My NUC-Style Build: Tiny Powerhouse for Home Office

Hey everyone!

I finally finished my NUC-style build and wanted to share it with the community. I was looking for something compact for my home office that could handle everyday tasks, some light photo editing, and indie gaming without being an eyesore on my desk. I think I've achieved that!

Here are the specs:

• CPU: Intel Core i5-1240P
• RAM: 16GB DDR4 3200MHz
• Storage: 500GB NVMe SSD (Crucial P3)
• Motherboard: ASRock Industrial NUC (built into chassis)
• Case: Generic Aluminum NUC-Style Chassis (sourced from AliExpress)
• PSU: 120W External Power Brick
• OS: Windows 11 Pro

The build process was straightforward, mainly involving mounting the motherboard, RAM, and SSD into the small chassis. The biggest challenge was cable management, but the final result is incredibly clean.

I'm really happy with how quiet it is, even under load. The power brick is a bit bulky, but it's hidden behind my monitor.

What do you guys think? Any suggestions for future upgrades or aesthetics?

Nice build, JohnSmith87! That form factor is really appealing for tight spaces. Did you consider using a Pico-PSU if you wanted to integrate the power supply more?

Also, have you tested any specific games or software to see how it performs? I'm curious about the i5-1240P's capabilities in a NUC chassis.

Hi MikeK,

Thanks! I did look into Pico-PSUs, but most of the ones that could handle the i5-1240P were quite expensive, and I wanted to keep the overall cost down for this build. The external brick is a compromise I was willing to make.

As for performance, I've run a few benchmarks and played some games. It handles

Stardew Valley

,

Hades

, and

Factorio

on high settings with no issues. I also tested

Valorant

at 1080p medium settings, and it stayed well above 60 FPS. For photo editing with Adobe Lightroom, it's snappy for RAW files up to around 24MP. Anything heavier might push it, but for my use case, it's perfect.