Intel's Hades Canyon NUCs with Radeon Graphics are Official: $799-$999, Shipping in Spring 2018
by Ganesh T S on January 7, 2018 9:01 PM ESTLAS VEGAS, NV — Intel's Skylake-based Skull Canyon NUC has been a popular mini-desktop since its launch in early 2016. We didn't see a corresponding Kaby Lake version last year. However, thanks to the leaks of the NUC roadmap back in September, we unofficially knew what the pipeline contained. Undoubtedly, the most interesting of the new systems were the Hades Canyon models that apparently came with discrete graphics. As details of the Intel with Radeon RX Vega Graphics processors started trickling in last week, we got some hints about the processor inside the Hades Canyon NUCs. The launch today provides us with the official specifications of the new processors aimed at systems that need to have discrete graphics while remaining thin and light.
Unlike Skull Canyon, which has only one SKU (NUC6i7KYK) with the Core i7-6700HQ, Intel is launching Hades Canyon in two versions. The more powerful of the two is the $999 VR-ready NUC8i7HVK sporting the 100W TDP unlocked Core i7-8809G. The other SKU is the $799 NUC8i7HNK with the 65W TDP Core i7-8705G. The rest of the features are identical across the two SKUs.
NUC8i7HVK and NUC8i7HNK - I/O Distribution across Front and Rear Panels
The table below compares the various features of the two Hades Canyon NUCs against the Skull Canyon NUC that currently targets this market segment.
Aspect | Hades Canyon | Skull Canyon | |
NUC8i7HVK | NUC8i7HNK | NUC7i7KYK | |
CPU | Intel Core i7-8809G Kaby Lake, 4C/8T 3.1GHz (up to 4.2GHz), 14nm+, 8MB L2 100W Package TDP |
Intel Core i7-8705G Kaby Lake, 4C/8T 3.1GHz (up to 4.1GHz), 14nm+, 8MB L2 65W Package TDP |
Intel Core i7-6770HQ Skylake, 4C/8T 2.6GHz (up to 3.5 GHz), 14nm, 6MB L2 45W TDP |
Graphics | Radeon RX Vega M GH 24 CUs, 64 PPC 1063-1190MHz GPU, 800MHz Memory 4GB / 1024-bit HBM2 On-Package |
Radeon RX Vega M GL 20 CUs, 32 PPC 931-1101MHz GPU, 700MHz Memory 4GB / 1024-bit HBM2 On-Package |
Intel Iris Pro Graphics 580 On-Die 128MB eDRAM |
Memory | 2x DDR4 2400+ SODIMMs 1.2V, 32GB max. |
2x DDR4 2133+ SODIMMs 1.2V, 32GB max. |
|
Storage | 2x M.2 22x42/80 (key M) SATA3 or PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe/AHCI SSD RAID-0 and RAID-1 Supported |
||
I/O Ports | 2x Thunderbolt 3 (rear) 4x USB 3.0 Type-A (rear) 1x USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C (front) 1x USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A (front) 1x USB 3.0 Type-A Charging Port (front) 1x SDXC UHS-I Slot (front) CIR (front) 2x USB 3.0 / 2x USB 2.0 internal headers |
1x Thunderbolt 3 (rear) 2x USB 3.0 Type-A (rear) 1x USB 3.0 Type-A (front) 1x USB 3.0 Type-A Charging Port (front) 1x SDXC UHS-I Slot (front) CIR (front) 2x USB 3.0 / 2x USB 2.0 internal headers |
|
Networking | 2x Gigabit RJ-45 (Intel i219-LM and i210-AT) Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265 M.2 2230 (2x2 802.11ac - 867 Mbps) Bluetooth 4.2 |
1x Gigabit RJ-45 (Intel i219-LM) Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8260 M.2 2230 (2x2 802.11ac - 867 Mbps) Bluetooth 4.2 |
|
Display Outputs | 1x HDMI 2.0a (front) 1x HDMI 2.0a (rear) 2x mini-DP (DisplayPort 1.3) (rear) 2x USB-C (via Thunderbolt 3 ports, rear) |
1x mini-DP (DisplayPort 1.2) (rear) 1x HDMI 2.0a (rear) 1x USB-C (via Thunderbolt 3 port, rear) |
|
Audio | 7.1 digital (over HDMI and DisplayPort); L+R+mic (F); L+R+TOSLINK (R) | ||
Audio Codec | Realtek ALC700 | Realtek ALC233 | |
Enclosure | Metal and plastic Kensington lock with base security |
||
Power Supply | 230W (19V @ 12.1A) Adapter | 120W (19V @ 6.32A) Adapter | |
Dimensions | 21mm x 142mm x 39mm / 1.2L | 216mm x 116mm x 23mm / 0.69L | |
Miscellaneous Features | Replaceable lid with customizable RGB LED illumination Status LEDs in front panel Quad beam-forming microphone array VESA mounting plate 3-year warranty |
Replaceable lid Status LEDs in front panel VESA mounting plate 3-year warranty |
The footprint of the Hades Canyon NUCs (221mm x 142mm x 39mm / 1.2L) is slightly bigger than the Skull Canyon NUC (216mm x 116mm x 23mm / 0.69L). It is not surprising, given the wealth of extra I/O and the additional cooling requirements for the higher TDP processor. The power adapter also receives a hefty uptick in specifications, moving from 120W to 230W. Customizable RGB lighting for the lid is an attractive feature in the gaming market.
