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Baobei Repacement
Selection

Requirements for the New Baobei

• The machine I most recently bought, 2023-11-18, is Diamond. Its CPU is an Intel Core i5-1135G7 @2.40GHz in a NUC11PAHi5. Several places below I compare candidates with Diamond.

• The whole purpose of the new machine is to run Windows 11 Pro on bare metal. This means it needs a TPM-2 (Trusted Platform Module) and a more modern CPU revision. There's no reason not to pick from the current Intel product line, generation 14. Except availability of products.

• What processor variant? Core i7, i5, i3, Celeron? I've been having good luck with i5's. i7 is substantially more expensive ($200 for Diamond) for not that much more performance. On the other hand, the i3 is about $50 cheaper for significantly less performance. Celerons (2.5 years ago) had substantially less power draw and substantially less performance, and were a good choice for Jacinth and Iris; Jacinth is on 24/7, and Iris isn't, but is designated as a spare for Jacinth. Conclusion: I'll once again get an i5, unless the CPUs have changed a lot since I got Diamond.

• What graphics processor? This is not a gaming machine. The integrated processor on Diamond is doing just fine in its desktop accounting role, and I plan to accept the integrated GPU on the new Baobei also.

• How much memory? Windows is a memory pig. Get 16Gb.

• The old Baobei is a slug, attributed to its rotating disc being a slug. Modern Windows is optimized for a SSD. That's what I'm going to get. Tiny SSDs (32Gb) are not acceptable. Baobei currently would fit in 64Gb, and not much expansion is expected. The smallest SSD that can be bought is probably 256Gb.

• We have a fairly good monitor, keyboard and mouse; we don't need new ones. We expect a HDMI video connection. For the future, we may want to get a Bluetooth keyboard and/or mouse for Baobei, and replace the squid-style KVM (sharing with Holly) with a box like on Jacinth, which works well, better than the squid.

• It needs at least 2 USB ports, preferably 4. At least one USB-3 type C; the rest must be USB-2 (or 3) type A.

  It needs a RJ45 for Ethernet. 1 Gbit/sec required; lower speed is too out of date, though actual dependence on the higher speed is not expected. Radically higher speed is useless.

• These features if present won't be used: CIR (infrared receiver), Wi-Fi, audio. However, the new machine might get moved into a different role, for which audio would be relevant, so the audio should work.

• Power consumption: Diamond draws 6W idle, 9-11W playing MPEG-4 1080p video, 51W maxed out (4 cores). This is good, but 2.5 years later I'm hoping that the new machine will be even better, and if so, I can consider replacing Jacinth with a similar machine.

Ben's Suggestions

Ben looked through some systems and suggested these:

Lenovo IdeaCentre Mini (1L Intel) Desktop

This product series looks kind of expensive, and the referent page was not friendly delivering needed information. But I searched on Amazon and the next one looked interesting.

Lenovo ThinkCentre Business Mini Desktop, Intel Core Processor etc. etc.

Basic specs:

• $399.99, SBSF Oydisen WOWPC (we prefer fulfilled by Amazon)
• CPU: Intel Core i3-1005G1 up to 3.4GHz, 2 cores with hyperthread, 4Mb cache (what level?) This processor is 4 years old! Diamond's CPU is 11th generation, this one is 10th.
• Graphics: Integrated Intel UHD Graphics, 3 simultaneous displays. 4Gb (?) dedicated (?) video RAM.
• Memory: 16Gb (what speed?), addressing limit 32Gb.
• Disc: SSD 256Gb (what specs?), PCIe M.2
• Included OS: Microsoft Windows 11 Pro
• Wi-Fi-6 and Bluetooth combo.
• Ports: HDMI, DisplayPort, RJ45, 2x USB-2.0, 3x USB-3.2 gen 1 (type A?), 1x USB-3 type C, 3.5mm stereo + mic jack, Kensington lock slot
• Included accessories: keyboard, mouse, speakers, all wired.
• Color: black. Dimensions: haven't found out yet, but bigger than a NUC.
• Ratings: 5* 73%, 4* 9%, 1* 18%, total 25 ratings, 7 with reviews. The bad reviews: Pamela Miller says: she got the impression it had a DVD-RW but it doesn't. Peno says: it has a 6mo warranty and died after 7mo, bummer.
• Conclusion: a better choice would be to just duplicate Diamond; the NUC11PAHi5 is still available today and actually appears popular.

