Intel NUC 12 Enthusiast

The Intel NUC 12 Enthusiast, codenamed Serpent Canyon, is a compact gaming and video editing desktop that Intel launched in September 2022. It was the first Intel NUC with Intel’s own Arc discrete graphics, and its 16GB of video memory and three M.2 slots still suit someone who edits video or plays at 1080p on a small desk. Reviewers measured high idle power and audible fans under load, and Notebookcheck criticized the early Arc drivers for holding back game performance. It suits a compact editing setup best when bought well under its launch price.

Pros and Cons

Related Videos

Intel NUC 12 Enthusiast Comparison Chart

	Intel NUC 12 Enthusiast	Intel NUC 12 Enthusiast	Intel NUC 12 Enthusiast
Price	List Price: $1,000.00 Amazon Prices: Loading prices...	List Price: $1,649.99 Amazon Prices: Check Price on Amazon	List Price: $1,180.00 Amazon Prices: Check Price on Amazon
Version	32GB/1TB/Windows 11 Pro	16GB/1TB/Windows 11 Home	Barebones kit, no RAM, SSD, or OS
Performance Rating	5.5	5.1	5.1
CPU Mark	25,313	25,313	25,313
Operating System	Windows 11 Pro	Windows 11 Home	No OS
Processor	Fourteen-core 3.50 Ghz (max 4.70 Ghz) Intel Core i7-12700H	Fourteen-core 3.50 Ghz (max 4.70 Ghz) Intel Core i7-12700H	Fourteen-core 3.50 Ghz (max 4.70 Ghz) Intel Core i7-12700H
GPU	Dedicated Intel Arc A770M	Dedicated Intel Arc A770M	Dedicated Intel Arc A770M
RAM	32 GB DDR4 SO-DIMM, 2-channel (2x 16GB DDR4-3200)	16 GB DDR4 SO-DIMM, 2-channel (2x 8GB DDR4-3200)	0 GB DDR4 SO-DIMM, 2-channel
Internal Storage	1 TB NVMe SSD	1 TB NVMe SSD	0 GB NVMe SSD
Dimensions width x length x thickness	9.1 x 7.1 x 2.4 inches (231.14 x 180.34 x 60.96 mm)	9.1 x 7.1 x 2.4 inches (231.14 x 180.34 x 60.96 mm)	9.1 x 7.1 x 2.4 inches (231.14 x 180.34 x 60.96 mm)
Weight	4.34 lbs (1.97 kg)	4.34 lbs (1.97 kg)	4.34 lbs (1.97 kg)
WiFi	Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax)	Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax)	Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax)
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 5.2	Bluetooth 5.2	Bluetooth 5.2
Ethernet	1 Ethernet port at 2.5 Gbps	1 Ethernet port at 2.5 Gbps	1 Ethernet port at 2.5 Gbps
HDMI	1 Full-Size HDMI Port	1 Full-Size HDMI Port	1 Full-Size HDMI Port
DisplayPort	2 DisplayPorts (Full-size; 4K144 or 8K30 each)	2 DisplayPorts (Full-size; 4K144 or 8K30 each)	2 DisplayPorts (Full-size; 4K144 or 8K30 each)
VGA	No VGA Ports	No VGA Ports	No VGA Ports
USB Ports	6 USB 3, 2 USB-C Front: 2x USB-A 10Gbps, Thunderbolt 4. Rear: 4x USB-A 10Gbps, Thunderbolt 4	6 USB 3, 2 USB-C Front: 2x USB-A 10Gbps, Thunderbolt 4. Rear: 4x USB-A 10Gbps, Thunderbolt 4	6 USB 3, 2 USB-C Front: 2x USB-A 10Gbps, Thunderbolt 4. Rear: 4x USB-A 10Gbps, Thunderbolt 4
Thunderbolt Ports	2	2	2
OCuLink	No	No	No
Internal SATA Ports	No SATA ports	No SATA ports	No SATA ports
Card Reader	SD Express	SD Express	SD Express
Headphone Jack	combo	combo	combo
Fanless	No	No	No
VESA Mount	Yes	Yes	Yes
In the Box	Vertical stand, 330W power adapter, power cord, Allen key, manuals	Vertical stand, 330W power adapter, power cord, Allen key, manuals	Vertical stand, 330W power adapter, power cord, Allen key, manuals
Expandability	Up to 64GB DDR4-3200 (2x SO-DIMM, no XMP). 3x M.2 2280. CPU and GPU are fixed.	Up to 64GB DDR4-3200 (2x SO-DIMM, no XMP). 3x M.2 2280. CPU and GPU are fixed.	Up to 64GB DDR4-3200 (2x SO-DIMM, no XMP). 3x M.2 2280. CPU and GPU are fixed.

Ports, build, and upgrades

The chassis measures 9.1 x 7.1 x 2.4 inches, about 2.5 liters, and Notebookcheck’s unit weighed about 4.3 pounds. A 330W external power adapter adds close to 3 pounds more. One of the two front USB-A ports is amber and supplies higher charging current. The front also has a 3.5mm headset jack and the SD Express card slot, and the rear has a 3.5mm and optical audio jack.

