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A NUC is less powerful and upgradable than a full-sized desktop PC, but it takes up a tiny fraction of the space that size is why you buy a NUC. That amounts to the same power you'd get from something like an ultrabook or a comparable business laptop for about half the price (though you do need to provide a monitor, keyboard, and mouse). Every NUC has four USB ports, a Thunderbolt 3 port, a microSD port, and an HDMI port. But for people who want a prebuilt PC with Windows 10 already installed, we recommend the model with a quad-core Intel Core i5-8259U processor, 8 GB of RAM, and a 256 GB solid-state drive. Intel offers a few different NUC configurations, many of which don't come with memory, storage, or an OS. The Intel NUC8i5BEKPA1 is the best because it strikes a balance of cost, processing power, and compact design. They're powerful enough for most people and take up much less space than a full-sized desktop computer. If you're shopping for a desktop computer rather than a laptop because you prefer to work at a monitor, keyboard, and mouse, consider a mini PC. Read the full mini desktop PCs guide here. When readers choose to buy Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, Wirecutter and Engadget may earn affiliate commission. This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter.
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