Small form-factor desktop computer company Simply NUC has introduces two new computers that look nearly identical on the outside, but which feature different hardware on the inside. The Simply NUC Topaz is a mini PC with an Intel Tiger Lake processor, Intel Xe graphics, and a starting price of US$ 559, while the Simply NUC Ruby is available with AMD Ryzen 4000U processor options for US$ 519 and up.
Those starting prices will get you a
computer with 4GB of RAM, a 128GB solid state drive, and either no operating
system or Ubuntu Linux. You can pay extra for up to 64GB of memory, up to 10TB
of storage, and/or Windows 10. Both the Intel and AMD-powered models feature
two USB Type-C ports, four USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, HDMI 2.0a, dual Ethernet
ports (2.5 Gbps and 1 Gbps), and Intel AX200 wireless cards with support for
WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0.
The Intel-powered Topaz also has a
DisplayPort 1.4 port, while the AMD-powered Ruby has DisplayPort 1.2. I’m also
told that while the Topaz has “Thunderbolt capable” ports, the USB-C ports
aren’t certified as Thunderbolt 4. Simply NUC will be releasing a list of
peripherals that have been tested in the future.
The company offers three base
configurations of each model:
Simply NUC Topaz (Intel)
- Topaz i3 w/Core i3-1115G4 for US$ 559 and up
- Topaz i5 w/Core i5-1135G7 for US$ 659 and up
- Topaz i7 w/Core i7-1165G7 for US$ 789 and up
Simply NUC Ruby (AMD)
- Ruby R3 w/Ryzen 3 4300U for US$ 519 and up
- Ruby R5 w/Ryzen 5-4500U for US$ 619 and up
- Ruby R8 w/Ryzen 7 4800U for US$ 819 and up
The Simply NUC Ruby is available for
purchase and ready to ship this month, while the Topaz is scheduled to ship in
January. The company also plans to offer barebones models without any memory
and storage for customers who would prefer to bring their own. Prices will
start at US$ 370 for a barebones Ruby/AMD model and US$ 410 for a barebones
Topaz/Intel version, but as of December 9, 2020 there doesn’t seem to be an
option to configure a barebones system on the Simply NUC website yet.
Interestingly Intel is also expected to
introduce a new NUC with Intel Tiger Lake processor options this month, but it
seems Simply NUC beat the chip maker to the punch with an announcement… even if
the Topaz isn’t going to ship for another month or so.
