Intel Skull Canyon NUC6i7KYK Review

Gaming on integrated graphics. Can the powerful Intel Iris Graphics 580 replace a mainstream Nvidia GPU for gaming? We pit the NUC against systems with integrated and dedicated graphics solutions to find out.

Allen Ngo, Published 06/14/2016 🇩🇪

Intel NUCs are small form factor PCs generally fit for low-power applications and - unlike other small form factor PCs from the likes of Gigabyte or others - include no options for dedicated graphics. Thus, we were a bit surprised that the NUC6i7KYK Skull Canyon SKU is being marketed as a machine for "intense game play". Most hardcore gamers tend to avoid integrated graphics like the plague when it comes to gaming machines. For mainstream gamers, however, can Skull Canyon really play the latest titles on decent settings?

The Core i7-6770HQ CPU and its integrated Iris Graphics 580 GPU are not commonly found in notebooks, so their benchmarks should prove interesting against the likes of mainstream Nvidia GPUs and other quad-core Skylake processors.

Skull Canyon is currently available for about $650 to $700 retail and is already several hundred dollars cheaper than dedicated gaming notebooks and within reach of a Surface Pro 4.

(June 21, 2016 update): Corrected page to reflect that the system does indeed support both RAID and NVMe options. Thanks to those who sent in the comments.

Intel Skull Canyon NUC6i7KYK

Processor

Intel Core i7-6770HQ 4 x 2.6 - 3.5 GHz (Intel Core i7)

Graphics adapter

Intel Iris Pro Graphics 580, Core: 350 MHz, Memory: 1067 MHz, 20.19.15.4454

Memory

8 GB

, DDR4 PC4-17000, 1300 MHz, 15-15-15-36, Dual-Channel,

Mainboard

Intel HM170 (Skylake PCH-H)

Storage

Samsung SSD 850 EVO m.2 120GB, 120 GB

Soundcard

Intel Skylake PCH-H High Definition Audio Controller

Connections

4 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 USB 3.1 Gen2, 1 Thunderbolt, 1 HDMI, 1 DisplayPort, 1 Infrared, Audio Connections: 3.5 mm earphones, Toslink, Card Reader: SDXC w. UHS-I support

Networking

Intel Denverton SoC - Integrated 10 GbE Lan Controller (10/100/1000/2500/5000/10000MBit/s), Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8260 (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/), Bluetooth 4.2

Size

height x width x depth (in mm): 27.9 x 211.1 x 116.1 ( = 1.1 x 8.31 x 4.57 in)

Operating System

Microsoft Windows 10 Pro 64 Bit

Additional features

Keyboard Light: no, User's Guide, Alternative top cover plate, VESA mount , 36 Months Warranty

Weight

623 g ( = 21.98 oz / 1.37 pounds), Power Supply: 402 g ( = 14.18 oz / 0.89 pounds)

Price

650 USD

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

Build quality is firm all around with very minimal creaking when attempting to twist or bend the unit. Pushing down on the center of the top will depress it slightly, but not nearly enough to be worrisome. The underside is the only metal part of an otherwise all-plastic chassis. Fortunately, removing the top plastic plate reveals another metal plate protecting the motherboard, so very little space is wasted.

As for the size of the unit, the shape is now less cubic and more rectangular without necessarily increasing weight or volume compared to previous Intel NUCs like the NUC5i5RYH. This flatter approach can potentially allow the unit to fit into tighter spaces while giving users easier access to internals because of the wider surface.

Intel Skull Canyon NUC6i7KYK Intel NUC5i5RYH Intel NUC6i5SYH DIN A4 ❌

Connectivity

There are a healthy number of ports despite the small size that rival even some 15-inch notebooks. The most notable is its USB Type-C + Thunderbolt 3 port for a theoretical transfer rate of 40 Gb/s. Most gaming notebooks still lack this very versatile port that can allow for a wider range of docking ports and the ability to daisy chain external monitors. 7.1 surround sound audio is supported through HDMI and mDP with TOSLINK on the rear. A native VGA port and MicroSD reader would have been excellent additions to the system.

Front: SDXC reader, 2x USB 3.0 (1x Sleep-and-Charge), 3.5 mm combo audio, Infrared receiver

Rear: AC power, Optical, Gigabit Ethernet, 2x USB 3.0, Mini DisplayPort, USB Type-C 3.1 + Thunderbolt 3, HDMI 2.0

Communication

WLAN is provided by a 2x2 Intel 8260 module capable of theoretical transfer rates of up to 867 Mbps. Bluetooth 4.2 is integrated and access to this WLAN module requires further disassembly of the unit since it is on the other side of the motherboard. We did not experience any connectivity issues during our time with the test unit. The infrared port is on the front of the unit for HTPC functionality.

Accessories

The core package includes a handy Quick Start guide, a size 2 Allen wrench for removing the top cover, a VESA mount with 8 screws, and an alternative second top cover that is identical to the existing cover but without the etched skull. Disassembly requires a Philips screwdriver as well.

Maintenance

The two SODIMM slots and M.2 slots are accessible from the bottom of the unit with a simple Philips screwdriver. The M.2 slots accept any combination of 2280 and 2242 modules. Direct access to the other side of the motherboard, however, is a bit more involved as one must disconnect the fan, unscrew additional screws on both sides of the unit, and desolder the power wire before the top metal plate can be removed.

Warranty

Intel supports a 36-month limited warranty as standard with every new purchase of the system. This is two years longer than most notebooks and is certainly a plus compared to the competition.

Easy access to both DDR4 SODIMM slots and M.2 drives

Performance

As of this writing, the quad-core Core i7-6770HQ is found on no other notebook in our database. The reasoning is simple: The i7-6770HQ is identical in clock rates and Lx cache sizes to the i7-6700HQ that is available on almost every mainstream and enthusiast-level Skylake gaming notebook. Instead, the differences between the two processors lie in the integrated GPU as the i7-6770HQ carries the much more powerful Iris Pro Graphics 580 compared to the HD Graphics 530 in the i7-6700HQ. Notebooks that carry the i7-6700HQ are usually paired with powerful discrete GPU options and so the beefier iGPU in the i7-6770HQ is not needed.

Thus, the Iris Pro Graphics 580 GPU is what makes this particular NUC so special. It carries three times the number of unified shaders than the more common HD Graphics 530 (72 vs. 24) while integrating dedicated eDRAM for faster memory access. These two core features separate the Iris Graphics series from the typical HD Graphics series.

