[GTALUG] NUC NUC NUC

[Russell Reiter]

On Fri, May 17, 2019 at 1:00 PM Evan Leibovitch via talk <talk at gtalug.org>
wrote:

> On Fri, 17 May 2019 at 11:59, D. Hugh Redelmeier via talk <talk at gtalug.org>
> wrote:
>
>
>> | I'm looking to upgrade my PC that's served me well for about 8 years,
>> but
>> | it's starting to be unreliable and I can't upgrade the RAM beyond 4GB.
>>
>> Unreliable: probably not worth the effort to diagnose.
>>
>> Can't upgrade beyond 4G: Really?  My 8-year-old desktop computers can
>> do a lot better than that.  What model is it?
>>
>
> It's an old AMD-based ASUS mobo that's supposed to take more. I bought
> upgrade RAM according to the docs, it was seen in the BIOS diagnostic but
> the OS refuses to see it. I'm tired of throwing good hours after old ones
> after reading and following every possible remedy. Enough.
>
>
>> I like these little computers.  There's not a lot of reason to add
>> PCIe cards or optical drives to a computer these days.  The one
>> remaining need is for graphics cards.
>>
>
>
> There is an HDMI port to the Intel one as well as a Thunderbolt port to
> handle Displayport video. I'll need to read up and figure what equipment
> I'll need to split out 5.1 audio (with is currently done using an optical
> cable).
>

Check your device logos. Both devices need to be specifically enabled for
Displayport over USB-C. (SS) with the usb trident for Displayport.


> Wasn't Thunderbird an Apple thing?
>
> - often only room for one "disk", 2.5" SATA, but sometimes also m.2
>>   (SATA or NVMe).  I like having both: a fast SSD and a larger
>>   capacity spinning disk.
>>
>
> I already have a 2.5 SSD ready to be used.
>
> The new Intel NUCs have a capacity for something called "Optane", which
> looks like fast NVRAM (16 or 32 GB) used as extended cache. I have a choice
> of installing one of those, or using the M.2 slot for a conventional SSD to
> hold the OS.
>

Optane was intended to be a cache memory to increase the performance of
conventional spinning HD's under Windows OS. However, I've been booting
Fedora from both a 500gb SSD and 32gb Optane Nvme as I tinker with my own
desktop. Most certainly booting to a login prompt is fractionally quicker
on the Nvme than on the conventional SSD.  However recently I up-sized my
Nvme and have populated my M.2 slots with a 250gb WD black Nvme for boot
and now added an additional 1TB to the second M.2 slot with F29 still on
the SSD. Copying a 100gb image to the 1TB drive really hit performance tho
and that was probably due to the lack of a decent heat sink.

I just ordered a hteatsink fro the internal 1TB and an external USB-C
enclosure for the 32gb drive. Perhaps with the NUC form factor heat might
be a problem on a larger sized Nvme but with USB-C you have wiggle room for
adaptation.


> There are or were other brands of NUC-like computers.  Gigabyte's BRIX,
>> MSI Cubi, and who knows what else.
>>
>
> I've looked at/for many of these brands as well as the category-creator,
> Shuttle. The Intel and Zotac still look best.
> Thanks for your help!
>
> - Evan
>
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>


-- 
Russell
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