Intel markets the NUC 12 Pro “Wall Street Canyon”

Simply NUC has put on sale the Intel NUC 12 Pro, a new series of compact desktop computers with the latest generation of processors from the chip giant and specifically with the Alder Lake-P 28 Watt and versions available up to models with 12 cores and 16 threads and integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics.

Intel has made the NUC series the industry benchmark for mini-PCs. Faced with the great drop in sales of desktop towers, these compact ones have a great attraction for their small size, good connectivity and sufficient performance for various types of computing uses on the desktop or in the living room for home theater.

With the launch of the twelfth generation of processors, Intel has prepared the new NUC 12 series with the “Extreme Dragon Canyon” as the top of the range in performance and with the great novelty of its new dedicated graphics. As intermediate versions, Intel has “Serpent Canyon” underway (Core-H and Arc A-Series Mobile); “Alder County” (12th generation Core-H and Arc A-Series Mobile) and the one that concerns us in this article.

Intel NUC 12 Pro

The code name “Wall Street Canyon” already tells us that this variant is aimed at business and professional segments, but it can also be used in any home office computing environment or for any consumer looking for a small desktop.

The series is sold in two form factors, both with the minimum dimensions to house an ITX board that serves as the base for the rest of the components. The short version measures 117 x 11 x 37 mm and the long (taller) version has dimensions of 117 x 112 x 54 mm to add an additional standard 2.5-inch bay and an optional I/O expansion module for additional ports.

Intel NUC 12 Pro is available with a selection of processors such as Intel Core i5-1240P and Core i7-1260P that debut at launch. The most basic versions with the Core i3 will be available shortly, as well as the variants with vPro processors aimed at business environments that require additional hardware management and security features.

All versions have two SODIMM slots to accommodate up to 64 GB of memory DDR4-3200 and a connector for a PCIe Gen 4×4 NVMe SSD that serves as primary internal storage. The long model adds the mentioned 2.5-inch bay with the possibility of equipping an SSD or hard drive under the SATA interface for additional storage.

Their connectivity it’s really good for its size and lacks nothing you’re looking for, both internally and externally with ports dotted around the back and front:

• Ethernet LAN 2.5 Gbps.
• Intel AX211 chip with support for Wi-FI 6E and Bluetooth 5.2.
• Two Thunderbolt 4 ports.
• Two HDMI 2.0b ports.
• Three USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports.
• One USB 2.0 Type-A port.
• One 3.5mm audio jack.

The prices set by SimplyNUC for these Intel NUC 12 Pro start at $749 for a Core i5 model with 4GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD or $879 for a Core i7 model with similar specs. It must be said that this retailer, an Intel “titanium” partner, charges a premium for the additional support it offers so it is certain that other retailers will sell this series at lower prices.

In addition, the next versions with the Core i3 should also reduce the price. Comment that Intel will sell this series in barebone format for users to include their own memory and storage, in addition to their preferred operating system, with Windows and Linux as compatible.