Intel BOXNUC6I5SYH NUC Kit NUC6i5SYH

Instructions follow to complete your kit. You'll need to install your own memory and storage modules. Visit “Technical Product Specifications for Intel® NUC Products” at [...] for guidance on particular kit boards. Read “System Memory” and “Memory Configurations” sections to identify the recommended memory you need to get in duplicate. Two memory modules of the same size maximizes throughput, i.e. “Dual channel (Interleaved) mode.” Do not exceed the maximum memory capacity.For storage read “Add-in Card Connectors” section to identify maximum bandwidth of SATA drives and M.2 SSD PCIe drives. Here is the relevant info about boards for two kit types:Intel® NUC Board NUC6i5SYB and… NUC6i3SYB Technical Product SpecificationThe board supports M.2 2242 and 2280 (key type M) modules.• Supports M.2 SSD SATA drives― Maximum bandwidth is approximately 540 MB/s• Supports M.2 SSD PCIe drives (PCIe x1, x2, and x4)― Using PCIe x4 M.2 SSD maximum bandwidth is approximately 1600 MB/s†NOTE: Stated elsewhere, “The board supports AHCI storage mode.” However, nowhere does it state that it supports NVMe mode. Many (admittedly old) troubleshooting threads online complain about trying to get NVMe modules to work with Intel NUC kits. For this kit AHCI is a safe bet and I got mine to work with considerable frustration, which you can avoid by disabling Legacy mode in BIOS (details below.)Intel® NUC Kit NUC6i7KYK Technical Product SpecificationThe kit supports M.2 2242 and 2280 (key type M) modules.• Supports M.2 SSD SATA-III drives― Maximum bandwidth is approximately 540 MB/s• Supports M.2 SSD Gen 3 PCIe AHCI, NVMe drives (PCIe x1, x2, and x4)― Using PCIe x4 M.2 SSD maximum bandwidth is approximately 4000 MB/s‡NOTE: The NUC6i7KYK spec specifically states that it supports NVMe drives.For my Intel NUC Kit NUC6i5SYH BOXNUC6I5SYH Silver/Black PCIe x4 M.2 SSD has about 3 times the bandwidth of M.2 SSD SATA drives, which squander valuable bandwidth, so I recommend PCIe modules. I installed Samsung SM951 512GB AHCI MZHPV512HDGL-00000 M.2 80mm PCIe 3.0 x4 SSD - OEM. (Benchmark screenshots below.) The Intel NUC Kit NUC6i7KYK Mini PC BOXNUC6I7KYK1 supports faster NVMe versions like Samsung 950 PRO Series - 512GB PCIe NVMe - M.2 Internal SSD (MZ-V5P512BW), which you might consider.If you need a new monitor, then read “Mini DisplayPort” and “Multiple DisplayPort and HDMI Configurations” sections to identify the maximum resolution. I bought gofanco® Gold Plated 3 Feet Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter Cable - Black Thunderbolt Compatible MALE to MALE for Apple MacBook, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, Mac Mini, Microsoft Surface Pro / Pro 2 / Pro 3 & Surface 3, Google Chromebook Pixel, and Laptops with Mini DisplayPort Ports to Connect to DVI Displays to connect my old Gateway 1280x1024 anti-glare monitor. You could use a TV as a monitor with built in speakers via HDMI (which supports audio), but anti-glare TV screens are not common, so beware. I successfully connected an old set of desktop PC stereo speakers with a stereo audio jack into the Intel NUC combo jack.• Front Panel Audio Jack Support:― Speakers only (Stereo)― Headphones only (Stereo)― Microphone only (mono)― Combo Headphone (Stereo)/Microphone (mono)For keyboard & mouse I chose Logitech Wireless Keyboard K360 - Glossy Black & Logitech M570 Wireless Trackball, but each device came with its own Unifying Receiver. During initial setup I plugged both Unifying Receivers into separate USB ports. After setup, I installed the Solaar applet through the Software Manager to pair the two devices to a single Unifying Receiver and was able to remove one and store it inside the device battery compartment. Solaar is a panel applet that pairs Logitech devices and displays battery status and warnings in Notifications (screenshots below). I personally prefer trackballs to mice. I feel no need to mimic cursor movement with arm movement, or pick up a mouse and move it when it runs out of real estate on a desktop. Rolling the trackball with your thumb is all it takes and the device remains stationary on your desktop. A troubleshooting thread complained about Linux USB 3.0 port drivers dropping keyboard input, which I have not experienced. Intel NUC kits have internal headers for USB 2.0 ports. I bought 2 StarTech USB A to USB Motherboard 4-Pin Header F/F 2.0 Cable, 6" (USBMBADAPT) just in case, but never needed them.The final device you'll need (other than an Ethernet cable) is a USB flash drive with a capacity of at least 4GB. First, update Intel NUC BIOS to latest version. On another computer, download latest Intel NUC BIOS. Go to “Downloads for Intel® NUC Kits” at [...] and make three selections: NUC kit name, “BIOS”, and “OS Independent.” The latest BIOS download should appear at the top of the list. Download it and copy the BIOS update file to the USB flash drive. Follow “F7 BIOS Update Instructions for Intel® NUC” at [...]