First Core i7 Powered Intel NUC Incoming

Intel's revolutionary NUC (next unit of computing) ultra-compact desktop, which set out to offer performance rivaling desktops ten times its size, was traditionally limited to Core i5 chips at the top-end. Intel wants to change that, and is giving final touches to the first NUC to feature a Core i7 processor, and one based on its 5th generation Core "Broadwell" technology, at that. Bearing a model number of "NUC5i7RYH," this NUC will be driven by a Core i7-5557U dual-core processor (2 cores, 4 threads, 3.40 GHz clocks, 4 MB L3 cache, dual-channel DDR3L-1866 IMC), with Intel Iris-6100 graphics. That could make it the first Steambox-ready NUC to lack NVIDIA or AMD graphics. Intel could use a fan-heatsink to cool the 28W TDP chip.