Processor

CineBench scores show the i7-6770HQ to be essentially identical to the i7-6700HQ. This alone is impressive considering that the NUC is just a fraction of the size of gaming notebooks that carry the i7-6700HQ as an option. Unsurprisingly, our system trounces older Intel NUCs that run on ULV dual-core Skylake and Broadwell processors by well over 2x in multi-threaded applications. The desktop-class i7-6700K is roughly 20 percent faster than the i7-6770HQ with its significantly higher TDP requirements (45 W vs. 91 W).

See our dedicated CPU page on the Core i7-6770HQ and i7-6700HQ for more technical details and comparisons.

Cinebench R15 | Cinebench R11.5 | Cinebench R10 | wPrime 2.10 | Super Pi Mod 1.5 XS 32M

Cinebench R15
CPU Single 64Bit (sort by value)
Intel Skull Canyon NUC6i7KYK Iris Pro Graphics 580, 6770HQ, Samsung SSD 850 EVO m.2 120GB	139 Points ∼42%
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB	166 Points ∼51% +19%
MSI GE62 2QC-468XPL GeForce GTX 960M, 5700HQ, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZNTE256HMHP	144 Points ∼44% +4%
EVGA SC17 GeForce GTX 980M, 6820HK, Samsung SSD 950 Pro 512GB m.2 NVMe	136 Points ∼41% -2%
Asus Strix GL502VT-DS74 GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B128	145 Points ∼44% +4%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50 GeForce GTX 860M, 4700HQ, Western Digital WD10S21X SSHD 1TB + 8GB SSD-Cache	125 Points ∼38% -10%
Razer Blade Stealth UHD i7-6500U HD Graphics 520, 6500U, Samsung PM951 NVMe MZ-VLV256D	115 Points ∼35% -17%
Intel NUC6i5SYH Iris Graphics 540, 6260U, Samsung SSD XP941 MZHPU256HCGL	117 Points ∼36% -16%
Intel NUC5i5RYH HD Graphics 6000, 5250U, OCZ Vector 150 240 GB	108 Points ∼33% -22%
Intel NUC5i3RYK HD Graphics 5500, 5010U, Intel SSDSCKHW360A4 SSD 530 360 GB	84 Points ∼26% -40%
Intel NUC Kit DN2820FYKH HD Graphics (Bay Trail), N2820, Samsung SSD 830 Series MZ-7PC256D/EU	39 Points ∼12% -72%
Intel NUC Kit DN2820FYKH HD Graphics (Bay Trail), N2820, Samsung SSD 830 Series MZ-7PC256D/EU	37.9 Points ∼12% -73%
CPU Multi 64Bit (sort by value)
Intel Skull Canyon NUC6i7KYK Iris Pro Graphics 580, 6770HQ, Samsung SSD 850 EVO m.2 120GB	711 Points ∼7%
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB	865 Points ∼9% +22%
MSI GE62 2QC-468XPL GeForce GTX 960M, 5700HQ, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZNTE256HMHP	719 Points ∼7% +1%
EVGA SC17 GeForce GTX 980M, 6820HK, Samsung SSD 950 Pro 512GB m.2 NVMe	710 Points ∼7% 0%
Asus Strix GL502VT-DS74 GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B128	670 Points ∼7% -6%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50 GeForce GTX 860M, 4700HQ, Western Digital WD10S21X SSHD 1TB + 8GB SSD-Cache	490 Points ∼5% -31%
Razer Blade Stealth UHD i7-6500U HD Graphics 520, 6500U, Samsung PM951 NVMe MZ-VLV256D	293 Points ∼3% -59%
Intel NUC6i5SYH Iris Graphics 540, 6260U, Samsung SSD XP941 MZHPU256HCGL	298 Points ∼3% -58%
Intel NUC5i5RYH HD Graphics 6000, 5250U, OCZ Vector 150 240 GB	261 Points ∼3% -63%
Intel NUC5i3RYK HD Graphics 5500, 5010U, Intel SSDSCKHW360A4 SSD 530 360 GB	220 Points ∼2% -69%
Intel NUC5i3RYK HD Graphics 5500, 5010U, Intel SSDSCKHW360A4 SSD 530 360 GB	211 (209.9^min - 211.39^max) Points ∼2% -70%
Intel NUC Kit DN2820FYKH HD Graphics (Bay Trail), N2820, Samsung SSD 830 Series MZ-7PC256D/EU	70 (68.45^min - 69.54^max) Points ∼1% -90%

Cinebench R11.5
CPU Single 64Bit (sort by value)
Intel Skull Canyon NUC6i7KYK Iris Pro Graphics 580, 6770HQ, Samsung SSD 850 EVO m.2 120GB	1.66 Points ∼5%
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB	1.91 Points ∼6% +15%
MSI GE62 2QC-468XPL GeForce GTX 960M, 5700HQ, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZNTE256HMHP	1.68 Points ∼5% +1%
EVGA SC17 GeForce GTX 980M, 6820HK, Samsung SSD 950 Pro 512GB m.2 NVMe	1.75 Points ∼6% +5%
Asus Strix GL502VT-DS74 GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B128	1.68 Points ∼5% +1%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50 GeForce GTX 860M, 4700HQ, Western Digital WD10S21X SSHD 1TB + 8GB SSD-Cache	1.46 Points ∼5% -12%
Razer Blade Stealth UHD i7-6500U HD Graphics 520, 6500U, Samsung PM951 NVMe MZ-VLV256D	1.33 Points ∼4% -20%
Intel NUC6i5SYH Iris Graphics 540, 6260U, Samsung SSD XP941 MZHPU256HCGL	1.33 Points ∼4% -20%
Intel NUC5i5RYH HD Graphics 6000, 5250U, OCZ Vector 150 240 GB	1.28 Points ∼4% -23%
Intel NUC Kit DN2820FYKH HD Graphics (Bay Trail), N2820, Samsung SSD 830 Series MZ-7PC256D/EU	0.43 Points ∼1% -74%
CPU Multi 64Bit (sort by value)
Intel Skull Canyon NUC6i7KYK Iris Pro Graphics 580, 6770HQ, Samsung SSD 850 EVO m.2 120GB	7.76 Points ∼11%
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB	9.56 Points ∼14% +23%
MSI GE62 2QC-468XPL GeForce GTX 960M, 5700HQ, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZNTE256HMHP	7.96 Points ∼11% +3%
EVGA SC17 GeForce GTX 980M, 6820HK, Samsung SSD 950 Pro 512GB m.2 NVMe	7.72 Points ∼11% -1%
Asus Strix GL502VT-DS74 GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B128	7.43 Points ∼10% -4%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50 GeForce GTX 860M, 4700HQ, Western Digital WD10S21X SSHD 1TB + 8GB SSD-Cache	5.29 Points ∼7% -32%
Razer Blade Stealth UHD i7-6500U HD Graphics 520, 6500U, Samsung PM951 NVMe MZ-VLV256D	3.42 Points ∼5% -56%
Intel NUC6i5SYH Iris Graphics 540, 6260U, Samsung SSD XP941 MZHPU256HCGL	3.26 Points ∼5% -58%
Intel NUC5i5RYH HD Graphics 6000, 5250U, OCZ Vector 150 240 GB	2.86 Points ∼4% -63%
Intel NUC Kit DN2820FYKH HD Graphics (Bay Trail), N2820, Samsung SSD 830 Series MZ-7PC256D/EU	0.87 Points ∼1% -89%