. In my case I updated from version 28 (shipped) to 42 (latest). Reboot. Turn off unit and remove USB flash drive.On another computer download the latest Linux Mint distribution (.iso file) and use it to make an EFI bootable USB drive. YouTube videos and blogs instruct how. Afterward, if you boot your Intel NUC directly from your USB drive with no changes and install Linux Mint then it will fail to boot from your PCIe SSD. Therefore, to avoid the frustration that many DIYers have experienced edit the Intel NUC BIOS before installing Linux Mint. To edit BIOS settings, press F2 on first startup and disable “Legacy” mode, enable “Boot USB Devices First”, “AHCI” should be selected not “RAID” (“NVMe” might be an option on NUC6i7KYK, I don't know) , and Intel recommends setting “Cooling” to “Cool” (screenshots below.) Press F10 to save and exit. You can now boot from the USB drive and double-click the “Install Linux Mint” icon on the desktop to run the installer (screenshots below.) As shown in the screen shot of the desktop there is no Internet connection. Therefore, connect your Ethernet cable between your Intel NUC and your Internet modem, and follow the installation instructions, including “Erase disk and install Linux Mint/Warning: This will delete any files on this disk.”, which sounds ominous. Remove the USB drive. Reboot.The version of Linux Mint that I installed (17.3) did not have the proper Intel wireless driver. If you experience this problem, keep the Ethernet cable attached. Go to “[SOLVED]17.2 Mint Mate does not recognize Intel AC-3165 WiFi” at [...] and then copy (Control-C) and paste (Shift-Control-V) the commands of the solution one line at a time into a Linux terminal application. Some lines may prompt you for your password, which will not echo or otherwise give any feedback as you enter it. Have faith and persevere. This series of commands will download and compile a large number of plug-and-play wifi drivers, which will take a long time, but your effort will be rewarded. In time new updates to Linux Mint will make this step obsolete, but for now be forewarned. On next reboot, I edited BIOS to disable “Boot USB Devices First” while knowing full well how to enable it at some future date, if needed.If you use Netflix, then you will need to use the Firefox browser to go directly to the Google Chrome website and download and install Google Chrome, which is the only Linux compatible browser that will stream Netflix videos. I connect my Intel NUC to a large panel TV via HDMI cable to stream Internet videos. An HDMI cable is another purchase you might consider, if you own a TV with an HDMI input port.Just to be safe, I installed the free version of Sophos Antivirus for Linux. During installation, watch for the question that distinguishes between free or paid support. Default is paid support.10 big surprises in a small package:1. The AC power adapter is about the size of a deck of playing cards, slightly thicker but smaller in the other two dimensions. I was expecting a laptop brick.2. Intel NUC footprint is smaller than a CD case, the diameter of a CD is wider than either side of the rectangular footprint. Chip miniaturization has made it possible to downsize into this small package power, speed & capacity far exceeding that of yesteryear's room size mainframes.3. I never hear any fan noise. According to the specs it has a fan.4. Boot time is roughly 10 second for my Linux Mint Intel i5 NUC with Samsung SM951 AHCI SSD. Boot times for Windows laptops with HDD storage are mind numbingly slow.5. HDD technology should become extinct soon, even though laptop manufacturers still market it. This DIY Intel NUC kit gives us freedom to avoid HDD technology. Just say no to HDD.6. I use the pre-installed Banshee application to stream internet radio (Classical KUSC FM & KING FM.) Close makes Banshee disappear from the desktop, but it keeps playing with song & composer titles appearing in Notifications. Close just hides the GUI. Quit completely ends it.7. The Cinnamon desktop has crashed twice so far, displaying the option to restart which it does upon request. However, I am exploring new applets and applications right now to find the optimum working environment that suits me. Some applications that I install do not work as advertised or at all, so I uninstall them. Sometimes this creates a ripple effect and applets stop working that previously worked. So I remove them from the panel and re-add them, which seems an effective remedy for now.8. I am a long time Ubuntu Linux user. Ubuntu gave new life to my old laptop that was burdened and crippled by Windows updates and anti-virus scans. I also dual booted Ubuntu and Windows on my old Gateway desktop, from which I scavenged the monitor for this system. Linux Mint now has video and audio editing applications to free any foreseeable need for Windows. We no longer need to pay the Microsoft tax to run Linux on an awesome Mini PC like this Intel NUC.9. According to Friedrich Nietzsche, “That which does not kill us makes us stronger.” My experience troubleshooting the DIY nuances of Linux Mint & this Intel NUC kit have been frustrating at times but ultimately rewarding. I expect more great surprises from this small package.10. I now have all the tools I need to produce Internet videos without having to pay a cent for the software.