Intel NUC5i5RYK Broadwell-U Mini-PC Review

Name: Intel NUC5i5RYK Broadwell-U Mini-PC Review
Brand: Intel

by Marco Chiappetta — Wednesday, February 25, 2015, 12:00 PM EDT

Throughout all of our benchmarking and testing, we also monitored how much power our test systems consumed using a power meter. Our goal was to give you all an idea as to how much power each configuration used while idling and while under a heavy workload. Please keep in mind that we were testing total system power consumption at the outlet here, not just the power being drawn by the processors alone.

Total System Power Consumption

Tested at the Outlet

pow

This is where the NUC5i5RYK really shines. The Broadwell-based CPU in this little machine sips power. When idling, the rig consumed only 6 watts. And under a full CPU load, that number jumps up to only 22 watts--much lower than any other system. We should note, that when gaming, when the CPU and GPU and both being taxed, power consumption got into the mid-30 watt range, but it was still relatively low.

With such minimal power consumption, it should come as no surprise that the NUC5i5RYK is relatively cool and quiet. The CPU idles in the 30'C range and when under load, the system's cooling fan generates very little noise. It DOES spin up and generate an audible hum, but it is certainly quiet and suitable for any environment, including a home theater.

Tags: Intel, SFF, Barebone, system, DIY, NUC, Broadwell

Marco Chiappetta

Marco's interest in computing and technology dates all the way back to his early childhood. Even before being exposed to the Commodore P.E.T. and later the Commodore 64 in the early ‘80s, he was interested in electricity and electronics, and he still has the modded AFX cars and shop-worn soldering irons to prove it. Once he got his hands on his own Commodore 64, however, computing became Marco's passion. Throughout his academic and professional lives, Marco has worked with virtually every major platform from the TRS-80 and Amiga, to today's high end, multi-core servers. Over the years, he has worked in many fields related to technology and computing, including system design, assembly and sales, professional quality assurance testing, and technical writing. In addition to being the Managing Editor here at HotHardware for close to 15 years, Marco is also a freelance writer whose work has been published in a number of PC and technology related print publications and he is a regular fixture on HotHardware’s own Two and a Half Geeks webcast. - Contact: marco(at)hothardware(dot)com