So, why the high cost?
It looks like price scalpers, which have driven up prices of GPUs, have started doing the same for mini PCs as well.
Prior to Intel releasing the Beast Canyon NUC, the company was working to bring the same processing power as other competitors’ high-end gaming rigs in a small form factor. In comparison with other larger competitors’ systems, Intel’s new NUC model was performing faster and more efficiently under not only gameplay statistics but also 3DMark graphics tests and Unigine Superposition 1.0 game simulation test. Even on testing on games like FarCry 5 and Rise of the Tomb Raider, Intel’s newest NUC Extreme 11 system outperformed their NUC 9 setup. In fact, even when performing in high-definition applications for digital art or HD cinematic experiences, it was leading the scores on performance all around.
It could be speculated that Intel is aware of the high cost and is aiming at users that know they need a small but mighty system, especially one that has shown that it performs so well compared to larger setups by other manufacturers. The price could definitely reduce over time, especially as supply quantities improve. Also, depending on the compatibility of the new Beast Canyon NUC, users may be able to cut costs depending on what devices they gather themselves, such as DDR4 memory modules, GPU, and cooling solutions.