Intel’s specification lists the HDMI port as HDMI 2.1 TMDS compatible and rates it for 4K at 60Hz, so it behaves like HDMI 2.0. Each of the two full-size DisplayPort outputs is rated for 4K at 144Hz or 8K at 30Hz. ASUS lists those outputs as DP 1.4 certified, while Robtech and CGMagazine call them DisplayPort 2.0. Wireless comes from an Intel Killer Wi-Fi 6E card with Bluetooth 5.2, and the module is replaceable.

The Core i7-12700H has 14 cores (6 performance, 8 efficient) and 20 threads, boosts to 4.7GHz, and scores 25,313 on PassMark’s CPU Mark. The Arc A770M has 32 Xe-cores, 16GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, a rated power of 120W to 150W, and a PassMark G3D score of 11,932. The 12700H launched in early 2022. In Robtech’s 2026 retest, most of the larger mini PCs he compared beat it in Geekbench 6 multi-core, while its single-core results held up.

Two SO-DIMM slots accept up to 64GB of DDR4-3200, and two M.2 slots run PCIe 4.0 x4 while the third runs PCIe 3.0 x4 or SATA. Intel sold two versions: a barebones kit with no RAM, SSD, or operating system, and a Mini PC with 16GB, a 1TB SSD, and Windows 11 Home. Resellers such as GEEK+ sell 32GB, 1TB builds on Windows 11 Pro with a three-year warranty. ASUS took over NUC support, so BIOS updates and drivers now come from its website.

Reviewer Insights

Robtech

Robtech reviewed this machine in 2022 and again in 2026. In his 2022 launch review on a barebones unit, he averaged about 19% more frame rate than the NUC 11 Enthusiast across five games at 1080p High, but measured about 40W at idle and a 307W gaming peak. Ubuntu failed to boot on that unit. He concluded, “Unfortunately, NUC 12 enthusiast, Serpent Canyon is not a step in the right direction.”

His 2026 re-review ran a used 32GB unit on the final BIOS and current drivers. He does not take back the launch verdict (“NUC 12 Enthusiast was a huge amount of cash to spend on being a beta tester.”), yet he plans to keep it as a travel editing workstation: “It’s a great content creation workstation since it’s small and has an easy access SD card slot.” He gave it a tick for ease of opening while calling that generous: “Opening a mini PC should be quick and toolless.”

At native 1080p High, Counter-Strike 2 reached about 150fps, Cyberpunk 2077 stayed above 60fps, and Baldur’s Gate 3 ran well. Warzone did not hold a stable 60fps, Fortnite sat around 40fps, which he put down to its Nanite and Lumen effects, and Doom: The Dark Ages struggled to reach 30fps. The A770M matched the RTX 3070 laptop GPU in Fire Strike and passed it slightly in Time Spy. Idle draw on this unit was 65W, which he had hoped VBIOS updates would fix. Peak draw matched his 2022 unit at 307W, the CPU hit 98C, and fan noise was 45 dBA. Ubuntu worked this time.

Notebookcheck

Notebookcheck scored its kit, fitted with 32GB and a 500GB SSD, at 88%, and found that “At 1,080p, most of the games we tested can be played smoothly by the Intel Arc A770M.” Its results ranged from good in F1 2021 and Metro Exodus to weak in The Witcher 3 and GTA V, and the review called the driver “a main point of criticism.” Noise ran from about 32 dB(A) at idle to 44.5 dB(A) under load, the CPU reached 97C, and the GPU peaked at 76C. Idle power ranged from 28.8W to 57.1W and averaged 39.3W, and system power peaked at 271W.

PCMag

PCMag’s Charles Jefferies gave the kit 4.0 out of 5 and summed it up as “gaming-laptop-grade performance in a compact desktop.” He rated it quiet, writing “Fortunately, the NUC’s fan noise won’t disturb your sleep.” Rainbow Six Siege was his example of Arc lagging in older titles (“Simply put, the Arc A770M doesn’t perform nearly as well in older games, such as Rainbow Six Siege, where its numbers are barely good enough at 1080p.”). He added, “For newer games, it has no trouble at 1080p or even 1440p with the detail settings cranked up.”

Digital Trends

Jacob Roach at Digital Trends wrote, “Even with some caveats, the NUC 12 Enthusiast puts up far more pros than cons.” He reported that the 12700H outperformed the same chip in most laptops and that the CPU reached about 95C and throttled to around 3.1GHz in Cinebench R23. The fans stayed at a faint hum in that CPU test (“The noise isn’t bad, either, never surpassing a faint hum even when the machine was pushed to the limit in Cinebench.”). With the CPU and GPU both under load, he wrote that it “can get loud, though still not as loud as monstrous gaming laptops like the MSI GT77 Titan.” His cons were the cost and the large power brick.

