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Intel’s Meteor Lake series of processors has had a drawn-out launch since its details were officially revealed in September 2023. The series introduces Intel’s entry into the consumer market with a tile-based chiplet design united by Foveros packaging technology. Much like Tiger Lake, Meteor Lake has been primarily targeted at the mobile segment, including ultraportables and notebooks, while also expanding into the SFF / UCFF desktop segment as a successive option to Raptor Lake-P and Raptor Lake-H.
ASRock Industrial has led the market with its ultra-compact form-factor motherboards and mini-PCs, aligning product launches with Intel’s introduction of new mobile processors. The Meteor Lake release has followed suit, with the NUC(S) Ultra 100 BOX series being launched towards the end of Q4 2023. Subsequently, Intel’s NUC division transitioned to ASUS, marking its first major launch under the new banner with the Meteor Lake-based Revel Canyon NUCs at CES 2024.
The flagship NUC Ultra 100 BOX system features the NUC BOX-155H model powered by the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H. Similarly, the Revel Canyon NUC lineup boasts a variant based on the Core Ultra 7 165H with vPro capabilities, notable for reaching 5 GHz on performance cores. This review scrutinizes the ASRock Industrial NUC BOX-155H and the ASUS NUC14RVHv7, comparing their features and performance to assess Meteor Lake’s impact on the UCFF desktop market.
Introduction and Product Impressions
The past decade has seen impressive advancements in processor performance and power efficiency, backed by thermal solution innovations, allowing compact systems with low-power SoCs to serve as viable desktop replacements for multiple use cases. This shift received significant attention with Intel pioneering the ultra-compact form-factor (4in. x 4in.) NUC in the early 2010s.
The 4×4 form-factor remains prevalent, as demonstrated by the diversity of UCFF systems released annually by various vendors. The ASRock Industrial NUC BOX-155H and the ASUS NUC14RVHv7 reviewed here continue to employ this well-established form-factor.
ASRock Industrial NUC BOX-155H
ASRock Industrial has made its mark in the compact systems market since the Intel Skylake (6th Gen) / Braswell era. The company’s consistent product releases, evolving from the original Beebox design, have exhibited ongoing enhancements over time, including a shift to a matte chassis with the Raptor Lake generation. The current iteration, the NUC BOX-155H, introduces an updated internal design featuring a thermal solution capable of managing the heat from Gen4 SSDs at peak performance. This iteration supports a 2.5″ SATA drive.
In addition to the core unit, the NUC BOX-155H package includes a VESA mount and screws, M.2 mounts and screws, a combined SATA data and power cable, a user manual, and a 120W AC adapter with a geo-specific power cord. The review sample from ASRock Industrial was provided as a barebones system, outfitted with 2x 16GB Crucial DDR5-5600 SODIMMs and a 2TB Samsung SSD 990 PRO for evaluation.
The system grants access to SSD and SODIMM slots by removing screws from the bottom, where the 2.5″ drive mount is also located. A notable upgrade is the introduction of thick metal blocks with thermal pads for the SSDs and SODIMMs, emphasizing improved cooling under load. Additionally, the updated chassis features a notebook-style cooler for the MTL-H processor.
ASUS NUC14RVHv7
Since its inception, the NUC series has served as a benchmark for the 4×4 form-factor across processor generations. The Revel Canyon NUC upholds this tradition with a design similar to the previous Raptor Lake-P-based Arena Canyon NUCs, focusing on performance upgrades to accommodate Meteor Lake configurations. The NUC14RVHv7 includes a VESA mount, power cord lock screws, user manuals, and a 120W AC adapter.
One of the significant enhancements with the Revel Canyon NUC is a tool-less component installation design, featuring a sliding mechanism for easy access to a 2.5″ drive mount with integrated cooling. The system comes pre-equipped with 16GB of SK hynix DDR5-5600 SODIMMs and a 512GB Samsung PM9A1a SSD.
