Intel NUC 11 Extreme Review – Ultra-Compact High-End Gaming NUC
PCMARK – NUC 11 Extreme VS Pre-Built SystemsÂ
Once again, we are comparing Intel’s NUC 11 Extreme compare with larger pre-build desktop systems. Like our NUC 11 Extreme sample, PCSpecialist’s Quartz Elite R and Lunar Spark systems both contain an Nvidia RTX 3060. So, how well does Intel’s vastly smaller NUC compare.Â
Here are the specifications of all three systems.Â
| Â | NUC 11 Extreme | PCS Quartz Elite R | PCS Lunar Spark |
| CPU | Intel i9-11900KB | AMD Ryzen 7 5800X | Intel i5-11400 |
| Case Size | NUC Compute Element | ATX | ATX |
| Memory | 16GB 3200MHz (2x8GB) | 16GB 3200MHz (2x8GB) | 8GB 2400MHz (1x 8GB) |
| Graphics | ASUS RTX 3060 Dual | Zotac RTX 3060 AMP White Edition | RTX 3060 |
| SSD | Sabrent Rocket 4 512GB | 512GB Intel 670p PCIe 3.0 | 256GB PCS SSD |
| CPU Cooling | NUC Compute Element | AIO Liquid Cooler | PCS 120mm Air Cooler |
PCMARK 10
Intel’s NUC 11 Extreme and its i9-11900KB easily outpaces the PSC Lunar Spark and its i5-11400 and sits relatively close to PCSpecialist’s Quarts Elite R system with its Ryzen 7 5800X.Â
The fact that Intel’s NUC sits within the same ballpark as PCSpecialist’s much larger Quartz Elite R system is huge a positive point for Intel’s NUC system. Remember that Intel’s NUC 11 Extreme is barely taller than a Mini ITX motherboard. You can’t build a mini ITX gaming system this small, which means you cannot fit a liquid-cooled Ryzen 7 5800X within this form factor.Â
What Intel had created within the NUC 11 Extreme’s form factor is impressive. While similarly small Mini ITX cases are available, Intel’s NUC barebones systems offer users a level of simplicity that many smaller ITX cases lack. Intel’s NUC form factor can also be applied to at-scale deployments, giving it a useful business use case.Â
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