Cinebench R10
Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit (sort by value)
Intel Skull Canyon NUC6i7KYK Iris Pro Graphics 580, 6770HQ, Samsung SSD 850 EVO m.2 120GB	21075 Points ∼15%
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB	26150 Points ∼19% +24%
MSI GE62 2QC-468XPL GeForce GTX 960M, 5700HQ, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZNTE256HMHP	21681 Points ∼16% +3%
EVGA SC17 GeForce GTX 980M, 6820HK, Samsung SSD 950 Pro 512GB m.2 NVMe	21335 Points ∼15% +1%
Asus Strix GL502VT-DS74 GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B128	20386 Points ∼15% -3%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50 GeForce GTX 860M, 4700HQ, Western Digital WD10S21X SSHD 1TB + 8GB SSD-Cache	14329 Points ∼10% -32%
Razer Blade Stealth UHD i7-6500U HD Graphics 520, 6500U, Samsung PM951 NVMe MZ-VLV256D	10347 Points ∼7% -51%
Intel NUC6i5SYH Iris Graphics 540, 6260U, Samsung SSD XP941 MZHPU256HCGL	9949 Points ∼7% -53%
Intel NUC5i5RYH HD Graphics 6000, 5250U, OCZ Vector 150 240 GB	8755 Points ∼6% -58%
Intel NUC Kit DN2820FYKH HD Graphics (Bay Trail), N2820, Samsung SSD 830 Series MZ-7PC256D/EU	2385 Points ∼2% -89%
Rendering Single 32Bit (sort by value)
Intel Skull Canyon NUC6i7KYK Iris Pro Graphics 580, 6770HQ, Samsung SSD 850 EVO m.2 120GB	5536 Points ∼33%
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB	6487 Points ∼39% +17%
MSI GE62 2QC-468XPL GeForce GTX 960M, 5700HQ, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZNTE256HMHP	5567 Points ∼34% +1%
EVGA SC17 GeForce GTX 980M, 6820HK, Samsung SSD 950 Pro 512GB m.2 NVMe	5697 Points ∼34% +3%
Asus Strix GL502VT-DS74 GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B128	5364 Points ∼32% -3%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50 GeForce GTX 860M, 4700HQ, Western Digital WD10S21X SSHD 1TB + 8GB SSD-Cache	4999 Points ∼30% -10%
Razer Blade Stealth UHD i7-6500U HD Graphics 520, 6500U, Samsung PM951 NVMe MZ-VLV256D	4816 Points ∼29% -13%
Intel NUC6i5SYH Iris Graphics 540, 6260U, Samsung SSD XP941 MZHPU256HCGL	4481 Points ∼27% -19%
Intel NUC5i5RYH HD Graphics 6000, 5250U, OCZ Vector 150 240 GB	4143 Points ∼25% -25%
Intel NUC Kit DN2820FYKH HD Graphics (Bay Trail), N2820, Samsung SSD 830 Series MZ-7PC256D/EU	1222 Points ∼7% -78%

wPrime 2.10 - 1024m (sort by value)
Intel Skull Canyon NUC6i7KYK Iris Pro Graphics 580, 6770HQ, Samsung SSD 850 EVO m.2 120GB	225.7 s * ∼3%
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB	178.5 s * ∼2% +21%
MSI GE62 2QC-468XPL GeForce GTX 960M, 5700HQ, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZNTE256HMHP	206.3 s * ∼2% +9%
EVGA SC17 GeForce GTX 980M, 6820HK, Samsung SSD 950 Pro 512GB m.2 NVMe	224.8 s * ∼3% -0%
Asus Strix GL502VT-DS74 GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B128	232.1 s * ∼3% -3%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50 GeForce GTX 860M, 4700HQ, Western Digital WD10S21X SSHD 1TB + 8GB SSD-Cache	323 s * ∼4% -43%
Razer Blade Stealth UHD i7-6500U HD Graphics 520, 6500U, Samsung PM951 NVMe MZ-VLV256D	481.8 s * ∼6% -113%
Intel NUC6i5SYH Iris Graphics 540, 6260U, Samsung SSD XP941 MZHPU256HCGL	558 s * ∼7% -147%
Intel NUC5i5RYH HD Graphics 6000, 5250U, OCZ Vector 150 240 GB	620 s * ∼7% -175%
Intel NUC5i3RYK HD Graphics 5500, 5010U, Intel SSDSCKHW360A4 SSD 530 360 GB	732 s * ∼9% -224%
Intel NUC Kit DN2820FYKH HD Graphics (Bay Trail), N2820, Samsung SSD 830 Series MZ-7PC256D/EU	1543 s * ∼18% -584%

Super Pi Mod 1.5 XS 32M - 32M (sort by value)
Intel Skull Canyon NUC6i7KYK Iris Pro Graphics 580, 6770HQ, Samsung SSD 850 EVO m.2 120GB	539 s * ∼2%
DogHouse Systems Mobius SS GeForce GTX 980M, 6700K, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB	498.3 s * ∼2% +8%
MSI GE62 2QC-468XPL GeForce GTX 960M, 5700HQ, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZNTE256HMHP	574 s * ∼3% -6%
EVGA SC17 GeForce GTX 980M, 6820HK, Samsung SSD 950 Pro 512GB m.2 NVMe	569 s * ∼3% -6%
Asus Strix GL502VT-DS74 GeForce GTX 970M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B128	559 s * ∼2% -4%
Lenovo IdeaPad Y50 GeForce GTX 860M, 4700HQ, Western Digital WD10S21X SSHD 1TB + 8GB SSD-Cache	569 s * ∼3% -6%
Razer Blade Stealth UHD i7-6500U HD Graphics 520, 6500U, Samsung PM951 NVMe MZ-VLV256D	675 s * ∼3% -25%
Intel NUC6i5SYH Iris Graphics 540, 6260U, Samsung SSD XP941 MZHPU256HCGL	660 s * ∼3% -22%
Intel NUC5i5RYH HD Graphics 6000, 5250U, OCZ Vector 150 240 GB	733 s * ∼3% -36%
Intel NUC5i3RYK HD Graphics 5500, 5010U, Intel SSDSCKHW360A4 SSD 530 360 GB	898 s * ∼4% -67%
Intel NUC Kit DN2820FYKH HD Graphics (Bay Trail), N2820, Samsung SSD 830 Series MZ-7PC256D/EU	1696 s * ∼8% -215%

