Intel Dragon Canyon NUC12EDBi9 review: Small form factor PCs made simple

Last summer time, Intel leaned laborious into its line of modular gaming PCs. Its launch of Beast Canyon (aka the NUCBTM) muscled up into small-form-factor PC territory, with an eight liter case able to housing full-length graphics playing cards. The solely compromise was its soldered cellular chip—in the event you may name it that, given the robust check outcomes.

Half a 12 months later, the discharge of Dragon Canyon eliminates that weak point. This Next Unit of Computing (NUC) variant doesn’t revolutionize a lot. A brand new processor is the star of the present: a socketed Alder Lake chip, plus among the platform upgrades that include 12th-gen Core chips. Otherwise, this NUC seems to be the identical as Beast Canyon, because of sporting just about the identical chassis as its predecessor.

But we are able to’t say that it’s simply a processor improve. Moving from a cellular chip to a replaceable desktop CPU is sort of a transfer. On paper, Dragon Canyon seems to be rather more geared up to face off in opposition to a DIY small kind issue (SFF) PC. And that’s precisely what we’re going to dig into.

Design and kind issue

Dragon Canyon is definitely the code title for the $1,450 NUC12EDBi9 and $1,150 NUC12EDBi7—Intel’s official names for the Core i9 and Core i7 variants of this bare-bones gaming PC. The firm sells it as a package, which implies it’s important to deliver your individual reminiscence, storage, and graphics card. Everything else (the chassis, cooling, and proprietary energy provide) is included.

Since Dragon Canyon and Beast Canyon share just about the identical chassis, the idea is precisely the identical as earlier than. Inside there’s simply two parts to take care of: An Intel Compute Element module comes with the package and homes the reminiscence, storage, and a pre-installed Core i9-12900 or Core i7-12700 CPU. You need to get hold of and set up your individual discrete graphics card, which will be as much as two slots thick and a max of 12 inches lengthy. The concept is which you can simply swap both of these parts for a more recent substitute down the highway.

This newer Compute Element is the foremost improve within the system. (The chassis has the lone minor change—Intel swapped one of many USB-A ports for USB-C.) The modifications are all about cutting-edge tech and velocity. Inside is a desktop 12th-gen Alder Lake processor with a completely different architecture from the previous generation and a GPU slot that helps PCIe 5.0. And on the again, a second ethernet port able to 10Gbps has been added. That velocity could sound ludicrous to most of us within the US, however one PCWorld employees member is living the ultra-fast broadband life.

Because of that desktop Alder Lake processor, Intel promotes Dragon Canyon as upgradable to next-gen CPUs. They actually are, however Intel doesn’t often preserve a socket round for greater than a few generations. Realistically, only a few folks may have purpose to improve. 

Serviceable {hardware} continues to be a plus, although. And in concept having a desktop CPU means much less of a compromise in efficiency in comparison with a cellular chip. Let’s see how that performs out within the benchmarks.

How we examined

Rather than attempt to sort out Dragon Canyon as an unbiased product, I selected to take a narrower focus. We already understand how Beast Canyon stacked up—the quick model is “pretty damn well.” (You can learn the complete particulars in our NUCBTMi9 review from final July.) That eliminates the necessity to choose aside Dragon Canyon in wonderful element.

Instead, the questions that Dragon Canyon increase are simple: How a lot does it enhance efficiency in CPU-oriented duties? And how does it stack up in opposition to a similar DIY small-form-factor PC? 

To get a way of the solutions, we’ll have a look at a choose handful of benchmarks. Think of those numbers extra as a normal impression concerning the {hardware}, fairly than a set of efficiency expectations.

Alaina Yee / IDG

The {hardware} lineup

Dragon Canyon

Intel shipped us Dragon Canyon as a bare-bones package this time, so we equipped our personal reminiscence and storage for our NUCEDBi9 evaluation unit. For the graphics card, we used the identical compact Asus RTX 3060 that got here with our Beast Canyon evaluation unit final 12 months.

• CPU: Core i9-12900 (8 efficiency cores + 8 effectivity cores, 24 threads)
• GPU: Asus Dual O12G RTX 3060 
• Memory: 16GB HyperX Impact DDR4-3200
• Storage: 500GB SK Hynix P31
• OS: Windows 11

As you’ll see, I couldn’t get hold of the very same SSD mannequin as in our Beast Canyon unit. However, the numbers under present that utilizing a PCIe 3.0 (fairly than an identical PCIe 4.0 drive) in these specific benchmarks didn’t make a distinction.

Beast Canyon

Our Beast Canyon evaluation unit got here absolutely outfitted. In the curiosity of protecting issues as at the same time as attainable throughout the board, I used its compact Asus GeForce RTX 3060 with the opposite check techniques.

• CPU: Core i9-11900KB (8 cores, 16 threads)
• GPU: Asus Dual O12G RTX 3060 
• Memory: 16GB HyperX Impact DDR4-3200
• Storage: 500GB Sabrent Rocket PCIe 4.0
• OS: Windows 11 

DIY SFF PC

While not an actual match for Dragon Canyon and Beast Canyon in measurement, this 11-liter system continues to be shut sufficient to get an concept of how effectively the 2 NUCs stack up in opposition to a high-performance DIY small-form-factor PC. For the GPU, I once more used Beast Canyon’s compact Asus RTX 3060 for consistency.

