Intel presents NUC 13 Extreme “Raptor Canyon” mini PC with 3-slot video card support

Intel previewed the NUC 13 Extreme “Raptor Canyon” small form-factor modular PC at TwitchCon, but this latest version does not really look small anymore. Last year, Intel introduced the NUC 12 Extreme model with a an 8 L case that allows users to easily add a desktop-grade GPU card. Nevertheless, things tend to get quite crowded in an 8 L case and airflow might not be ideal, so Intel is upping the ante with a larger 13.9 L case for the NUC 13 Extreme, which can even accommodate a 3-slot full-size GPU card now.

Instead of placing the GPU next to the compute element card, the larger NUC 13 Extreme case stacks the compute unit on top of the GPU, and both connect to a small PCB. It is unclear why Intel chose to show an Nvidia RTX 3000 card instead of plugging its own Arc A770. For improved airflow and cooling efficiency, Intel is adding 2x 120 mm fans on the back panel. Intel showed the compute unit card that is almost the size of a GPU video card, yet it did not reveal the exact specs besides mentioning an i9 unlocked processor complemented by up to 64 GB of DDR5 RAM.

It remains to be seen how Intel is going to tackle the cooling efficiency issues on the compute unit. The showcased board appears to have a larger blower fan attached to a “highly-optimized” heatsink, which is supposed to handle a desktop-grade i9 K processor. However, the peak TDPs as well as OC headroom may end up reduced.

Full specs along with pricing and availability for the NUC 13 Extreme should be unveiled in two weeks.

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