* ... smaller is better

Cinebench R10 Shading 32Bit

11355

Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit

21075

Cinebench R10 Rendering Single 32Bit

5536

Cinebench R11.5 CPU Multi 64Bit

7.76 Points

Cinebench R11.5 CPU Single 64Bit

1.66 Points

Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64Bit

63 fps

Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit

139 Points

Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit

98 %

Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit

85.1 fps

Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit

711 Points

Help

... in comparison

System Performance

PCMark 8 ranks the Intel ahead of other NUCs and most notebooks running on integrated graphics since the Iris Graphics 580 gives our system a sizable boost in graphics power. Final scores are even ahead of both the Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book Core i7 SKUs.

We did not run into any hardware or software issues during our time with the test unit. We did, however, have to update our GPU to the latest version at the time of review (20.19.15.4454) in order to properly benchmark games without constant crashes.

PCMark 8
Home Score Accelerated v2 (sort by value)
Intel Skull Canyon NUC6i7KYK Iris Pro Graphics 580, 6770HQ, Samsung SSD 850 EVO m.2 120GB	4323 Points ∼65%
Intel NUC6i5SYH Iris Graphics 540, 6260U, Samsung SSD XP941 MZHPU256HCGL	3667 Points ∼55% -15%
HP Spectre 13 HD Graphics 520, 6500U, Samsung PM951 NVMe MZVLV256	3549 Points ∼53% -18%
Intel NUC5i7RYH Iris Graphics 6100, 5557U, Samsung SSD XP941 MZHPU256HCGL	3417 Points ∼51% -21%
Microsoft Surface Pro 4 Core i7 Iris Graphics 540, 6650U, Samsung MZFLV256 NVMe	3394 Points ∼51% -21%
Intel NUC5i5RYK HD Graphics 6000, 5250U, Samsung SSD XP941 MZHPU256HCGL	3081 Points ∼46% -29%
Microsoft Surface Book Core i7 Maxwell GPU (940M, GDDR5), 6600U, Samsung MZFLV512 NVMe	2947 Points ∼44% -32%
Dell XPS 13 9350 WQXGA Iris Graphics 540, 6560U, Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB	2928 Points ∼44% -32%
Lenovo Yoga 900-13ISK 80MK HD Graphics 520, 6500U, Samsung SSD PM871 MZNLN512HCJH	2837 Points ∼43% -34%
Intel NUC Kit DN2820FYKH HD Graphics (Bay Trail), N2820, Samsung SSD 830 Series MZ-7PC256D/EU	1169 Points ∼18% -73%
Work Score Accelerated v2 (sort by value)
Intel Skull Canyon NUC6i7KYK Iris Pro Graphics 580, 6770HQ, Samsung SSD 850 EVO m.2 120GB	4966 Points ∼70%
Intel NUC6i5SYH Iris Graphics 540, 6260U, Samsung SSD XP941 MZHPU256HCGL	4588 Points ∼65% -8%
HP Spectre 13 HD Graphics 520, 6500U, Samsung PM951 NVMe MZVLV256	4498 Points ∼63% -9%
Microsoft Surface Pro 4 Core i7 Iris Graphics 540, 6650U, Samsung MZFLV256 NVMe	4052 Points ∼57% -18%
Intel NUC5i5RYK HD Graphics 6000, 5250U, Samsung SSD XP941 MZHPU256HCGL	4063 Points ∼57% -18%
Microsoft Surface Book Core i7 Maxwell GPU (940M, GDDR5), 6600U, Samsung MZFLV512 NVMe	3782 Points ∼53% -24%
Dell XPS 13 9350 WQXGA Iris Graphics 540, 6560U, Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB	3438 Points ∼48% -31%
Lenovo Yoga 900-13ISK 80MK HD Graphics 520, 6500U, Samsung SSD PM871 MZNLN512HCJH	3863 Points ∼54% -22%
Intel NUC Kit DN2820FYKH HD Graphics (Bay Trail), N2820, Samsung SSD 830 Series MZ-7PC256D/EU	1262 Points ∼18% -75%
Creative Score Accelerated v2 (sort by value)
Intel Skull Canyon NUC6i7KYK Iris Pro Graphics 580, 6770HQ, Samsung SSD 850 EVO m.2 120GB	5581 Points ∼48%
Intel NUC6i5SYH Iris Graphics 540, 6260U, Samsung SSD XP941 MZHPU256HCGL	4395 Points ∼38% -21%
HP Spectre 13 HD Graphics 520, 6500U, Samsung PM951 NVMe MZVLV256	4222 Points ∼36% -24%
Intel NUC5i7RYH Iris Graphics 6100, 5557U, Samsung SSD XP941 MZHPU256HCGL	4394 Points ∼38% -21%
Microsoft Surface Pro 4 Core i7 Iris Graphics 540, 6650U, Samsung MZFLV256 NVMe	4431 Points ∼38% -21%
Intel NUC5i5RYK HD Graphics 6000, 5250U, Samsung SSD XP941 MZHPU256HCGL	3114 Points ∼27% -44%
Microsoft Surface Book Core i7 Maxwell GPU (940M, GDDR5), 6600U, Samsung MZFLV512 NVMe	3755 Points ∼32% -33%
Dell XPS 13 9350 WQXGA Iris Graphics 540, 6560U, Samsung PM951 NVMe 512 GB	4470 Points ∼38% -20%
Lenovo Yoga 900-13ISK 80MK HD Graphics 520, 6500U, Samsung SSD PM871 MZNLN512HCJH	3709 Points ∼32% -34%
Intel NUC Kit DN2820FYKH HD Graphics (Bay Trail), N2820, Samsung SSD 830 Series MZ-7PC256D/EU	889 Points ∼8% -84%

PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2		4323 points
PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2		5581 points
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2		4966 points
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Storage Devices

Owners will need to rely on one or two internal M.2 drives for all their content or resort to external storage for additional space. Both RAID 0/1 and NVMe SSDs are supported. Our test model is equipped with a single SATA III 120 GB Samsung SSD 850 EVO M.2 SSD.