It must be noted that all the six display outputs in the Hades Canyon NUCs are driven by the Radeon GPU. The Intel iGPU is still active in the 'headless' mode, and features like QuickSync and the internal protected audio/video path can be used. Intel confirmed that the platform is capable of playing back UltraHD Blu-rays with HDR (Update: After our hands-on review, it was discovered that the Hades Canyon NUCs will not be able to utilize the integrated GPU's PAVP, and playback of UltraHD Blu-rays is not possible using them). It will also be PlayReady 3.0-compatible, enabling the system to access and play back premium 4K content. We have seen a trend in desktops to place a HDMI port in the front panel for easier hook up of virtual reality head-mounted displays, and both of the Hades Canyon NUCs have adopted it. Given the VR-ready marketing tag for the NUC9i7HVK, it is a welcome move.
DDR4-2400 is now the base supported memory speed, which is a step up from the DDR4-2133 in the Skull Canyon NUC. We were able to get the G.Skill Ripjaws DDR4-3000 SODIMM kit running stable in the Skull Canyon sample. With overclocking natively supported in the VR-ready NUC8i7HVK, we expect faster kits to be compatible too.
In terms of I/O, we have an additional Thunderbolt 3 port in the Hades Canyon NUCs compared to Skull Canyon. (Update: We confirmed that the controller is not the new Titan Ridge silicon, but, the JHL6540 Alpine Ridge dual port version) We also have an extra LAN port (enabled by the Intel i210AT gigabit controller). One of the front USB 3.0 Type-A ports has also been replaced by two USB 3.1 Gen 2 ports (1x Type-A, and 1x Type-C). Intel is using an ASMedia ASM2142 USB 3.1 Gen 2 controller for this. It is uplinked directly to the CPU's PCIe lanes with a PCIe 3.0 x2 link.
The Wi-Fi also receives a slight upgrade, moving from the AC8260 to AC8265. The main difference is the availability of MU-MIMO in the latter. The audio codec also receives an update. While the ALC233 in the Skull Canyon was a stereo codec, the new ALC700 is an upgrade with features that lie between the ALC892 and ALC662. It supports 7.1 digital output over optical/toslink and also supports analog output from the front and rear jacks.
Moving on to the core platform, it appears that the Thunderbolt ports as well as the M.2 slots are hooked up to the PCIe lanes off the PCH. Moving some of the bandwidth-hungry peripherals (in particular, the Thunderbolt controller) to the CPU's PCIe lanes could ensure that the DMI link between the PCH and the processor package is not a bottleneck. That said, it is at least good to see the Bayhub SDXC controller and the ASM3142 controller connected directly to the CPU using 1x and 2x lanes respectively. Due to lane bifurcation rules, the 8x PCIe 3.0 lanes can't be sub-divided any further to accommodate the Alpine Ridge controller.
Intel plans to price the NUC8i7HVK and NUC8i7HNK around $999 and $799 respectively. Fully configured systems will likely be $300 to $400 more, depending on the configuration. The products will be available for purchase in Q2 2018 (tallying with the leaked roadmap from September 2017). The NUC8i7HNK will be available first with the VR-ready NUC8i7HVK following a few weeks later.
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cacnoff - Tuesday, January 9, 2018 - link
The lid IS replaceable, but you won't have to if you don't like the skull. Just turn the LEDs off and the Skull will be invisible.techguymaxc - Monday, January 8, 2018 - link
As much as I love both the NUC form-factor and the idea of the new Kaby Lake G CPUs, this pricing is absurd. You can buy a full-blown gaming laptop with a GTX 1060 for a few bucks more than the top-end Hades Canyon SKU:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074L1NK79/ref=asc_df_B0...
FMinus - Tuesday, January 9, 2018 - link
Any reasons why you would take upside down photos, and not orient/align them properly when you publish them. Seriously annoying looking at upside down photos.Sergio526 - Tuesday, January 9, 2018 - link
I'm noticing mistakes like this on all the tech blogs. Everyone is frantically trying to be the first to get info out that first drafts are getting published and never touched again! These sites should have at least an intern go over published articles and fix typos, formatting, and images!Sergio526 - Tuesday, January 9, 2018 - link
I don't know. I've been looking forward to this device ever since the G SKUs leaked months ago, but the pricing seems a little steep. I was hoping to use this in my living room as a Kodi and Emulator PC. The reason why I always end up buying NUCs for media PCs (living room and bedrooms) is the ability to power them on via IR.I'm not married to Intel, by any means, so if AMD wants to release their own SFF PC with an IR sensor that can power it on from S5 and it's even a little cheaper than this guy, I'm interested!
Albertc - Friday, January 19, 2018 - link
There is a typo in the table. The dimensions of the Hades Canyon NUCs (221mm x 142mm x 39mm / 1.2L), not 21mm x 142mm x 39mm / 1.2L.Either the dimensions or volume of the Skull Canyon NUC (216mm x 116mm x 23mm / 0.69L) is incorrect. 216mm x 116mm x 23mm = 0.576L, not 0.69L.
forgerone - Thursday, February 8, 2018 - link
Have these been benched for mining? If they are equivalent to RX 580 then as an all in small box computer this would be pretty good.Buy a bunch and build a NUC mining cluster out of them.
Oxford Guy - Monday, February 12, 2018 - link
Fan noise is going to be a big problem?Blackjack2018 - Sunday, February 18, 2018 - link
It’ll run loud like a hair drier, and quite hot to touch, attach 3 monitors and it’ll probably thermal throttle or switch off! It’ll need at least a C7 copper version for decent temp and noise. But that will never happen unless some start making custom cases for them.piroroadkill - Tuesday, February 20, 2018 - link
"7.1 digital output over optical/toslink"Has something happened I'm not aware of? I thought consumer-grade SPDIF was limited to 1.5Mbps 5.1 DTS at the absolute most.