The industrial arm of ASRock has today unveiled an Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake Core update for its embedded Box line of mini-PCs.
Three new NUC BOX models make the grade and supplement AMD Ryzen 5000 U-series 4×4 BOX and Intel 11th Gen Tiger Lake Core models.
ASRock chooses to power the new series with Core i3-1220P, Core i5-1240P and Core i7-1260P. These are mobile processors belong to the P-series family, as described here, and carry a nominal 28W TDP that rises up to 64W if the manufacturer implements maximum turbo power mode. It is doubtful ASRock runs at anything other than base power, but just in case, a 90W mains adapter is sufficiently robust to counter power spikes. A low-profile, fan-assisted heatsink cools the innards.
NUC 1200 BOX series uses the same chassis as 11th Gen offerings, measuring 110mm wide, 117.5mm long and 47.85mm tall. Processors are supported by up to 64GB of DDR4 SODIMMs in dual-channel mode, and though it may be obvious, there’s no room for a discrete graphics card. ASRock does find space to include an M.2-based Wi-Fi 6E and combo Bluetooth card, while storage is taken care of by a PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slot and a single SATA port.
The front is home to USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A (10Gbps), the same speed via two Type-C, and a headphone jack. The back, meanwhile, hosts HDMI 2.0b, DisplayPort 1.4a, dual Intel 2.5GbE, two more USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, and the power jack inlet. All in, that’s a nice, modern combination of ports. Users with multiple monitors can take advantage of up to four displays – two via HDMI and DisplayPort, another two from Type-C, which will be upgraded to USB 4 pending certification.
ASRock says “The NUC 1200 BOX Series is perfect for applications in gaming, home theater, intense office work demand, business, and retail solutions.” We find it hard to disagree with that assertion, and on the face of it, this little box makes for a capable little system adequate for many users’ needs, especially if equipped with the 12-core, 16-thread Core i7-1260P.
Here’s hoping ASRock releases NUC 1200 BOX to the general public. Pricing and availability are yet to be confirmed.