Performance from the Samsung SSD is very good for a drive limited by its controller. Sequential read and write rates cap out at about 500 MB/s as expected whereas the SSDs in the Intel NUC6i5SYH and Microsoft Surface Book return much faster average transfer rates due to their NVMe speeds.

See our growing table of SSD and HDD benchmarks for more comparisons.

	Intel Skull Canyon NUC6i7KYK Iris Pro Graphics 580, 6770HQ, Samsung SSD 850 EVO m.2 120GB	Intel NUC6i5SYH Iris Graphics 540, 6260U, Samsung SSD XP941 MZHPU256HCGL	Intel NUC5i3RYK HD Graphics 5500, 5010U, Intel SSDSCKHW360A4 SSD 530 360 GB	Microsoft Surface Book Core i7 Maxwell GPU (940M, GDDR5), 6600U, Samsung MZFLV512 NVMe	Microsoft Surface Pro 4, Core i5, 128GB HD Graphics 520, 6300U, Samsung MZFLV128 NVMe
AS SSD		23%	-112%	108%	-4%
Copy Game MB/s	295.8	389 32%			105.6 -64%
Copy Program MB/s	213.1	273 28%			63.5 -70%
Copy ISO MB/s	358	518 45%			121.9 -66%
Score Total	919	1191 30%	505 -45%	2298 150%	1190 29%
Score Write	268	334 25%	113 -58%	683 155%	239 -11%
Score Read	424	578 36%	263 -38%	1090 157%	645 52%
Access Time Write *	0.047	0.064 -36%	0.31 -560%	0.033 30%	0.037 21%
Access Time Read *	0.075	0.1 -33%	0.26 -247%	0.048 36%	0.079 -5%
4K-64 Write	145.2	208 43%	78 -46%	520 258%	138.5 -5%
4K-64 Read	337.4	439 30%	198 -41%	919 172%	528 56%
4K Write	76.9	58.6 -24%	14.1 -82%	109 42%	86.5 12%
4K Read	35.55	26.4 -26%	19.4 -45%	37.25 5%	34.24 -4%
Seq Write	460.4	672 46%	213 -54%	545 18%	142.5 -69%
Seq Read	508	1127 122%	452 -11%	1342 164%	832 64%

* ... smaller is better

CrystalDiskMark 3.0

AS SSD

Samsung SSD 850 EVO m.2 120GB

Sequential Read: 487.6 MB/s

Sequential Write: 442.7 MB/s

512K Read: 420.1 MB/s

512K Write: 379.8 MB/s

4K Read: 38.67 MB/s

4K Write: 87.8 MB/s

4K QD32 Read: 375.9 MB/s

4K QD32 Write: 309.5 MB/s

GPU Performance

The Core i7-6770HQ carries one of the fastest integrated GPUs available. Raw performance according to 3DMark benchmarks place it roughly 10 percent ahead of the Iris Graphics 6200 for the desktop Core i7-5775C and about on par with the semi-custom GT 940M in the Microsoft Surface Book at higher resolution settings. Nonetheless, a standard GTX 950M is still significantly ahead of our Skull Canyon system by almost 90 percent according to 3DMark Fire Strike.

3DMark 11 | 3DMark

3DMark 11
1280x720 Performance GPU (sort by value)
Intel Skull Canyon NUC6i7KYK Iris Pro Graphics 580, 6770HQ, Samsung SSD 850 EVO m.2 120GB	3220 Points ∼3%
MSI GL72 6QF GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung SSD 950 Pro 256GB m.2 NVMe	5825 Points ∼5% +81%
MSI PE60 2QD GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ, HGST Travelstar 7K1000 HTS721010A9E630	4258 Points ∼4% +32%
Core i7-5775C Desktop Iris Pro Graphics 6200, 5775C	2766 Points ∼2% -14%
Microsoft Surface Book Core i5 Maxwell GPU (940M, GDDR5), 6300U, Samsung MZFLV256 NVMe	2548 Points ∼2% -21%
Acer Aspire V3-372-57CW Iris Graphics 550, 6267U, Kingston RBU-SNS8152S3256GG2	2524 Points ∼2% -22%
Microsoft Surface Pro 4 Core i7 Iris Graphics 540, 6650U, Samsung MZFLV256 NVMe	2450 Points ∼2% -24%
Intel NUC6i5SYH Iris Graphics 540, 6260U, Samsung SSD XP941 MZHPU256HCGL	2322 Points ∼2% -28%
Intel NUC5i7RYH Iris Graphics 6100, 5557U, Samsung SSD XP941 MZHPU256HCGL	1765 Points ∼2% -45%
HP Spectre 13 HD Graphics 520, 6500U, Samsung PM951 NVMe MZVLV256	1487 Points ∼1% -54%
Intel NUC5i5RYH HD Graphics 6000, 5250U, OCZ Vector 150 240 GB	1458 Points ∼1% -55%
1280x720 Performance Combined (sort by value)
Intel Skull Canyon NUC6i7KYK Iris Pro Graphics 580, 6770HQ, Samsung SSD 850 EVO m.2 120GB	2784 Points ∼9%
MSI GL72 6QF GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung SSD 950 Pro 256GB m.2 NVMe	5861 Points ∼19% +111%
MSI PE60 2QD GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ, HGST Travelstar 7K1000 HTS721010A9E630	4507 Points ∼15% +62%
Core i7-5775C Desktop Iris Pro Graphics 6200, 5775C	2715 Points ∼9% -2%
Microsoft Surface Book Core i5 Maxwell GPU (940M, GDDR5), 6300U, Samsung MZFLV256 NVMe	2580 Points ∼8% -7%
Acer Aspire V3-372-57CW Iris Graphics 550, 6267U, Kingston RBU-SNS8152S3256GG2	2387 Points ∼8% -14%
Microsoft Surface Pro 4 Core i7 Iris Graphics 540, 6650U, Samsung MZFLV256 NVMe	2255 Points ∼7% -19%
Intel NUC6i5SYH Iris Graphics 540, 6260U, Samsung SSD XP941 MZHPU256HCGL	2198 Points ∼7% -21%
Intel NUC5i7RYH Iris Graphics 6100, 5557U, Samsung SSD XP941 MZHPU256HCGL	1395 Points ∼5% -50%
HP Spectre 13 HD Graphics 520, 6500U, Samsung PM951 NVMe MZVLV256	1455 Points ∼5% -48%
Intel NUC5i5RYH HD Graphics 6000, 5250U, OCZ Vector 150 240 GB	1198 Points ∼4% -57%

