Intel Ghost Canyon NUC9i9QNX Review: NUC 9 Extreme Realizes the SFF Dream
by Ganesh T S on April 16, 2020 8:05 AM ESTHTPC Credentials - Display Outputs Capabilities
The
NUC9i9QNB Display Outputs | ||
HDMI | 2x Thunderbolt 3 | |
Version | 2.0a | DisplayPort 1.2 |
Max. Video Output | 3840x2160 @ 60Hz | 4096x2160 @ 60Hz |
HDCP | Yes (2.2) | |
HDR | Yes | No |
HD Audio Bitstreaming | Yes |
The BIOS of the NUC9i9QNX also allows for switchable graphics. The ASUS Dual GeForce RTX 2070 MINI 8GB GDDR6 in our review configuration supports a maximum of four displays using three additional display outputs (the DisplayPort output supports multi-stream transport and can drive additional displays down the chain). The end implication is the ability of the system to simultaneously drive a total of 7 independent displays. The table below lists the display outputs of the RTX 2070 card in our review sample.
ASUS Dual GeForce RTX 2070 MINI Display Outputs | |||
DVI-D | HDMI | DisplayPort | |
Version | Dual-Link | 2.0b | 1.4 |
Max. Video Output | 2560x1600 @ 60Hz | 3840x2160 @ 60Hz | 7680x4320 @ 60Hz |
HDCP | Yes (2.2) | ||
HDR | No | Yes | |
HD Audio Bitstreaming | No | Yes |
Supporting the display of high-resolution protected video content is a requirement for even a casual HTPC user. In addition, HTPC enthusiasts also want their systems to support refresh rates that either match or be an integral multiple of the frame rate of the video being displayed. Most displays / AVRs are able to transmit the supported refresh rates to the PC using the EDID metadata. In some cases, the desired refresh rate might be missing in the list of supported modes.
Display Refresh Rates - NUC9i9QNB
Our evaluation of the NUC9i9QNX
The gallery below presents screenshots from the other refresh rates that were tested. The system has no trouble maintaining a fairly accurate refresh rate throughout the duration of the video playback.
Display Refresh Rates - ASUS Dual GeForce RTX 2070 MINI
Our initial HTPC evaluation was followed up by using the
The gallery below presents screenshots from the other refresh rates that were tested. Similar to the Intel HDMI output case, the system has no trouble maintaining a fairly accurate refresh rate throughout the duration of the video playback.
UHD Blu-ray Playback Support
UHD Blu-ray playback is currently supported when using the HDMI port driven by select Intel GPUs. It also needs SGX support. The NUC9i9QNX ticks all required items, as shown by the CyberLink Ultra HD Blu-ray Advisor tool in the screenshot below.
Using CyberLink's latest PowerDVD 20, we were able to successfully play back a UHD Blu-ray, as shown above.
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ganeshts - Monday, April 20, 2020 - link
The review of the ASRock 4x4 box based on that *single* reference design will be out soon. It targets the *embedded* market, and you will soon see why that is so. Currently, AMD's PC division (i.e, non-embedded) doesn't seem to think of mini-PCs as a high-margin area worth concentrating on. There is a reason why Udoo Bolt uses embedded Ryzen. And, that is why ASRock and other *embedded* market-targeting companies have those Zen 1 products.Spunjji - Friday, April 24, 2020 - link
"OEMs can take the plunge only if the silicon vendors offer them a proof of concept."This really doesn't strike me as the least bit true. Sure, a reference design would help - but it's surely not essential?
ganeshts - Friday, April 24, 2020 - link
In every silicon vendor offering marketing I have seen (as an industry observer visiting trade shows, and as an engineer working in a fabless semiconductor company), there exists a board in a form-factor very *similar* to the end product that the vendor is targeting - either created by the vendor themselves, or, an ODM with close ties that is led hand-in-hand by the vendor [ eg. Thundersoft does the reference design implementation of Snapdragon IP cameras for Qualcomm - https://www.qualcomm.com/news/onq/2016/02/05/snapd... , and the ODM was funded in part by Qualcomm Ventures - https://www.qualcommventures.com/companies/mobile/... ].I would be very interested in knowing whether there are any examples for what you are suggesting - where a product was created for the end market without a reference design from main silicon's vendor.
bug77 - Thursday, April 16, 2020 - link
I stopped reading when I got to the price.zer0hour - Thursday, April 16, 2020 - link
+1quadrivial - Thursday, April 16, 2020 - link
A mitx board is 6.75 x 6.75 inches. The final dimensions for this machine are around 9.5 x 8.5 inches.$1000-1700 without GPU, SSD, RAM is ridiculous for a mitx system. You could build an good (complete) system just a fraction bigger for that same price.
bug77 - Friday, April 17, 2020 - link
Or, if you need something small, you can get a similarly specced laptop.Namisecond - Friday, April 17, 2020 - link
Exactly. Sliger even offers a case with a similar kind of PCIe splitter as this NUC offers. Even in the business space, how is this machine going to compete against those @9 Liter Dell, HP, Lenovo SFF workstations at half the price?shabby - Thursday, April 16, 2020 - link
+100 😂sorten - Thursday, April 16, 2020 - link
+1Stunned by the price. $2800 for a last generation CPU, 16GB of RAM, and an RTX 2070? Wow.