Setting up your new hardware, once purchased, can be a daunting experience. This article will demonstrate how simple it is to set up and complete your new Intel® NUC kit.
Intel® NUC is a Big Player in a Tiny Box
The Intel® NUC Kit NUC6i7KYK with its sleek and compact form-factor is a work-horse with Intel® Iris® Pro graphics. The Intel® NUC has proven to be a tiny, powerful PC that is great for gaming, living rooms, tradeshows, festivals, and anywhere where space is at a premium. This PC platform has many advantages for the game developer. It is easy to customize, configure, and take with you anywhere where space is at a premium.
Selecting the right hardware and then setting it up correctly can prove to be a daunting experience. This article will demonstrate how simple it is to set up and complete your new Intel® NUC kit.
Intel® NUCs are Fully Customizable
You may be wondering why the Intel® NUCs are shipped as incomplete, bare-bones PCs. Because it is user choice. The buyer may need two massive SSDs in Raid 0 for maximum storage in a compact form-factor. Need extra memory? Having a small, customizable PC with the power of a 6th generation Intel® Core™ i7-6770HQ processor is what many enthusiasts need.
Since the Intel® NUC ships without a hard drive or memory, it is up to the user to purchase compatible hardware. For memory, this can be confusing. Thankfully, most motherboard manufacturers include a list of compatible memory hardware. Simply visit the System Memory for Intel® NUC Kit NUC6i7KYK page, select the memory amount and speed you need, then copy and paste the part number into your shopping cart where you would purchase memory. For example: HX421S13IBK2/16 is a 16GB kit of memory available at many retailers.
Next you will need an M.2 drive (or two!) such as the Intel® SSD 600p Series. They can be configured in Raid 0 for extra speedy configurations, but we won’t be covering RAID setups today.
That’s all the hardware you’ll need to set up your Intel® NUC. Now onto the fun part - installation.
Unboxing your Intel® NUC
Start by taking your Intel® NUC out of the packaging. Make sure the power cable is not plugged in. There are 4 screws on the bottom – loosen them! Note that the screws will not come all the way out of the chassis lid.
Tools you will need
Once you have removed the lid you’ll be greeted by a nice bare board ready for components to be slotted in.
Meet your unboxed system
Start by inserting your memory into the DDR4 DIMM slots. When it’s completed, it should look like the picture below. The memory should make a satisfying snap sound to confirm it has been properly seated and the contacts should mostly be hidden.
Intel® NUC with memory installed
Here is an up-close image:
A closer view of the Intel® NUC with memory installed
Next we’ll install an M.2 hard drive. Locate the M.2 HDD installation point and remove one of the anchoring screws. The screws are opposite the side of the machine where the memory is installed. Unlike the screws for the chassis lid, these screws will fully come out of their sockets.
View of the Intel® NUC – M.2 HDD installation point
Once the screw is removed, insert the M.2 drive into its socket. Screw the screw back in to hold the drive in place. Once completed, it should resemble the below picture.
Intel® NUC with M.2 drive installed
With both the M.2 SSD and the memory installed, your Intel® NUC hardware installation is complete!
View of the Intel® NUC with memory and M.2 drive installed
Installing Windows* on your Intel® NUC
The next step is to begin your Windows* installation. Microsoft offers the Media Creation Tool in order to aid system builders in creating their own Windows 10 installation media. Note that the Utility will wipe your drive so move any needed information off of the drive before you proceed. Follow the instructions on the Microsoft website to download and install Windows.
After completing the installation of Windows, it is a good idea to make sure your BIOS is up to date. The most current BIOS can be found on Intel’s Driver and Support website.
After you download and run the BIOS update, it can take up to 3 minutes to install and will reboot your machine. Do not attempt to power off, reboot, or remove the power cable while the BIOS is updating!
The final step is to run Windows Update. Windows Update will retrieve the latest Intel drivers, or you can download the latest drivers from Intel’s Driver and Support website (the same website linked previously).
And you’re done! Install your development environment and create awesome content!
Summary
In this article, we discussed the benefits of the Intel® NUC for users and particularly for gaming enthusiasts. We stepped through the installations of memory and hard drive and finally the installation of Windows on your Intel® NUC.
References
About the Author
Landyn Pethrus is an engineer at Intel, avid gamer, and hardware enthusiast.He specializes in fountain sniping opponents with Ancient Apparition in Dota 2* and slaying bosses in World of Warcraft*.