Intel hints at Ghost Canyon X NUCs with 8-core i9 H-series CPUs

The more affordable Frost Canyon X NUCs are scheduled for a Q3 2019 release, while the premium Ghost Canyon X models will not be available before the start of 2020. (Source: Intel)

Intel is planning to release refreshed NUC kits in 2019. A couple of leaked slides reveal that there will be a premium lineup (Ghost Canyon X) with 45 W CPUs that can get up to 8 cores and 16 threads, plus three more affordable family (Frost Canyon X) with 25 W CPUs that can get up to 6 cores and 12 threads. These new kits will be available towards the end of 2019.

by Bogdan Solca, 2018/12/07

Desktop Thunderbolt

According to a couple of leaked slides coming directly from Intel, the NUC lineup of mini PCs is expected to be refreshed with 9th gen Coffee Lake-H and Comet Lake-U CPUs featuring TDPs up to 45 W. The H-series CPUs will power the Ghost Canyon X models, while the U-series will be included with the Frost Canyon X variants.

Intel will market the Ghost Canyon X models as the premium versions that will be powered by a new series of processors called Core 9000-H. This new series will include an 8-core / 16-thread CPU with the i9 denominator, a 6-core / 12-thread CPU with the i7 denominator and a 4-core / 8-thread CPU with the i5 denominator. All three CPUs will get 45 W TDP ratings and will integrate the latest UHD Graphics GPUs, however, frequencies are currently unknown. As far as connectors are concerned, there will be support for a PCIe x16 slot, 2X M.2 PCIe Gen 3 x4 plus Optane memory compatibility, 3X HDMI 2.0a outputs, 2X Thunderbolt 3 ports and up to 8X USB-A ports.

The Frost Canyon X variants will be powered by the 25 W CPUs from the Comet Lake-U family. These are slightly less powerful CPUs that come with a maximum of 6 cores and 12 threads (the i7 model). There will also be an i5 model with 4 cores and 8 threads, and an i3 model with only 2 cores and 4 threads,as well. The other specs are identical to the Ghost Canyon models.

Pricing information is not yet available, but the slides indicate that the Frost Canyon X models would become available in Q3 2019, whereas the Ghost Canyon X could be released in late 2019 or early 2020.