Intel NUC6CAYH (Arches Canyon) Apollo Lake UCFF PC Review
by Ganesh T S on January 12, 2018 8:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Systems
- Intel
- NUC
- UCFF
- Apollo Lake
- Arches Canyon
Final Words
The Intel NUC6CAYH provided us with the opportunity to evaluate a high-end member of the Apollo Lake SoC family. The Celeron J3455 is a quad-core processor with a 10W TDP. It easily enabled the NUC6CAH to come out on top in all of our benchmarks when compared against other Atom-class systems.
The HDMI 2.0 port (backed by a LSPCon) with 4Kp60 support is very welcome. However consumers need to keep in mind that the benefits from the HDCP 2.2 feature on that port are minimal at best. One of the popular streaming services that we tried (Netflix 4K) ended up not working as expected, with only the 1080p version of the 4K titles getting played. That said, the system has no issues playing all types of local 4K video streams using Kodi. VP9 Profile 2 is not supported, but, given the lack of HDR support, it is not a big deal. The presence of an infrared receiver also enables usage of a remote control if the system is used as a HTPC.
The presence of a VGA port also helps the NUC6CAYH target cost-sensitive markets that are yet to feel the need to move away from a VGA monitor to a HDMI or DisplayPort one. The SDXC slot is bound to have good performance, since it is enabled by a PCIe bridge (Realtek RTS5229). On the flip side, the unit only supports 8GB of RAM. Trying to install 2x 8GB SODIMMs makes the system ignore half the memory.
Coming to the pricing aspect, the NUC6CAYH is available for $130. This is par for the course when it comes to barebones systems using Atom-class CPUs. Intel recently announced that June Canyon (the follow up to Arches Canyon) had started entering the channel in late December. It uses a Gemini Lake SoC and promises better performance compared to Apollo Lake. This should exert further downward pressure on the Arches Canyon models, and that will only be good for consumers.
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lilmoe - Thursday, January 18, 2018 - link
Can this decode 4k60p HEVC HDR with little to now CPU usage and under 2w? No? Didn't think so.mode_13h - Saturday, January 20, 2018 - link
Unfortunately, he reviewed a NUC that's > 1 year old. The new Gemini Lake SoCs can do 4k60 @ 10bit HEVC, with native HDMI 2.x.In 2W? I don't know but maybe close to that, and for less $$$ than any phone or tablet that could do it.
Anyway, I wouldn't say Goldmont or Goldmont+ can run circles around a modern, high-end ARM core. But, if you check out the benchies, they're definitely in the same ballpark.
Arbie - Friday, January 12, 2018 - link
Good luck keeping Windows 10 updated on the 32GB machine. No more of those for me.smegforbrain - Friday, January 12, 2018 - link
Yeah, we tried one of these out at the office. Out of the box with nothing but the Creators Update installed, and it didn't have the space to install the Fall Creators Update. Now I'm not sure what the hell to do with it.69369369 - Saturday, January 13, 2018 - link
Use it to cook marshmallows?Badelhas - Monday, January 15, 2018 - link
I am having the exact same problem, had to connect an external drive to be able to update Windows 10. Incredible.jimjamjamie - Monday, January 15, 2018 - link
put linux on it :Djabber - Monday, January 15, 2018 - link
I've had a couple of those 32GB trash heaps in to put the main updates on.Basically did it two ways. Deleted as much of the non OS software and data off, did the update and put it all back.
Or...compressed the drive after cleaning it up. Makes little difference to performance. In fact I now use full disk compression on several small SSDs I use.
mode_13h - Monday, January 15, 2018 - link
32 GB is plenty for a Linux install.Kronos288 - Saturday, January 13, 2018 - link
Hey ganesh,I set three of these up recently to run permanent displays. Thanks for the review. Might be worthy to note these two things as well:
These NUCs are very picky about the type of ram modules. I originally purchased a crucial double pack, but the bios spit out a ram density error. There's an article on Intel's website on selecting compatible ram and there's a list.
Lastly, if you plan on using it for displays like me, you need to perform the latest bios update to add the HDMI CEC functionality... Although it only supports power on or power off and not pass through for accessories like media remotes. Does have IR built in though.
Oh and the kits include a Vesa mounting bracket. Cheers.