Intel NUC DN2820FYKH Bay Trail System Review

[Apoptosis]

What kind of DIY desktop computer kit can you get for just $128.00? The Intel NUC DN2820FYKH is so inexpensive and tiny (measures just 116.6mm x 112.0mm x 51.5mm) that it grabbed our attention and we just had to get our hands on one. The Intel NUC Kit DN2820FYKH is powered by an Intel Celeron N2820 processor (up to 2.4GHz dual-core, 1MB cache, 7.5W TDP) that also contains Intel HD Graphics that operates up to 756MHz with a single HDMI 1.4a video output. The kit comes with the processor, CPU cooler, power supply, motherboard, 802.11n WiFi card and the case. The only thing missing is a single 1066MHz DDR3L SO-DIMM memory module and a 2.5-inch notebook hard drive or solid-state drive. The final price of building up the NUC DN2820FYKH really depends on the hardware and OS that you install, but it shouldn’t be that bad. Read on to see how to build one and then how it performs!



Article Title: Intel NUC DN2820FYKH Bay Trail System Review
Article URL: http://www.legitreviews.com/intel-nuc-d ... iew_135053
Pricing At Time of Print: $138.00 Shipped

[Apoptosis]

Reader question:

does MPC-HC hardware decoding work with hardware decoder in the Celeron?

I'm guessing that it does. I downloaded Media Player Classic - Home Cinema along with two 1080P H.264 MKV video clips (one at 10Mbps and the other at 40Mbps) to see how how the DN2820FYKH would perform. Both played back the clip just fine and looked to be around 7-11% CPU usage. I'm guessing that the hardware decoder is functional here since the CPU usage is so low.

[muya]

hi,

any chance to perform a winrar task? create a 5 GB file and extract it on the SSD?
how long does it take and what is the cpu usage

may a comparison with the D34010WYK also possible?

much appreciate the test.

Regards,
Muya

[Apoptosis]

any chance to perform a winrar task? create a 5 GB file and extract it on the SSD?
how long does it take and what is the cpu usage

I don't have the Core i3 NUC to make any comparisons, but I did download the latest build of Winrar x64 and run the built-in benchmark. I like doing this better as winrar performance partially depends on the files you use and what I have and what you plan on using are likely going to be different. Here are the built-in tests.

You are looking at around 500-600 KB/s with a single thread.

With both cores enabled you are looking at around 1080 KB/s. So, about 68MB/s as I let it go a minute and that was the result. Hope this helps.

[muya]

u r right and when i tell u that i will mostly extract compressed files, any chance to get this test?
the benchmark is also great and helps me to compare with other systems.
could u do the benchmark and the extract test on the i5?

i will use the NUC for downloading, extracting and copying, so ì`m not sure if the celeron or the i3 is the best for me.

cheers,
muya

[Apoptosis]

The Intel NUC D54250WYK scored 3,709KB/s in the multi-threaded test with the Intel Core i5-4250U Processor. So you are looking at a 3.5x performance increase to go from the $128 Bay Trail-M NUC to the $373 Core i5 Haswell NUC.

I have some other things I need to benchmark, so I have cleared the NUCs off the test bench for the time being.

[Flying Fox]

Any chance to try a 1080p RMVB file, where there is not any hardware acceleration and the CPU has to stand on its own cores? Thanks.

[Apoptosis]

Any chance to try a 1080p RMVB file, where there is not any hardware acceleration and the CPU has to stand on its own cores? Thanks.

Sure, can you send me a link to the file you'd like me to try and the player you want used?

[dface]

Hi,

thank you very much for this comprehensive review.

Do you guys think it is possible to run the free VMware vSphere Hypervisor software on the DN2820FYKH to virtualize some low end systems like pfSense (with USB LAN), UniFi Wifi Controller Software and maybe some simple Network Monitoring Software for about 5 Network devices?

[kenc51]

Hi,

thank you very much for this comprehensive review.

Do you guys think it is possible to run the free VMware vSphere Hypervisor software on the DN2820FYKH to virtualize some low end systems like pfSense (with USB LAN), UniFi Wifi Controller Software and maybe some simple Network Monitoring Software for about 5 Network devices?

You can but it runs the celeron N2820 which only has basic virt support, you will be better off with an i3 or i5 cpu.
http://ark.intel.com/m/products/79052/I ... ifications

Make sure you get a large hdd as network monitoring / logging can take up a lot of space, depending on how long you want the data for.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

[bigonbricks]

Great review on the baytrail unit.

I was sold on the i3 but now I'm thinking this unit might work for me. I want something to replace my bulky tower pc that I built about 7 years ago. It is a Core 2 Duo processor.

I mostly use my pc for internet, music downloading and for running my stock software, ETrade pro. Will this unit handle basic multi-tasking? Internet, music player running and maybe downloading a movie at the same time?

The price point is really attractive. With a Crucial 8GB memory, Crucial 120GB SSD, WD 1TB External USB 3.0 for bulk storage it's around $370.

I am curious how much power I am going to lose vs the i3. I am assuming its significant but will it be felt for day to day activities?

Thanks

[guycarmeli]

This is a wonderfully thorough review. It helped me make my final decision for picking one up to set up as my HTPC.

Sadly though I'm not experiencing the video performance that was reported here. All of my videos are pretty standard - MKV's and MP4's at 1080 and 720 resolution - but none are playing smoothly so far. They are laggy and choppy, and the CPU is maxing out at 100%, as if the hardware acceleration isn't kicking in.

My setup is pretty straightforward:
- Intel NUC DN2820FYKH
- 60Gb SSD
- 4Gb RAM
- Windows Pro 8.1
* BIOS and drivers are all up to date (3/17/2014)
* Changed video minimum memory to 512Mb
* Media resides on a 2Tb WD Elements connected via USB
* Connected to display directly via HDMI

Tried using Plex, VLC, MPC.... installed K-Lite........ nothing. Performance varies between players, but none manage to do the job properly.

This is very frustrating as I have purchased this machine specifically for this purpose, and from the review it seems pretty clear that it should handle these files easily.
I was wondering if perhaps I am missing something? Any additional software I should install or setting to lookup?

Thanks!