TweakTown

TweakTown’s Tyler Bernath listed the price and the continued use of DDR4 as drawbacks in his 89% review. He called connectivity “one of the stronger suits for the NUC 12” and wrote that the Arc A770M “helps it shine as a capable mid-range SFF gaming machine.”

CGMagazine

Andrew Wilson at CGMagazine scored it 8 out of 10. On the ports, he wrote, “The port selection was absolutely phenomenal, giving me the freedom to attach all my peripherals and more without needing a hub to expand my options.” At its price, he called it “a tougher sell when other conventional-sized systems can be spec’d with higher-end hardware for less or similar costs.” He measured 34 dB in daily use and 49 to 50 dB during benchmarks. At 1080p and full settings, he averaged 71.1fps in Fortnite, 117.9fps in American Truck Simulator, and 36.4fps in BeamNG Drive.

ETA PRIME

ETA PRIME’s first look recorded 10,995 in 3DMark Time Spy and 23,462 in Fire Strike, and around 79fps in Forza Horizon 5 at 1440p Ultra. He found the A770M trading blows with the RTX 3060 laptop GPU. He said “they’ve done a really good job designing the cooling system in here but it’s not a totally silent experience.” Wall power ran about 39W at idle, 218W on average in games, and 256W at most, with temperatures averaging 84C in games and spiking to around 95C.

Terafied

Terafied published its review in February 2023 on a unit with 16GB of RAM and a 500GB SSD, after holding it back because of Arc driver issues. At 1080p with no upscaling, CS:GO ran above 400fps and Apex Legends neared 200fps, while Cyberpunk 2077 and Modern Warfare 2 averaged just over 60fps with 1% lows well below that. Shadow of the Tomb Raider reached about 120fps, which Terafied placed in line with an RTX 3060 at best, and it called 1440p “pretty much the limit for this system.” Running Shadow of the Tomb Raider on DirectX 11 instead of 12 cost about 25% of the average frame rate at 1080p and 1440p and halved the 1% lows at every resolution it tested, so Terafied described “basically a DX12 only gaming machine.”

In Modern Warfare 2, the GPU stayed at or below 72C and the CPU at about 83C, and Terafied said “It really isn’t loud at all, much quieter than any gaming laptop.” It liked the machine for 1080p and some 1440p gaming but still declined to recommend it, citing Arc support for older games and the price: about 2,500 Singapore dollars (roughly 1,400 USD) for this build and 2,200 Singapore dollars for the barebones kit. At that kit price, it said, you could build a decent ITX PC that “can literally run circles around this thing.”

Booredatwork

Booredatwork published its video in December 2022 on a unit with 16GB of RAM and a 500GB Kingston SSD, testing mostly at 1440p. Doom Eternal ran at about 70 to 86fps on Ultra Nightmare and over 100fps on Ultra, and Warzone ran from around 70fps to the high 80s. The host called the A770M “a solid dedicated GPU” and the power brick “massive,” adding “that is a downside.”

Tech Guy Beau and Toasty Bros

Two later videos tested units bought on eBay. Tech Guy Beau said “this thing is truly fantastic”, while adding “I wouldn’t pay three grand for something like this.” He recorded 17,384 in Cinebench and described the fan noise as background airflow at around 40 dBA. Toasty Bros were more critical, saying “the only thing is that CPU is definitely throttling down which is quite disappointing for a Mini PC.” The CPU reached 98C, Warzone at 1440p struggled to hold 60fps, and Black Myth: Wukong on high with no upscaling averaged 33fps.

The reviews disagree most on noise. PCMag called it quiet, Terafied said it was not loud in Modern Warfare 2, and Digital Trends found it quiet in CPU work but loud in gaming. Robtech called anything above 40 dBA very noticeable, and CGMagazine measured 49 to 50 dB in benchmarks. Idle power also varies by test: Notebookcheck averaged 39.3W, ETA PRIME saw about 39W, and Robtech measured about 40W on his 2022 unit and 65W on the used unit he tested in 2026. Fortnite results differ too, with CGMagazine at 71.1fps on full settings in 2023 and Robtech around 40fps at High in 2026.

Conclusion

The NUC 12 Enthusiast makes sense as a compact video editing machine that also plays games at 1080p, if you find one well under its launch price. PCMag gave a starting price of $1,180 for the barebones kit. Robtech paid 870 AUD (about 615 USD) for a used unit with 32GB and a 2TB SSD and plans to use it as a travel editing workstation, and Toasty Bros paid $579 on eBay for one with 16GB and a 512GB SSD.

Skip it if the PC stays on all day, since idle readings of 39W to 65W work out to about 340 to 570 kWh a year. It is also a poor fit if you want the newest demanding games at high settings or a machine that stays quiet while gaming. The ASUS ROG NUC 2025 continues this line of gaming mini PCs with NVIDIA graphics, and the ACEMAGIC M1A Pro AI stays with Intel graphics on the desktop-class Arc A770. To compare more options, see our Mini PC Comparison Chart.

Frequently Asked Questions