Comparison Intel NUC 11 Enthusiast RNUC11PHKI7C002 vs Intel NUC 11 Pro BNUC11TNHV70002

The specific model of the processor installed in the PC, or rather, its index within its series (see "Processor"). The full model name consists of the series name and this index — for example, Intel Core i3 3220; knowing this name, you can find detailed information about the processor (characteristics, reviews, etc.) and determine how suitable it is for your purposes.

Clock speed of the CPU installed in the PC.

In theory, higher clock speeds have a positive effect on performance because they allow the CPU to perform more operations per unit of time. However, this indicator is rather weakly related to real productivity. The fact is that the actual capabilities of the CPU strongly depend on a number of other factors - the overall architecture, cache size, number of cores, support for special instructions, etc. As a result, you can compare by this indicator only chips from the same or similar series (see “CPU”), and ideally, also from the same generation. And that's pretty approximate.

Processor clock speed when running in TurboBoost or TurboCore mode.

Turbo Boost technology is used in Intel processors, Turbo Core — AMD. The essence of this technology is the same both there and there: if some of the cores work under high load, and some are idle, then some tasks are transferred from more loaded cores to less loaded ones, which improves performance. This usually increases the clock frequency of the processor; this value is indicated in this paragraph. See above for more information on clock speed in general.

The result shown by the PC processor in the test (benchmark) Passmark CPU Mark.

Passmark CPU Mark is a comprehensive test that allows you to evaluate CPU performance in various modes and with a different number of processed threads. The results are displayed in points; the more points, the higher the overall performance of the processor. For comparison: as of 2020, in low-cost solutions, the results are measured in hundreds of points, in mid-range models they range from 800 – 900 to more than 6,000 points, and individual top-end chips are capable of showing 40,000 points or more.

The result shown by the PC processor in the test (benchmark) Geekbench 4.

Geekbench 4 is a comprehensive cross-platform test that allows, among other things, to determine the efficiency of the processor in various modes. At the same time, according to the developers, the verification modes are as close as possible to various real tasks that the processor has to solve. The result is indicated in points: the more points — the more powerful the CPU, while the difference in numbers corresponds to the actual difference in performance ("twice the result — twice the power").

Note that the benchmark in Geekbench 4 is the Intel Core i7-6600U processor with a clock frequency of 2.6 GHz. Its power is estimated at 4000 points, and the performance of other tested CPUs is already compared with it.

The result shown by the PC processor in the test (benchmark) Cinebench R15.

Cinebench is a test designed to test the capabilities of the processor and graphics card. The creator of this benchmark, Maxon, is also known as the developer of the Cinema 4D 3D editor; this determined the features of testing. So, in addition to purely mathematical tasks, when using Cinebench R15, the processor is loaded with processing high-quality three-dimensional graphics. Another interesting feature is the extensive support for multithreading — the test allows you to fully check the power of chips that process up to 256 threads at a time.

Traditionally, for CPU benchmarks, the test results are indicated in points (more precisely, points — PTS). The more points scored by the CPU, the higher its performance.

The type of video card used in a PC. Modern computers can be equipped with either integrated modules (such as products from Apple and Intel — HD Graphics, UHD Graphics, and Iris), or discrete video cards (including professional level ones), which can be installed in multiple units using SLI or CrossFire technology. Additionally, configurations without any graphic adapters can also be found on the market. Here is a more detailed description of each option:

— Integrated. Video cards built directly into the processor (less commonly into the motherboard) and lacking their own dedicated memory: memory for video processing is taken from the general RAM. The main advantages of such modules are low cost, low power consumption, minimal heat generation (not requiring special cooling systems), and extremely compact size. On the other hand, the performance of this type of graphics is low: it is sufficient for simple everyday tasks like web surfing, video viewing, and undemanding games, but for more serious purposes, it is advisable to have a discrete video adapter in the system. Moreover, the fact that integrated systems use part of the system RAM during operation does not cont...ribute to performance.

— Discrete. Video cards in the form of separate modules with a specialized processor and their own memory. They are noticeably more expensive than integrated ones, take up more space, and consume more energy, but all these drawbacks are compensated by the key advantage — high performance. This allows working even with "heavy" graphic content like modern games, 3D rendering, video editing in high resolutions, etc. (although the specific characteristics of discrete graphics can, of course, vary). Additionally, graphics processing in such systems does not use the main RAM, which is also an important advantage. For additional performance enhancement, discrete video adapters can be combined into SLI / CrossFire systems, this option is specified separately (see below). Also, note that in most modern PCs, such graphics are combined with a processor that has a built-in graphics core and often work in a hybrid mode: the integrated module is used for simple tasks, and when the load increases, the system switches to the discrete video card.

— SLI / CrossFire. Several discrete video cards (see above), combined into a bundle using SLI technology (used by NVIDIA) or CrossFire (used by AMD). From the perspective of an ordinary user, there are no fundamental differences between these technologies: both allow combining the computing power of several video cards, thereby increasing graphic performance. However, such graphics are not cheap, and therefore they are used exclusively in high-performance PCs with a focus on graphic capabilities — particularly gaming ones.

— Purchased separately. The absence of any video card in the initial PC configuration. A rather rare option found in certain high-end workstations: such configurations are equipped with professional processors without a built-in graphics core and do not have discrete graphics — it is assumed that it is more convenient for the user to purchase such an adapter separately.

The main manufacturers of video cards nowadays are AMD, NVIDIA and Intel, and each has its own specifics. NVIDIA produces primarily discrete solutions; Among the most common are the GeForce MX1xx, GeForce MX3xx, GeForce GTX 10xx series (in particular GTX 1050, GTX 1050 Ti and GTX 1060), GeForce GTX 16xx, GeForce RTX 20xx, GeForce RTX 30xx( GeForce RTX 3060, GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, GeForce RTX 3070, GeForce RTX 3070 Ti, GeForce RTX 3080, GeForce RTX 3080 Ti, GeForce RTX 3090, GeForce RTX 3090 Ti), GeForce RTX 4060 , GeForce RTX 4060 Ti, GeForce RTX 4070, GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER, GeForce RTX 4070 Ti, GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER, Ge Force RTX 4080, GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER, GeForce RTX 4090 and separate Quadro series. AMD offers both discrete and integrated graphics - including the popular Radeon RX 500, Radeon RX 5000, Radeon RX 6000, Radeon RX 7000 and AMD Radeon Pro series. And Intel deals exclusively with modules integrated into processors of its own production - these can be HD Graphics, UHD Graphics and Iris.

Note that many configurations with discrete graphics also have an integrated graphics module; in such cases, the name of the discrete video card is indicated as more advanced.

The amount of native memory provided by the discrete graphics card (see "Graphics card type").

The larger this volume, the more powerful and advanced the video adapter is, the better it handles with complex tasks and, accordingly, the more expensive it is. Nowadays, 2 GB and 3 GB are considered quite modest, 4 GB are not bad, 6 GB and 8 GB are very solid, and more than 8 GB means that we have a specialized PC built for maximum graphics performance.