The Dell Inspiron 3020 product line are in tower cases and have kind of high prices. Mixed in are those in small desktop cases, about 12 x 12 x 3in. Processors are 13th gen.

The Dell Inspiron 3020 product line are similar to the 3020's but $100 or so more.

The ASUS NUC Product Line

Intel has sold the NUC product line to ASUS. Let's see what they have. On Amazon, the 13th gen ones are available. The ones with 14th gen processors are all temporarily out of stock, i.e. announced but not actually shipping. SBSF Amazon. The processor type is unavailable (i.e. not decided yet), hiss, boo.

ASUS weebsite, NUC overview page. ASUS NUC Products are Ready!

• ASUS NUC 14 Pro: Color black; Win 11 Pro preinstalled. Intel Core Ultra 7 or 5, or non-Ultra 3 processor. Graphics: Intel Iris Xe.

• ASUS NUC 14 Pro+: Color silver, style meets performance. Same as non-plus except option for Ultra 9 processor, and no i3.

• ASUS NUC 13 Rugged: Win 11 Pro. 12th gen Intel Core i7 H-series processors. Graphics: Intel Arc A770M.

This website has lots of product hype but very little useful information. ASUS press release: We expect that limited availability of these ASUS NUCs will begin in the latter half of May 2024, with full availability beginning inn June or July.

Tidbit from another press release dated 2024-03-27: Announcing the hottest, lastest models. Up to 96Gb of DDRS 5600 SO-DIMM memory. (Very fast.)

Conclusion: I should be looking at the gen 13 NUCs. On Amazon, search terms: NUC 13 Mini PC. Restriction: Free shipping by Amazon. 87 hits. Here's a list of hits that look semi-credible.

Intel 2023 NUC 13 Pro NUC13ANKI5 Arena Canyon Mini PC, Core i5-1340P, Barebone

• $549.99 SB Leven Memory FBA
• Model: NUC13ANKi5
• CPU: Intel Core i5-1340P, 12Mb cache, up to 4.60GHz, 8 cores with hyperthread. Normal clock appears to be 3.4GHz. Product hype talks about 12 cores, 16 threads, 12 (unit?) cache.
• Graphics: Intel Iris Xe
• Dimensions: 4.6 x 4.4 x 2.2in, no rotating drive bay.
• Memory: Barebone (no RAM). Find out type and limits.
• Ports: Front 2x USB-3.x type A; 3.5mm phone/mic jack. Rear: 2x HDMI full size, 2x Thunderbolt-3, RJ45, 1x USB-3.x type A, 1x USB-2 (?) type A.
• Disc (not included): M.2 42 x 22mm socket.
• Power: Brick included, cord: NEMA 5-15P to IEC-320-C5 Mickey Mouse, looks to be about 3ft long, output wire (with barrel connector) is a lot longer. Power draw is not discussed.
• 3yr warranty.
• Also sold with 16Gb RAM, 512Gb SSD, Win 11 Pro preinstalled.
• Reviews: Ian Anderson says: He's bought thousands of SSDs from Leven over a few years and they are reliable with good customer service if you get a bad unit. He bought the preassembled NUC to get warranty coverage on the whole system from one vendor (Leven), plus there's a small price advantage. Zara S says: Got a bad one, damaged USB connector. Returned. Replacement was in an open box. Returned. Replacement's HDMI audio channel was noisy. Total bummer all around. Maureen Koontz just said it was bad. Other reviews were glowing. Total 8 ratings, 5* 80%; 1* 20% (jimc fixed the math).

