Intel officially announced Equipped with a Core i9-13900K processor and a triple-slot GeForce RTX or Radeon RX graphics card, the NUC 13 Extreme gaming PC delivers extreme performance and relatively compact dimensions. Plus, the codenamed Raptor Canyon machine boasts the great upgradeability and connectivity you’d expect from a modern gaming PC.
Intel’s NUC systems were originally intended to be compact, but in recent years Intel has moved away from the original concept in favor of performance. surely, Intel NUC 13 Extreme is a machine up to 14 liters (opens in new tab) It features the company’s top-of-the-line Core i9-13900K processor, 8 high-performance cores, 16 energy-efficient cores, up to 64GB of DDR4-4800+ memory, and 3x M.2-2280 SSDs. It has a PCIe 4.0 interface, and one 3.5-inch or two 2.5-inch hard drives (or SATA SSDs).
Perhaps most importantly for gamers, Intel’s NUC 13 supports graphics cards with triple-slot coolers up to 313mm long and consumes up to 450W (12VHPWR connector with one or eight 3 pin auxiliary power connector). I’m not sure if Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 4090 Founders Edition (304 mm long) will fit in Intel’s new system, but it looks like the box can accommodate a “tall” graphics card, so this board may be suitable. The NUC 13 Extreme is ready for the best graphics cards available today.
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As with all modern NUC Extreme PCs, the computing element of the system can eventually be upgraded with new CPUs and faster memory, storage and connectivity. Meanwhile, the system is equipped with his SFX 12VO internal power supply with a 750W 80Plus Gold badge. However, such PSUs are not popular in retail stores, so this cannot be upgraded.
When it comes to connectivity, the NUC 13 Extreme Compact PC has a full-fledged desktop experience, including a Wi-Fi 6E + Bluetooth 5.2 adapter, two LAN connectors (2.5GbE and 10GbE), two Thunderbolt 4 ports, and six USB 3.2 Gen2. It has almost all the same features. Type-A connector on the back, 2 USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A connectors on the front, 1 USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C on the front, 4 display outputs (3 DP, 1 HDMI), a 7.1-channel audio subsystem, and a 3.5 mm TRRS port for headsets on the front panel.
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With the ability to integrate Intel’s Core i9-13900K with high-end graphics boards, Intel’s NUC 13 rivals gaming desktops designed for gaming, especially compact ones like the Falcon Northwest Tiki. However, the full-size desktop is better than Intel’s NUC 13 Extreme. Machines housed in large tower chassis can house massive 3.5-inch hard drives, high-end PSUs, additional add-in cards, and even optical disc drives (ODDs). However, these systems are considerably larger and possibly more expensive.
Intel’s NUC 13 Extreme is priced at $1,179 for barebones with Core i5-13600K and $1,549 for barebones with Core i9-13900K. Additionally, companies such as SimplyNUC will offer pre-assembled machines using Intel’s NUC 13 Extreme.
