Intel could be moving over to socketed designs with its next-generation NUC 12 Extreme Mini PC as a leaked picture shows an LGA 1700 socket Alder Lake CPU equipped on the Compute Element.
Intel Next-Gen NUC 12 Extreme To House Socketed ‘LGA 1700’ Alder Lake CPUs Within Compute Element Module
Not to be mistaken with the NUC 12 Enthusiast ‘Serpent Canyon’, the NUC 12 Extreme will be a whole different beast and come equipped with the Compute Element module which houses the CPU and PCH on its own dedicated add-on-board. The NUC 12 Enthusiast is likely to retain BGA form factor for Alder Lake CPUs while the NUC 12 Extreme is going to be the first NUC to ship in socketed form factors.
The picture leaked by HXL shows the Compute Element Module of the NUC 12 Extreme which comes with an LGA 1700 socket and a desktop-grade Intel Alder Lake CPU. The CPU features a power delivery comprising 10+1 phases and also features dual SODIMM slots which are likely to support the latest DDR4 standard. Aside from that, the Compute Element modules also features single Gen 4 NVMe slot and another slot that looks like an M.2 connector but has the 1.2V DDR4 label on it. Power is provided through a single 8-pin connector.
While the NUC 12 Enthusiast is going to feature up to Alder Lake Core i7 CPUs with 14 cores, the Intel NUC 12 Extreme could house up to a Core i9 with 16 cores. This will be a huge performance upgrade over existing NUCs that house mobility chips. The assembly of the Element module is still very reminiscent of current designs with heatsinks placed over the VRMs and a shroud that is 2-slot in design. Intel hasn’t announced its NUC 12 Mini PCs yet so we may get more information or even an official announcement at CES 2022 where Intel plans to launch its mobility Alder Lake-P lineup & non-K desktop parts.
News Source: Videocardz
