- 4th Generation Intel Core i3-4010U processor
- Intel HD Graphics 4400
- Dual channel SODIMM DDR3L 1333/1600 MHz, 1.35V
- Mini HDMI 1.4a and Mini DisplayPort 1.2 with audio support
- 2.5” drive Support, 4
Great hardware, bad drivers
06/16/2014
This review is from: Intel NUC BOXD34010WYKH1 Mini / Booksize Barebone System
Pros:
I bought this NUC specifically for one single purpose, to playback encrypted premium CableCARD content through Windows Media Center using a Silicon Dust HD HomeRun Prime over my network.
I have numerous PCs in my house that handle this stream effortlessly, but a small mobile solution has been elusive. I have a few older laptops that don't have the dedicated AV hardware and slow down and stutter at times, so I wanted to get something faster but also smaller, quieter and lower power.
This NUC hit all my requirements in the hardware department. Its a great piece of hardware and this "H" version also has enough room for a full-size 2.5" drive, either mechanical or a standard 2.5" SSD.
I had no problems booting right to Windows7 Installer from a USB drive, and it did not have the latest BIOS. Overall the machine is very snappy and runs full Win7 x64 Ultimate, very impressed with the speed and design of this unit.
Once I addressed some issues with Intel's drivers (see below), the unit is working great. I have a Logitech K400 keyboard attached to it as well as a cheap Windows Remote. Although the Win remote doesn't work natively with the built-in IR, I have heard other remotes (Harmony) do.
Cons:
I was not impressed at all with Intel's drivers, the initial playback was almost a dealbreaker for me as I ran into an issue I later learned was the 29/59 bug. Basically, the source signal alternates quickly between 29 and 59Hz. The Intel driver has some settings that try to treat the image and insert a white frame, but it can't do this fast enough when the framerate fluctuates so drastically, so the end result is a horribly choppy, flickering image onscreen.
I posted questions here, on another popular retailers site and Intel's NUC support forums and finally got a solid lead from the other retailer that ultimately led me to the fix. Intel's support is also terrible, there's a thread that has been ongoing for months and someone from Intel basically pops in every few weeks to say they have punted the issue for another 2-3 weeks.
So, took 1 egg off for the bug that should be disabled by default, and took another egg off for bad support by Intel. If the hardware itself wasn't so awesome, I'd give it 1-2 eggs because I was almost stuck in a situation where I would've had a paperweight that looked like a NUC.
Ultimately the fix was to disable some settings that aren't clearly labeled in Intel's graphics properties:
Video > Video Dropdown (Upper Right) > Image Enhancement > Advanced.
I had to disable both Film Mode Enhancement and Contrast Enhancement in Advanced and Skin Tone Enhancement in Basic, but the flickering and stuttering is now gone. The signal still fluctuates between 29/59 Hz but at least the Intel driver is no longer fighting it and trying to (poorly) insert its own image correction treatments.
Overall Review:
I still try to buy from Newegg as a loyal egg customer going back to the beginning, but almost got burned in this case with Neweggs exchange only policy. If this NUC didn't do what I needed it to do and bought it specifically for, it would've been a pretty big waste. As a result, I will have to shop around a bit more in the future and look at things like return policy.
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