*** UPDATE *** Linux Mint 18 resolves missing wifi driver issue *** 9/22/2016I made a bootable USB drive of the latest Linux Mint 18 Cinnamon Long Term Release. It boots and has wifi access without any trouble. I upgraded to Linux Mint 18 and am currently running kernal 4.4.0-38. The Unigine Heaven Benchmark 4.0, a video game simulation benchmark, now runs over 22% faster on the same hardware. In Frames Per Second (FPS) Linux Mint 17.3 rated 12.1 FPS, whereas Linux Mint 18 rates 14.8 FPS. I installed the Intel CPU driver noted in the comment and achieved 15.0 FPS (screenshots below.) I also updated my BIOS to the latest version 51 released 8/10/2016. For my purposes this is fine, but if you are looking for a gaming platform with a minimum of 30 fps, then look elsewhere.To follow the “verify your ISO” instructions on the Linux Mint downloads page you need to download the sha256sum.txt and sha256sum.txt.gpg files from a mirror site. The link to the .iso file is provided. Copy the mirror site link and paste it into your browser address bar, then delete the file name to open the directory where all the files are located. Save those two sha256sum files into the same directory as the .iso file on your computer (probably Downloads.) Then follow the directions.Be sure to look at the release notes, which contain a link to a tutorial that explains how to install a windows version of FireFox that you can use to view DRM enabled videos, like those located on nbcolympics.com.I am really impressed with this Intel NUC running Linux Mint. There is no fan noise, and I doubt the fan even runs it stays cool enough. I installed psensor from the Software Manager. The Psensor Temperature Monitor displays and graphs the temperature of the Intel CPU and Samsung SSD (screenshot below.) High temperatures were when it was updating to Linux Mint 18. Normal CPU temperature range is 85-95°F.

UPDATE June 16, 2016: TL;DR: Graphics display driver might be wonky and need updating. Install a remote-access product, such as TeamViewer, so that if you have no display, you can remote in, fix the problem, and update the graphics driver.ORIGINAL REVIEW: It's obvious that Intel released this too early, before fixing a number of substantial flaws. But it looks like they have solved most of those flaws through regular BIOS updates. Also, I bought RAM that was recommended by the NUC blog, since the main problem with this unit (as reported by others) has been RAM compatibility. Using known compatible RAM avoids those headaches.My unit, delivered May 19, 2016, shipped with BIOS 42, dated in April. I immediately updated to BIOS 44, dated in May. The BIOS update process wasn't as smooth as I would have liked, but it worked. I then installed Windows 10 from a USB stick, and this almost worked: the network adapter didn't work, so I had do download an updated driver on a different machine and install that from a USB stick.With the BIOS update and the LAN driver updates, everything seems to be working as expected. It is small and fast, which is exactly what I wantedI bought this because I was frustrated with using my Surface 3 as a desktop machine with a docking station. I love the Surface 3 as a tablet, and I am keeping it for sure, but it's a little slow on the desktop. I debated getting a Surface 3 Pro or Surface 4 Pro, but with a docking station, that would have cost a bundle. Instead I decided to get one of these for my desktop and to keep my Surface 3 for pure tablet use (mostly I use it for reading and marking up PDFs). You get a lot of bang for your buck with this machine, and it's actually more compact than the Surface docking station. So I'm pleased with the purchase.BACKSTORY ON UPDATE: Today (June 16, 2016) when I powered up, I got nothing on my display. I was able to remote in, however, and I discovered that the computer thought it had two displays (it has only one) and had decided to display its contents on the (nonexistent) second display. I was able to fix this remotely, and I got my display back. I then checked for an updated graphics driver, and Windows found one and installed it (it took a long time, maybe half an hour). I rebooted and the display was fine. Fingers crossed.