2023 Intel NUC 13 Pro,NUC13ANHi5 Versatile Mini PC 16GB RAM&512GB SSD with Core i5-1340 Processor

• $699 SB Geekplus Store FBA
• Model: NUC13ANHi5 with 16Gb RAM, 512Gb SSD
• CPU: Intel Core i5-1340P, 12 cores, 16 threads, 12Mb L3 cache. 10nm lithography. Chipset: Arena Canyon.
• Graphics: Intel Iris Xe, up to 4x 4K@60Hz simultaneously, or one 8K. Thunderbolt-4 protocol; 2x Thunderbolt ports and 2x HDMI.
• RAM: up to 64Gb (this one comes with 16Gb), dual channel DDR4-3200 SODIMM.
• Disc: PCIe X4 NVMe SSD, 512Gb. This one has a 2.5in drive bay, can take PCIe X4 Gen4 or SATA (sold separately). If you're using this, make sure from other sources whether it's PCIe X4 Gen4 on the M.2 slot and SATA on the 2.5in bay, or some magic auto-switching between protocols.
• Radio: Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211 (in M.2 slot) handles 802.11ax + Bluetooth-5.3, with internal antenna.
• Ethernet (RJ45): Intel I225-v, 10-100-1000-2500 Mbit/sec.
• Ports: USB 3.2 gen2 type A (2x front 1x rear); 1x rear USB-2.0; 2x rear DisplayPort type C (labelled Thunderbolt); 2x rear HDMI-2.1 TDMS compatible (4K@60Hz); front 3.5mm stereo+mic jack.
• Other: Discrete TPM-2.0; Kensington lock slot (on side); compatible with Limux distros.
• Dimensions: 4.4 x 4.6 x 2.1in, 0.56 lb = 112 x 117 x 53mm, 254g
• Software: Win 11 Pro preinstalled
• Warranty: 3 years.
• Reviews: 58 ratings, 5* 82%; 4* 8%, 1* 10%. Covers NUC12WSHi7 and NUC13ANHi5. Mostly glowing reviews. The bad ones: Semag had a corrupt OS installation (??) and a big mess returning it. Sam says: locks up frequently, tech support is no help… USNCPORET says: No support or instructions, and of course, Windows 11 sux. Jimc summary: nobody complains about [this] hardware, it's all software issues.

Lots of Others

There are lots of NUC13ANHi5 or i7 with various RAM, SSD and price, and some but fewer NUC12WSHi7. None are sold by Amazon's own account. Geekom has imitations at (slightly) lower prices, which Amazon promotes in the listing. There are no other 13 or 12 gen NUC models, at least among the first 24 listings.

There are no ASUS NUCs at all, at least with these search terms. There are no 14th gen NUCs either, from any vendor.

I think detailed reading of the competitors' offerings is not going to be productive.

Component prices for the old Diamond, 2017-12-xx:

• NUC7i5BNH (no memory or disc): $373
• Samsung 960 EVO 250Gb M.2/NVMe: $117
• Crucial PC4-17000 SODIMM (2 x 8Gb): $133
• Total: $623

Current Diamond, as of 2021-11-18, Intel NUC11PAHi5; RAM 16Gb; SSD 256Gb NVMe PCIe gen4. Price (bundled): $759.99

The bundled machine from Geekplus, NUC13ANHi5 with 16Gb RAM, 512Gb SSD, costs $699 which is less than Diamond in 2021.

But I'm afraid of getting za-pai components. Checking prices on the memory and disc:

• Dual channel DDR4-3200 SODIMM:
  Crucial RAM 16GB DDR4 3200MHz CL22 (or 2933MHz or 2666MHz) Laptop Memory CT16G4SFRA32A
  $37.95 SBSF Memory Masters. We prefer FBA.
• Corsair Vengeance SODIMM 16GB (1x16GB) DDR4 3200MHz CL22 Memory for Laptop/Notebooks (Intel 11th Generation Core Processors Support) Black CMSX16GX4M1A3200C22
  $34.99 SBSF Amazon. Reviews look good. If I do this at all, I'll pick this product.
• SSD 256Gb M.2 42 x 22mm socket, PCIe X4 NVMe
  Kingston NV2 250G M.2 2280 NVMe Internal SSD | PCIe 4.0 Gen 4x4 | Up to 3000 MB/s | SNV2S/250G
  $31.99 SBSF Amazon.
  Reviewer Elli W says the board is 22x80mm. This is too big for the available space.
• Samsung SSD 256GB PM991 M.2 2242 42mm PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe MZALQ256HAJD MZ-ALQ2560
  $19.26 SB Tech Deal Online FBA
  Good reviews, one infant mortality.

If I got the barebones version, how much would it cost? RAM (Corsair) $34.99 + disc (Samsung) $19.26 = $54.25, plus Windows license. The barebones version plus RAM and disc costs $149 less than the complete package.