3DMark
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Graphics (sort by value)
Intel Skull Canyon NUC6i7KYK Iris Pro Graphics 580, 6770HQ, Samsung SSD 850 EVO m.2 120GB	14594 Points ∼4%
MSI GL72 6QF GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung SSD 950 Pro 256GB m.2 NVMe	33474 Points ∼9% +129%
MSI PE60 2QD GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ, HGST Travelstar 7K1000 HTS721010A9E630	25091 Points ∼7% +72%
Core i7-5775C Desktop Iris Pro Graphics 6200, 5775C	15361 Points ∼4% +5%
Microsoft Surface Book Core i5 Maxwell GPU (940M, GDDR5), 6300U, Samsung MZFLV256 NVMe	11340 Points ∼3% -22%
Acer Aspire V3-372-57CW Iris Graphics 550, 6267U, Kingston RBU-SNS8152S3256GG2	12812 Points ∼3% -12%
Microsoft Surface Pro 4 Core i7 Iris Graphics 540, 6650U, Samsung MZFLV256 NVMe	11650 Points ∼3% -20%
Intel NUC6i5SYH Iris Graphics 540, 6260U, Samsung SSD XP941 MZHPU256HCGL	11893 Points ∼3% -19%
Intel NUC5i7RYH Iris Graphics 6100, 5557U, Samsung SSD XP941 MZHPU256HCGL	8199 Points ∼2% -44%
HP Spectre 13 HD Graphics 520, 6500U, Samsung PM951 NVMe MZVLV256	7786 Points ∼2% -47%
Intel NUC5i5RYH HD Graphics 6000, 5250U, OCZ Vector 150 240 GB	8102 Points ∼2% -44%
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics (sort by value)
Intel Skull Canyon NUC6i7KYK Iris Pro Graphics 580, 6770HQ, Samsung SSD 850 EVO m.2 120GB	1903 Points ∼2%
MSI GL72 6QF GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung SSD 950 Pro 256GB m.2 NVMe	4705 Points ∼5% +147%
MSI PE60 2QD GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ, HGST Travelstar 7K1000 HTS721010A9E630	3591 Points ∼4% +89%
Core i7-5775C Desktop Iris Pro Graphics 6200, 5775C	1704 Points ∼2% -10%
Microsoft Surface Book Core i5 Maxwell GPU (940M, GDDR5), 6300U, Samsung MZFLV256 NVMe	2031 Points ∼2% +7%
Acer Aspire V3-372-57CW Iris Graphics 550, 6267U, Kingston RBU-SNS8152S3256GG2	1520 Points ∼2% -20%
Microsoft Surface Pro 4 Core i7 Iris Graphics 540, 6650U, Samsung MZFLV256 NVMe	1477 Points ∼2% -22%
Intel NUC6i5SYH Iris Graphics 540, 6260U, Samsung SSD XP941 MZHPU256HCGL	1479 Points ∼2% -22%
HP Spectre 13 HD Graphics 520, 6500U, Samsung PM951 NVMe MZVLV256	919 Points ∼1% -52%
Intel NUC5i5RYH HD Graphics 6000, 5250U, OCZ Vector 150 240 GB	1033 Points ∼1% -46%
1920x1080 Ice Storm Extreme Graphics (sort by value)
Intel Skull Canyon NUC6i7KYK Iris Pro Graphics 580, 6770HQ, Samsung SSD 850 EVO m.2 120GB	98218 Points ∼13%
MSI GL72 6QF GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung SSD 950 Pro 256GB m.2 NVMe	123794 Points ∼17% +26%
Core i7-5775C Desktop Iris Pro Graphics 6200, 5775C	100535 Points ∼14% +2%
Microsoft Surface Book Core i5 Maxwell GPU (940M, GDDR5), 6300U, Samsung MZFLV256 NVMe	15597 Points ∼2% -84%
Acer Aspire V3-372-57CW Iris Graphics 550, 6267U, Kingston RBU-SNS8152S3256GG2	82506 Points ∼11% -16%
Microsoft Surface Pro 4 Core i7 Iris Graphics 540, 6650U, Samsung MZFLV256 NVMe	68398 Points ∼9% -30%
Intel NUC5i7RYH Iris Graphics 6100, 5557U, Samsung SSD XP941 MZHPU256HCGL	50131 Points ∼7% -49%
HP Spectre 13 HD Graphics 520, 6500U, Samsung PM951 NVMe MZVLV256	46151 Points ∼6% -53%

3DMark 11 Performance		3510 points
3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score		99287 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score		11346 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score		1836 points
3DMark Fire Strike Extreme Score		823 points
Help

... in comparison

Gaming Performance

With raw performance somewhat comparable to a GT 940M, the Iris Graphics 580 is generally unable to play most games in 1080p at high quality settings. Users will have to settle for 1080p on low settings or 720p on medium settings for decent frame rates on modern 3D titles. Newer and more demanding titles like Rise of the Tomb Raider are essentially unplayable on anything but lower resolutions and settings. RTS players, however, can enjoy the fact that titles like DOTA 2 and Starcraft 2 will play well on higher graphical settings while maintaining averages above 30 FPS.

Note that certain titles would not launch at all even after upgrading the graphics driver. We tried running Batman Arkham Knight and Doom, but both would crash immediately before even hitting their splash screens.

See our dedicated GPU page on the Iris Graphics 580 for more technical information and benchmark comparisons.