• CPU: Ryzen 9 5900X (12 cores, 24 threads)
• CPU cooler: Corsair H100i (240mm AIO)
• GPU: Asus Dual O12G RTX 3060 
• Memory: 16GB HyperX Fury DDR4-3600
• Storage: 1TB Corsair MP600
• PSU: SilverStone SX700-G
• Case: Lian Li A4-H2O
• OS: Windows 11

Performance

Rendering

First up is Cinebench R23, the newest in Maxon’s line 3D-rendering benchmarks. For analysis of Dragon Canyon, this check helps present perception into efficiency throughout in CPU-heavy duties. The default setting loops the benchmark for 10 minutes, which is what we use for our exams.

PCWorld

Looking at multi-core efficiency, you’ll be able to see that going from Beast Canyon’s Core i9-11900KB to Dragon Canyon’s Core i9-12900 leads to an almost 50 p.c enchancment. That bodes effectively for anybody contemplating Dragon Canyon. Still, the Core i9-12900 is a bit subdued inside Dragon Canyon’s confines—we anticipated numbers nearer to the Ryzen 9 5900X. In Cinebench R23’s single-core exams, nevertheless, Intel maintains its single-core efficiency benefit, just as in full desktop systems. That bodes effectively for gaming efficiency, as most video games don’t benefit from all out there CPU cores.

PCWorld

Encoding

Our Handbrake check includes transcoding a 4K video formatted as an MP4 to an MKV file on the identical decision. This long-lasting encoding benchmark helps spherical out the Cinebench R23 outcomes, because it supplies additional context for efficiency throughout CPU-oriented duties.

PCWorld

Beast Canyon’s Core i9-11900KB carried out decently in earlier Handbrake benchmarks, although it was nonetheless surpassed by different cellular chips. Dragon Canyon’s Core i9-12900 decreases the period of time by a hefty 30 p.c, although as you’ll be able to see, hardcore content material creators should discover a DIY SFF PC a better option if time is cash. The Ryzen 9 5900X chews by the file in practically half the time of the Core i9-11900KB.

Gaming

Spoiler alert: When it involves gaming, these three techniques don’t hand over a lot floor to at least one one other on common. It’s not a shock, since video games not often lean on all of a CPU’s cores. Instead, single-core efficiency nonetheless typically dictates outcomes. Game optimizations can have an effect on outcomes, too. So in the event you’re primarily a gamer and had been debating between the benefit of constructing in Dragon Canyon or extra optimum efficiency in a SFF construct, you thankfully don’t have a really robust choice to make in any respect.

PCWorld

Just take a look on the outcomes from the benchmarks. These AAA title nonetheless punish your graphics card greater than anything, which implies your CPU performs much less of a task within the last body depend.

PCWorld

Across the board, Dragon Canyon both matches or outperforms Beast Canyon. The actual competitors right here is between Dragon Canyon and the DIY SFF PC, and there’s no clear winner within the newer video games. In Metro Exodus and Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, the 2 techniques are deadlocked, and in Borderlands 3, the DIY SFF PC has a lead of six p.c. That edge may sound significant, however that lead isn’t that a lot while you’re already getting 80 fps.

PCWorld

With some video games, you could begin to see extra of a niche open up, as you’ll be able to in Shadow of the Tomb Raider. But in the event that they’re older or much less demanding video games (which SoTR is), it once more could not matter a lot. It all will depend on whether or not you want your framerates to be as excessive as attainable, like for a excessive refresh fee monitor.

PCWorld

Acoustics and thermals

Like Beast Canyon, Dragon Canyon runs pretty quiet. In truth, the DIY SFF PC was usually noisier than it. Your choice of graphics card will affect your final result, although.

It runs about as heat, too. During CPU-intensive duties, like a 30 minute run of Cinebench R23’s multicore benchmark, Dragon Canyon’s Core i9-12900 averaged about 72 levels Celsius. It crept up greater throughout gaming benchmarks—I typically noticed it hovering round 78 levels Celsius. That’s not as optimum as some SFF lovers could like, however given its measurement and cooling, these numbers aren’t unreasonable.

Final ideas

Before Dragon Canyon, Intel’s gaming NUCs had an excessive area of interest vibe. You paid quite a bit for a cool, well-executed idea—and that was wonderful as long as you match the slim target market. Otherwise, another was typically a greater and cheaper selection.

At $1,150 for the NUC12EDBi7 package and $1,450 for the NUC12EDBi9 package, you’re not essentially saving cash over a DIY SFF construct, however you’re additionally not sacrificing efficiency as with earlier NUCs that leaned on cellular chips. With its socketed chip, Dragon Canyon nonetheless retains that extremely easy, time-saving system for constructing, whereas providing flexibility nearer to that of a DIY PC. That change makes Dragon Canyon seems like a strong possibility when contemplating a sub-10L construct, fairly than a novelty.