Intel's Bean Canyon NUCs have been subject to a number of leaks, notably from FanlessTech. However Intel has finally made things official with a detailed technical product manual for all the members of the Bean Canyon NUC family. From an I/O perspective, the Bean Canyon NUCs look very similar to the Baby Canyon NUCs. However, the internals have gone in for a significant revamp, thanks to the Coffee Lake processors (CFL-U) inside. The updates include:

  • 28W TDP processors across all SKUs, with true quad-core / octa-thread options
  • Iris Plus Graphics 655 with 128MB eDRAM across all SKUs
  • Intel Wireless-AC 9560 with Bluetooth 5.0 WLAN module
  • USB 3.1 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) support on all external Type-A ports

While most of the Baby Canyon NUCs came with a 15W TDP processor - either in a "2+2" or "2+3e" configuration - all the Bean Canyon models (NUC8BE) sport 28W TDP processors (that can be configured to run with a lower TDP of 20W, if needed). The 28W TDP allows all the models to come with Iris Plus Graphics 655 with 128MB of eDRAM as the integrated GPU. This makes "2+3e" CPUs the new baseline, while even more powerful "4+3e" CPUs are now an option.

Since these are U-series processors, the PCH is on-package with the rest of the CPU. The move to the Cannon Point-LP integrated PCH allows for four USB 3.1 Gen 2 ports that are present as Type-A ports in the front and rear of the chassis. The CFL-U come with the new Integrated Connectivity feature (CNVi), where the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth MAC and other functional blocks are put inside the processor. The CRF (companion RF) module completes the Wireless-AC 9560 by implementing the signal processing, RF, and analog functions.

The Intel Wireless-AC 9560 is a significant upgrade over the Wireless-AC 8265 in the Kaby Lake NUCs. It comes with Wave 2 features, including support for 160 MHz channels and downlink MU-MIMO. The 2x2 WLAN module is theoretically capable of 1.73 Gbps bandwidth. It also integrates dual-mode Bluetooth 5 support.

Intel Bean Canyon NUC PCs (Non-Optane SKUs)
  NUC8i7BEH NUC8i5BEH NUC8i5BEK NUC8i3BEH NUC8i3BEK
CPU Core i7-8559U
4C/8T
2.7 (4.5) GHz
28 W TDP
Core i5-8259U
4C/8T
2.3 (3.8) GHz
28 W TDP
Core i3-8109U
2C/4T
3.0 (3.6) GHz
28 W TDP
Graphics Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655
PCH Intel Cannon Point-LP for Coffee Lake-U
Memory Two SO-DIMM slots, up to 32 GB of DDR4-2400
2.5" bay 1x2.5"/9.5mm bay, SATA3 None 1x2.5"/9.5 mm bay, SATA3 None
M.2 Slot Up to M.2-2280 SSD with SATA3 or PCIe 3.0 x4 interface
Wi-Fi/BT Soldered-down Intel Wireless-AC 9560(802.11ac 2x2 + BT 5.0) with WiDi support
Ethernet Intel I219V Gigabit Ethernet controller
Display Outputs DisplayPort 1.2 via USB-C connector
HDMI 2.0
Audio 3.5 mm TRRS audio jack
7.1 channel audio output via HDMI or DP
Thunderbolt
& USB-C
1x Thunderbolt 3 Type-C (40 Gbps) (USB 3.1 Gen 2 and Display Port functionality included)
USB 4 USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A (10 Gbps), one with charging
Other I/O MicroSDXC card reader with UHS-I support
One infrared receiver
Size (mm) 115 × 111 × 51 115 × 111 × 31 115 × 111 × 51 115 × 111 × 31
PSU External, 65 W

Intel continues to use a LSPCon on board to convert the Display Port 1.2 output of the processor to a HDMI 2.0 port with HDCP 2.2. Unfortunately, stereoscopic 3D will not be supported. The good news is that the Thunderbolt 3 USB Type-C port on all the models will also support 4Kp60 displays with HDCP 2.2. All versions of the Bean Canyon will support Thunderbolt 3 (unlike the Core i3 version of the KBL-U Baby Canyon that restricted the Alpine Ridge Type-C port to USB 3.1 Gen 2 only in the firmware).

Similar to the previous NUCs, Intel plans to sell both kit (NUC8iXBEK / NUC8iXBEH) and board versions (NUC8iXBEB) of the different configurations. Note that the BEK does not support a 2.5" drive, while the BEH SKUs do. System builders using the BEB SKUs can opt to operate the processor in the cTDP down (20W) mode if adequate cooling is not available. Intel also plans to offer pre-built systems with Optane, as described below.

Retail availability is expected to be in early August. Pricing details are yet to be made available.

Source: Intel (PDF)

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  • stanleyipkiss - Wednesday, July 25, 2018 - link

    I'd buy a fanless version of the i5 K-model with no SATA3 2.5 inch HDD.
  • psychobriggsy - Wednesday, July 25, 2018 - link

    Did they stop to think about that name at all?

    Bean Canyon? :D
  • FreckledTrout - Wednesday, July 25, 2018 - link

    Im sure they had fun with it. It is a real Canyon in Cali which does fit with the other internal names.
  • brakdoo - Wednesday, July 25, 2018 - link

    Just call it gen 8 or something but this is getting confusing.
  • FreckledTrout - Wednesday, July 25, 2018 - link

    That coffee lake came from filling up the bean canyon.
  • psychobriggsy - Wednesday, July 25, 2018 - link

    There's a Butte Lake as well, so I'm looking forward to that CPU on 14++++
  • JediMetaKnight - Wednesday, July 25, 2018 - link

    I think it's like coffee bean, because it uses a coffee lake cpu.
  • MrSpadge - Wednesday, July 25, 2018 - link

    They're really deep into those canyons.
  • boozed - Wednesday, July 25, 2018 - link

    Maybe Intel has a sense of humour after all.

    I hope it comes with a water cooling option.
  • Gunbuster - Wednesday, July 25, 2018 - link

    One would think a press release with some professional product images would be a better way to "officially launch"?

    Meh, NUC is super niche, wouldn't be supprised if the department responsible for it is on life support or just trying to stay under the radar.

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