BioShock Infinite
1366x768 High Preset
Acer Aspire V Nitro 7-791G-70TW GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Kingston RBU-SNS8100S3256GD	115.7 fps ∼100% +127%
Asus N752VX-GC131T GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B256	59.4 fps ∼51% +16%
Microsoft Surface Book Core i5 Maxwell GPU (940M, GDDR5), 6300U, Samsung MZFLV256 NVMe	56.5 fps ∼49% +11%
Intel Skull Canyon NUC6i7KYK Iris Pro Graphics 580, 6770HQ, Samsung SSD 850 EVO m.2 120GB	51 fps ∼44%
Acer Aspire V3-372-57CW Iris Graphics 550, 6267U, Kingston RBU-SNS8152S3256GG2	43.3 fps ∼37% -15%
Microsoft Surface Pro 4 Core i7 Iris Graphics 540, 6650U, Samsung MZFLV256 NVMe	41.2 fps ∼36% -19%
Acer TravelMate P648-M-757N HD Graphics 520, 6500U, Lite-On CV1-8B256	22.2 fps ∼19% -56%
Fujitsu LifeBook E554 HD Graphics 4600, 4210M, Samsung SSD PM851 128 GB MZ7TE128HMGR	16.1 fps ∼14% -68%
1366x768 Medium Preset
Acer Aspire V Nitro 7-791G-70TW GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Kingston RBU-SNS8100S3256GD	131.3 fps ∼100% +127%
Microsoft Surface Book Core i5 Maxwell GPU (940M, GDDR5), 6300U, Samsung MZFLV256 NVMe	64.8 fps ∼49% +12%
Asus N752VX-GC131T GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B256	64.8 fps ∼49% +12%
Intel Skull Canyon NUC6i7KYK Iris Pro Graphics 580, 6770HQ, Samsung SSD 850 EVO m.2 120GB	57.9 fps ∼44%
Acer Aspire V3-372-57CW Iris Graphics 550, 6267U, Kingston RBU-SNS8152S3256GG2	50.9 fps ∼39% -12%
Microsoft Surface Pro 4 Core i7 Iris Graphics 540, 6650U, Samsung MZFLV256 NVMe	49.1 fps ∼37% -15%
Acer TravelMate P648-M-757N HD Graphics 520, 6500U, Lite-On CV1-8B256	26 fps ∼20% -55%
Fujitsu LifeBook E554 HD Graphics 4600, 4210M, Samsung SSD PM851 128 GB MZ7TE128HMGR	19.6 fps ∼15% -66%
1920x1080 Ultra Preset, DX11 (DDOF)
Acer Aspire V Nitro 7-791G-70TW GeForce GTX 960M, 4720HQ, Kingston RBU-SNS8100S3256GD	44.8 fps ∼100% +201%
Asus N752VX-GC131T GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ, Lite-On CV1-8B256	27.29 fps ∼61% +83%
Microsoft Surface Book Core i5 Maxwell GPU (940M, GDDR5), 6300U, Samsung MZFLV256 NVMe	20.8 fps ∼46% +40%
Intel Skull Canyon NUC6i7KYK Iris Pro Graphics 580, 6770HQ, Samsung SSD 850 EVO m.2 120GB	14.9 fps ∼33%
Microsoft Surface Pro 4 Core i7 Iris Graphics 540, 6650U, Samsung MZFLV256 NVMe	11.5 fps ∼26% -23%
Acer Aspire V3-372-57CW Iris Graphics 550, 6267U, Kingston RBU-SNS8152S3256GG2	11.4 fps ∼25% -23%
Acer TravelMate P648-M-757N HD Graphics 520, 6500U, Lite-On CV1-8B256	6.7 fps ∼15% -55%
Fujitsu LifeBook E554 HD Graphics 4600, 4210M, Samsung SSD PM851 128 GB MZ7TE128HMGR	5.3 fps ∼12% -64%

	low	med.	high	ultra
Sleeping Dogs (2012)	107.2	81.2	37.3	8.8
Guild Wars 2 (2012)	115.8		38.7	16.7
StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm (2013)	380.6	127.1	73.6	36.2
BioShock Infinite (2013)	101.3	57.9	51	14.9
Metro: Last Light (2013)	63.7	50.8	28.5	14.3
Thief (2014)	43.8	30.1	25	12.4
Batman: Arkham Knight (2015)	0 game wont start
Metal Gear Solid V (2015)	59.9	58.6	23	14.9
Dota 2 Reborn (2015)	59.8	37.2	15.3	14
Fallout 4 (2015)	0 severe graphical problems
Rise of the Tomb Raider (2016)	30.2	18.2	12.2	8.9
Doom (2016)	0 game wont start
Overwatch (2016)	60.5	53.3	42.9	23.1

Stress Test

Skull Canyon performs very well when under extreme stress, but it's obvious that the cooling system is just barely enough to keep the hardware afloat at such high processing loads. Running Prime95 will launch core temperature to 99 C before stabilizing in the mid-to-upper 90 C range. Clock rates are stable at the 3.0 to 3.1 GHz rated maximum for multi-threaded processes, but the system is hanging by a thread in order to maintain such high speeds. Running only FurMark will bump core temperature to a stable 85 C.

Running both Prime95 and FurMark simultaneously brings the system down to its knees. When core temperature reaches 101 C, the CPU and GPU will throttle to a stable 1.4 GHz and 350 to 800 MHz range, respectively. Core temperature then plateaus in the mid 80 C range instead of the high 90s as a conservative action.

Fortunately, no such throttling occurs when under gaming loads. The system remains stable with its fluctuating CPU Turbo Boost and stable 950 MHz GPU when running Unigine Heaven. Core temperature is stable in the 80 to 90 C range, but this is still much warmer than what we would have liked. Gaming notebooks with the Core i7-6700HQ tend to stabilize in the 65 to 75 C range when running the same benchmark.

	CPU Clock (GHz)	GPU Clock (MHz)	Average CPU Temperature (C)
Prime95 Stress	3.0 - 3.1	--	~97
FurMark Stress	--	800	~85
Prime95 + FurMark Stress	1.4	350 - 800	~84
Unigine Heaven Stress	2.6+	950	~80

Emissions

System Noise

(White: Background, Red: System idle, Blue: Unigine Heaven, Green: Prime95)

The cooling system consists of a single 40 mm fan and heat pipe. Notebooks sporting the comparable Core i7-6700HQ usually carry larger 50 mm fans with longer heat pipes in comparison. The relatively tiny cooling apparatus for this particular NUC explains why our stress test temperatures above plateau at such high levels.

Subsequently, it's unsurprising that the fan never idles even when simply sitting on the desktop screen. Fan noise remains quiet in the low 30 dB(A) range when browsing, word processing, or during movie playback. Gaming, however, will bump fan noise to a stable 43 dB(A). This is loud and comparable to many high-end gaming notebooks with dedicated Nvidia GPUs.

Stressing the system even further with Prime95 and FurMark simultaneously will not result in higher fan noise due to system throttling. Running Prime95 only, however, will bump fan noise to an even louder 46 dB(A).

