Simply NUC’s newest computer is also one of the company’s cheapest to date. The new Simply NUC Zircon is a compact desktop computer with a 15-watt Intel N95 quad-core Alder Lake-N processor, support for up to three 4K displays, and a 2.5 GbE Ethernet port.
It’s available for pre-order now for $199 and up and it’s expected to begin shipping in November, 2023.
Unlike many mini PCs with Alder Lake-N chips, the Zircon has a SODIMM socket with support for user-replaceable DDR4-3200 memory, and the $199 starting price will get you a model with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SATA SSD.
Both of those features are upgradeable though. The system supports up to 32GB of RAM, and there’s an M.2 2280 slot for PCIe Gen 3 NVMe or SATA solid state drives as well as a 2.5 inch bay for a hard drive or SSD.
Simply NUC also includes a 3-year support plan by default, but you can pay an extra $99 for an extended 5-year plan.
What you don’t get for the starting price is a Windows license. You can either pay extra for Windows 11 Home, Pro, or IoT or opt to have Simply NUC ship your computer with the Ubuntu GNU/Linux distribution or no operating system at all.
The computer also ships with an Intel AC7265 wireless card with support for WiFi 5 and Bluetooth 5.0, and features a set of ports that includes:
- 2 x HDMI 2.0
- 1 x USB 3.0 Type-C (with DisplayPort Alt Mode
- 4 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A
- 1 x 2.5 GbE Ethernet (Intel i225-V)
- 1 x 3.5mm headset jack
- 1 x microSD card reader
With a 15-watt processor and support for a 2.5 inch hard drive, the Zircon does need a fan for active cooling, so this won’t be a completely silent computer. But it is a compact PC, measuring just 125 x 112 x 44mm (4.9″ x 4.4″ x 1.7″).
It supports a VESA mount kit, allowing you to wall mount the system or attach it to the back of a display, and the Simply NUC Zircon comes with a 36W power supply.
Hi,
“M.2 2280 slot for PCIe Gen 3 NVMe”
Do we know how many lanes?
Wow, great little box. Chromebox reborn. This will compete well against the low-end Chinese 4×4 boxes.