Review System Specifications
The assessment of SFF / UCFF systems involves default BIOS settings with options for performance adjustments to explore power limits and cooling efficiency. The ASUS NUC14RVHv7 and ASRock NUC BOX-155H are evaluated for their default and performance-tuned configurations, revealing insights into Meteor Lake’s potential for the UCFF desktop market.
| Systems Specifications (as tested) | ||
| ASUS NUC14RVHv7 (Revel Canyon vPro) | ASRock NUC BOX-155H (Performance) | |
| Processor | Intel Core Ultra 7 165H Meteor Lake-H 6P + 8E + 2LPE / 22T, up to 5.0 GHz (P) up to 3.8 GHz (E) up to 2.5 GHz (LPE) Intel 4 (CPU) / TSMC N5 (iGPU), 24MB L2, Min / Max / Base TDP: 20W / 115W / 28W PL1 = 64W, PL2 = 64W | Intel Core Ultra 7 155H Meteor Lake-H 6P + 8E + 2LPE / 22T, up to 4.8 GHz (P) up to 3.8 GHz (E) up to 2.5 GHz (LPE) Intel 4 (CPU) / TSMC N5 (iGPU), 24MB L2, Min / Max / Base TDP: 20W / 115W / 28W PL1 = 40W, PL2 = 64W |
| Memory | SK hynix HMCG66AGBSA095N DDR5-5600 SODIMM 46-45-45-90 @ 5600 MHz 2×8 GB | Crucial CT16G56C46S5.M8G1 DDR5-5600 SODIMM 46-45-45-90 @ 5600 MHz 2×16 GB |
| Graphics | Intel Arc Graphics (8 Xe-cores @ up to 2.3 GHz) | Intel Arc Graphics (8 Xe-cores @ up to 2.25 GHz) |
| Disk Drive(s) | Samsung PM9A1a MZVL2512HDJD (512 GB; M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe;) (Samsung 7th Gen. V-NAND 176L (136T) 3D TLC; Samsung Pascal S4LV008 Controller) | Samsung SSD 990 PRO MZ-VP92T0B (2 TB; M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe;) (Samsung 7th Gen. V-NAND 176L (136T) 3D TLC; Samsung Pascal S4LV008 Controller) |
| Networking | 1x 2.5 GbE RJ-45 (Intel I226-LM) Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211 (2×2 802.11ax – 2.4 Gbps) | 1x 2.5 GbE RJ-45 (Intel I226-LM) 1x 2.5 GbE RJ-45 (Intel I226-V) Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211 (2×2 802.11ax – 2.4 Gbps) |
| Audio | Digital Audio with Bitstreaming Support over HDMI and Display Port (Type-C) | Realtek ALC256 (3.5mm Audio Jack in Front) Digital Audio with Bitstreaming Support over HDMI and Display Port (Type-C) |
| Video | 2x HDMI 2.1 (Rear) 2x DisplayPort 2.1 over Tye-C Alt-Mode (Rear / Thunderbolt 4) | 2x HDMI 2.1 (Rear) 2x DisplayPort 2.1 over Tye-C Alt-Mode (Front / USB4) |
| Miscellaneous I/O Ports | 2x USB4 / Thunderbolt 4 Type-C (Rear, up to 40 Gbps) 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 Type-C (Front) 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A (Front) 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A (Rear) 1x USB 2.0 Type-A (Rear) | 1x USB4 / Thunderbolt 4 Type-C (Front, up to 40 Gbps) 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 Type-C (Front, with DP Alt Mode) 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A (Front) 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A (Rear) |
| Operating System | Windows 11 Enterprise (22631.3593) | Windows 11 Enterprise (22631.3527) |
| Pricing | US $700 (barebones) US $816 (as configured, no OS) | US $700 (barebones) US $990 (as configured, no OS) |
| Full Specifications | ASUS NUC14RVHv7 Specifications | ASRock Industrial NUC BOX-155H Specifications |
This review advances with an exploration of the setup process and a thorough analysis of both platforms.
