IntelNUC 11 Pro NUC11TNKv5 Barebone System - Socket BGA-1449 - Intel Core i5 11th Gen i5-1145G7 Quad-core (4 Core), Black

I recently purchased the Intel NUC 11 NUC11PAHi5 with 16GB DDR4 RAM, a 512GB SSD, and Windows 10 Pro, featuring the Core i5-1135G7 processor. After using it extensively for over a month, this mini PC has exceeded my expectations in every way.First and foremost, the build quality of the Intel NUC 11 is simply fantastic. From the moment I unboxed it, I could tell that great attention to detail had been given to its construction. The sleek and sturdy design gives a premium feel and instills confidence in its durability.Shipping was swift, and I received the product in excellent condition. The prompt delivery allowed me to get started quickly and without any delay. Setting up the NUC 11 was a breeze, thanks to its user-friendly interface and clear instructions.The performance of this mini PC has been flawless, especially when utilized as a dedicated Home Assistant device. While it may seem overkill for this purpose, it has proven to be a perfect fit for my needs. I have been able to manage over 100 local devices effortlessly, thanks to the additional Zigbee USB and ZWave USB modules I purchased separately.What truly amazed me is the NUC 11's ability to handle the continuous workload without a hitch. It has been running 24/7 for over a month now, and I have not encountered a single issue. The reliability and stability of this device are remarkable, as it flawlessly executes its tasks without any performance degradation or unexpected shutdowns. The Home Assistant OS is taking up about 2% of the hard drive space so far, so there's plenty of room to grow down the line.The small form factor of the NUC 11 is a game-changer. Its compact size allows it to occupy minimal space and fits perfectly on a small 2U shelf in my home lab rack. This compact design is amazing, as they have managed to pack incredible power and capabilities into such a tiny package.Overall, I am thoroughly impressed with the Intel NUC 11 NUC11PAHi5. Its outstanding build quality, prompt delivery, flawless performance, and remarkable compactness make it an ideal choice for running Home Assistant. If you are looking for a mini PC that combines power, reliability, and a small footprint, this is the one to go for. It has truly become an indispensable asset in my smart home setup, and I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone seeking a top-notch companion for their Home Assistant needs.

I've been using NUC's since 2014 when I first became aware of them. I always get the 'barebones' model and add my own RAM, storage, and OS. (Incidentally, they run every version of Linux I've tried without issue, though I also have use them with Windows without issue.) Thus, I'm not reviewing just this NUC 11, but the entire idea behind them, and I'm coming off years of "never a problem", though there are things I'd change.First, some background: When Intel introduced the NUC line, there really wasn't much competition, as I recall, though well-known brands like ASUS started selling similar products. This has changed over the years and now the only competition I see are Chinese brands I've never seen before. My issue with those brands (a couple of which have many good reviews) is that one brand (Beelink) wanted someone who was having a problem that Beelink tech support might be the motherboard, and it was too late to return to Amazon, to send the box back to China, where they would fix it and send it back. Even if that works (and it seems Beelink is trying to do right), how long is it going to take for all of that to happen these days. Also, most of the NUC knock-offs are using either very low-end chips or older ones like gen 8 intel chips (3 generations old) or older AMD chips. To be fair, their prices reflect this.PROS:1) Because Intel is making these things, they tend to use their products, which means you get high-quality parts such as one of the Intel AX2__ wifi/BT chips and Intel ethernet, etc. Also, the come with Thunderbolt, which many people won't use but which is great to have. It's still TB 3, but that's not uncommon.2) With each generation (though I skipped from buying a number of NUC 5's to NUC 10's and 11's) the quality and sophistication increases.3) I have been running a NUC 5 for 7 years without a break, except for automatic windows updates and reboots and have never had an issue - even the fan works fine and I never notice the noise from it, and I sit about 2.5 feet from it.4) They are about as easy to get into as anything this size can be, and it's very easy to install/replace RAM, M2 nvme drive, 2.5 inch SATA drive (if you get the "tall" version), etc.5) While I think the NUC 10's are OK, those chips aren't nearly as nice as the 11-gen chips and I find that while they use 4-core chips, those chips perform better than the 6-core 10-gen chips. If you're debating a less-expensive 10-gen version, I'd suggest you try to get the 11-gen instead.CONS:1) I really have no cons about the device. The later generations are obviously much more upscale than the earlier ones, and I have only had one of these fail and that was a 2014 model that I configured for someone who I think didn't take decent care of it. (Every year or so I use compressed air to clean any lingering stuff from the fan.BAD NEWS ABOUT AVAILABILITY:I am including this because if you like this form factor, and don't want an older system, you should buy now. The reason is that it appears that IBM is abandoning the 'little box' form factor, both for barebones and fully-kitted, and moving upscale to larger, much more expensive systems. It seems that the NUC line has never been profitable, but was part of Intel's attempt (as with motherboards) to try selling to consumers. Starting with the 10-gen (I think) they are now selling a more expensive 'paperback book' model (it's roughly the shape of a paperback book) and a much more expensive gaming system that will take a full-sized graphics card.I mention that because I do not see any "little box" NUC using a 12-gen CPU. These are still on sale but once they're gone that may be the end because Intel just doesn't make any money and apparently neither did the other well-known vendors that tried selling competitors as most of them have dropped out.

Small tiny desktop high performance can run multi-task and not hot at all. Also included is the mounting kit I can easily mount behind the TV, with the Bluetooth keyboard, mouse, speaker bar, and subwoofer.

I am impressed with my NUC11 and even more impressed with NUC's customer service.I purchased the computer in June 2022. In April 2023 it was infected with a Virus!I contacted Cathy in Customer Service (at NUC) and she immediately jumped in to help solve my problem. She requested that I purchase a new 500 GB Hard Drive (at their expense) and then sent me a KEY to install Windows 11 Pro. Once I got the new operating system installed I was back to lightening fast performance with great Intel IRISx Graphics!I am happy I purchased a NUC Computer!Peter

Great value Intel NUC. I opened it up and it did in fact have Kingston RAM and Kingston NVME M.2 SSD. Windows 10 Pro installed with no bloatware at all.

The media could not be loaded.  This should be the most enjoyable shopping experience I have had recently. I have a NUC8 Hades Canyon and I have been using it for three years and feeling very good, so I have always wanted to buy a new NUC. The pre-sales service of the seller GEEK+ is very good. After explaining and analyzing with me patiently for two days , I decided to buy the NUC11 Panther Canyon i5 machine with Kingston 16GB memory & 512 GB SSD and the operating system installed, which is mainly used for office and fun, I haven't run a big game with it. The logistic is great, I received it in two days. So far the machine runs very smoothly, neat and does not take up space. It is perfect! Hope GEEK+ can always bring us such a cost-effective shopping experience.

Note that the rating does NOT include a score for gaming. That is not what these computers will be used for. For the light browsing and general office usage expected, they will be just fine. Ordered them with the i5 processor because it is slightly more energy efficient than the i7 and is not significantly slower.I bought two units and one of them had an issue doing a restart. It would shut down properly but would not restart correctly. Once I had updated the BIOS with the tool from the Intel website it would restart properly. I though both machines had the same BIOS version, so I don't know why one of them had this issue.

Works great for a mini low power Plex server that can do multiple hardware transcodes simultaneously.