 TB SKC2500M81000G (Idle: 33.1 W)
109.4 (107min - 151max) Watt * +28%
Cinebench R15 Multi (external Monitor)
Intel Core i9-12900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i9-12900K, Intel Optane 905P 480GB 2.5 (Idle: 70.5 W)
324.4 Watt * -57%
Intel Core i7-12700K
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i7-12700K, Intel Optane 905P 480GB 2.5 (Idle: 81 W)
278.2 (151min - 298max) Watt * -35%
Intel Core i9-10900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i9-10900K, WDC PC SN720 SDAQNTW-512G (Idle: 52.3 W)
268.5 (265min - 270max) Watt * -30%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX, R9 3950X, Intel Optane 905P 480GB 2.5 (Idle: 95 W)
219.5 (218min - 225max) Watt * -7%
Intel Dragon Canyon NUC - RTX 3060
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, i9-12900, Transcend M.2 SSD 2200S TS512GMTE220S
206 (140min, 145P1 - 261max) Watt *
Intel Core i5-10600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i5-10600K (Idle: 52.2 W)
172.5 (170min - 176max) Watt * +16%
Intel Beast Canyon NUC
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, i9-11900KB, Sabrent Rocket 4.0 500GB (Idle: 32 W)
123.9 (73min - 147max) Watt * +40%
Temperatures - CPU Temperature Prime95
Intel Dragon Canyon NUC - RTX 3060
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, i9-12900, Transcend M.2 SSD 2200S TS512GMTE220S
100 °C
Intel Core i9-10900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i9-10900K, WDC PC SN720 SDAQNTW-512G
88 °C -12%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX, R9 3950X, Intel Optane 905P 480GB 2.5
83.8 °C -16%
Intel Core i5-10600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i5-10600K
70 °C -30%

* ... smaller is better

Intel NUC 12 Extreme Kit Dragon Canyon - power consumption Idle
Intel NUC 12 Extreme Kit Dragon Canyon - power consumption Prime95
Intel NUC 12 Extreme Kit Dragon Canyon - power consumption FurMark
Intel NUC 12 Extreme Kit Dragon Canyon - power consumption Prime95 and FurMark
Intel NUC 12 Extreme Kit Dragon Canyon - power consumption Cinebench R15 nT
Intel NUC 12 Extreme Kit Dragon Canyon - power consumption The Witcher 3 (Ultra preset)
Intel NUC 12 Extreme Kit Dragon Canyon - Stress test Prime95 solo
Intel NUC 12 Extreme Kit Dragon Canyon - Stress test FurMark solo
Intel NUC 12 Extreme Kit Dragon Canyon - Stress test Prime95 and FurMark

Pros

+ robust and compact case
+ Core i9 with 16 cores and 24 threads
+ socketed processor
+ high system performance
+ 650 W power supply with SFX formfactor
+ many connection options
+ 2x Thunderbolt 4
+ UHS-II SD card reader
+ Wi-Fi 6E
+ 10Gbe LAN

Cons

- clearly audible under load
- cooling unit quickly reaches its limits
- limited compatibility with expansion cards

Verdict - A compact workhorse

Testing the Intel Dragon Canyon NUC - NUC12DCMi9. Test unit provided by Intel Germany.
Testing the Intel Dragon Canyon NUC - NUC12DCMi9. Test unit provided by Intel Germany.

The Intel NUC 12 Dragon Canyon is a small upgrade of the Intel NUC 11 Extreme Kit alias Beast Canyon. With the new Alder Lake CPU, Intel performs some product maintenance, retiring the older Tiger Lake processor. In addition, there is a socketed CPU in the Compute Element for the first time, allowing usage of different processors. In terms of pure performance, what the Intel Core i9-12900 is able to deliver is slightly better than the Intel Core i9-11900KB. At the same time, the compact build only offers limited space for suitable cooling. Under load, that hits its limits very quickly with an unthrottled Intel Core i9-12900, repeatedly causing it to reach the temperature limit.

At this point, the purchase price for the barebone system is 1450 Euros (~$1585). If you include the rest of the components such as RAM, SSD, and GPU, the Intel NUC 12 Dragon Canyon is not much more expensive than other complete systems. This puts the onus of the choice to the customer. If you like the design of the Intel NUC 12 Dragon Canyon, you can pick it without any caveats. The variety of connections make it future proof and their number is also sufficient. There even is a fast SD card reader that supports the UHS-II standard.

With the Intel NUC 12 Extreme Kit alias Dragon Canyon, Intel again raises the bar for its compact devices in terms of performance.

Finally, we still need to answer the question we posed at the beginning. Judging purely from its looks, we would rather consider the Intel NUC 12 Dragon Canyon to be in the gaming segment. Due to the performance of the Alder Lake processor and iGPU, the system is also suitable as a high-end office PC. At the same time, you also have the option to insert a professional graphics card, which turns the system into a full workstation. You can then also easily use the small Intel NUC Dragon Canyon for some image and video processing. 

The alternative to the Intel NUC 12 Extreme Kit Dragon Canyon would be building a system yourself, which would probably cost about the same. With the Zotac Magnus One, there is also a good alternative if you want a very compact gaming PC.

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > Intel NUC 12 Dragon Canyon review with Intel Core i9-12900
Sebastian Bade, 2022-04- 5 (Update: 2022-04- 5)