	Intel Skull Canyon NUC6i7KYK Iris Pro Graphics 580, 6770HQ, Samsung SSD 850 EVO m.2 120GB	Intel NUC6i5SYH Iris Graphics 540, 6260U, Samsung SSD XP941 MZHPU256HCGL	Acer TravelMate P648-M-757N HD Graphics 520, 6500U, Lite-On CV1-8B256	Acer Aspire V3-372-57CW Iris Graphics 550, 6267U, Kingston RBU-SNS8152S3256GG2	Microsoft Surface Pro 4 Core i7 Iris Graphics 540, 6650U, Samsung MZFLV256 NVMe	Asus G501VW-FY081T GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung CM871 MZNLF128HCHP
Noise		2%	8%	4%	8%	-2%
off / environment *	29.5	30.4 -3%	31.2 -6%	29.1 1%		31.2 -6%
Idle Minimum *	31.6	33 -4%	31.2 1%	29.1 8%	28.4 10%	32.1 -2%
Idle Average *	32.2	33 -2%	31.2 3%	29.1 10%	28.6 11%	32.1 -0%
Idle Maximum *	32.3	33 -2%	31.6 2%	29.1 10%	28.7 11%	32.1 1%
Load Average *	43	33 23%	33.3 23%	41.1 4%	40.8 5%	43.3 -1%
Load Maximum *	43.2	42.7 1%	32.4 25%	46.4 -7%	41.4 4%	44.3 -3%

* ... smaller is better

Noise Level

Idle		31.6 / 32.2 / 32.3 dB(A)
Load		43 / 43.2 dB(A)

	30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud
min: , med: , max: BK Precision 732A (15 cm distance) environment noise: 29.5 dB(A)

Temperature

Surface temperatures are warmest on the side of the unit closest to the fan and heat sink. We were able to record a maximum of about 45 C when under Prime95 and FurMark stress, so the system is never uncomfortably warm during use.

Max. Load

Idle


28.4 °C 83 F	35.8 °C 96 F	41.2 °C 106 F
27.6 °C 82 F	35 °C 95 F	35.6 °C 96 F
26.4 °C 80 F	33.2 °C 92 F	31.6 °C 89 F

Maximum: 41.2 °C = 106 F
Average: 32.8 °C = 91 F


44.4 °C 112 F	36 °C 97 F	29.2 °C 85 F
38 °C 100 F	34.4 °C 94 F	30.2 °C 86 F
34.6 °C 94 F	33 °C 91 F	28.4 °C 83 F

Maximum: 44.4 °C = 112 F
Average: 34.2 °C = 94 F

Room Temperature 20 °C = 68 F | Fluke 62 Mini IR Thermometer

(±) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 32.8 °C / 91 F, compared to the average of 33.8 °C / 93 F for the devices in the class Gaming.
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 41.2 °C / 106 F, compared to the average of 40.4 °C / 105 F, ranging from 21.2 to 68.8 °C for the class Gaming.
(±) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 44.4 °C / 112 F, compared to the average of 43.2 °C / 110 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 26.7 °C / 80 F, compared to the device average of 33.8 °C / 93 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are reaching skin temperature as a maximum (33.2 °C / 91.8 F) and are therefore not hot.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 29 °C / 84.2 F (-4.2 °C / -7.6 F).

Energy Management

Power Consumption

The Skull Canyon NUC demands more power than notebooks with ULV CPUs both when idling and when under gaming loads. Users can expect a power draw of just over 60 W when gaming on the system compared to about 40 W on ULV notebooks, 20 W on the Surface Pro 4, and 80 W on the Asus G501 under similar loads. Note that power demand drops to just under 50 W when running both Prime95 and FurMark since the system will throttle once core temperature reaches triple digits.

The power adapter itself is about half the size of the actual system (16 x 7.5 x 2.5 cm) with a rated output of 120 W. The power overhead here is sufficient, so it is clear that the system throttling is due to core temperature concerns and not a lack of power from the adapter.

	Intel Skull Canyon NUC6i7KYK Iris Pro Graphics 580, 6770HQ, Samsung SSD 850 EVO m.2 120GB	Acer TravelMate P648-M-757N HD Graphics 520, 6500U, Lite-On CV1-8B256	Acer Aspire V3-372-57CW Iris Graphics 550, 6267U, Kingston RBU-SNS8152S3256GG2	Microsoft Surface Pro 4, Core i5, 128GB HD Graphics 520, 6300U, Samsung MZFLV128 NVMe	Asus G501VW-FY081T GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, Samsung CM871 MZNLF128HCHP
Power Consumption		43%	44%	55%	-5%
Idle Minimum *	14.8	5.3 64%	3.4 77%	4.4 70%	6.9 53%
Idle Average *	15.7	9.3 41%	6.5 59%	9 43%	10.7 32%
Idle Maximum *	15.8	11.5 27%	7 56%	10.7 32%	13.2 16%
Load Average *	62.7	30.8 51%	44.5 29%	19.6 69%	82 -31%
Load Maximum *	48.5	32 34%	49.5 -2%	19.9 59%	94 -94%

* ... smaller is better

Power Consumption

Off / Standby	0.67 / 0.97 Watt
Idle	14.8 / 15.7 / 15.8 Watt
Load	62.7 / 48.5 Watt


Key: min: , med: , max: Metrahit Energy Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.

Pros

+ easy access to 2x SODIMM slots and 2x M.2 slots

+ plenty of ports; USB Type-C + Thunderbolt

+ very fast CPU performance

+ NVMe or RAID options

+ small and compact

+ good build quality

+ DDR4 RAM

+ IR sensor

Cons

- very high core temperature when gaming or under extreme loads

- not powerful enough for a dedicated gaming machine

- loud fan noise when gaming

- no internal 2.5-inch support

Verdict

In review: Intel Skull Canyon NUC6i7KYK. Test model provided by Intel.

With marketing words like "Mini PC. Full-sized performance" used for the Skull Canyon NUC, buyers might get the wrong idea about the system. Its CPU power is indeed very impressive and as powerful as gaming notebooks worth twice the price of the NUC. Its GPU horsepower, however, is comparable to a GeForce 940M, which is only powerful enough for undemanding mainstream titles like LoL or Overwatch and generally insufficient for heavier titles where some may not even launch at all.

Other than its lukewarm gaming capabilities, core temperature is generally warmer than notebooks with the comparable Core i7-6700HQ while running just as loudly when under gaming loads. The size of the NUC is a major factor here, but we're still impressed that CPU Turbo Boost remains stable and with no throttling when gaming. Connectivity options are another notable plus for the system for multimedia and HTPC use. The USB Type-C + Thunderbolt 3 port in particular should give the system long legs due to its versatility.

Skull Canyon is not so much a dedicated gaming machine as it is a versatile mini PC with more CPU and GPU power than most pricier Ultrabooks currently in the market.

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Allen Ngo - Lead Editor U.S. - 5074 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2011

After graduating with a B.S. in environmental hydrodynamics from the University of California, I studied reactor physics to become licensed by the U.S. NRC to operate nuclear reactors. There's a striking level of appreciation you gain for everyday consumer electronics after working with modern nuclear reactivity systems astonishingly powered by computers from the 80s. When I'm not managing day-to-day activities and US review articles on Notebookcheck, you can catch me following the eSports scene and the latest gaming news.

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> Notebook / Laptop Reviews and News > Reviews > Intel Skull Canyon NUC6i7KYK Review

Allen Ngo, 2016-06-14 (Update: 2020-06- 8)