Intel plans to release Quartz Canyon workstation NUCs with replaceable GPUs

Intel’s NUC lineup usually features small form factor PC systems that let users add their own storage and RAM configurations. Some NUCs also feature discrete GPUs that allow for light gaming, but users do not have the option to customize the graphics card, so the gaming experience is quite limited. With the upcoming Quartz Canyon series, this situation will change, as Intel is planning to add an accessible PCI slot for easy GPU customization.

The Quartz Canyon series was “leaked” by Russian site Softline in a document presenting all the existing and upcoming NUC models that Intel has in store. Rather than being a straightforward gaming system, the Quartz Canyon NUC is advertised as a workstation kit, as it comes powered by 8-core Intel Xeon E or Gen 9 Core i7 vPro CPUs. Since it can house high-end GPUs, the case appears to be heftier than the your average NUC, although no exact measurements are provided. Among the included features there also are dual Thunderbolt 3 ports for even more GPU power through external solutions, dual Ethernet ports and a Wi-Fi 6 AX200 interface, plus Optane and ECC memory support. Intel also provides an internal 500 W power supply, which clearly adds to the heftiness of the case.

Pricing and availability info is currently unknown, but the Quartz Canyon series will most likely be released towards the end of 2019.